Miss Josefina: Nobody's Princess novel Chapter 432

Josie sat off to the side, admiring Lena's effortless charm. Lena had a knack for keeping conversations alive; she was a real people person. While Josie thought she was pretty outgoing herself, Lena was in a league of her own.

After finishing two slices of cheesecake, Josie decided she'd had enough. "Mom, Dad, I'm heading up to get some rest," she said, pushing her chair back.

Garrett and Hattie showered her with concern, telling her to take it easy and get a good night's sleep.

...

Lena finished her cake and, after a moment's pause, turned to Garrett. "Dad, Dorian suggested I work as his assistant at his company. But once school starts back up, I'll quit and focus on my studies."

Garrett nodded. "Sounds good, sweetheart. As long as you're happy."

"Dad, I've been thinking about getting a car, something low-key. Dorian wouldn’t want people knowing too much about me, and I don't want to draw unnecessary attention because of my background. So, I want something unassuming for running errands."

"Sounds reasonable," Garrett agreed.

"Dad, I’m a bit short on cash to buy a car, though."

Without missing a beat, Hattie pulled out her phone and transferred $30,000 to Lena. "Thirty grand should cover it."

Lena was speechless. What she really wanted wasn't $30,000; $300,000 would be more like it.

"Not enough?" Hattie asked, noticing Lena's reaction.

Lena shook her head quickly. "It's plenty, Mom. Thirty grand will more than suffice; I won’t even spend it all."

Hattie chuckled. "I'm feeling pretty beat myself. I'm off to bed."

"Wait for me, honey," Garrett said, following his wife. "I'm worn out too."

Once they were gone, Lena sat alone, staring at the cake with a sense of disgust. Eating with them, she had helped herself to two pieces, and now she was sure she’d gained a couple of pounds.

...

Back in her room, Lena took out her phone and sent a message.

Josie furrowed her brow. "That's too cruel. I'm passing on this one."

"Are you sure, boss?" Luke pressed.

"Positive. A silent death usually means high-profile targets. If things go south, they'll trace it back to me. No thanks, I don't need the headache or the cash."

Luke pondered Josie's words and found them to be sound. "You're right, boss. We'll pass. I'll send them the message."

After hanging up, Luke switched to another phone and made a call. "Sorry, but we're not taking this job."

The voice on the other end asked, "Why? Is it the price?"

"No amount of money would make us take it. Killing invisibly? That's just setting us up to take the fall. We're out."

Luke ended the call, blocked the number, all in one smooth motion. On the other end, the person was fuming, stomping their foot in frustration.

"Damn it! Without that poison, how am I supposed to deal with Oliver!" they seethed.