Chapter 14
"Is what she said true?" Gideon asked.
Josephine admitted it without hesitation. "Yes."
Briana let out a snort. "See? She admits it herself. She's your wife, yet she charged money to help you. I've told you all along—she only married you for your status, knowing you'd be successful someday. The truth is, she never loved you! She's always had ulterior motives!"
Gideon replied calmly, "Mom, you should go now."
"I can't leave. You've given up too much for this woman. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have renounced your inheritance. I wouldn't still be unmarried to your father after all these years. Everything is because of her!"
Back then, Gideon and Josephine had been deeply in love. But Briana disapproved. She went to Gideon's father, Bentley, asking him to acknowledge Gideon as his son. Bentley had only one condition—Gideon had to break up with Josephine.
Gideon refused, willingly giving up his inheritance rights to be with Josephine. They built everything from scratch, and through their own abilities eventually earned David's respect, who finally agreed to their relationship. But Gideon had sacrificed his inheritance in the process. He was a Getty by blood, but not an heir.
Gideon escorted Briana to the door with only one parting comment. "Don't ever speak about this in front of Jojo again."
"Why not? Why can't she know what you've sacrificed for her? She'll be indebted to you for the rest of her life!"
Gideon's response was to simply close the door. He walked back toward Josephine, step by step.
Her gaze was steady. "Do you regret it?"
She had known all along. And because she knew, she had given Gideon her whole heart, her complete devotion. When he asked her to stay home, she did, even though it meant abandoning her beloved research. But he still... fell apart.
"I don't regret it." Gideon knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his and looking up at her.
"Your mother said I took money, and that's true," Josephine said, looking out the window. Autumn had arrived. Leaves were falling, and the weather was turning cold.
Gideon tightened his grip on her hands. "It doesn't matter. Everyone loves money."
Josephine couldn't figure him out anymore. He was the one who cheated, the one who claimed to love her, and the one who accommodated her without conditions. She looked at him in confusion. "What do you really want?"
Gideon gently caressed her cheek. "Silly Jojo. As long as you stay with me, what does money matter?" He stood and pulled her into his arms. "Whatever you want is yours."
What about loyalty? Josephine almost blurted it out, but swallowed the words instead.
"You're almost completely recovered. Let me call the doctor for a final check, okay?" he coaxed, quickly summoning the physician.
Josephine cooperated, and the doctor's conclusion was: "Ms. Kennedy has fully recovered, though she should still take it easy for a while once she gets home, considering..."
"Thank you, doctor. That's all we need to know," she interrupted.
After the doctor left, Gideon began packing their things. He was eager to take Josephine home, where he'd feel more secure.
Josephine watched him bustling about and said, "I don't want to go back."
His movements froze as he slowly set down the clothes he was folding. "Why not?"
"A lot has happened lately. I need some time alone. Clearwater Ridge would be perfect."
"Do you want to be alone, or do you just not want to see me?" His hands clenched slightly.
Josephine said evenly, "I want to go to Clearwater Ridge."
She didn't answer his question directly. Gideon remained silent for a long while before finally nodding. "Fine. You can stay there, but only for a month."
A month was nowhere near enough. She had no intention of ever returning to Evercrest Manor. But she didn't refuse. He took her silence as agreement.
Once they finished packing, he planned to drive her to Clearwater Ridge himself, but his phone rang before they left the hospital. Josephine caught a glimpse of the screen. He immediately flipped the phone face-down.
"Jojo, I'll have the driver take you home. I need to stop by the office."
"Okay." Josephine watched him leave. She had seen the name on the screen: Lorelei.
---
After being cooped up in the hospital for so long, her body felt stiff. Not wanting to go straight home, she dismissed the driver and headed to a coffee shop for a drink to take back with her. To her surprise, she spotted a familiar face.
"How incompetent are you? You spilled coffee all over me!" A middle-aged woman was berating a young man, jabbing her finger in his face. Despite his repeated apologies, she wouldn't let it go, insisting on calling the manager to have him fired.
Josephine approached them. "Ma'am, how much did that outfit cost? I'll compensate you for it, so please let this go."
"This outfit cost over ten thousand dollars. Can you afford that?" The woman looked down on Josephine in her simple clothing.
Josephine transferred the money immediately. When the ten thousand dollars hit her account, the woman's attitude changed completely. She took the money and sauntered off with a satisfied smirk.
Josephine turned to the young man who was about to slip away with his head down. After a moment, a familiar name escaped her lips. "Aiden Benson."
---
Sitting with Josephine after so long, Aiden felt nervous and tense, mostly remaining silent. Once-inseparable friends had become strangers.
Josephine pushed a coffee toward him. "Your favorite."
"Thanks."
"Weren't you working at Starlight Group?" Why are you serving coffee now?
Aiden traced the rim of his cup with his finger. "After you left, our research team was transferred to the R&D department. But that didn't last long. Gideon quickly brought in a new department head, and he..."
Recalling the unfair treatment, Aiden couldn't hide his anger. "He was incompetent but ambitious, arrogant and oppressive. All the original employees were fired."
"Including you?"
"I quit on my own," Aiden said bitterly. "I couldn't stand it anymore!"
Josephine closed her eyes, shocked and furious. She had led a five-person research team that produced countless scientific breakthroughs, yet when Gideon said he needed them, she had sold those patents to him at a discount.
Six months ago, Gideon told her he wanted her to be his support at home so he could focus on his work. Josephine had agreed. She had entrusted her team members to Gideon.
"I'm sorry. I thought he would treat you well."
Aiden gave a self-deprecating smile. "It's not your fault. We just weren't good enough. Our vision didn't align with Gideon's, so we couldn't work together. Eventually, he rarely visited the research department."
"Who's your current department head? Do I know them?"
"Marshall Kelly."
The name was unfamiliar. Josephine thought for a moment, then asked, "Aiden, can you find the others?"
Aiden seemed to guess her intentions. "What are you planning?"
"To rebuild the team."
Aiden looked incredulous. "Are you serious?"
"Yes." Josephine had been thinking about it for a while. To start over, she needed a team. She had assumed they all had their own careers by now and hadn't considered reaching out. Now she was determined.
Aiden broke into a wide smile. "If that's what you want, I'll definitely help." People who love research never truly want to give it up.
But there was a problem. "Marshall has been working against us. Our names are all blacklisted. No one dares hire us." Every resume he sent out disappeared without a trace. No one wanted to offend Starlight Group.
Josephine smiled. "Not everyone is afraid of Gideon." As far as she knew, there was one person who wasn't.