Chapter 147


    Melvin’s words seemed to stick in his throat, unspoken.


    Jocelyn’s heart, which she had painstakingly patched together, shattered once again.


    She forced a smile, “It’s okay, I understand. Rest up. I’m off.”


    This time, she left without any hesitation.


    It was her own fault, really. Too confident of herself.


    Words unspoken for more than three years were likely to be blurted out just out of impulse.


    And now, not even that impulse seemed worth it.


    Hope is for dreaming, not necessarily for achieving.


    Jocelyn went back to shelling peanuts with the vigers, listening in as they gossiped. She didn’t think


    about Melvin anymore. She wouldn’t


    As dusk settled, a beam of headlights illuminated the vige hall.


    Uriah came in a run, “Mr. Martinez has headed back to the city.”


    Jocelyn paused in her shelling, just as Urs came in and mentioned, “Willow left with him.”


    Jocelyn just smiled. “Good for them. A bit of peace returns to the vige finally.”


    After dinner, Jocelyn caught up with her parents over a video chat. Afterward, Harrison called, saying


    he’d been driving non-stop and was only a few hundred miles from home.


    Jocelyn thought he was driving too fast.


    Harrison didn’t ask about Melvin or Willow. They chatted idly for a while before hanging up.


    “Are you okay?” Urs asked her.


    “What do you mean?” Jocelyn fiddled with her phone, looking puzzled.


    Urs gave her a knowing look. “Come on, don’t put on an act for me. You’ve been off since you came


    back from the hike, and with him leaving overnight if there’s nothing going on, I’ll eat my hat.”


    Jocelyn shrugged. “There’s nothing going on between us.”


    “Are you really okay?” Urs had a hunch that Jocelyn’s calm was a facade.


    “I’m fine. We’ll be back in a few days. Let’s focus on catching up with the lessons.”


    Seeing that Jocelyn didn’t want to talk, Urs dropped the subject.


    As long as Jocelyn wasn’t falling apart, she could weather the storm.


    Jocelyn went back to her room.


    In truth, the next few days were light on lessons, with asional tutoring for the kids.


    Five dayster, Jocelyn and Urs prepared to return to the city.


    The vigers came to see them off, filling Urs’s car to the brim with gifts.


    Before they left, Yuri approached Jocelyn. “Hey, Jocelyn, Melvin left in such a rush, I didn’t get to see


    him off. Could you tell him when I’m of age, I’d like toe work for him?”


    Jocelyn blinked. “Didn’t you take his number?”


    “I did, but my grandma washed my clothes and forgot to take the note out Lost the number,” Yuri spoke


    in a low voice.


    Jocelyn wrote down Melvin’s number again. “If possible, keep learning as much as you can. Education


    isn’t the only way forward, but it won’t hurt to have some knowledge when you head to the big city.”


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    “Melvin said the same. Don’t worry, Jocelyn, I’ll hit the books.” Yuri smiled earnestly “When I start


    working in the city, I’ll treat you, Melvin, and Urs to a meal.”


    Urs teased, ‘Look at that, i’m included too.”


    Yor blushed and bowed his head. “You’ve all been so kind to our vige. Grandma said we must repay


    you.”


    Forget about repaying us. Take care of yourself and your grandma. Things will get better, Jocelyn


    encouraged him.


    Yun nodded vigorously.


    After saying goodbye to everyone, Jocelyn and Urs headed back to the city.


    The road was rough but they knew it well by now. It didn’t seem so bad


    *This road will be much better once they fix it up, Urs said “Uriah mentioned they’ll start right after


    the holiday.”


    Jocelyn gazed out the window, watching as the houses became sparse and the road wound between


    towering mountains. With such stunning scenery and pure air, she was rxed.


    “Yeah


    “School’s starting soon. Got any ns before then?”


    I might need to visit my aunt and uncle with my parents. How about you?”


    “I’m clueless. My mom set me up on a blind date, so I’ll see if I should go or not.”


    They made it back to the city just in time for lunch.


    Jocelyn invited Urs to stay for a meal. But her parents called her home, so she didn’t stick around.


    After dividing up the vigers’ gifts, Calvin and Daisy carried them upstairs and quizzed Jocelyn on her


    vige life until the meal ended, with conversation still flowing.


    That afternoon, after a nap, Jocelyn found Calvin gone.


    “Where’s Dad?”


    “Off to his chess game,” Daisy replied, sitting in front of the TV. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Your dad’s


    company had a raffle, and he won the first prize-a whopping twenty thousand.”


    Jocelyn frowned. “First prize? That much?”


    “Yeah.” Daisy beamed. “Lucky him. He’s thinking of buying you a car for easier travel when you’re


    home.”


    Jocelyn wasn’t thinking about cars. It just seemed odd that her father had won so much.


    “Everyone at hispany got something, right?”


    Daisy paused. “I assume so. They couldn’t just give it all to one person.”


    That assume left too much to the imagination.


    Jocelyn was starting to have her doubts.


    If everyone’s getting a windfall like this, you’ve gotta say the boss is loaded and likes to y by his own


    rules.


    When Calvin got back, Jocelyn asked about the lottery and the year-end bonus. Calvin paused for a


    moment before saying. “Oh, that prize? Yara snagged it for me. When I went to draw, she just handed


    me a card randomly. It turned out to be the jackpot. As for the treats, I got them the day after the


    holiday, covering thest shift. Yara handed them to me. I figured she wouldn’t have just given


    something to me alone, so I brought it back home.”


    Yara.


    Jocelyn nced at her father’s innocently puzzled face and knew this wasn’t just out of good luck, nor


    was it something everyone


    received.


    “Dad, you should probably return that bonus,” Jocelyn suggested. Since the food had already been


    eaten, they might as well y ignorant. But the money was too much.


    Calvin furrowed his brow. “Is there a problem?”


    “Twenty thousand dors, don’t you think is too much?” Jocelyn simply stated, hoping to prompt her


    father to think more deeply about


    the issue.


    Daisy walked out of the kitchen just in time to hear Jocelyn mention the twenty thousand.


    “What’s the problem?” she asked curiously.


    Jocelyn looked at her parents, befuddled. She understood their perspective. They saw it as prize


    money, the result of luck. Besides, they had no clue about the tension between her and Melvin. So of


    course, they wouldn’t suspect anything untoward.


    For a moment, Jocelyn was at a loss for words on how to exin the impropriety of keeping the money