Chapter 241: Guard the Boundary

Besides the gifts for Joanna, Cathy and Diana had also brought specially prepared presents for Elizabeth and Karen.

During lunch, Joanna's attention was completely absorbed by Cathy and Diana, who sat on her right.

Justin sat on Joanna's left, practically invisible.

Even when he served food onto Joanna's plate, he didn't receive so much as a glance from her.

That afternoon, the three women retreated to the bedroom and shut the door.

When Justin personally brought in a fruit platter, he found them sprawled on the sofa, deep in conversation.

He wandered around the room for a moment, then moved toward the chair by the window. Just as he was about to sit down, Joanna gently but firmly dismissed him with a single sentence.

An hour later, Justin knocked on the door with a tray of herbal tea.

Cathy accepted the tray, didn't even let Justin step inside, and shut the door directly in his face.

Two hours after that, Justin knocked again, this time carrying a plate of pastries. No one answered.

He simply pushed the door open.

The room was utterly silent.

He walked in slowly and found all three of them on the bed.

Diana and Cathy were nestled close to Joanna, all three sleeping soundly.

Thinking back to last night—when he'd spent the entire night alone in his room, unable to sleep—Justin's jaw, which he'd been clenching all afternoon, finally gave out.

He set down the pastries and left the room without a sound, a dark cloud of frustration hanging over him.

Ten minutes later, Cathy was jolted awake by a phone call from the company.

After listening to her assistant's report, she snapped fully awake.

"I'm heading back to the office right now. Notify the project department—everyone meets in an hour."

Joanna and Diana stirred awake as well.

Joanna rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?"

Cathy jumped out of bed, straightening her clothes as she spoke. "There's a major government-related project! I need to fight for it!"

Hearing it was good news, Joanna relaxed and smiled encouragingly. "I believe in you. You've got this."

Diana was still stretching lazily, clearly wanting to sleep more, but Cathy yanked her up. "Come on, no more sleeping. I'll drop you off on my way to the office."

They'd been chatting for so long that Joanna had been the first to start yawning.

They'd moved to the bed to keep talking.

Somewhere along the way, they'd all drifted off.

By now, the sky outside had already darkened.

Joanna walked Cathy and Diana downstairs and saw them off in the courtyard.

Before the car even pulled away, Justin appeared with his spacious wool coat and wrapped it around Joanna, urging her back inside.

"Don't catch a cold," Justin said softly.

"I'm not cold."

Joanna was wearing a thick sweater and hadn't planned to be outside long, so she hadn't bothered with a coat.

In the car, Cathy watched the scene unfold with an amused, knowing look as she waved goodbye to Joanna. Diana was smiling too, though inwardly she felt a pang of regret.

Only after Cathy hit the gas and drove off did Joanna turn away.

She pulled the coat tighter around herself and headed back inside.

Stepping into the living room, Joanna slipped off the coat and was about to hang it up when Justin took it from her hands.

Out of habit, Joanna said, "Thank you."

Justin paused, his brow furrowing slightly.

She could sleep in the same bed with other people, yet with him, she remained as polite and distant as ever.

But Joanna didn't notice his reaction. She'd already moved on, heading toward the kitchen to see what Karen was preparing this time.

Over the next week, Cathy didn't have a moment to spare.

On the phone, her laughter was almost manic. "The government is planning to demolish and rebuild the western suburbs—residential areas, hospitals, schools. Justin won the project and he's having Everglory Construction partner with Foster Corporation to do it together!"

Cathy's excitement was palpable. "This is our first project since taking over the company, and it's a major government contract! Once we pull this off, we'll officially establish our reputation in the industry!"

"Joanna! I'm buried in prep work. The timeline's tight, the workload's massive—I won't have time to hang out for a while."

There was no regret in Cathy's tone about not being able to spend time with Joanna—only pure passion for the work.

Joanna was genuinely thrilled for her.

Diana, however, posted a sighing emoji in their group chat.

Worried Diana might feel awkward reaching out alone, Joanna made a point of saying she was welcome to visit anytime.

Or, since Joanna's health had improved, they could go out together.

On the other end, Diana looked at Joanna's message and recalled what Brandon had told her:

"Justin's figured out how I feel about Joanna. Since Joanna's decided to stay with Justin, and Justin treats her well, I need to respect boundaries and keep an appropriate distance from her going forward. You're my sister—you need to respect those boundaries too."

Diana pressed her phone screen and sent a voice message: "Joanna, Brandon's making me intern at the company. My free time's been completely squeezed dry. We'll have to wait a bit before we can hang out again."

Joanna could hear the disappointment in Diana's voice, but she assumed it was just because Brandon was forcing her to work. She didn't think much of it.

Setting her phone aside, she opened the gift Hazel had given her.

Inside the beautifully wrapped box were several wigs Hazel had selected for her.

The wigs were made from real human hair, meticulously crafted and incredibly realistic. When worn, they looked completely natural.

Joanna had already contacted Samuel and Luna while she was in the hospital, but she hadn't visited them yet.

Now that her mental state had improved and most of her physical strength had returned, she could pass inspection without raising suspicion.

She'd decided today was the day.

There was a knock at the door.

Joanna checked her wig one last time in the mirror, then opened the door.

Justin stood outside.

Half an hour ago, he'd insisted on going with her. Joanna hadn't refused.

"I'm ready. We can leave anytime."

At the thought of seeing her grandparents soon, Joanna's lips curved into a small smile.

Justin looked at her—and froze.

In his memory, Joanna had always had long hair.

When she was in a good mood, she looked gentle and graceful. When she was upset with him, she looked cool and distant.

Now, with her hair cut short to her ears, framing her fair, delicate face, she looked lively and charming.

Beneath her slender brows, her eyes shimmered with a light that could steal Justin's very soul.

Without thinking, Justin reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead.

"What's wrong?"

Joanna touched her hair, blinking in confusion. "Does it not suit me?"

"It suits you."

Justin's gaze clung to her face, his voice soft, though his breathing had quickened slightly.

"You look beautiful."

His eyes traced over her features—her eyes, her nose, her lips, and back to her eyes again.

It took Joanna a beat to notice the intensity in his gaze.

When their eyes met, a sudden warmth flooded her cheeks.

She quickly looked away, fumbling awkwardly with her hair, and moved stiffly toward the stairs.

"Let's go."

She walked quickly.

Justin watched her retreating figure—almost like she was fleeing—first with confusion, then with a slow, creeping smile.

Downstairs, Karen and Elizabeth were directing the staff to load gifts into the car.

Hazel had gone to the office and wasn't home.

Joanna took a deep breath, shaking off that lingering sense of unease, and walked toward the center of the living room.

Karen turned and saw her, her eyes lighting up. "You look gorgeous. Hazel has great taste."

Elizabeth smiled warmly at her. "Joanna's naturally beautiful. Any hairstyle looks good on her."

Even the busy staff couldn't help stealing a few extra glances.