Chapter 210
The car stopped in front of the restaurant. Cedric got out first, then circled to the back seat and opened the door. Josephine stepped out. "Thank you."
She didn't read too much into it. Cedric was just like that—he always observed proper etiquette perfectly. There was no other meaning. She wouldn't flatter herself.
Cedric extended his arm.
Josephine understood and took his arm.
As they walked toward the restaurant, Cedric said quietly, "This restaurant's signature dish is quite good. It's new and should suit your taste."
Josephine paused. "Aren't we here to meet a client..."
Why was he thinking about food?
Cedric pushed open the restaurant door, letting her enter first, then followed at her side. "I came out to meet a client because I needed a female companion. I wasn't planning to have you help negotiate business."
Got it. He was fundamentally different from other executives—he didn't need to exploit his companion's charms.
Josephine joked, "Then I'm lucky today."
Cedric glanced at her. "Not nervous anymore?"
Josephine froze and lowered her head.
She hadn't expected him to notice she was preoccupied. But she wasn't nervous about meeting the client. Rather...
She glanced discreetly at Cedric, guilt rising from within.
Though it was impromptu, she was ultimately using him.
The meal went exactly as Cedric said it would—Josephine had nothing to do. The client coming to discuss cooperation had no intention of making things difficult for her.
Or rather, they simply didn't dare, considering Cedric was sitting right there.
Josephine couldn't help sighing inwardly. Power and status really were important.
If she could be like Cedric... she wouldn't be targeted or pressured. Even if someone threatened her with ugly tactics, she could fight back instead of being manipulated like now.
A thought quietly took root in Josephine's heart. This thought was called ambition.
She went to the restroom midway to touch up her makeup. Looking at herself in the mirror, she took a deep breath. This meal was almost over.
But the real battlefield was just beginning.
As she'd expected, within ten minutes of returning, the other party and Cedric had already signed the contract. So fast. Cedric didn't like drinking out, so after chatting briefly, he quickly suggested leaving.
At the restaurant entrance, after the client left, Cedric turned to Josephine and was about to speak when he caught sight of a figure in his peripheral vision.
Here he comes.
Josephine took a deep breath, turned around, and saw Gideon standing not far behind her alongside a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man smiled as he looked Josephine over. "This must be Mrs. Getty."
"Not anymore." Josephine answered frankly.
The middle-aged man instinctively glanced at Gideon and smiled meaningfully. "All these years I never knew Mr. Getty had a wife. Just learned of it, and I hear you're divorced... What a shame."
Ironic.
Even Josephine found it ironic. Married for years, yet no one knew she was Gideon's wife. The first time they heard of her existence was as Gideon's ex-wife.
"Mr. Adams, we'll discuss the project details another day."
"Fine, I'll be going then." Mr. Adams could tell this was about to become a battlefield. Though he wanted to stay and watch the drama, he didn't want to offend these two most outstanding young men of the Getty family.
"Why don't we have a meal together?" Gideon said.
The suggestion was quite abrupt. The image of the three of them sitting together for a meal would undoubtedly be awkward, but Josephine agreed. "Sure."
Cedric glanced at Josephine and silently followed behind them both.
In the private room, Gideon ordered a new table of dishes, then casually handed the menu to Josephine. "See if there's anything else you want."
Josephine had just lowered her head to check the menu when he suddenly spoke.
"Actually, I've already ordered everything you like."
Before he spoke, Josephine had noticed at a glance that the circled dishes on the menu were basically all her favorites. Married for years, she understood Gideon, and Gideon equally understood her.
This was a helpless yet unavoidable fact.
Josephine ignored him and handed the menu to Cedric. "You should look too. You were so focused on business earlier, I saw you drank quite a bit but didn't eat much. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your health."
Her tone was bland but carried a hint of concern.
"I'm touched you're thinking of me." Cedric took the menu and casually marked two dishes.
Josephine smiled lightly. "You're my superior. Isn't it natural for me to care about you?"
To Gideon sitting across from them, this statement sounded particularly intimate. His finger tapped the table lightly. "I thought Cedric didn't like business dinners."
Cedric responded calmly, "In life, there are many things we can't choose and can't avoid."
Gideon smiled ambiguously. "So even you have moments of being unable to help yourself."
"Everyone has moments beyond their control." Cedric looked up, meeting Gideon's gaze, his eyes deep and dark. "But I believe adults should maintain their boundaries. Don't you agree?"
These few brief exchanges were laden with gunpowder. They seemed to be discussing the business dinner, but were actually attacking each other. This way of speaking in subtext gave Josephine a headache just listening.
Yet she couldn't suggest leaving now.
Soon the servers brought the dishes, breaking the subtle standoff. Josephine secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though a trace of subtle regret emerged in her heart.
Perhaps she shouldn't have used Cedric.
Midway through, she excused herself to the restroom, finally escaping this suffocating scene. Standing in the empty, deserted corridor, she thought for a long time.
She didn't consider herself a bleeding heart. Using Cedric did make her feel somewhat guilty, but the regret rising in her heart stemmed more from considering his position.
She'd only thought about how these brothers were already at odds, and to make Gideon give up on her, the best way was to get close to Cedric. But she'd forgotten that the brothers' relationship was already tense—this would likely make them even more confrontational.
Footsteps sounded from the other end of the corridor.
Josephine looked up to see Cedric approaching. He stopped beside her, his gaze on her face, his expression very calm, his eyes revealing no particular emotion.
Josephine couldn't read his thoughts. Having used him first, she inevitably felt at fault. "I'm sorry."
Cedric asked instead, "Regret it?"
"A little."
"Regret using me to provoke him? Afraid he'll lose control?"
Only then did Josephine realize he'd misunderstood. There was no need to continue this misunderstanding. She explained quietly, "No. I just feel I shouldn't have dragged you into this."
Cedric chuckled softly at her words. "You work at my company as head of the research department. Inevitably, we'll be seen together. He would've seen this eventually. It was just a matter of time."
"Your relationship was already tense..." Seeing him so understanding only deepened Josephine's guilt. "If I weren't caught in the middle, maybe..."
"There's no maybe."
Josephine froze.
Cedric looked at her and said decisively, "From the moment we were born, everything was already determined."
Their situation was far more complex than just brothers not getting along. It involved the love, hate, and grievances of the previous generation—those entangled rights and wrongs where it was impossible to say who was right or wrong.
Some people were simply born to be adversaries.