Vivica briefly recounted the entire meeting.
“Judging by the look on Raymond's face when we left, I think his suspicions have been put to rest. He probably won't bother me again,” she concluded.
Joseph, who hadn't met Raymond, couldn't be certain. But based on his years of experience, he knew that a man who could run his own company was no fool. “He might be temporarily fooled, but once he has time to think things over, he'll find the holes in your story,” Joseph predicted.
“Really?” Vivica sounded doubtful. “How do you know?”
“A hunch,” Joseph replied confidently.
For some reason, Vivica trusted his intuition, and a new wave of anxiety washed over her.
“But let’s take it one step at a time,” Joseph added, sensing her silence and trying to reassure her. “Like I said, you’re an adult. As long as you refuse to acknowledge them, there’s nothing they can do.”
“Right, I was thinking the same thing.”
“Okay. Drive safely. We’ll talk more tonight.”
“Alright. You should go get something to eat.”
After hanging up, Vivica kept mulling over Joseph’s words.
As it turned out, Joseph's assessment was spot-on. Zavier ended up driving Raymond back to his hotel. Raymond had made a last-minute decision to come to Riverdale, delaying a lot of his work, and had to fly back to Sydville that afternoon.
“Looks like you came all this way for nothing. I wasn’t much help, either,” Zavier said.
Raymond managed a small smile. “It’s fine. It wasn't a total waste. At least I got to meet her and state my case. Something this important has to be handled slowly.”
“What do you mean? You haven't given up?” Zavier asked curiously.

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