Chapter 240
In the café, soothing music played. Sophia had been leisurely sipping her coffee, but after hearing Josephine's account, she nearly knocked over her cup in shock, choking on a mouthful.
After coughing for a good while, Sophia finally calmed down, her face full of disbelief. "Are you serious? Lorelei has that much nerve? Does Gideon know about this?"
"He probably doesn't." Josephine understood Gideon. Lorelei's deception made a complete fool of him. If he knew...
Given his temperament, that baby would have no chance of being born.
Sophia couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
Even as others cast strange looks her way, Sophia couldn't stop.
Josephine looked at her helplessly.
After a while, Sophia slowly composed herself, wiping away tears. "Sorry, I just can't help gloating. This is karma! He cheated just to have a kid, and now he's got one—but it's not his!"
Josephine said helplessly, "Slow down, don't choke on your own spit."
Having laughed enough, Sophia finally stopped. "Jojo, you want to investigate Lorelei's romantic history, don't you?"
"Yes."
As expected of a best friend—Sophia understood Josephine too well.
One guess and she was right.
"I'll help you."
"Lorelei isn't a good person, and her methods are endless. If she finds out you're investigating..." Josephine worried for Sophia's safety.
"I'm not scared! I've been annoyed with that woman for ages! She stole your husband and keeps causing you trouble. If it weren't for your sake, I'd slap her every time I saw her!" Sophia had harbored resentment toward Lorelei for a long time.
She still remembered when Josephine was rushed to the hospital covered in blood, the baby in her belly gone just like that. She'd been lost for so long. Sophia had even worried Josephine might jump off a building!
"Don't worry, leave this to me. It's not convenient for you to make a move—Lorelei's definitely watching you. I'm freer. You mentioned the other day that your company's project is at a critical stage. Focus on your work."
Josephine looked at Sophia, moved. "Sophie..."
"Enough, enough, no need for thanks." Sophia waved her hand. "If you really want to thank me, just invite me to your wedding."
Only then did Josephine remember she hadn't told Sophia about registering the marriage. "Actually... I'm already married."
Sophia froze, her hand holding the coffee cup trembling. "To who?"
Her mind raced—which bastard had stolen away her best friend!
Josephine lowered her gaze, thinking of that figure. "Cedric."
"Cedric... why does that name sound so familiar..."
Hearing Sophia's murmur, Josephine wasn't surprised. Sophia wasn't very familiar with the Getty family members—many were just names she'd heard.
"Gideon's older brother?" Sure enough, after thinking it over, Sophia finally remembered.
Josephine nodded.
Sophia took a deep breath, then covered her mouth and laughed. "Good! Well done!"
Josephine's phone on the table rang.
She glanced at the number on the screen, then looked at Sophia.
"Speak of the devil."
"Let's go, let's go! I'm coming with you!"
Sophia was dying of curiosity about Cedric. He and Gideon were brothers—how could someone with Josephine's personality end up with him?
What methods had this man used?
Stepping out of the café, they saw Cedric by the roadside. Sophia had seen Cedric from afar before, and then in various magazines.
This man was a rising star in finance, heaven's favored son, utterly unattainable.
But seeing him today, Sophia finally understood how he'd won over Josephine.
For nothing else—just that face.
Worth it!
"Jojo, you have good taste!"
Josephine quickly covered Sophia's mouth, afraid Cedric would hear. "Don't talk nonsense. My relationship with him isn't what you think."
Sophia grinned, her eyes darting between the two of them.
Cedric walked naturally to Josephine's side, glancing at Sophia with mild, gentle eyes. "Hello, I'm Cedric."
Sophia nodded with a smile. "Hi, I'm Jojo's best friend."
Neither made a move to shake hands.
Cedric checked his watch. "I'm taking Jojo home for dinner. Can I give you a ride?"
"Sure."
Actually, Sophia had driven here.
But she wanted to talk with this man, see if he was worthy of Josephine.
From here to Sophia's house was only a 20-minute drive. When they arrived, Sophia took Josephine's hand and said earnestly, "You've improved. Your taste is better this time than last!"
Josephine didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Thanks for the compliment."
"You're welcome." Sophia walked away satisfied.
Before entering her home, she looked back. Cedric had gotten out of the car, holding a scarf and gently wrapping it around Josephine.
Even though she'd only gotten out for a few minutes, his care overflowed.
Sophia didn't dare say that just because Cedric seemed good now, he'd never cheat in the future, but at least for now, this man seemed acceptable.
As for the future...
They'd deal with that later.
Josephine looked at her scarf, still processing, when Cedric took her hand and helped her into the passenger seat.
She turned to look at Cedric, unable to help wondering.
Wasn't this a bit too natural?
Cedric drove steadily, the air conditioning spreading warmth. He held Josephine's hand gently. "Mrs. Getty."
Hearing the title, Josephine froze. "What?"
"When do you plan to go public with our relationship?"
Josephine couldn't answer right away.
Cedric narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me you've never considered this?"
Josephine didn't dare speak.
Seeing her guilty expression, Cedric fell silent. Josephine carefully raised her eyes, thinking he was angry.
The light ahead turned red. Cedric stopped the car and brought her hand to his lips, kissing it lightly.
This was the first time he'd been intimate with Josephine since they'd registered their marriage.
He'd always been measured.
This time was the same. The kiss was so light it didn't feel intrusive—instead, it made Josephine's heart feel like a feather had brushed across it.
A little ticklish.
"So, Mrs. Getty..." He gazed deeply at her, his eyes like a brilliant galaxy. "When do you plan to go public?"
The next day, Josephine went straight into meetings at the company. She was swamped all day. The NGRAS project had officially launched three days ago, and many hospitals had begun using it.
But these three days were the first testing period.
Everyone was nervous. At 8 PM, everyone waited at their computers for the first batch of data feedback.
Josephine stared at her screen intently.
"10, 9, 8, 7... 1!"
As the countdown ended, the computer screen changed. The first batch of feedback was in.
Emma, in charge of data processing, rushed up to check, then looked at Josephine with pure joy. "The first batch of feedback is excellent! User satisfaction reached 87%, seven percentage points higher than our expected 80%."
The entire conference room erupted in cheers.
"Amazing!"
"We did it!"
Josephine looked at the impressive data on the screen and let out a long breath. Months of hard work had finally paid off.
Aiden walked over, unable to hide his excitement. "All that effort wasn't for nothing."
The phone on the table rang. Emma rushed to answer it.
After hanging up, she set down the phone, face full of joy. "The hospital called. They said frontline doctors sent feedback—our product is easy to operate, practical, and greatly improves work efficiency."
"Several major hospitals are already asking about future collaborations." Kenneth had just hung up another call.
"Good." Josephine stood. "Everyone's worked hard these past few days. Tonight, dinner's on me. I've already made a reservation."
Cheers rang out again.
The celebration was held at an upscale club. Everyone from the project team came, and the atmosphere was lively.
As project lead, Josephine was toasted several times. After a few drinks, her cheeks were flushed.
"Ms. Kennedy, isn't Mr. Getty coming?"Someone asked.