Chapter 222

They had met in the airport lounge, where the flight attendants kept offering drinks service, even preparing red wine specifically for Kylie. She had stepped away to use the restroom, leaving Joshua alone in the lounge.

When Sarah spotted Joshua, her face lit up with surprise. “Joshua, what a coincidence! Are you heading to Rodunst too?”

Joshua nodded in confirmation.

“Which hotel are you staying at?” she asked.

“The Benzo Club.”

The Benzo Club was one of Ariodon’s most prestigious luxury hotels, and it happened to be where the tech forum had booked rooms for their platinum-level experts. Since the reservation was made for Shermaine, Joshua would naturally share the same room without any additional cost.

Sarah’s eyes widened with excitement. “No way! We’re staying at the Benzo Club too. What floor are you on?”

“The 23rd floor,” Joshua said.

“We’re on the 23rd floor as well.” Sarah continued her questioning. “How long are you planning to stay?”

“About a week.” Ever since Joshua had taken over the business, he’d never bothered with vacation time. It had always seemed unnecessary to him. But now that Shermaine was in his life, he’d come to realize that taking time off was something worth doing.

He also dreamed of traveling the world with Shermaine, each with a camera in hand, exploring mountains and rivers together as partners.

After Kylie finished attending the Tech Conference, they had planned to spend some quality time sightseeing in Rodunst. Running into Joshua like this was perfect–now she could make her move on him.

Kylie kept her eyes locked on Joshua the entire time. The casually dressed man held his magazine with long fingers, but there was one thing that bothered her–the platinum diamond ring gleaming on his ring finger.

Still, it seemed like fate was giving her the perfect opportunity to seduce this man.

She wasn’t wearing one of her Lolita dresses today; Wallington was just too hot for that. Instead, she’d chosen a cool black slip dress. Though when it came to curves, she couldn’t compete with Shermaine.

Kylie approached with a wine glass in hand, her voice soft and inviting. “Joshua, want some red wine?” Her tone struck the perfect balance between sophisticated and friendly.

“Thanks, but I’m good,” Joshua replied. From start to finish, he remained completely cold toward both of them, his responses purely polite and nothing more.

Sarah seemed completely oblivious to his distant attitude, acting like she didn’t notice a thing.

Kylie picked up on it, but she pretended not to care. She figured that if a guy was too easy to win over, she’d lose interest fast. The harder the chase, the more excited she got.

Joshua glanced at his watch, wondering what was taking Shermaine so long in the restroom.

Actually, Shermaine had quite a scare in the restroom. A woman who’d come in to use the bathroom suddenly collapsed without warning, frightening everyone nearby. Fortunately, it turned out she’d just fainted from mild heatstroke and a weak constitution–nothing more serious than that.

After Shermaine helped revive the woman, she contacted the airline’s medical staff and waited until they arrived before washing her hands and heading back out.

With only twenty minutes left before takeoff, Joshua had ordered a watermelon juice and a fruit plate, all the while checking for Shermaine’s return.

Kylie kept trying to strike up conversations with Joshua, but he was naturally aloof and spent most of his time absorbed in his magazine.

After finishing her wine and touching up her lipstick, Kylie deliberately fumbled while putting it back in her purse, letting the lipstick fall, where it rolled toward Joshua’s feet.

Just as Kylie was about to say something, a figure approached and nearly stepped on the fallen lipstick. Shermaine caught herself just in time, pulling her foot back when she spotted the cosmetic on the ground. She pressed her lips together slightly as she took in the scene.

Chapter 223