In truth, Joan wasn’t worried about Larry. Instead, she was worried that Finnick and Vivian would blame Larry. Larry already has his plate full, so he can’t take any more pressure from others! However, she couldn’t say that, so she could only nod in tacit acquiescence to Vivian’s remark.
Upon seeing her nod, Vivian affectionately wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I’ve raised Larry from young, and he’s the kind of person who’ll give something his all when he has made up his mind to do it. It’s the same this time. Whatever it is, the result doesn’t matter as long as he has done his best and given it his all.
“The outcome isn’t important. We don’t have a strong affinity for money and the company. Finnick has already made more money than a person could make in two lifetimes. If worse comes to worst, we’ll just be more frugal in the future. We can still survive without any problems.”
Gah! That’s not what I wanted to say! Joan wailed inwardly. So, does this mean that they’ve long since planned for the eventuality that the company would go bankrupt? Are they truly his biological parents? Or was Norton Corporation given to them by someone for free?
The two of them really have no attachment to earthly possession, huh? They don’t even care about anything Larry does. Well, that’s a good thing! Joan was very much relieved. Since things are fine with them here, I’ll now go and find someone. I wonder if he’ll be able to shed light on the questions I have.
“I knew that you would come and seek me out.” As Dustin looked at Joan before him, he wasn’t the least bit surprised. “But why did you choose to meet in a nature park?”
An hour ago, Joan sent Dustin a message after leaving Finnick and Vivian’s place. Dustin arrived very quickly, so they met in the park in no time.
Since it was Sunday, the nature park was bustling even more than usual. At the gate itself, there was an unceasing throng of visitors. Vendors sold various kinds of balloons, while children who came and went tugged on their parents’ hands as they beseeched them to get one.
Dustin was wearing a sky blue casual jacket and slim-fit pants that rendered him all the taller. On the whole, his dressing was vastly different from his usually serious and meticulous style.
As Joan stared at him with undisguised weariness in her eyes, she felt that something about him had changed despite looking no different. Yet, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
All of a sudden, she blurted, “I remember back when we were abroad, I used to be very pessimistic just after you had operated on me. Thus, you brought me to the various parks in A Nation. At that time, I always thought to myself that I’ll bring you to a park in Marsingfill if I could ever recover my health…”
She naturally stood beside Dustin, and they walked side by side, creating a blissful picture.
“Later, I returned to Chanaea, but I couldn’t fulfill the promise back then due to various reasons… And you even left Marsingfill to head back to A Nation again because of me.” Joan stared down at the scattered pebbles below her feet. As she stepped on them, she felt the pressure accumulated at her soles dissipating.
“That’s why… I decided on this place for our meeting today.” As the rays of sunlight shone on her head, they appeared both like crystal ornaments that adorned her hair and the stars scattered across the Milky Way.
Conversely, Dustin’s gaze remained on her—the look in his eyes gentle as though he was looking at a priceless treasure. As a breeze blew her scattered hair into her face, he abruptly reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Actually, as long as I’m with you… as long as I get to see you, I’m happy wherever it may be.”
Such a declaration was tantamount to a confession of love, but Joan was already numb to it. Although Dustin rarely expressed himself to her, she wasn’t a fool, so she more or less knew that he had feelings for her.
However, she didn’t want to hurt him, much less ruin the harmonious relationship between them, thus never once pointed it out before him.
