From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 273: Chapter 273

"Yes, I tried to persuade him for a long time, but Mr. Vanderbilt said it wasn't convenient," Noah continued.
"This Mr. Vanderbilt, is he really that dismissive?" Josie was puzzled. From a business perspective alone, even if he only cared about profit, Dominick shouldn't have refused to meet her.
Seeing that the timing was right, Noah finally smiled and said, "But after my relentless persuasion, Mr. Vanderbilt agreed to squeeze in some time tomorrow night to attend your niece's recognition banquet."
"Huh?" Josie was even more confused. "No time to meet me, but time to attend a recognition banquet?"
Always proud and strong-willed, Josie was clearly displeased.
Noah hesitated, feeling like he might have pushed things too far this time. If this ended up causing a rift between Josie and Dominick, that would be a huge loss.
"Not exactly. I think he genuinely isn't available. But when he heard your older brother might be there, he agreed."
Noah felt proud of himself—he had come up with the perfect excuse.
Sure enough, when Josie heard that Dominick was going for her older brother, she felt a little more balanced. "Oh, fine. Does Mr. Vanderbilt have any particular preferences? What should I tell Keeley to keep in mind?"
Remembering Keeley's heavily made-up face, Noah kindly reminded her, "Tell her not to wear too much makeup and not to use too much perfume."
That whole "suddenly rich" thing—Noah felt Keeley was the real example of it.
She had been living with his brother in the Godard family for so many years, yet she still hadn't developed proper habits.
"Alright, got it," Josie responded absentmindedly.
Just as the call was about to end, Noah suddenly thought of something. "Oh, right, Mr. Vanderbilt will be bringing his son tomorrow. You might want to have Keeley prepare for that."
That was Noah's way of giving a friendly warning—he had just experienced firsthand how annoying Grayson could be.
"What? He's bringing his son?" Josie didn't understand.
"Yeah, I think they came to Montera for a vacation. It's just the two of them this time, no one else," Noah explained.
Josie didn't think too much about it. She simply acknowledged the information and ended the call.
Noah continued driving, feeling an inexplicable sense of excitement. For some reason, he had a gut feeling that the Godard family's recognition banquet tomorrow wouldn't be peaceful.
That night, after putting Serena to sleep, Paisley found herself once again unable to sleep. Just like the night before, she wandered alone in the courtyard.
Almost at the exact same time and place, she saw Jolin returning in the middle of the night once again.
However, this time, Jolin didn't seem as impatient as the previous night. Instead, she smiled shyly and quickly walked over to Paisley.
Still a little awkward, but she still managed to call out, "Cousin."
Looking at Jolin's embarrassed and awkward expression, Paisley couldn't help but find this younger sibling incredibly adorable.
Even though Jolin's profession, height, looks, and overall demeanor had nothing to do with being cute, Paisley still found Jolin adorable.
At work, she was a cool and sharp deputy chief of the criminal investigation unit. In private, she was just a simple, goofy girl.
"How's the case going? Any progress?" Paisley asked.
Jolin nodded. "A lot of progress. We've preliminarily identified a suspect, and we've made significant breakthroughs in gathering evidence. I believe we'll solve the case very soon."
Seeing Jolin so full of determination, Paisley nodded. "That's good to hear."
"Heh, honestly, I should thank you," Jolin said, scratching his head awkwardly, messing up his already untidy hair even more.
"No need to be so polite. I just did what I could. Solving the case and catching the criminals—that's up to you guys." Paisley truly admired Jolin. There weren't many people like him—someone who had such a privileged family background yet chose to become a criminal investigator, a profession that required great sacrifice.
"It's really late. I'll walk around for a bit longer, but you should go rest. You haven't had a proper break since last night, have you?" Paisley had heard that Jolin had only slept for two hours before getting called out to investigate.
"It's fine." Jolin was still full of energy. "I'm not tired. I'll walk with you." Then, a little uncertainly, he asked, "Is that okay?"
"Of course. I'm still not familiar with this place. You can show me around."
It wasn't Paisley's fault for not knowing her way around—the estate was simply too big. She had been here for two days and had only explored about a third of it.
"Alright."
As the two of them walked side by side, Paisley's height only reached Jolin's shoulder. Suddenly, she said, "I have a disciple named Linna. I think you two would get along well."
"Really? Is she a cop too?" Jolin asked.
"No, she works in private security."
"Oh?" Jolin's eyes lit up with genuine curiosity. "I'd love to meet her."
"There'll be a chance. I'll introduce you two."
The night breeze was cool and crisp, yet it carried a sense of tranquility.
"Paisley," Jolin suddenly said in the darkness, "don't mind what people say. Those rumors are just from people who don't understand you."
Not long ago, even Jolin had been somewhat influenced by those rumors. But after spending time with her, she realized Paisley was nothing like what people said.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you that way before." She thought she owed Paisley an apology.
"It's okay," Paisley said casually. "I forgive you."
She wasn't particularly generous, but whether she forgave someone depended on how much she liked them.
She liked Jolin, and Jolin's apology was sincere. So she was willing to forgive him.
Hearing that, Jolin grinned happily.
They continued walking when, suddenly, they heard faint groans of pain coming from a nearby pavilion.
Jolin's expression changed instantly. "Joshua!"
Calling out his name, she quickly ran over.
It was Logan's son, Jolin's twin brother.
Paisley followed closely behind. As soon as she entered the pavilion, she saw Joshua clutching his head in pain.
Jolin kept calling his name, trying to bring him back to his senses while holding his hands to stop him from hurting himself. "Joshua! Calm down!"
"Dead, all dead. no way forward." Joshua seemed trapped in some kind of obsession, unable to escape.
Paisley quickly stepped forward.
On the stone table in front of Joshua was a chess board. The black and white pieces were tightly packed together—it was a dead end.
Paisley noticed Joshua holding a black piece. It was black's turn to move. She studied the board for a moment, and then picked up a black piece.
"Don't touch his board!" Jolin warned anxiously. "He'll lose it!"
But Paisley ignored him and placed the black piece on the board.
"Get out of here. I'll restrain him!" Jolin urged, worried Paisley would get hurt.
But Paisley remained still, looking at Joshua. "See? It's alive. The black piece is alive."
Joshua's frenzied expression froze, his heavy breathing slowing as his gaze fell on the board.
The moment his bloodshot eyes saw it, he quickly calmed down. He mumbled to himself, "Alive; it's really alive."