Chapter 404
Ten minutes later, the police arrived and took Sienna away.
“Mom!” Conner was worried sick. “Sienna is not that kind of person. Reyna was the one who went looking for trouble.”
Tania shot Conner an icy gaze. “You need to understand, Conner, that Reyna is your biological sister. To see her injured like this, Sienna must pay the price.”
“But Mom…” Conner had a splitting headache. He could find no means at the time to convince Tania.
The first thing he did was rush to Sunshine Neighborhood. He had to tell Tara about the matter at hand. Plus, Joyce had to be coaxed if she did not
see Sienna
As Conner reached Sunshine Neighborhood and recounted the events to Tara, the latter’s heart sank. “Mr. Fischer, is Sienna… gonna be alright?”
“Rest assured” Conner nodded with a frown. “I’ll find a way. I won’t let anything happen to her.
“Thank you.” said Tara.
“Please take good care of Joyce, Conner pleaded.
“It’s my job…” stated Tara.
Conner stood up to leave. He had to get to the police station. Before he could reach the exit, Cedric showed up. Their eyes met.
Conner voiced, “You…”
Not a peep came from Cedric.
Seeing that. Tara immediately stepped forward. “Mr. Brawne, you’re here.
She then introduced the gentlemen to each other. “Mr. Fischer, this is Cedric Brawne, a friend of Sienna’s. Mr. Brawne, this is Conner Fischer, Sienna’s brother?
Being informed of the other party’s relationship with Sienna, both Conner and Cedric somehow knew the score.
“Good to see you, Conner, greeted Cedric.
“The pleasure is mine, Cedric,” said Conner.
Cedric scrutinized Conner’s expression before turning to Tara. “I didn’t see Sienna around. Did something happen?”
“Well…” Tara sighed and looked at Conner. “Mr. Fischer, I’m not sure how to explain. Why don’t you do it? Sienna and Cedric are close friends.”
“Okay” Conner nodded and turned to Cedric, explaining the situation in a brief yet concise manner.
That’s what happened. I’m going to the police station now,” remarked Conner.
Then came Cedric’s offer. “I’ll go with you.”
They exchanged a look and left Sunshine Neighborhood together, making a beeline for the police station.
On the way, Cedric contacted Yosef. “Yosef, can you get Gilbert for me?”
“What do you need him for?” questioned Yosef.
Gilbert was the top lawyer in Jeiacrity, holding the number one spot with an undefeated record.
However, he was never easy to hire. Cedric’s reputation simply was not enough to make Gilbert consider taking up the job.
‘Something happened to Sienna, Yosef, Cedric blurted.
“What?” Yosef gripped his phone and glanced at Josiah beside him.
At that juncture, Yosef, Josiah, and a few others were hanging out as usual.
“Give me a second…” said Yosef after hearing Cedric’s words as he turned on the speakerphone. “Cedric, go on.”
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Chapter 404
“It’s like this….” Cedric went on to explain the situation over the phone and added, “Please, Yosef, you’ve gotta ask Gilbert for help.”
Since it concerned Sienna, so of course, Cedric just had to get her the best lawyer to ensure everything went smoothly.
“I understand. I’ll try.” After hanging up the phone, Yosef looked up at Josiah. “The thing with Gilbert… Should you go, or should I?”
In comparison, Gilbert and Josiah had closer ties; otherwise, given Gilbert’s status, he would not have handled a puny divorce case for Josiah.
Long had Josiah been pulling a long face. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he pronounced, “Let me give him a call.”
With that, he rose to his feet, picked up the phone, and dialed Gilbert’s number. “Hello, it’s me…”
Later, he hung up the call and gazed at Yosef. “He’s going to the police station right now to meet up with Cedric.”
“Okay.” Yosef nodded, picking up his phone. “I’ll let Cedric know.”
After dealing with that, the atmosphere in the private room changed somehow. Yosef and Thomas exchanged glances, and the two then turned to Josiah at the same time.
Josiah was swirling the glass in his hand, taking in small sips of drink, his demeanor composed and aloof. However, his restlessness was palpable.
Yosef could not help but pipe up, “Don’t worry too much, Josiah. There’s no case Gilbert can’t crack.”
“Right.” Josiah nodded, raising his chin to knock back the whiskey in his glass in one gulp. Then, he set the glass down on the table.
“I’ve had too much to drink. I’m not feeling good. Gotta go.” With that, he stood up and walked straight out the door.
Yosef and Thomas looked at each other in dismay, pondering, ‘Was he wasted? He had only one glass. We barely started anything yet.
“Looks like Josiah’s heart is still with Sienna,” Yosef commented.
Thomas chimed in, “Isn’t it obvious?”
After leaving Mousea House, instead of heading to the police station, Josiah departed for Sunshine Neighborhood. Right then, Tara was trying to calm Joyce down.
“Mommy! I want Mommy!” Joyce had been crying and refused to go to bed.
Even though Tara had explained that Sienna was at work, Joyce simply would not settle down.
Strangely enough, Sienna had stayed out all night before, but back then, Joyce understood and behaved herself.
Still, that very night, Joyce could not be soothed. Tara thought to herself, “This must be the bond they shared between mother and daughter!
It was said that children are often intuitive, so Tara wondered if Joyce could sense that Sienna was in trouble rather than at work.
{
“There, there. Don’t cry, Joyce. Your mommy will be back soon,” coaxed Tara.
“When will Mommy be back?” Joyce was hiccupping through her tears. “Tara, I’ll wait for Mommy to come back before I go to bed.”
Tara consoled, “Oh, Joyce-”
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
“Who is it?” Tara asked as she hurriedly went to answer the door, holding Joyce in her arms while thinking, ‘Could it be Sienna?‘
She froze the second she opened the door. “Mr. Flynn?”
Her reaction was logical, for Josiah had not shown up for quite some time.
Humming an acknowledgment, Josiah nodded at Tara before he reached for Joyce upon catching a glimpse of that little girl. “Joyce, come over
here:
“Mr. Flynn?” Joyce’s tearful eyes were sparkling with disbelief. “Is it you, Mr. Flynn?”
After confirming that the man was indeed Josiah, Joyce threw herself into Josiah’s embrace. “It’s really you! You’re here, Mr. Flynn!”
“Yes.” Josiah was overcome with guilt and remorse. He hugged Joyce ever so tightly as tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m here.”
Joyce buried her face in Josiah’s chest, tears streaming down her cheeks, “You haven’t come to see me in so long.”
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Chapter 404
“I’m sorry.” Josiah’s heart ached at his daughter’s sweet, meek voice. “My bad. I’m so sorry.”
He was not trying to distance himself from Joyce but was afraid that getting too close to Joyce would cause trouble for Sienna. Also, he dreaded that the more he showed up, the harder it would be for him to part from Sienna and Joyce.
“Time for bed, Joyce.” Josiah carried Joyce back to her room and kissed her on the head. “Would you like me to read you a bedtime story?”
“You bet!” answered Joyce. The father and daughter lay in bed, their heads touching. As Josiah read aloud, Joyce began to doze off. He closed the book and gently patted her.
“Mr. Flynn…” Joyce murmured, yet she could barely open her eyes. “Will Mommy be back tomorrow?”
Josiah felt a pang in his heart as he cooed, “Of course, she will. You’ll see her tomorrow, Joyce. Now, go to sleep.”
“Okay.” Joyce closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Josiah watched Joyce sleep for a moment before quietly getting out of bed and leaving the room, shutting the door softly behind him.
Tara was still standing outside. “Mr. Flynn.”
“Mm.” Josiah pointed toward the room. “Take good care of Joyce. Same as before–call me if you need anything.”
Noted.
Noted. Tara nodded, her heart heavy with worry. “Mr. Flynn, will Sienna be alright?”
“Of course,” replied Josiah without a moment’s hesitation. “I’ll have to go now. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
“Okay, Mr. Flynn. Take care,” uttered Tara.
After Josiah went downstairs, he received a call from Gilbert. “Go ahead.”
Gilbert revealed, “We have a problem.”
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