Chapter 224

“What?” Josiah exclaimed, surprised. “Who has upset our dear Joyce? Tell me, and I will help fix things.”

“No one,” Joyce replied shortly, lowering her head and pointing at her hair. “One Minnie is still in my hair, but the other is gone.”

It took Josiah a moment to understand that Joyce was referring to her hairpins; she had one on each side of her hair, and now only the left one remained. Josiah realized Joyce truly liked Minnie. He responded, “How unfortunate.”

“Exactly,” Joyce pouted, looking clearly unhappy. “Tara and I searched for ages but found nothing. It was so sneaky!”

“Hmm,” Josiah nodded, trying to suppress a chuckle.

At that moment, Tara intervened, looking at Josiah and remembering their last meeting at the park. She felt Joyce genuinely liked him. Honestly, Josiah was attractive; he seemed wealthy, not a rogue. But caution was always necessary. Tara held Joyce close and offered Josiah a stiff smile. “I’m sorry, sir. She is a bit clueless, and we’ve bothered you.”

“Not at all,” Josiah smiled kindly. “Joyce is lovely.”

Tara agreed. She hugged Joyce and said, “Well, we should be going now.” Without waiting for Josiah’s reply, she turned and walked away, murmuring to Joyce, “Where did you know him?”

“At the hospital.”

“Oh dear,” Tara sighed, realizing Josiah was also a patient. She told Joyce, “From now on, you must get my permission before you go off, okay? You might hurt yourself.”

Joyce leaned against Tara’s shoulder. “Tara, what will we do about the runaway Minnie? Aren’t we going to look for her?”

“If we can’t find her, then let it be,” Tara comforted her. “We can go to the mall another day, and I will buy you a new one, okay?”

“Okay,” Joyce considered this and found it acceptable. Suddenly, remembering something, she lifted her head and waved at Josiah. “Josiah, goodbye!”

Josiah couldn’t help but smile. “Goodbye.”

Tara took Joyce’s hand, feeling both helpless and amused. “You hardly know him, yet you’re quite nice to him?” With that, she quickened her pace. Josiah smiled faintly as he turned away and headed toward the parking lot.

“Back already?” Sienna asked, opening the car door for him. “That was fast.”

“Yes, the pharmacy was excellent,” he replied. After getting in and placing the medication in the backseat, he started the car.

Sienna felt Josiah seemed happier after the brief errand. She wondered if he had received good news, but held back from asking, not feeling a strong need to know.

Leaving the hospital, they stopped at TreMall for Miranda. Miranda had left a necklace for repair, and Josiah was collecting it.

Josiah turned to Sienna. “Shall we go together? You might find something you like.”

“No, thank you,” Sienna quickly declined. The watch she wore already felt heavy; she wouldn’t accept more gifts. She waved him off. “Hurry back.”

“Not a greedy girl, huh?” Josiah teased, gently pinching her nose. He realized his girlfriend was a woman who could resist jewelry. Worried she might grow restless waiting, Josiah hurried. At the counter, he picked up the necklace and left. But at the door, he stopped, turning back to ask the shop assistant, “Do you have any hairpins suitable for a little girl?”

The assistant, slightly puzzled, replied, “Mr. Flynn, what kind are you looking for?”

“One with a Minnie theme?”

At the mention of Minnie, the assistant smiled and nodded. “We have just that design, a collaboration by a well-known designer.” She took out a pair of hairpins from the display case. “Would you like to see them?”

They were indeed Minnie-themed, small enough to fit in a girl’s hair, beautifully decorated with white diamonds and bright red bows.

Josiah’s lips curled up, imagining how lovely Joyce would look wearing them. He was sure she’d love them. “Perfect,” he said. “No need for wrapping. I’ll take them just like this.”

“Yes, Mr. Flynn.” The assistant handed them to him, which he casually tucked into his bag as he left the store.

Back at the car, Sienna leaned back in her seat, yawning widely.

“Tired of waiting?” Josiah leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. “Sorry, but that was the last errand; we can go now.”

“Mm-hmm.”

At the Flynn residence, the whole family was busy preparing for Howard’s wedding. When Josiah arrived, Miranda quickly pulled him into the chaos, with Sienna joining in as an impromptu helper. Surprisingly, neither Yvette nor Howard was around.

Josiah casually asked, “Where are Howard and Yvette?”

“Speaking of the devil!” Yvette appeared, glowing as she descended the stairs, arm-in-arm with Howard. She gave Josiah a playful look. “You look grumpy. Have we worked you too hard?”

“Not at all,” Josiah chuckled. “It’s all for my dear brother and sister-in-law.”

“Now that’s more like it,” Yvette replied.

Josiah glanced at Howard. “Are you going out?”

“Yes,” Howard nodded.

“You see,” Yvette explained with a smile, “I organized a gown design contest.”

Josiah asked, “And were there any results?”

“One of the submissions I really liked led me to set up a meeting with the designer,” Yvette looked up at Howard, excitement sparkling in her eyes. “Even though I will wear the gown, Howard’s opinion is important—we will go together.”

Since their engagement, Yvette seemed enveloped in a bubble of happiness—so strong that even Sienna, who usually didn’t care, could feel it.

Suddenly, Yvette’s gaze fell on Sienna’s left wrist, narrowing slightly. But in a heartbeat, she shifted her focus. “Howard, shall we go?”

Watching their loving interaction, Sienna remembered that Rosie had also entered the wedding dress contest. She hadn't heard anything and thought maybe Rosie hadn't been chosen.

Zaid drove Howard and Yvette to the meeting place. Yvette half-hugged him, saying, “Howard, take it slow.”

“It’s fine,” Howard replied with a warm smile. “I’m perfectly fine now, no need to worry.”

“I just can’t help but worry about you.”

As they talked, they reached the door of the private room. The attendant opened the door and said, “Mr. Flynn, please come in. Your representative is already here.”