Skylar quickly sent another WhatsApp message: “Joe, don’t get too close to Marcus. He will bring trouble to you! I’ll explain everything when you have time.”
But both messages went unanswered. Skylar tossed and turned, restless, waiting for a reply. She didn’t dare put her phone on sleep mode, worried she might miss Joe’s call or message.
A while later, she woke up groggily to the sound of her phone ringing. Without hesitation, she answered the call.
“I just got off the plane and saw your message,” Joe’s voice came through.
Skylar’s senses sharpened immediately. “Are you and Marcus on the same flight?”
“Yes, we are.” Joe glanced at Marcus, who was standing beside him.
Their chance encounter was just the opportunity Marcus needed to get closer to Joe. He had been trying to make this connection because the Lennon family was facing some challenges lately.
Skylar took a deep breath before speaking. “Listen carefully. Marcus is wearing a thumb ring. That ring is nothing good. He’s a womanizer who frequently changes girlfriends, and with that sinister ring, he’s probably afflicted with something.”
“Don’t get too close to him! His energy will affect you, and it might even endanger your life.”
Joe raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead, he glanced at Paul, who was nursing a red, swollen forehead after bumping into something hard. His eyes then moved down to his own shoes, noticing a smudge of orange juice on his bespoke leather shoes and a scratch from a broken glass.
There had been a turbulence on the flight earlier, and the glass in the flight attendant’s hand had fallen. Paul, who had been about to get up, had lost his balance and fallen as well. In the chaos of the one-hour flight, Marcus had spat out blood. Despite that, Marcus looked fine now, though a little pale, and he didn’t seem bothered as he continued to be physically affectionate with the beautiful woman beside him.
Joe hesitated. Maybe Skylar was right. Maybe he needed to start believing in things that didn’t always seem logical on the surface. Or perhaps he was just more inclined to trust Skylar these days.
“Are you worried about me?” Joe asked with a half-smile, quickening his pace to distance himself from Marcus.
Skylar was caught off guard by the teasing tone in his voice. She answered honestly, “I don’t want Grandma to suffer the pain of losing her family. I just… I don’t want to see you in danger.”
Another reason was that she didn’t want widowhood to become the excuse for a divorce if anything were to happen to Joe.
Joe smirked, amusement dancing in his eyes. “It’s late. Go to sleep.”
“Okay, good night,” Skylar replied softly.
As Marcus walked, he noticed that Joe had started walking faster, seemingly ignoring him completely. Immediately, Marcus quickened his pace to catch up. The beautiful woman beside him struggled to keep up in her high heels.
“Mr. Martin, can I hitch a ride with you to the hotel? My ride broke down on the way,” Marcus asked, catching up with him.
Paul, who was walking behind, understood that Marcus probably had something important to discuss with Joe. They had known each other for a while—acquaintances, not close friends, but Marcus had always appeared in Joe’s social circles.
Suddenly, Paul felt a sharp pain in his forehead. He reached up to massage it and winced when he felt the bump. No wonder it hurt so much. This was the first time Paul had been unlucky on a flight, despite spending more time in the air than on the ground.
Joe, however, refused without hesitation. “It’s inconvenient for me,” he said, his tone stoic. He didn’t offer any explanation.
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