Josephine grabbed her stuff, said a quick goodbye to her coworkers, and headed downstairs.
But when she got there, Laura was nowhere to be seen.
Just as she was about to call her, she noticed a car door open and a guy step out with a bouquet of flowers.
It was Gerald, a guy she'd met once before.
Gerald was tall, handsome, and hard to forget after just one meeting.
Josephine froze for a second, hoping he wouldn't notice her so she could avoid the awkwardness. But, of course, Gerald walked right up to her.
Her plan to dodge him failed. She forced a smile, "Hey, Mr. Clarence, fancy meeting you here."
Gerald looked at her intensely, "Josephine, I came to see you."
Wait, what? Josephine was taken aback. She eyed the bright roses in his hands and took a step back, "You came to see me?"
"Yes."
Josephine didn't notice Laura and Steven sneaking up behind her, with Laura recording everything on her phone.
Feeling nervous, Josephine asked, "What do you want to see me about?"
She was really worried Gerald would shove the flowers into her hands any second now.
And, as expected, that's precisely what transpired.
Gerald handed her the flowers, "Josephine, I have something to tell you."
Josephine hesitated, keeping her hands behind her back. "Just spill it, Mr. Clarence. I can't take those flowers."
Seeing her reaction, Gerald thought even more highly of her.
He wasn't full of himself, but he knew he was quite the catch. Even with a kid, plenty of girls were into him.
But Josephine's eyes were clear, without a hint of ulterior motives.
Having already investigated Todd and Esther, he found them to be unsavory characters. The stark contrast between them and Josephine left him baffled at how she turned out so pure and remarkable.
Gerald looked at her, trying to keep his excitement in check but couldn't hide the redness in his eyes, "Josephine, I'm your brother."
Josephine, not used to being so familiar with a stranger, said, "I'm sorry."
Gerald got what she meant and finally blurted out, "I mean I'm your real brother! Josephine, we're blood-related siblings!"
Josephine stared at him in shock, thinking she must've misheard, "What did you say?"
Gerald, emotional and speaking quickly, said, osephine, Todd isn't your real dad. You're actually a Clarence! You're my sister!"
"How is that possible?" Josephine was completely stunned.
Gerald explained, "Josephine, the DNA test confirms it. You're a Clarence. We've been searching for you for two decades. Mom's been in tears every day."
"Hold on." Josephine struggled to speak, "You must be mistaken. How could I be the daughter of the Clarence Family? I have parents!"
"I told you, Todd isn't your biological father. I had people investigate; Todd and Esther can't have kids. They somehow found you and took you in, raising you as their own."
Josephine was still in shock, "How is that possible? My grandparents treated me so well, they..."
"Because they have good hearts and knew Todd and Esther couldn't have kids, so they treated you like their own. But Todd and Esther? Not so much. They took you in to hide the fact they couldn't have children."
"But..."
"Oh, enough with the 'but'!"
Laura walked over, "Josephine! You are the daughter of the Clarence Family! The DNA results are in, what more do you need to believe?"
"I..." Josephine saw her and got even more confused, "Laura, what is going on?"
Laura was still recording, "Just take the flowers first! This is such a big deal, and you two can't explain it clearly!"
Gerald quickly shoved the flowers into Josephine's arms, and she dumbly took them and held on.
Gerald couldn't help but ask, "Josephine, can I hug you?"
He had waited for this day for over twenty years. When Josephine went missing, he was already a teenager. Back then, he adored his little sister, almost holding her in his arms every day. Josephine was also very attached to him, waving her chubby little hands for him to hold her.
Moreover, Josephine's disappearance was partly his fault. All these years, he had been feeling guilty and couldn't forgive himself.
Who would have thought that just when he was about to give up and lose hope, God would give him such a big surprise!
Laura chimed in, "Hug her! Why even ask? Josephine is your real sister! What's wrong with hugging her?"
Josephine blinked and looked at Gerald. In that moment, it was as if he had been transported back over two decades, to a time when his little sister would gaze at him in the same way. Overcome with emotion, he reached out and embraced Josephine.
"Josephine," his voice choked, and his body trembled.
Josephine was unconsciously affected by his emotions, and a strange sadness began to spread in her heart.
Laura finally captured the perfect ending of flowers and a hug, satisfied, she turned off her phone and said, "Alright, this is a good thing. You two, don't cry!"
Gerald, who hadn't shed a tear in years, found it even more embarrassing to cry in public now that he held a prominent position. He quickly wiped his eyes and gently patted Josephine's back.
Josephine's eyes were also red. In the moment Gerald hugged her, she felt a warmth she had never experienced before. This feeling was something she had never felt with Todd and Esther.
In that instant, she seemed to believe that perhaps she and Gerald really did have a blood connection!
"This isn't the best place to talk," Laura said, "There's a café nearby. Let's go there."
The four of them quickly moved to a private room in the café.
Josephine and Laura sat down, while Gerald and Steven sat across from them.
Laura explained first, "I took your hair and did a DNA test with Nicole. Josephine, Esther is not your mother; Nicole is!"
Gerald stared at Josephine without blinking. When Josephine was little, her chubby cheeks and big eyes were very cute. Looking at Josephine now, Gerald felt he could still see traces of his little sister.
He had found his sister. He had finally found his sister!
Josephine was still in a daze. She really couldn't accept such a thing all at once. To her, it was just too unbelievable.
However, this also explained why Todd and Esther could always hurt her so easily, completely disregarding her feelings. It turned out they were not her biological parents.