CHAPTER XVI

Josh immediately opens the door and leaves the house. He can still hear Mr. Wilson and Mr. Graham arguing about him. Looking around for the appearance of Miss Wilde, Josh quickly cycles out of the Retirement Home area. After exiting the gate, he pedals more casually. That night, he decides to stop at The Cook to fill his stomach. At night like this, the Upper Side area where the Retirement Home is located, is very quiet. Josh only meets one or two passing vehicles. However, as he goes closer the Central Side in the outskirts of the city, the busier it becomes and there are more vehicles passing by.

As he approaches The Cook, Josh passes a bright red neon sign reading “Succubus Bar and Grill”. At times like this, it might even be considered too early to come there. Just like The Cook, Succubus visitors are mostly tourists or resting out-of-town drivers. Succubus also provides them with cheap lodging. The motel they provide is at the back of the building. Most of the visitors park their vehicles in the motel grounds and walk around to reach the bar.

Suddenly, Josh hit the brake on his bike. His eyes catch a familiar figure entering the Succubus. A figure he is familiar with, but also very different. Josh is sure it is Miss Wilde, but she looks completely different from the Miss Wilde he knows.

Josh doubts his vision a little. The woman who looks like Miss Wilde is very skimpy and primped heavily. However, he can still recognize that it is indeed Miss Wilde. Josh squints, trying to get through the Succubus light from the road. However, of course he can’t see clearly. At that time, Josh almost decides to follow in there to satisfy his curiosity.

However, his stomach cries for food, so he decides to continue his journey to Big G. Maybe his eyes were deceiving him.

The next day, Josh impatiently tells Aidan what he witnessed last night. "You know, last night on my way home from the Retirement Home, I passed the Succubus and I think I saw Miss Wilde go in there."

"So what? I don't think that's strange. In my opinion, it is natural for her to have a life outside the Retirement Home. After all, she definitely needs to hang out with people of her age."

“That's not the problem. That woman both looked like Miss Wilde and looked very different at the same time."

"What do you mean?"

“Her appearance was very different, her clothing, her primping, and even her body movements. However, I felt like it was Miss Wilde. You understand, right?"

“Maybe she's looking for a date. There's nothing strange about that, right?”

“Yeah, well, just… I don't know, maybe I overthink it. Hey, how about this Saturday we scout the Succubus? I'm still curious about Miss Wilde. I will show you that there is something fishy about that woman."

"I can’t. I have drama club practices, remember? Then, at night, there is a dinner meeting. It seems, Amber has an idea to better familiarize her club members, especially those of us who come from social projects." Aidan glances uncomfortably at Josh.

Josh looks at Aidan in disappointment. "Next time then."