Next One Is a Babe

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Sophia was reminded of her grandpa, who had lain sick in the bed in his final moments, leaving the world in agony and worry. When he drew his last breath, he was still mumbling her name. It was a painful memory that she tried not to recall.

At noon, John made another call to her after he took a break from work. Thinking that she still didn’t know about Dexter’s death, he excused himself from lunch at home due to some ‘work matters’. Sophia said, “Alright. Have you heard about the incident that befell the Baileys?”

From her question, it was obvious that she knew about Dexter’s tragedy. John became quiet, which Sophia took as a silent agreement. She let out a low sigh. “How did they lose him? Didn’t you say that the injuries weren’t serious?”

John didn’t know how it happened as well. He told her the truth—that he would leave the office soon to visit the Baileys. William had been there for the entire morning and didn’t return, so he wanted to check out the situation. Sophia nodded on her end. “Sure, go ahead. Since you are business partners, it’s only appropriate that you visit them.”

They kept the conversation brief. After the call, John skipped lunch and drove straight to the Bailey Residence. The entire family was in disarray and was surrounded by an awkward air, full of crying and wailing. All the relatives of the Baileys congregated in the living room, where they made a commotion. It was hard to tell if they were truly grieving.

At the time, William was in Old Mr. Bailey’s room upstairs. John made a call to his dad in the living room, and William asked him to go up.

Now, everyone from the First Bailey Family fell ill from the shock. Therefore, the Second Bailey Family sent some representatives to help manage the relatives who flocked over upon hearing the news. Since the servants in the residence recognized John, they did not block him from heading upstairs.

The door to Old Mr. Bailey’s room was open, and John headed straight into it. He saw the old gentleman seated on the bed and appeared aged. His hair seemed to have greyed over the night.

William was standing near the door, and when he saw John, he gestured for him to meet Isabelle. John stared at Old Mr. Bailey for a while but did not know how to comfort him. In the end, he turned and headed to Isabelle’s room. Knowing which room was hers, he went up and knocked.

Isabelle was alone in the room but did not respond to the knocking. John could only call out to her, “Isabelle, it’s me.”

When she heard his voice, she quickly shuffled over to open the door for him. She was in a terrible condition, her eyes swollen and her hair unkempt, totally different from her usual image. She turned her body sideways, making way for him to enter the room, before closing and locking the door.