A gleam flashed across Justin's eyes. He smiled and gave her a glass of water. “Mrs. Thompson is just being nice.”
“What?” Joyce's confusion deepened. “Nice? What do you mean?”
“It's a secret.” Justin took a sip of water, and he seemed unwilling to reveal more. Surely, Natalie has done that
because she wants me to get together with Joyce. That's why she'd gotten up after getting Joyce to sit down. I bet
she was giving us the opportunity to bond! Well, it seems like a lot of people are on my side. Not only have Mr. and
Mrs. Rivers given me their blessings to be with Joyce, but Joyce's best friend is also on my side! Evidently, Stanley is
such an unlikeable person. However, that's good, though. Everyone Joyce cares about is on my side. Perhaps, she'd
want to be with me because of that. By then, Stanley will finally get eliminated. In fact, Stanley should be gotten rid
of since he'd only hurt Joyce, he shouldn't have her. I'm the only one who deserves her.
Soon, Justin left for the hotel he was staying at after lunch.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtCoincidentally, he was staying at the same hotel Natalie was staying at. Besides, he also got a presidential suite to
himself.
According to Joyce, Justin was only going to be there for a few days. Since he wasn't planning on staying in
Baycoast for long, he'd only been staying at a hotel instead of buying a house.
Natalie wasn't bothered by that. After washing her hands in the bathroom, she went to Joyce's room and knocked
on the door.
“Come in,” Joyce uttered from inside the room.
Natalie pushed the door open and walked in. “Hey, Joyce.”
“Hey, Nat.” At that moment, Joyce was looking through some photos. When she heard Natalie's voice, she raised
her head and smiled at her.
Acknowledging her response, Natalie walked up to her and lowered her gaze toward Joyce's knees. “Is that a photo
album?”
“Yes. I've just taken it out because I have a sudden urge to look at the photos from the past and reminisce it.” Joyce
lowered her gaze and smiled faintly.
Natalie furrowed her brows upon seeing that. Although she's smiling, there isn't a hint of delight in her eyes.
Instead, her smile was rather bitter.
After clenching and unclenching her fists, Natalie asked, “Joyce, what happened?”
“What?” Joyce looked at her in puzzlement. “What do you mean by that?”
Natalie approached her before taking a seat. “Well, you've been acting strangely for the past few days. Tell me,
Joyce. Tell me what happened to you. Please answer me, okay? My trip to Baycoast this time around isn't just about
seeing Mr. and Mrs. Rivers, but I've actually come to see you. Do you know how much I've been worrying about
you? That's why I've come here to look for you and ask you what happened.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
Joyce felt even more guilty when she saw how concerned Natalie looked.
After clutching the photo album in her hands for a while, she took a deep breath and said, “I'm sorry, Nat, but I
really can't tell you. I'm doing something, but if I were to tell you, you'll surely stop me from doing it. This thing that
I'm doing, I can't stop. Otherwise, all my previous efforts would be in vain. So, Nat, could you please stop asking me
about it?”
Joyce looked straight into Natalie's eyes and added, “Once I'm done with it, you'll know all about it without me telling
you.”
Natalie's frown deepened when she heard that. “I'll stop you if you were to tell me, you said? Well, it seems like
you're not doing something decent, are you?”
Joyce's eyes flickered, and she lowered her head in silence. She was basically admitting it.
Natalie rubbed her temples. “That's exactly why I'm worried about you, Joyce.”
“I know, Nat.” Joyce smiled faintly. “I know you care about me, and I'm truly happy about that. However, you've got
to understand that everyone has a secret to keep, and everyone has something they must do for themselves. I've
already planned the thing I'm doing, and I won't change my mind, Nat. So, please stop asking further, okay? What if
my plan fails because you're asking too much about it? If it fails, all my previous efforts would be for nothing, no?”