As the evening sky began to darken and the last traces of sunlight faded behind the buildings, they finally returned to the city. Julian drove Rosalie all the way home and waited until she had safely entered the house before turning the car around and heading back toward home.
…
The next day…
After taking a shower and changing into a clean outfit, he stepped out of his room with his bag in hand. As he reached outside, he noticed Isabella sitting inside the upstairs living room. She was drinking coffee while lazily changing television channels.
The moment she noticed Julian coming outside, she turned her attention toward him.
"Julian… Are you about to leave for the hospital? Give me a moment. Come sit here for a while."
Julian pulled the door shut behind him and walked over to the living room.
He was dressed in crisp white long-sleeved shirt and tailored gray trousers. His well-proportioned figure, tall frame, and composed posture gave him the appearance of a dignified and confident man. Isabella glanced at him briefly before placing her coffee cup on the table.
"My son, Ethan… How is he doing? You said you're going on that trip later next month. Who's going to keep an eye on my son while you're away?"
Julian placed both hands on his thighs and straightened his back. His expression remained calm as he looked directly at Isabella.
"I have to go because it's an unavoidable trip. And Ethan is already recovering. He's well enough to be discharged from the hospital if necessary. We're simply keeping him there a little longer for safety… if he leaves the hospital too soon, I don't know what else he might get himself involved in."
"… Uhm"
"I don't want to interfere because, honestly, it has nothing to do with me. But I already know that this situation is connected to your ex-husband and the gangs he was involved with before…. If you're genuinely worried about Ethan, I think it would be better to stop him from getting involved with those kinds of people in the first place."
"…I will talk about that. I've been urging Ethan about that for a long time, but I will talk to him about it again. Right now, what matters most is making sure my son is in a safe and secure position while you are traveling."
"I can't keep saving him every single time something happens."
Julian then glanced toward the time.
"And now, I have something important to take care of at the hospital. So, I'll be going first. Excuse me, Ma'am."
Julian immediately stood up and straightened the front of his shirt and walked downstairs without waiting for another response. As soon as he reached the ground floor, the elderly housekeeper hurried out from the kitchen. She was holding a small glass bottle filled with freshly prepared fruit juice.
"Young Master Julian… Wait a moment."
She hurried toward him.
"Take this with you. I made some fresh juice using the fruits from the garden. I prepared it carefully for you. There were so many fresh fruits brought in from the garden yesterday, so I thought you could take some with you."
Julian looked at the glass bottle in her hand and smiled.
"Thank you, Aunty Mary."
He reached out and accepted it. Aunty Mary had been taking care of Julian since he was a child. She had always been deeply attached to him.
Whenever Julian became sick as a child, she would rush around taking care of him, refusing to leave him alone until he recovered. After his biological mother passed away, Aunty Mary had continued to care for him like a second mother.
Julian looked at her carefully.
"How's your knee now? Is it feeling any better?"
"It's much better, Young Master. As people get older, sometimes moving around just becomes a little difficult."
"Make sure you take the medicine I gave you regularly. And don't forget to use the ointment, too. If it doesn't improve, or if you notice any swelling or pain, tell me, okay? Do you still have enough medicine?"
"Yes, Young Master. I still have some."
Aunty Mary then reached for the bags in his hands.
"I'll help carry these. Come on, give them to me. I'll walk you to the car."
"Aunty Mary, you don't have to…"
"It's Okay. Please, give them to me."
She smiled and took the bags from him before he could protest. Julian could only smile helplessly.
"Thank you."
Julian placed the bags inside, got into the driver's seat, and started the engine. He gave Aunty Mary one last look before slowly driving out of the estate. Once he reached on the main road, Julian connected his phone to the car's hands-free system and called the number saved as No. 1.
Beep…Beep…Beep…
But there was no answer. Julian frowned slightly while keeping his attention on the road.
A few minutes later, Rosalie was calling back. Julian accepted the call.
"Hello… Good morning, little one."
"Mm… Morning, Big Big Bro."
"What are you doing? Are you busy?"
"Yeah. I'm a little busy."
Rosalie's voice sounded slightly rushed.
"We're getting ready to visit my mother's mother today, I mean my grandmother. I had just come out of the shower when you called, so I couldn't answer immediately. My hair was still soaking wet."
"Oh… Did you wash your hair?"
"Mm-hmm. I did. Why?"
"Dry it properly first. I'll hang up for now. You might catch a cold."
"No… Stay on the phone. Don't hang up."
She laughed softly.
"I'll dry my hair while talking to you. I won't have much time today anyway. This is probably the only chance I'll get to talk to you for a while. Once you get busy, we won't be able to see each other all day, and we probably won't even get to talk much. Then I'll be the one sitting here missing you."
He kept one hand on the steering wheel while watching the road ahead.
"Fine, fine ... I'll. But make sure you dry your hair properly. I don't want you getting sick."
Rosalie made a small sound of amusement.
"Okay… But why are you laughing?"
"I'm not laughing."
"You are!"
"I'm not."
"Don't tell me you're already forgetting about me. I mean… you'll be surrounded by pretty nurses at the hospital, so how could you possibly remember me?"
Julian laughed.
"Hey… That's not true."
His smile remained on his face as he turned the car onto another road.
"Of course, I'll miss you. I'm going on a trip, remember? If I could, I'd still want to see you every day."
"Such a smooth talker… Oh, by the way… There are lots of peaches at Grandma's place. You like peaches, right? I'll bring you a lot."
Julian chuckled.
"Wow… You're bringing me a lot?"
"Of course."
"Then three or four will be enough."
"Only three or four?"
"Yeah. Don't bring too many. Your little hands will get tired carrying them."
"Ha… ha… Fine, fine."
There was a brief silence before her voice became more thoughtful.
"Oh, Honey… About J1…"
"What about J1?"
"J1 has become really smooth lately. It's improving so much that it's almost like a real person now."
There was genuine pride in her voice.
"I'm really happy and proud whenever I see how much it has improved. But at the same time… I'm a little scared."
"Scared?"
"Yeah. I'm worried that someday it might become something I can't control anymore."
"But I already put a backup plan inside its body. So… I feel a little more relieved because of that."
"If you're still not completely confident, think of another backup plan too. I'll help you with it."
"Really?"
"Of course. And while I'm away, you can spend some time with J1. Teach it whatever you need to teach it. Let it get familiar with you and its surroundings. But…"
"…"
"Try not to stay too close to it all the time."
"What?"
"I mean while I'm away. I don't want you spending every moment alone with J1 while I'm gone. Especially if you're still unsure about how it might behave as it develops."
J1 had already progressed far beyond what she had initially expected. Its movements were becoming smoother. Its responses were becoming more natural. Sometimes, the way it reacted made her feel as though there was something more than simple programming developing inside its artificial mind.
She had designed it and understood its systems better than anyone. And yet, sometimes, she found herself wondering whether understanding something was truly the same as being able to control it.
"Okay, Honey. Don't worry. I understand."
"Good girl, Baby. Take care of yourself, little one."
"You too, Honey."
"I'll call you again when I get some free time."
"I'll wait."