The woman glanced at Snowy, and the fox immediately strutted over and affectionately rubbed against her hand. A trace of warmth flickered in her eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by her usual cool composure.
“Thank you,” she said. “Once I’ve recovered, I’ll leave and won’t trouble you anymore.” “No worry,” Dustin replied. “Just focus on your recovery. By the way, may I know your name?”
She was silent for a moment before answering softly, “Blanche Frost.”
Over the next few days, Blanche stayed at the villa to recover. She spoke very little and spent most of her time meditating to restore her strength. Occasionally, she would stand by the window, gazing toward the distant mountains, lost in thought.
Dustin soon noticed something unusual. Her recovery speed was astonishing. Injuries that would have left an ordinary person bedridden for months had healed to the point of near recovery in just a few days.
One afternoon, he was trimming plants in the courtyard when the doorbell rang. He opened the door to find Natasha standing outside, smiling brightly and carrying a food container.
“Surprise! I had my family’s chef make your favorite pastries,” she said, casually pulling him into a hug. Dustin took the container with a smile.
“What brings you here? I thought you were swamped with work,” he said. “Things at work have finally eased up, so I figured I’d come see you,” she replied as she stepped inside. “How have you been? Did you miss me…”
Her words trailed off as her gaze fell on the corner of the living room. At that moment, Snowy was dozing in the sunlight by the floor-to-ceiling window. Its white fur gleamed softly in the warm rays.
“Wow!” Natasha exclaimed, hurrying over. “What a beautiful fox.”
She bent down, trying to pet Snowy. “You have a pet now? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Wait!”
Dustin tried to warn her, but it was too late. Snowy snapped awake. Seeing a stranger reaching for it, it bared its teeth in a low growl before darting behind the couch. Natasha jumped back, quickly withdrawing her hand.
“It doesn’t seem to like me,” she said. “It’s a bit wary of strangers,” Dustin explained. “Give it some time. It’ll warm up once it gets familiar with you.”
Natasha nodded but couldn’t take her eyes off Snowy. She clearly found the fox irresistible.
“What’s its name? Where did you find it?” Natasha asked. “It’s so adorable.” As they were talking, light footsteps sounded from the stairs.
Blanche came down from the second floor. She was no longer wearing the bloodstained white clothes. Instead, she had on the simple loungewear Dustin had prepared-a plain white T-shirt and gray sweatpants.
Even in such casual clothes, she carried a detached, almost ethereal presence. Her long hair fell loosely around her face, a few strands brushing her cheeks and emphasizing her pale, flawless skin.
Natasha froze when she saw her. She looked at Blanche, then at Dustin. Surprise shifted to confusion, then to heartache, and finally settled on jealousy.
“And who is this?” she asked, her tone sharp. “You’re not hiding a mistress here, are you? Don’t tell me you’ve got someone else already.”
“Of course, not,” Dustin said quickly. “I just met her-”
“Just met her?” Natasha’s voice rose slightly, jealousy flaring. “She’s living in your house and you ‘just met her’?”
“You’ve got it wrong. She was badly injured. I happened to save her, that’s all. Once she recovers, she’ll leave,” he replied with a helpless smile.
“You sure?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Mr. Rhys is telling the truth,” Blanche said. “He saved my life, that’s all. You don’t need to worry, miss…”
“Harmon. Natasha Harmon. Well, that’s good then,” Natasha responded. She finally smiled and looped her arm through Dustin’s, clearly staking her claim. Blanche looked at them with calm, unreadable eyes.
“Mr. Rhys, Ms. Harmon,” she said evenly. ”
Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, I won’t intrude any longer. My injuries have mostly healed. I’ll be leaving today.”
“Ms. Frost, you haven’t fully recovered yet, “Dustin said.
“Don’t worry. I have somewhere to go,”
she replied, looking at the fox. “Snowy, let’s go.”
Snowy sprang from behind the couch and padded to Blanche’s side, stopping at her feet. It glanced back at Dustin, amber eyes lingering, almost as if it didn’t want to leave.
She gave Dustin a slight nod. “I won’t forget that you saved my life. If you ever need me, use this to find me.”
She removed a white pendant and handed it to him. The surface was smooth and warm, carved with unusual cloud patterns and an intricate “F” in the center.
Dustin accepted it and said, “Take care, Ms. Frost.”
Without another word, Blanche turned and left. Snowy followed at her heels, and the pair soon disappeared through the door.
“What was her name again?” Natasha asked suddenly.
“Blanche Frost.”
“She’s beautiful,” she said with a meaningful smile. “And the name suits her, too. You have quite the luck with women.”
Dustin cleared his throat and said awkwardly, “It’s just a coincidence.” Natasha was smiling, but something in her expression made him uneasy.
“She doesn’t seem like an ordinary person, and that white fox seems to understand everything,” she said, changing the subject.
“Yeah,” Dustin said thoughtfully. “Lately, Oakvale’s been getting visitors who don’t usually show up here. I’ve got a feeling something big is about to happen.”
“Something big? Like what?” Natasha asked curiously.
“Not sure yet. Without my cultivation, I can’t use my divine sense to probe what’s going on. We’ll have to take things as they come.”
He added solemnly, “Listen, you need to be extra careful too. If anything happens, tell me immediately. Don’t take any chances.”
