Seeing Owen standing there, silent as a statue while James tried to strike up a conversation, Johnny couldn't help but feel a twitch of frustration. It was like watching a school kid getting scolded. Finally, unable to contain himself, Johnny gave Owen a nudge with his foot.
"Come on, man, the guy's reaching out, and you're just standing there? What are you playing at?" Johnny thought, exasperated.
Owen, on the receiving end of the nudge, shot Johnny a glance that could freeze hot coffee. Johnny pretended not to notice the icy look and, resigning himself to the fact that Owen wasn't going to say anything charming, took it upon himself to make small talk with James.
Mandy, who had been planning to approach Johnny for a chat, stopped in her tracks. She noticed Johnny and a man by his side heading towards someone who looked like a neighbor from her rural hometown, and the trio seemed to know each other. What's more, Johnny's demeanor towards her neighbor was... oddly reverent.
Puzzled, Mandy wondered how Johnny could possibly know someone from her backwater town. Especially since he didn't seem to be from there himself.
Her thoughts were interrupted by another familiar figure entering her view—her foster daughter, who was also there, heading straight toward Johnny.
It was as if everyone knew each other. And just as this realization hit her, another baffling scene unfolded. Johnny greeted her foster daughter with the same respectful nod he had given her neighbor.
"This is surreal," Mandy thought, gripping her purse tighter. Her foster daughter, who had only recently returned to the Davis family, seemed to have undergone a staggering transformation. She stood there, with an aloof elegance like a proud winter plum, exuding a superiority that even made her seem to outshine Johnny.
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