Stuart cast a cold gaze at them.
Steven felt like a trapped rat, stuck and uncomfortable.
He glanced at Rex. "What are you talking about? Mr. Haustia and I were just discussing some business."
Rex, sitting next to Steven, smirked. "Oh really? Since when did you two start working together? Does Laura know?"
Feeling the threat in Rex's words, Steven kicked him. "Are you mad because I didn't give you a heads-up?"
Rex dodged the kick and laughed. "Of course not. How could you think that? These are two separate issues."
Steven didn't even bother asking, knowing Rex's words were never good news.
But Rex didn't wait for him to ask and continued, "You know Laura and Josephine are tight, yet you're talking business with Josephine's ex? Man, you've got guts!"
"Stop making stuff up. I never said we were working together!" Steven pointed at him. "I'm warning you, don't stir up trouble for me!"
"If you don't mess with me, I won't stir up trouble for you," Rex said, "We've known each other for years. You wouldn't sell me out for profit, would you?"
Steven was done with him.
He rolled his eyes and moved to sit somewhere else.
He kept his distance from Rex.
And from Stuart too.
Both of them were a pain.
Plus, he didn't want Laura to see him sitting with Stuart and get the wrong idea.
He went to sit with Jair.
Jair smiled at him.
He smiled back politely.
As far as he knew, Jair was still single, no messy relationships.
Hanging out with him was easy, no drama.
It was nice.
While things were chill here, the air over there was tense.
Stuart spoke up, "Mr. Armstrong, do I need your permission to collaborate with Mr. Bailey?"
Rex sneered, "If you want to compete fairly, I'd respect you. But these sneaky moves are low!"
Stuart said, "If you want to go after Josephine, that's your business. No one's stopping you. But I saw your daughter being rude to Josephine last time. If you want to pursue her, deal with Jessica first."
"That's none of your business," Rex shot back, "I have my ways to make them get along. But you, I've heard about your past flings. Quite the drama. With your history, you think Josephine will forgive you? What are you thinking?"
Stuart hated his past the most.
He got even more annoyed when others brought it up.
And Rex just had to dig up all his old mistakes.
"Everyone makes mistakes," Stuart said coldly, "As long as one can recognize and correct them, it's fine. Mr. Armstrong, you may not have made mistakes, but with so many lovers around, you sure are charming."
To be honest, Rex did have quite a few women around him before.
He didn't have a wife, was rich and powerful. In his prime, he had strong needs.
A guy like him didn't even need to look for women; they came to him.
But he always believed in mutual consent.
To be fair, he thought he treated those women well, giving money and buying things as needed.
But whenever a woman brought up marriage, Rex would use Jessica as an excuse to refuse, then break up and move on to the next one.
He was a jerk, but at least he was upfront about it.
Hearing Stuart bring it up, he smirked. "Back then, I hadn't met Josephine yet, and yeah, I was a bit wild. But not anymore. I'm actually pretty loyal now. At least, I wouldn't cheat on my wife."
For Stuart, his past was a dark cloud anyone could mock.
And he couldn't deny it.
Rex had been with so many women but still had the nerve to call himself loyal.
Stuart had only ever been with Josephine, yet the label of "cheater" would haunt him forever.
But Stuart knew this was a stain he could never wash away.
He couldn't change his past, so he could only show Josephine his future actions.
Luckily, Josephine had softened now, and they could at least be friends.
But just because anyone could bring up his dark past didn't mean he could accept Rex's mockery.
He raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you know what kind of man Josephine hates the most?"
Rex chuckled. "As if you know. If you did, would Josephine have divorced you? It's obvious she hates men like you the most."
Stuart shot back, "If belittling me makes you happy, go ahead. I'll remind you, Josephine hates men who sleep around. She finds it disgusting."
For a moment, Rex's face looked sour.
It was obvious; no woman would like her man to have been with many women.
But how could he have known back then that he would meet Josephine in his forties and fall for her?
If he had known, he could have controlled his urges.
Though he was annoyed, he couldn't let Stuart have the last word.
He said, "Even so, what are you so proud of? Don't forget, we're both on the same starting line now."
Stuart felt extremely frustrated.
He had known Josephine since childhood, with all the inherent advantages, yet now he was on the same starting line as Rex.
"No, actually, I might be closer to the finish line," Rex continued, "A former husband who cheated versus a friend promising a bright future. I think her animosity towards you would be greater."
Stuart thought, 'Am I really worse off than Rex? I don't believe it!'
He retorted, "Even if Josephine doesn't forgive me, she definitely won't choose you!"
The two couches weren't far apart.
The two men exchanged words without lowering their voices.
Jair and Steven on the other couch were forced to listen to everything.
They exchanged awkward smiles.
They didn't want to admit that the two men next to them were their friends.
Jair spoke first, "Are men in love always this terrifying?"
Steven said, "Of course not. I'm perfectly normal."
As soon as he finished speaking, the elevator opened, and Laura walked out.
Steven immediately stood up and strode towards Laura.
He said, "Honey, you're here. Where are the others? Are you thirsty? Hungry? Let me tell you, Rex wasn't invited by me; it must have been Gary who called him."
Laura hadn't said a word, and Steven had already said a dozen.
Jair was speechless.
He thought, 'Is this normal? Indeed, love is terrifying.'
He didn't want to fall in love at all.
Josephine and Claudia followed out of the elevator.
Stuart and Rex finally stopped arguing and stood up together.