Chapter 147
In the upscale restaurant, soothing piano music played softly as background.
Josephine ate her steak while listening to Daryl hold forth across from her.
He was mainly talking about how he'd won over Preston, clearly quite proud of himself.
Josephine felt somewhat helpless. "Do you want a drink before continuing?"
His throat was parched, and he kept coughing.
Daryl was in full swing now and had no mind to savor the wine. He hastily gulped some down. "I've discovered that understanding people face-to-face is most interesting. Before, I only knew your father through materials, but he's more vivid in person than on paper."
Josephine listened and nodded.
When others praised her father, she gladly accepted it.
Little did they know their pleasant conversation was being observed by another person.
"What are you two chatting about so happily?" Cedric's appearance successfully stopped Daryl's chatter.
Daryl's eyes widened. "What are you doing here? Weren't you meeting a client today?"
Cedric immediately narrowed his eyes.
Daryl covered his mouth.
Damn, he'd let it slip.
When deciding to have dinner with Josephine, he'd specifically had someone check on Cedric's whereabouts. Learning Cedric was meeting a client and wouldn't be free for a while, only then had he agreed to the meal.
If only he'd known...
Cedric's lips curved slightly. "Just finished business with a client. Drank a belly full of alcohol but haven't eaten. Mind if I share your table?"
There were still many empty seats in the restaurant, and the current table only fit two people—adding another would require placing a chair in the aisle.
But...
Josephine couldn't very well refuse her boss. "I don't mind."
It would be best if Daryl refused.
Unfortunately, Daryl also agreed. "Sure, more the merrier."
So Cedric sat down. He looked down at Josephine. "Excuse me, could you move over?"
Josephine had originally been sitting against the wall with just enough space for a backpack between her and it. Hearing this, she instinctively shifted toward the wall.
Cedric sat down beside her.
This formed a setup where two people sat side by side while Daryl sat alone across from them.
He swallowed and took a sip of wine. Suddenly, all his earlier eloquence vanished.
Throughout the meal, Josephine was puzzled. After Cedric joined, whether or not he and Daryl had some private disagreement, every time he spoke to Daryl, it was with passive-aggressive undertones.
Daryl couldn't get a word in.
Yet Cedric was exceptionally skilled at the art of language, always pulling the atmosphere back just at the edge of provoking anger.
Daryl ate this meal very uncomfortably, feeling nearly indigestion.
When the meal finally ended, Daryl practically couldn't wait to head outside.
Cedric settled the bill and followed leisurely behind. "Dining with a lady without paying—that's not very gentlemanly."
Daryl's mouth twitched.
"Cedric, Mr. Getty! When have I ever paid when dining with you? When you're present, how could it ever be our turn to pay?" Clearly pushed to his limit, he used two different forms of address in succession, his eyes faintly revealing a plea for mercy.
Cedric glanced at him. "My money doesn't grow on trees."
"Okay, okay, then I'll pay next time."
"Next time?" Cedric was displeased again.
Daryl didn't understand. They often dined together privately. Having another meal together... what was the problem?
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the equally confused Josephine and had an epiphany. While eating, his mind had been foggy, unable to see or understand anything clearly.
Now he understood!
"Maybe next time we eat together, there'll be some big happy occasion." He winked at Cedric, hinting madly.
Cedric glanced at him. "I'll take your blessing."
Hearing his attitude soften, Daryl finally relaxed. "I'll head out first. I have some things to handle. We'll talk by phone later."
With that, he scurried off.
Josephine stood there still a bit dazed, probing cautiously. "The happy occasion he mentioned..."
Cedric didn't answer. He led her across the street to his car and opened the door. "Get in."
Perhaps from spending too much time with him, the idea of him as her boss was deeply rooted. Josephine climbed into the car almost without hesitation, only realizing after sitting down.
Why had she been so obedient?
She'd driven here herself!
Cedric seemed to have seen through her thoughts. "Noah will drive your car back. You had alcohol—you shouldn't drive."
The reasoning was flawless.
Josephine couldn't refute it, so she obediently sat in the back seat. Then she remembered that earlier question. "You didn't seem to answer me."
Cedric held the steering wheel with one hand. "He's nearly thirty. His family is worried about his lifelong matters. Finding a girlfriend and getting married is inevitable for him."
"So it's his marriage..." Josephine murmured.
Cedric glanced at her through the rearview mirror. Just then, Josephine looked up, and their gazes met in the mirror.
The atmosphere became somewhat subtle.
But ultimately Josephine was first to look away, only to hear Cedric suddenly say, "Whose wedding do you want to attend?"
"Me?" Josephine choked. Saying she wanted to would inevitably seem like pressuring him to marry. What right did she have to pressure Cedric? Before, she'd been his sister-in-law. Now she was an employee.
But to say she didn't want to...
That answer was too easily misunderstood.
In the silence, Cedric asked, "Is it that difficult to answer?"
Josephine looked up, lightly scratching her cheek. "I just feel that Mr. Getty is so outstanding, if you wanted to marry, you could achieve it anytime."
Cedric laughed softly. "Are you flattering me?"
How was it that a perfectly good sentence, when she said it, made him feel unhappy?
Josephine vaguely responded, "I suppose so."
"Unfortunately, marriage isn't something I alone can decide. The other party has to agree." Cedric said leisurely.
Josephine couldn't help being curious. "Has Mr. Getty already selected someone?"
From his tone, had he been rejected?
Cedric looked at the road ahead. They'd just reached an intersection. He turned the steering wheel lightly, and the car took the small side road on the left. "Yes. This person is quite audacious."
"Who is it? Do I know them?" Josephine knew she shouldn't ask, but couldn't resist that damned curiosity.
Cedric looked at her deeply. "Don't worry. When I get married, you'll definitely be the first to know."
Josephine was moved.
What boss was this good—wanting to notify employees first when getting married? "Thank you, Mr. Getty. When the time comes, give me an invitation, and I'll definitely attend the wedding."
Cedric glanced at her through the rearview mirror, a slight smile escaping the corner of his mouth. "I'm currently facing a dilemma. I'd like to ask Ms. Kennedy to help solve it for me."
"Go ahead." If even he couldn't solve a problem, Josephine felt she probably couldn't either, but she still adopted an attentive posture.
Cedric's slender fingers lightly tapped the steering wheel, his tone somewhat nonchalant. "There's something I particularly love and want very much, but it's very difficult to obtain."
Josephine frowned in thought. "Is the difficulty from the thing itself, or from external forces?"
"Both." Cedric said in a breezy tone. "External resistance isn't a problem for me. The resistance from the thing itself is the real challenge."
He was as arrogant as ever, though he had the capital for arrogance.
Josephine thought for a moment and said, "A gentle and gradual approach might be more effective."