Chapter 12
Judy dropped the car key on the center table and removed her SIM card from her phone, discarding the device as well. She opened a trolley and took out a large brown envelope. Afterward, she turned to face her father, giving him a glare filled with unspoken emotions. Agnes's last words echoed in her mind: "Don't stop her, Robert; she won't survive a day outside." Those were the last words she heard Agnes say before she left the mansion.
As Judy strolled down the estate, the streetlights provided some illumination. Tears she had been holding back began to flow. She felt lost, unsure of where to begin. Without a phone to call Alice and without a car to drive anywhere, she worried about how her sensitive mother would react to the news. Staying behind the house felt futile, and leaving seemed equally hopeless. She knew Charles was a manipulative man who could get whatever he wanted, and she doubted she could remain hidden from him indefinitely. Nevertheless, she was determined to fight back. It dawned on her that her father must be deeply involved with Charles; this marriage arrangement couldn't be for nothing, and she wasn't ready to surrender easily. A scoff escaped her as she thought of her stepmother's last statement.
Engulfed in her thoughts, Judy failed to notice the bright headlights approaching from behind. Julius slowed down as he recognized her familiar figure walking slowly down the street in the middle of the road. He had returned six months ago to take over the family business and had recently moved to this neighborhood near his fashion institution. The last days had been filled with encounters involving the lady who repeatedly blocked his path, presenting herself in a vulnerable manner unlike the confident woman he had seen on stage earlier.
He found himself pondering why he kept running into her so often and questioned her habit of being lost in thought while on the road. Stepping out of his vehicle, he kept the engine running and prepared to chastise her for her reckless positioning in the street. "Miss Wilson, right?" he called out. But When she turned to look at him, his heart sank at the sight of her tear-streaked face, her eyes reddened from constant crying. A strong urge welled up inside him to confront whoever had hurt her.
In his gaze, there was a growing sense of protectiveness; he wanted to shield her from the pain that had brought her to this moment. The weight of the situation was palpable, and he couldn't ignore the depth of her despair. He felt oddly connected to her turmoil, his heart aching for the anguish she carried. As they stood there, two lives intersecting on an ordinary street, an unspoken understanding began to blossom, hinting at the possibility of support and solace amidst the chaos that surrounded them both.
Judy snapped back to reality when a deep voice called out to her, drawing her attention to the bright light from a car. She found herself in the middle of the street, lost in thoughts, forgetting that she had planned to apologize to her boss when they next met. Her mind felt scattered, and as she attempted to move aside for the car, she was unexpectedly stopped by a firm grip on her elbow belonging to Julius, the car's driver.
"Do you live around here?" he asked, surprising her with the directness of the question. When Judy replied she did not, he followed up with "Where are you headed?" but she realized she had no clear answer, wondering if she could simply walk to the coffee shop. "Nowhere," she stated simply.
Julius's frustration was mounting as he regarded the petite woman, seeing her vulnerability reminded him of a small rabbit. "Do you have a home then?" he pressed, and had Judy been thinking clearly, she might have found his expression intimidating. However, her burdens distracted her from fear. "I don't have a home," she replied flatly.
"But you have a car?" Julius challenged, incredulity creeping into his voice. His patience waned as Judy, overwhelmed, responded with agitation, "I don't anymore," punctuating her sentence with an outburst of tears that caught him off guard. Julius could hardly comprehend her plight; it was exactly encounters like this that made him hesitant about getting involved with women. As he watched her cry, uncertainty left him frozen, racking his brain for the right course of action.
After a moment, Judy managed to regain some composure and turned to see him offering her a handkerchief. "Thank you," she said softly, taking it to wipe her tears. Suddenly remembering that Julius was her boss, she felt the need to clarify any misunderstandings. "Oh, I am sorry for earlier, the other night; I promise I am not that kind of person…" she began, only to be interrupted by the loud growl of her stomach, an embarrassing testament to her situation.
"Have you eaten?" he questioned, his tone brokering no argument. "I am not hungry," she insisted, trying to brush off the inquiry. However, Julius dismissed her response. "Get into the car," he ordered, prompting Judy to hesitate. Confusion washed over her; where would he take her after she just told him she had nowhere to go? Yet, deep down, a more desperate side of her craved assistance, leading to her refusal to argue. Stubbornly, she stood her ground, unwilling to move.
Julius's tone shifted with a sense of authority as he asserted, "Now, you are working for me. I would not like the world to know that I let my skilled candidate die of hunger and homelessness." It was a firm yet unyielding approach. The situation created a tension between his propositions and her reality— her lack of a home versus his offer of refuge—forcing Judy to confront her circumstances and, potentially, a new direction in her life.
Judy felt the weight of being called homeless, and though she accepted it, she hoped that Julius would offer her some assistance. With no further arguments, she slipped into his car, and they drove to a nearby restaurant instead of going to visit his grandfather at the Jones residence, where he knew he would only face pressure to marry. They sat across from each other, and Judy began sharing her life's challenges over a meal .
Judy explained her reactions during a previous encounter, expressing that she believed that marriage might grant her a sense of freedom, albeit at a risk to her safety.
" I believe anyone involved with me now might just be in danger once Charles finds out" she said and Julius chuckled at her comments, and for a moment, she was momentarily mesmerized by his handsome smile, which made her heart flutter. His quip about laughing in the face of danger earned him a bittersweet smile from her, indicating a deeper emotional response she was grappling with.
"You don't know Charles,do you? She asked but Julius didn't respond to that
"What about your mother"
He queried about her, considering the emotional ties that Judy had with her family. However, when he posed the question, silence ensued, causing Julius to wonder about her internal conflicts.
Changing the subject he asked again
"What plans do you have now."
Judy finally broke the silence, revealing her vague plan to win a competition in hopes of locating her maternal grandparents. She felt uncertain, clutching only an envelope of documents and her SIM card, unsure if this half-formed idea could realistically lead her to a solution. She mused about going to a coffee shop but worried about the potential consequences for her friends, Alice and Mama Kate.
As she fidgeted with emotions evident in her eyes, Julius watched her intently, recognizing the anxiety that brewed beneath her surface. In an unexpected turn, he proposed,
"Let's get married," a spontaneous suggestion that caught Judy off guard, causing her to spill the water she was about to sip from.