The General's Wife Wants to Leave-Chapter 222: Thrive under pressure

Being aware that the Tres were still targeting her, Joanna felt a chill crawl down her spine.

They did not only know about her location at that moment but were also confident enough to lure her using her father’s condition. It was clear that they had planted their eyes on her, following her movement and finding the right moment to capture her.

"I know you love your family a lot, Ann." Marvin’s words pulled Joanna back from the trance that made her worry and restless. She shifted her gaze from the space toward Marvin, who was speaking to her. "But next time, be more careful in dealing with any stranger. Trying to be calm in reading the situation. Don’t get lured easily in whatever reason they made that includes all the people you know and dear to you."

Marvin poured out what he had wanted to tell her, which also became a reason to come to see her.

He was grateful that he acted like a spy to her, although it might be seen as a pervert if others knew about that. He knew that Joanna loved her family dearly. He could not blame her for that. He just wanted her to be more careful for her safety, as there might be times that she was alone and no one could protect her.

"I am sorry. I know I was reckless," Joanna said in a low voice with her head lowered.

She admitted her carelessness and had reminded herself that she would never do that again. She had committed to be more careful and beware of her surroundings next time.

Watching Joanna look somber and full of guilt, Marvin hummed. "If Phillip is here, you know what he is going to do, right?"

Lifting her head, moving her gaze from her clasping hands on her lap, Joanna replied, "The next day will be the same as the present day and the day before."

Their laughter broke at the same time after Joanna delivered those words.

Because her brother, Phillip, would not stop rumbling, giving his advice to her over the same thing that, in his opinion, she had done wrong, and it would keep going every day until he felt it was enough.

"But it is good to know that you can protect yourself well, Ann," Marvin said, giving compliment to the blushing Joanna, who had done all she could to protect herself when he, himself, could not approach and protect her due to the never-ending block that was made by those Tres.

He had been so nervous. Anxiety and worry had washed over his entire being when he saw a Tres about to bring her somewhere. When he could not find her figure, his panic got escalated. Hence, he did not spend much time to finish those people who blocked his way to find Joanna, which also caused his defense to loosen, giving the chance for that woman to stab his stomach.

Fortunately, before the dagger was pushed deeper, he managed to tackle and send the dagger to her stomach instead. And his desperation did not give more time for the heartbroken lover to launch his grudge for the death of the fake maidservant. He sent the angry burly man to reunite with his lover not long later.

Eventually, he could let out a breath of relief when he was on time to do something that made her still sit across from him, where the sunlight filtering through the pergola cast a warm glow on her delicate features.

"Perhaps the saying that people thrive under pressure is right," Joanna commented with a smile, slightly lifting her shoulders before bringing them down, a gesture that she also wondered if that saying was right.

"Have you met your father?" Joanna asked when she found Marvin silent but staring at her with a small smile after she gave the previous comment. Finding Marvin nodded his head without uttering any words but still had his eyes on hers, she said more,

"Sir Sylvester must be proud of knowing that his son is not a troublemaker anymore." Joanna giggled, trying to break the awkwardness between them.

"Because the real troublemaker is studying hard to be a good doctor now," came a reply from Marvin, eating Joanna’s hint to make the awkward atmosphere around them melt with a chuckle that escaped his lips afterward.

Feeling relieved for the change of atmosphere, Joanna replied, "Indeed. Father said Brother Phillip wrote him a letter saying he didn’t want to do anything after he finished his study. He wanted to sleep for the whole year, cooling down his boiling brain."

Laughter burst out again either from Joanna or Marvin, as they both knew how the cheeky Phillip de Lara tormented in the study that he, himself, chose to be his career.

"It would be nice if we could go back to that moment," Marvin wished, his laughter slowly dissolving into a warm smile that was directed to none other than the beautiful lady before him.

"No, I don’t want to." Joanna shook her head, taking the saucer and cup of tea that were served on the table in front of her. "I have had enough to make Father coax me to stop crying." She chuckled while recalling how her cheeky brother made her long hair entangled with many flowers, and she cried, reporting to her father that her scalp tinged with pain even though Bianca had carefully disentangled them.

But her cheeky brother was on another level when he was a kid. He had made their father have his blood boiled when she came to find him with wet cheeks, reporting to him that her brother threw her doll on the roof of the gazebo. When their father asked her brother why he did that, he said that he helped her to sundry her doll.

Gratefully, the more he grew up, the less he made her cry. Instead, he became more protective of her, not willing to stop nagging her in a positive way if he found her hurt due to her recklessness. And he did not make her cry anymore as he stepped into adulthood.

Her annoying brother turned into a reliable one, although playfulness was still found here and there at certain moments.

"Phillip just adored his sister so much," Marvin said with a chuckle.

"Indeed." Joanna giggled after responding.

Placing back the saucer and the cup of tea that she had taken a sip back on the table, Joanna adjusted the shawl that was draped around her shoulders while lifting her head to look at the bright blue sky that became the vast roof of the back garden where she hosted Marvin.

Her face was illuminated by the sun streaming through the pergola, which made her look aglow, masking her pale complexion to look more radiant.

The gentle breeze of autumn that blew carried a sweet scent of sunlight perfectly suited the bright weather, except for the one absence that had not appeared yet.