Chapter 12
Gideon had just settled Lorelei in her hospital room and was preparing to leave when she suddenly woke up.
She grabbed his hand. "Don't go. I'm scared..."
Gideon paused, gently tucking her hand back under the covers. Lorelei gazed up at him with emotion, only to meet his dark, unfathomable eyes.
"You should understand your position. Don't ask for things you shouldn't."
The color drained from Lorelei's face. Like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over her, she snapped out of her fantasy about his tenderness.
"Rest well and protect this child. This is your only chance."
If this attempt failed, Gideon wouldn't try again. He had wanted to end this dysfunctional relationship for some time now.
But when he arrived at Josephine's room, he found it empty. He quickly sought out a nurse. "Where is the woman who was staying here? The one with appendicitis who had surgery last night?"
Appendicitis... not a miscarriage? The nurse was confused but replied, "She was transferred last night."
"Where to?"
"I don't know."
The young nurse had no answers. Gideon turned and left.
Sophia was examining a patient when her door was suddenly pushed open. Gideon stood there, his face cold, radiating tension.
She calmly finished with her patient and dismissed them before turning to him. "Can I help you?"
"Where is Jojo?"
"I don't know."
"If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself."
Josephine and Sophia were closest friends. With Josephine still ill, she couldn't have transferred hospitals alone—someone must have helped her.
Gideon headed straight for the security room without wasting more words. However, in the hallway, he encountered Cedric coming toward him.
Their eyes met, tension flowing between them like an undercurrent.
"Absent without leave, ignoring the board... I should be looking for someone to replace you," Cedric remarked.
"I have personal matters to attend to. What about you? Why are you at the hospital instead of working?" Gideon shot back.
Cedric didn't respond. His assistant explained, "Mr. Morales from the board is ill. Mr. Getty came to visit him."
The implication was clear: we're here on legitimate business.
"My wife is ill," Gideon countered.
Cedric narrowed his eyes slightly. As they passed each other, he dropped a parting comment: "Then perhaps you should learn how to be a proper husband."
A wife who's constantly ill reflects a husband's inadequacy.
The distraction worked. By the time Gideon went to check the security footage, he found nothing useful. Left with no choice, he returned to the office.
Sophia immediately went to Room 303. In reality, Josephine had simply moved from Room 302 to 303. If Gideon had just opened that door, he would have seen Josephine sitting on the bed.
"Thank goodness that jerk finally left," Sophia said.
Josephine smiled faintly. "Thank you, Sophie."
"Actually, you should thank Cedric. When he showed up, I took the opportunity while they were talking to remove the security footage!"
"Why... was he here?"
"I think he was visiting a patient."
Josephine sighed softly. She had promised to deliver some documents to him, but she couldn't even leave her room. She wondered if her failure to deliver them had caused him any problems.
Sophia, unaware of her thoughts, said, "Just rest here. I'll come see you every day after work."
"Thank you."
After Sophia left, Josephine's smile instantly vanished. She needed time to figure out her next steps.
---
For three days, Gideon couldn't find Josephine. He spent his days at the office until he received a call from Briana in the evening saying Lorelei wasn't feeling well.
He rushed to the hospital.
Lorelei was sensible. "I'm fine now. Ms. Hughes was just being cautious. Mr. Getty, I'm planning to leave the hospital."
Gideon responded coolly, "That's for the best."
The hospital was full of prying eyes and gossiping mouths. If word got out...
As Lorelei reached the door, she stumbled slightly. Gideon steadied her by the arm. Meeting her grateful gaze, he asked, "What did you say to Jojo that day?"
"Nothing at all. I really just asked her to come downstairs."
Lorelei's smile nearly froze, but she recovered quickly.
Gideon studied her face. She grew increasingly uncomfortable under his scrutiny, almost giving herself away, but fortunately, he soon looked away.
"Remember your place."
He warned her again. Lorelei could only smile and reply, "I understand."
Outside the hospital, Gideon deliberately kept his distance, only helping her into the car with a steadying hand. But that was enough. Lorelei glanced discreetly toward the corner of the building.
---
Josephine had enjoyed a few days of peace—no cheating husband, no mistress, no illegitimate child. Her damaged body was slowly recovering.
Then she saw the rumors online.
#Gideon Getty's Extramarital Affair#
#Gideon Getty's Mistress#
#Devoted Husband Image Shattered#
The headlines were explosive, the content even more damning. There were photos too. One showed Gideon helping Lorelei into a car. Though their faces weren't visible, the silhouettes were enough to spark speculation.
Internet users were quick to theorize, and discussions spread like wildfire. The Getty family was prominent, constantly under scrutiny. Gideon had made enemies on his way up, and many were eager to see him fall. The rumors spread at an unnaturally rapid pace.
In the past, Josephine would have immediately worked to quell the gossip and solve Gideon's problems. This time, she just wanted to watch it unfold.
The atmosphere at Getty Manor was tense. When Gideon returned, David immediately threw a glass at him, hitting his shoulder.
Briana was distressed but didn't dare intervene. Bentley remained silent.
"You've really outdone yourself," David fumed. "When you insisted on marrying that Josephine, I objected, but you wouldn't listen. Fine, I let you have your way, but I also told you—I don't care if you have mistresses, but you must handle it discreetly. Now this scandal is tarnishing the Getty family name!"
David despised men who were slaves to their desires. His son was like that, and now his grandson was worse.
"Look at your brother. See how he conducts himself—meticulously, never showing weakness for women. You're simply not fit for polite society, completely bewitched by women!"
Facing such humiliation, Gideon showed no anger, respectfully listening in silence.
"It's all a misunderstanding. I'll resolve it."
"You'd better do it quickly. If this affects the family's reputation, you and your mother can both get out." David's iron-fisted approach was no empty threat.
"Yes, Grandfather"
Gideon acknowledged, then left Getty Manor, rubbing his aching shoulder.
Briana followed him out. "Gid, does it hurt?"
"It's nothing."
"What will you do now?"
"I have my methods."
He had already ordered the removal of the photos and rumors online. But sometimes, the harder you try to suppress something, the more it spreads.
"What methods could you possibly have?" Briana had her own solution. "Gid, this is actually simple to fix. Just have Josephine make a public statement."
What could be more convincing than a wife publicly expressing trust in her husband?
Gideon immediately refused. "No."
"Even now, you're still protecting her!" Briana pleaded. "She's been gone for days. Don't you want to see her?"
This comment did shake Gideon's resolve.
"I'll talk to her about this. She loves you so much, she'll agree."
When Briana said she would talk to Josephine, she meant it. Though she didn't know where Josephine was hiding, it didn't matter—find Sophia, and she'd find Josephine.
She followed Sophia. She discovered Sophia stayed at the hospital after her shift ended. Following the trail, she found Room 303. Entering, she immediately demanded of Josephine: "You need to go to the media right now and clear Gideon's name."