Those questions had been circling Joseph’s mind ever since he was discharged. Judy truly planned to cut ties—then what had all his effort meant? He clenched his fists slowly, then drove off. Since she was no longer at the studio, there was no reason for him to linger.

He knew well enough: if Judy had truly decided to abandon the studio, she wasn’t coming back anytime soon. Staying there wouldn’t change a thing. He wouldn’t be able to catch her, no matter how long he waited. Joseph headed back to the office—there was still work piling up on his end.

When he glanced at his phone, he saw his father had called multiple times while he was in the hospital. At first, he made an effort to respond, but as time passed, his patience ran out. It was always about the company. Any time his father reached out, it was never because of any genuine father-son bond. A trace of resentment rose in Joseph’s heart. He’d rarely felt fatherly love from him. As a child, he’d envied others who got picked up from school by their dads. As he grew older, he came to understand more. If his father wouldn’t give it to him, he’d just earn it on his own. He didn’t need anyone’s help. He could still get what he wanted. That mindset shaped him—arrogant and self-centered.

After he left, Emily finally let out a breath of relief. She patted her chest and quickly took out her phone to call Judy. Everything she’d told Joseph had been nothing more than stalling tactics. The whole point was to buy time and keep his suspicions at bay.

The call connected after just a few rings. Judy’s drowsy voice came through, “Emily, what’s up?”

As soon as the line opened, Emily rushed to report everything that had just happened with Joseph.

“Mm, well done.” Judy was pleased with how she handled it. Keeping Emily behind to manage things had definitely been the right call.

Hearing the praise, Emily actually felt a little embarrassed. “Miss Moore, I was just doing my job.”

But Judy waved it off. “No need to be modest. I’m always fair when it comes to rewards and consequences. As long as you do your job well, I won’t let you down.”

Those words filled Emily with joy. As a fresh graduate, landing a job like this was already a stroke of luck. She quickly nodded, “Don’t worry, Miss Moore. I’ll keep doing my best. If he shows up again, I’ll find another excuse to keep him off your trail. You can count on me.”

Judy was satisfied. She nodded and said she understood.

After hanging up, Emily was still riding a wave of happiness. She glanced at her darkened screen, then at the sparsely staffed studio around her, feeling a surge of motivation. If she kept this up, the future would only get brighter.

Walton Residence. Grace glanced at the time—it had been three days. Since there wasn’t much to handle today, she decided to make a trip to the Hayes residence. The matter regarding Julian needed to be resolved as soon as possible. It couldn’t be delayed any longer.