The two bumped into each other at the party and realized they were both there for the same event.
Stuart hadn't seen Josephine all dolled up in ages. When he spotted her, Nicole was busy introducing Josephine to everyone.
Josephine had this sweet smile, and with her dress and jewelry, she looked like a total high-society lady.
Her outfit today made her look super young, like she was in her early twenties. You'd never guess she was divorced and had a kid.
Seeing all the eager eyes on Josephine, Stuart suddenly felt this urge to whisk her away.
Josephine noticed him too and, while Nicole was distracted, gave him a secret wave.
Seeing her smile, Stuart felt like his whole world just lit up.
Josephine finally got a chance to chat with Stuart.
Actually, Stuart had been keeping an eye on her the whole time. When he saw Nicole step away, he quickly made his move.
"Didn't expect to see you here," Josephine said, holding a glass of orange juice and smiling at him.
"Me neither," Stuart replied. "Are you tired? Want to sit down for a bit?"
"I'm good. The heels aren't too high today. My mom will be back soon, so I won't sit."
"Josephine," Stuart looked at her, "I want to find a time to formally visit your home."
They had talked about this before, but Josephine had just returned home and couldn't bring it up with Nicole. She felt it was about time now and nodded. "Sure, I'll tell my mom when I get back."
"What if Nicole doesn't agree?"
"If she doesn't agree, will you not come?"
"I'll come," Stuart said quickly. "The more Nicole disapproves, the more I want to come. Maybe if I visit a few more times and she sees how I am, she'll accept me."
Josephine laughed, "How do you plan to show yourself?"
"Cooking, mopping, doing laundry, and if that doesn't work, I'll help tidy up your garden."
Josephine couldn't stop laughing. "If you do all that, what will the maid and chef do?"
"Then what can I do?"
"Chat with my mom or something," Josephine said. "She's recently interested in tea. You can prepare for that."
"Okay," Stuart noted, "I'll make sure to prepare well."
Seeing Nicole walking over, Josephine quickly said, "I'll go find my mom!"
"Alright, I'll video call you when I get back."
"Okay!"
Nicole saw Josephine walking over and asked, "Did you go see Stuart?"
Stuart stood out among the crowd with his looks. When Josephine saw him, Nicole saw him too.
Nicole had to admit, in terms of height and looks, Stuart was indeed impressive. But finding a boyfriend wasn't just about looks. Character was more important.
Josephine said, "We just chatted a bit, nothing much."
Nicole took her hand, "Come, I'll introduce you to some more friends. They're all young people; you can hang out more."
They met a few more young people, both men and women.
Nicole, under the pretense of hoping Josephine would make more friends, encouraged her to interact with others and left her to chat with them.
While chatting, Josephine felt uncomfortable because of the way these people looked at her. The girls had a hint of jealousy, and the boys had a bit of fervor. It was as if she were a piece of meat everyone wanted a bite of.
Josephine particularly disliked this feeling and found an excuse to find Nicole.
She originally wanted to find Stuart but didn't see him, so she went to find Nicole.Not long after Josephine found Nicole, they heard a commotion in the distance before they could say much.
Someone was shouting, "Stop fighting," "Break it up," and the like.
"Is someone fighting?" Nicole frowned. "Who would fight at an event like this?"
Josephine was puzzled too. "I don't know. Should we go take a look?"
Nicole shook her head. "What's there to see in a fight? Security will handle it. We shouldn't go; you might get hurt."
Josephine nodded but couldn't help glancing over.
Then, she was stunned.
Did she just see Stuart?
Nicole saw it too. "Is Stuart the one fighting?"
Josephine quickly said, "Impossible! He wouldn't fight with someone!"
At such events, everyone paid attention to manners and etiquette. Even those with grudges would act amicably. Who would fight at such an event?
Nicole said, "We'll know if we go take a look."
For some reason, Josephine suddenly felt uneasy. Could it really be Stuart fighting? But she couldn't imagine what would make Stuart fight someone.
As it turned out, it really was Stuart fighting. Josephine looked at him in disbelief.
By this time, the fight had been broken up. Or rather, the person being beaten had been pulled back by his companions. Otherwise, he would have been beaten even worse by Stuart.
"Look, this is the steady man you talked about," Nicole said. "How about that?"
Josephine was still in shock. Stuart's hair was a bit messy, but other than that, he seemed fine.
Seeing he wasn't hurt, Josephine breathed a sigh of relief. But why would he fight someone? Looking at the young man Stuart had beaten, now being supported by several people, she didn't recognize him.
"You dare hit me!" The beaten man wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glared at Stuart, "Do you know who I am?"
Stuart sneered, "I don't know who you are, but I know you need a lesson!"
"A nobody dares to hit me!" Before he could finish, a middle-aged man hurried over. Seeing him, the young man immediately said, "Dad! I got beaten! You have to stand up for me!"
Seeing his son's sorry state, the middle-aged man was immediately furious, "What happened? Who dared to hit you?"
"Him!" The young man pointed at Stuart, "I don't know where he came from. I've never seen him at Celestia Springs, and he just hit me out of nowhere!"
Following his son's finger, the middle-aged man's expression froze. The young man continued, "Dad, you have to deal with him for me!"
As soon as he finished, the middle-aged man walked over quickly and extended his hand. "Mr. Haustia? Is it really you? I've heard you were in Celestia Springs but never had the chance to meet you until today..."
Stuart didn't shake his hand, only asked coldly, "Is he your son?"
The middle-aged man quickly realized and said, "Yes, he's my useless son! He must have done something wrong. Don't worry, I'll deal with him when we get home!"
"He does need a lesson," Stuart's voice was even colder. "It seems you haven't disciplined him well. No need to wait until you get home; you can deal with him right now."
"Well..." The middle-aged man hesitated.
"What?" Stuart glared at him, "Can't bear to do it?"
"I can, I can!" The middle-aged man quickly said, "How would you like me to deal with him, Mr. Haustia?"
Stuart said, "He's old enough to know how to speak properly. Slap his mouth so he knows what to say and what not to say."