Chapter 95
Gideon's face looked absolutely terrible. He didn't even dare look at Josephine's expression—was it hatred? Disgust?
For the first time in his life, he felt such intense loathing for a woman.
If he'd known Lorelei was this kind of reckless psychopath, he never would have made that deal with her in the first place.
Lorelei turned to Josephine, crying pitifully. "Ms. Kennedy, I'm begging you—please give him back to me. Without him, my baby and I can't survive... I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have fallen for him, but feelings can't be controlled... If you won't agree, I'll take the baby and jump today. I'll make way for you both!"
Josephine was so angry she almost laughed.
She'd never met anyone so shameless. Lorelei was clearly the homewrecker, yet she painted herself as some tragic victim of uncontrollable love. Not only did she completely shirk responsibility, but she'd also flipped the script to put Josephine in a position where she seemed to be on trial for moral wrongdoing.
"So, according to you, I'm standing in the way of true love between you two?"
Gideon's brow furrowed deeply, but he knew he couldn't provoke Lorelei right now. He looked at Josephine, his voice gentle. "Jojo, go downstairs. I'll handle this."
Like hell Josephine was leaving. This was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Her voice cut through the cold wind, clear and sharp. "Lorelei, your life and death are your choice—they have nothing to do with my marriage to Gideon. Using a child's life to emotionally blackmail someone? That's not love. That's insanity."
Lorelei sneered, then suddenly said, "Ms. Kennedy, come closer when you talk. I can't hear you."
Josephine's brow furrowed.
She hesitated slightly. Lorelei's expression shifted. "Since you won't talk to me, then don't bother. I don't want to hear it anyway."
She made as if to jump.
Josephine couldn't just watch her fall. She stepped forward. "However important feelings are, can they be more important than your life?"
Close enough. Lorelei suddenly grabbed Josephine, the two of them pressed against the ledge, their upper bodies leaning out—a truly terrifying sight.
"Lorelei!"
Gideon's voice cracked. His eyes locked on Josephine, wanting to rush forward but not daring to.
Lorelei felt bitter inside. Even at this point, in Gideon's heart, Josephine's safety still came first.
Josephine said calmly, "Lorelei, you should know I've already filed for divorce. All you have to do is wait patiently, and Mrs. Getty's position will be yours. Are you really determined to risk everything now and throw away what's within your grasp?"
"Of course I won't give it up..."
Lorelei smiled eerily, whispering in her ear, "I just need to make absolutely sure."
What did she mean?
Josephine didn't understand, but the next second, Lorelei shoved her away. She stumbled, and Gideon rushed forward to catch her.
But the next second, Gideon pushed Josephine aside.
Lorelei had let out a desperate wail, half her body hanging over the low wall. Gideon lunged forward, catching her arm at the critical moment and hauling her back.
Lorelei collapsed in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably, clutching his shirt. "Gideon... Gideon... don't leave me..."
Gideon's face was ashen. He said nothing.
Josephine stood to the side, watching the two of them with cold eyes.
Lorelei cried, "Please... if you don't want me, I'll have no choice left... I really love you... I can't live without you... Don't you want this baby?"
Briana rushed over just in time to hear this, both angry and anxious. "Gideon! Things have come to this point—just agree! Do you really want to watch her die carrying your child?"
The rooftop fell deathly silent. To protect the Getty family's reputation, Gideon's security had quietly sealed the rooftop entrance. No onlookers.
Gideon looked at Lorelei, nearly faint from crying in his arms, then at Josephine standing apart with her expressionless face and distant eyes. A massive wave of exhaustion and helplessness washed over him.
He stood at the edge of a cliff—couldn't move forward, couldn't step back.
He seemed to have reached a dead end.
In the silent, cold wind, Gideon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, only a defeated compromise remained.
"Fine. I'll marry you."
The words seemed squeezed from between his teeth. The moment he spoke them, he didn't dare look at Josephine—could only keep his head down, like an ostrich hiding from reality.
As if not looking meant not having to face it.
Lorelei's crying immediately subsided into suppressed whimpers.
But when she looked at Josephine, her eyes held barely concealed triumph.
As if to say: See? He's mine now.
Josephine watched this absurd scene with cold eyes, then turned and left.
Her hand slipped into her pocket. Her phone had been recording from the moment she'd stepped onto the rooftop.
Briana helped Lorelei stand. "There, there, stop crying. You two will get married, and you'll be my daughter-in-law."
Lorelei laughed through her tears. "Thank you, Mrs. Briana Getty..."
The two women celebrated, but Gideon stood beside them as if in a frozen wasteland, chilled to the bone.
He wanted to call out to Josephine, but found he didn't even have the strength to make a sound.
After getting Lorelei back to her hospital room, he moved to leave. Lorelei immediately grabbed his sleeve.
"Gideon..."
Gideon stopped. Briana couldn't help but interject, "Things are what they are. When are you planning to divorce Josephine?"
Gideon slowly pulled Lorelei's hand away. "I think you're both misunderstanding something. I agreed to marry you because you're carrying a child."
He turned and left.
Lorelei's face darkened, her heart full of resentment.
Afraid she'd lose it again, Briana quickly consoled her. "Don't worry. He's just being stubborn. Either way, at least he's agreed to marry you."
Lorelei swallowed her jealous hatred, forcing out a smile. "Don't worry, Mrs. Getty. I'm not angry. I understand how difficult this is for Gideon."
"Good girl."
Briana was deeply gratified.
Lorelei lowered her eyes. It didn't matter. Whether he loved her or not was irrelevant—he would compromise eventually.
After the rooftop incident, Gideon tried to contact Josephine to explain, but calls wouldn't go through. Every text disappeared like a stone in the ocean.
No replies on social media either.
His people watching Clearwater Ridge reported the place remained empty. Josephine had vanished like smoke.
He knew—she'd made up her mind to sever this marriage.
He grew increasingly reluctant to go to the hospital, his responses to Lorelei's calls perfunctory at best. Until one afternoon, sitting in his office, he met with a lawyer from the Getty Group.
"Mr. Getty, hello. I'm the divorce attorney retained by Ms. Josephine Kennedy. Ms. Kennedy has authorized me to handle all matters pertaining to your divorce."
Leonard Jones wore a sharp suit, all business, and produced a drafted divorce agreement.
The terms were clean and sharp, the property division refusing to yield an inch of what Josephine was entitled to.
When Gideon saw the agreement in his office, he slammed it onto the desk.
"I won't sign it."
His tone was ice-cold. "Tell Josephine that if she wants a divorce, she can come talk to me herself."
Leonard adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses, his expression calm. "Mr. Getty, my client Ms. Kennedy has authorized us to handle this matter in its entirety. If you have any concerns, you may raise them with me, and I'll convey them. However, at present, signing the agreement is a necessary step to initiate legal proceedings."
"I said I won't sign!" Gideon shot to his feet, the pressure around him dropping to terrifying levels. "Go back and tell Cedric to stay out of my personal business! Don't think sending a few lawyers will force me to comply! Believe me, I can make it so you never work in law again!"
Such threats might work on ordinary lawyers, but they had zero effect on Leonard.
He smiled slightly, calmly pulling an envelope from his briefcase and sliding it across to Gideon.
"Mr. Getty, before we discuss my career prospects, perhaps you should look at this. These are some materials provided by my client that may be relevant to this divorce case. She hopes you'll give them serious consideration to avoid unnecessary publicity—after all, the Getty family's reputation is paramount."
Gideon frowned and opened the envelope. Inside was a flash drive and a pregnancy test result.
The test was Lorelei's.
Gideon clenched his jaw and inserted the flash drive into his computer, clicking on the single audio file. The rooftop conversation played clearly through his office.
Lorelei's tearful pleas, his sharp rebukes, and finally, that clear statement:
"Fine. I'll marry you."