The Wrong Woman

"Are you not interested in him?" Josie asked.
"We're not in the kind of relationship you're imagining," Candice explained.
Josie simply smiled and remained silent.
After entering the villa, she handed the basket of strawberries to the maid before settling on the couch with Candice. While
Candice sat upright with formal poise, Josie lounged with ease as if she owned the place.
"My dad and Mr. Morrison have been close friends for years. I practically grew up here, running around as a kid," Josie said
casually.
Candice looked puzzled. "With Uncle Nathan and Aunt Chubs so often away, how did you manage to visit?"
"Leo brought me here," Josie explained with a hint of pride. "He always tried to escape his parents' strict rules. He'd stay here for
a few days whenever he felt suffocated at home."
She pointed at one of the rooms on the upper floor and added, "See that room up there? That's our secret hideout."
Candice followed the direction where Josie pointed. Any adult would immediately grasp the implication of a room being called a
secret hideout.
Lowering her head, Candice forced a smile through her conflicting feelings of envy and discomfort. "So, you and Leo have been
close since childhood," she commented, trying to sound indifferent.
Just then, Josie turned and noticed Elio was coming in. Seizing the moment, she said, "Isn't it similar to you and Mervyn? Your
fathers were both comrades and colleagues. You practically grew up side by side with him, like childhood sweethearts."
Candice nodded in agreement.
"Mervyn has feelings for you, too," Josie added.
Candice was taken aback. She mulled over Josie's words, puzzled. Why had Josie suddenly mentioned that? And why the word
"too"? What was Josie implying?
Unbeknownst to Candice, Elio stood just behind, his expression darkening. He lingered silently for a moment before turning to
ascend the stairs. All he wanted to do was to retreat to his room, shower, and change into something clean.

As Elio's footsteps echoed up the staircase, Candice turned to find him already returned. Just then, the maid arrived with a plate
of freshly washed strawberries. She set it down on the coffee table.
"Candice, try one," Josie urged, offering her a large strawberry. "They're sweet and fragrant."
With a faint smile, Candice said, "Sure, thank you."
As Candice took a bite, Josie rose and remarked, "Feel free to help yourself. I'll be back in a moment."
"Okay," Candice replied, still nibbling on the strawberry. Her gaze followed Josie as she headed upstairs toward the room she
dubbed her secret hideout with Elio.
The sweetness in Candice's mouth turned inexplicably bitter. She lost her appetite and sank back into the couch, waiting silently.
Time crawled agonizingly slowly. Her heart throbbed with pain, each wave more intense than the last. The agony grew
unbearable as the minutes stretched on.
Candice was uncertain what or whom she was waiting for. The only certainty was the unbearable pain.
She didn't want to endure the waiting any longer, so she left Sudvilla with a heavy heart
Elio emerged from the bathroom to find Josie seated on his couch in his room. His expression darkened with anger. "What are
you doing in my room?" he demanded.
Josie offered a slight smile and explained, "I was downstairs alone and got bored, so I thought I'd come up for a chat."
Elio grew anxious. "Alone?"
"Yeah, Candice just left."
Elio dropped the towel he was holding, hurried out of his room, and dashed down the stairs. He burst out of the villa, scanning
the surroundings from the entrance. But Candice was nowhere to be seen.
Josie stood by the railing on the second-floor corridor, gazing downward with a smirk, her eyes twinkling with amusement.