Chapter 240

Gerard thoughtfully placed slippers before me and Sophia, then stood aside respectfully, asking, "Are you hungry, Ms. Holmes, Mr. Palmer? Should I prepare some food for you?" "No thanks. We've already had supper," I responded gently, heading straight for the guest room on the second floor. After a long night of work, I felt exhausted and desperately needed to rest. Sophia followed me upstairs. Gerard stood in the living room, watching us walk up one after the other, a hint of confusion furrowing his brow. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between us, but he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination. After a moment, he snapped out of it and closed the villa's door before returning to his room to rest. Meanwhile, as I reached the second-floor hallway, Sophia grabbed my arm. "Joshua." "What's wrong?" I asked, puzzled. I instinctively tried to pull my arm away, but she pulled me into the nearest guest room. After she pushed the door shut with her foot, a lou