Chapter 154
Josephine sat there until her back started to hurt, but those two were still playing with all their energy. She got up and walked into the kitchen.
Gemma was busy in the kitchen. Seeing her daughter come in, she nudged her with her elbow. "You go wait to eat. Don't worry about things here."
Josephine leaned against the doorframe. "Mom, these past few days I've been home with everything done for me. When I go back home later, I probably won't be able to take care of myself anymore."
"Then don't go back." After all, she loved having her daughter stay here,ideally for a lifetime.
Josephine laughed.
Gemma was cutting carrots. She picked up a slice and popped it into Josephine's mouth. "Do you really not like that Cedric?"
Josephine was chewing on a carrot when she nearly bit her tongue at those words. "Mom..."
Why were both her parents asking the same thing?
Did she really look like she had feelings for Cedric? "Why does everyone keep asking me this? He and I are completely impossible."
"Is it impossible, or do you just not like him?" Gemma wasn't so easily fooled.
The blade struck the cutting board with a noise that seemed to land right on someone's heart.
Josephine hugged Gemma from behind, mumbling, "I've never even thought about marriage. Right now, I just want to focus on my career and take care of you and Dad..."
Gemma paused at her words, set down the knife, grabbed a paper towel to wipe her hands, then patted her daughter's hand. "Of course we're happy you're so devoted to us, but your happiness is more important than anything. If you're happy, we're happy."
"I know, but..."
Gemma suddenly asked, "Jojo, have you lost faith in marriage?"
Josephine didn't answer.
Gemma knew she'd guessed right. Thinking it over, she could understand,young people finally work up the courage to enter marriage, only to end up with an unreliable partner. It was natural to develop aversion and resistance to marriage. "Life is about finding the right answers through countless trials and errors. Career, studies, family—nothing is an exception. Don't be afraid of failure. When you do research, does every experiment succeed on the first try?"
"Of course not..." Josephine couldn't count how many times she'd failed, but one thing was certain—she loved research with all her heart, and no amount of failure would make her give up.
She'd already given up once. That was enough.
Gemma smiled,"Exactly. If you don't want to get married, we won't force you. After the divorce, you can come back to us and take your time finding the right person. Even if you never want to marry again, that's fine. I only have one requirement for you—take good care of yourself and make sure you're living well."
Josephine nodded and leaned her head gently against her mother's shoulder. It wasn't as wide as her father's, but it was warm and soft.
If her father were a mountain, then her mother was the sea.
One steady and reliable, the other accepting everything,both indispensable.
"Alright, you're all grown up and still clinging to me. I need to finish cooking. Go check on your father and Cedric, make sure they haven't gotten into a fight."
"Would they really?" Even as Josephine said it, she wasn't entirely sure. Her father's temperament could be quite stubborn, especially when it came to chess.
He would hang out with the elderly neighbors, and before long, arguments would flare up. People would point fingers and shout, it was a regular occurrence.
Josephine hurried back to the study.
The shouting match she had pictured wasn't there. The study was calm, both men silent, only the soft click of chess pieces hitting the board breaking the quiet.
Josephine leaned over to look.
The board was almost full, and still neither side had won. This match was clearly a fierce one.
Just as she was thinking this, Preston placed a piece, relief clearly showing on his face. "I won this round."
Cedric sighed,"You did indeed. I concede wholeheartedly."
"You're not bad yourself. Five games in a row with me, and you won three. You've got some skill." Preston pointed at Cedric, his face full of smiles.
Cedric curved his lips slightly. "That's because in the first three games, you didn't consider me a real opponent. You were going easy on me the whole time."
"Nonsense. I was overconfident, I know that." Preston waved his hand, refusing this flattery, though he couldn't deny it sounded rather nice.
Josephine stood off to the side for a while, completely ignored by both men. She was just about to leave when Cedric turned and looked at her.
He winked.
It was the first time Josephine had seen such an almost... mischievous expression on his face.
Kind of intriguing.
Gemma's voice drifted from the kitchen. "Dinner in half an hour."
Josephine felt like she'd been granted a pardon. She was about to stand when her father called out, "Two more games."
When she turned back, she saw her father's lips slightly upturned, the ice in his eyes seemingly thawed a bit.
"Play after dinner, or Mom will come drag you out herself."
Just as expected, his wife was his soft spot. Hearing that, Preston dropped his desire for another game at once and reluctantly left the study.
Josephine was about to speak when her phone rang, so she went to the balcony to answer.
The evening wind swept ginkgo leaves into the room, and one landed perfectly in Josephine's hair.
She was still absorbed in her phone call and didn't notice.
Until footsteps approached from behind. The conversation on the phone was wrapping up. Josephine hung up and turned to look at Cedric. "You..."
Cedric suddenly raised his hand, moving closer.
Josephine's eyes tracked that hand as it slowly moved up toward the top of her head, until it finally disappeared from her view.
She felt a slight movement in her hair as those slender fingertips pinched a leaf.
"This leaf is quite pretty," Cedric said.
But Josephine found herself thinking his hands were quite attractive—long fingers, neatly trimmed nails, the ginkgo leaf at his fingertips dappled with spots of light.
He could be a hand model.
Maybe it was being in her own home, or maybe because today's Cedric seemed particularly easygoing, but whatever came to mind just slipped out. "I think even if you went bankrupt someday, you definitely wouldn't starve."
Cedric slowly turned to look at her. "Bankrupt?"
Josephine choked. The words were already out—too late to take them back now. "I just think you're good-looking, and your hands are nice too. If you ever really needed to make money for yourself... being a hand model would work."
"Why not finance?" That seemed more his forte.
Though...
The corners of Cedric's eyes curved slightly. "You really think my hands are attractive?"
"Yes."
She was just stating a fact. Why did Cedric seem so pleased about it?
Did he also enjoy hearing flattery?
Cedric lowered his eyes, his voice deep. "You're right. I hope your words prove prophetic—if I ever go bankrupt, I won't starve."
Josephine fell silent.
She'd been joking. Was he actually taking it seriously?
She cleared her throat, quickly changing the subject. "My dad... he just has a prejudice against the Getty family. He's not trying to target you specifically. Anyone with the Getty surname is an enemy in his eyes. Don't take it personally."
The sky gradually darkened as the moon rose.
Silver moonlight fell across Cedric's profile, his lashes casting faint shadows. "I know."
He looked up, his gaze falling softly on Josephine's face. "I think his thinking is spot-on. The Getty family aren't good people to begin with."
Josephine fell silent.
Wasn't he basically insulting himself too?
Cedric turned to lean against the railing, tilting his head slightly to look at the overhang above. "I told you a long time ago that Gideon was unreliable. You just wouldn't believe me."
Josephine sighed helplessly. "...I believe you now."
The facts were right in front of her. She had no choice but to believe.
A gust of wind swept in, carrying the night's chill. Josephine rubbed her arms and tried to pull her jacket tighter, but the zipper got stuck. It wouldn't move at all, no matter how hard she tried.
She tugged at it several times until her fingertips were red. Cedric grasped her wrist.
"Don't move. You'll pinch yourself."