Chapter 140
"No!"
Emma stared at Josephine in horror. She was so brave—actually refusing to let her boss enter.
Josephine closed her eyes in chagrin. In fact, those words had completely slipped out. Even she regretted them after saying them.
She looked at Emma, signaling her to open the door.
Emma walked trembling to the door, pulled it open, not daring to look up at Cedric. She thought Cedric was handsome, but that was pure aesthetic appreciation—she didn't have the guts to harbor any designs.
"Mr. Getty, I'll be going now."
Emergency situation—better to flee.
With her gone, only Josephine and Cedric remained in the office.
Josephine deeply understood what embarrassment meant. If there were a crack in the floor right now, she could immediately crawl into it without hesitation.
Cedric walked before her, looking down.
Even with a desk between them, Josephine still felt tremendous pressure. She tried hard to appear nonchalant. "Did you need something, Mr. Getty?"
Cedric leaned slightly against the desk. "You didn't send me the meeting minutes today."
Josephine slapped her forehead. "Sorry, Mr. Getty. I forgot. Once I organize them, I'll bring them to you shortly."
Mr. Getty.
That form of address made Cedric narrow his eyes. His deep gaze examined the person before him.
She appeared calm, but her lashes were trembling.
Clearly very flustered.
Cedric slowly withdrew his gaze. "Bring them to my office once they're ready."
"Okay."
Cedric left.
Josephine leaned back in her chair with relief, her frozen brain finally beginning to function. But suddenly a question surfaced.
For meeting minutes, a phone call would suffice, or he could have an assistant or secretary notify her.
Did Cedric need to come personally?
No, that wasn't the point.
Had he heard everything?
The entire afternoon, Josephine was somewhat distracted.
She deeply regretted it now—she shouldn't have discussed such private matters at the company.
When delivering the meeting minutes, she didn't dare go herself and made Emma do it.
Emma was unwilling, repeatedly saying she didn't want to get involved in their "emotional warfare". Josephine pinched her cheek and forcibly commanded her. Eventually, she went reluctantly.
After work, Emma returned and plopped into a chair, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Can you please not make me do this kind of thing in the future?"
Josephine looked at her with amusement. "Is Mr. Getty that scary?"
From her expression, one would think she'd been sent to a battlefield.
Emma sighed. "Scary. Extremely scary!"
"Didn't a certain someone say earlier he was handsome?"
"Being handsome doesn't mean he's not scary!" Emma would swear—Cedric was absolutely the best-looking yet most intimidating person she'd ever met.
She said indignantly, "Josephine, I think you should firmly reject Mr. Getty!"
This suggestion carried some personal emotion, and she was immersed in it, unable to extricate herself.
"Such a chosen one rarely takes interest in a woman, but she cruelly rejects him. Imagine how dejected and sorrowful he'd look..." Even more handsome.
Josephine was speechless. She gathered her documents, walked around the desk, and lightly tapped Emma's head with the files. Sometimes she really wanted to take Emma's head apart and see what exactly was in that brain. "Time to go."
Emma responded and followed her out.
As soon as they exited, they saw Noah.
Noah smiled. "Ms. Kennedy, Mr. Getty has a dinner engagement tonight and hopes you can accompany him."
Josephine took a deep breath, turned to meet Emma's sympathetic gaze, and evil rose in her heart. She grabbed Emma's face and pinched it.
Much better.
She smiled. "Okay."
Emma stood in place, covering her cheek with bewilderment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
What did she do to deserve this?
Tonight's dinner was fairly simple without complications. Josephine served as a decorative accompaniment throughout, watching Cedric handle those difficult clients.
With just a few words, he led them into traps and successfully signed contracts.
Sitting in the car that evening, Josephine couldn't help but admire Cedric.
That look—Cedric couldn't pretend not to see it even if he tried. He glanced at Josephine and said flatly, "I brought you not to watch me perform, but for you to learn."
"I'm learning. All recorded in my mind." Though Josephine felt his techniques probably wouldn't apply to her.
Cedric's status and position were such that even without any tactics, purely through strength, he could make others comply.
Cedric glanced at her.
Josephine felt that look seemed to say "frustrated by her failure to meet expectations." "What is it?"
Cedric rubbed his forehead, seemingly helpless, yet a glimmer appeared in his eyes. "You possess the same confidence as I do."
Josephine froze.
The light ahead turned red. The car slowly stopped. Cedric held the steering wheel with one hand, but his gaze fell on Josephine in the passenger seat. "Whenever you negotiate with anyone, remember one thing—you represent me."
Put bluntly: anyone making things difficult for her was making things difficult for him.
Warmth filled Josephine's heart, but immediately after came heaviness weighing on her chest. If she hadn't heard those words at yesterday's dinner, she would probably feel relaxed and moved.
The light turned green. The car drove smoothly on the road. Cedric drove very steadily, and the car's performance was excellent—not a hint of bumping.
This also led to extreme quiet inside the car.
Josephine hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. "Actually, I've always wanted to say thank you."
"What?"
"Whether it's the divorce matter or letting me rebuild my career, I want to thank you." Josephine was quite self-aware. Without Cedric, she absolutely couldn't have gone this smoothly.
Take the divorce now—though progress was stalled, Gideon hadn't harassed her or used extreme measures, all because of Cedric.
He stood behind her as an invisible pillar of support.
Otherwise, with Gideon's temperament, the moment she proposed divorce, he would have unhesitatingly locked her at home until she took those words back.
Cedric's lips curved slightly. "Helping you isn't charity. It's because you have the ability. I don't want to see talent buried."
Before yesterday, Josephine would have 100% believed he had no ulterior motives.
But now...
Before she realized it, the car had reached Clearwater Ridge. After stopping, Cedric lowered the window. A breeze slowly entered the car.
He looked outside. "If you want to say something, say it. Isn't holding it in uncomfortable?"
He'd guessed?
Josephine took a deep breath. "Actually, I don't want to think about romantic matters at all right now. I just want to develop my career properly, live up to Mr. Carter's instructions, and not disappoint your expectations of me."
She finished in one breath, looking at Cedric hesitantly.
He was quietly watching her. Josephine's heart inexplicably beat faster—she couldn't say if it was nervousness or something else, but she didn't feel regret.
Cedric spoke slowly. "Are you... Perhaps misunderstanding something?"