Chapter 160
Gideon's business trip was doomed from the start.
He had just arrived at his hotel in the neighboring city and hadn't even changed out of his rumpled travel suit when his assistant called with alarming urgency.
"Mr. Getty, we have a crisis!" His assistant's voice trembled with barely contained panic. "Mr. Williams just sent a document to your private email with a message: if you don't sign within twenty-four hours, it will be delivered to the Getty Group’s board of directors—and to the Economic Investigation Bureau."
Gideon's brow furrowed as tension tightened across his face. Loosening his tie, he strode to the hotel desk and opened his computer. "What document?"
"It's... Starlight Group's internal financial transaction records. A total of eighty million dollars was transferred out in batches under the guise of fictitious projects. The funds’ destination remains unknown." The assistant's voice shook with fear and disbelief. "Mr. Getty, our own finance department didn't catch this. How did Mr. Williams get his hands on it?"
Gideon's hand froze as he moved to open the email.
He stared at the familiar financial summary on the screen, where several carefully concealed discrepancies had been circled in red.
In an instant, it felt as though the blood in his veins had turned to ice.
Only one person besides him had access to this report—and the ability to spot irregularities in such complex data at a glance.
Josephine...
So that was it. That was the truth all along.
When she'd returned to Evercrest Manor that day, it hadn't been about retrieving some tool she'd supposedly left in the study at all. She had been after that computer—the one containing all his confidential information.
And he hadn't suspected her—not even for a second.
"Have you traced where the funds went?" Gideon's voice was cold with a chilling calm.
"...We did. The funds were ultimately traced to a shell company. Its legal representative is... Ms. Kelly's older brother, Marshall."
Gideon closed his eyes as the veins at his temples throbbed visibly.
How wonderful. Lorelei… the Kelly family!
All her professions of love, all her scheming to get pregnant —it was nothing but a cover for the Kelly family to latch onto his company like leeches and bleed it dry!
But what truly unsettled him was Josephine.
She had truly become this ruthless. She'd seized his greatest weakness and was using what he valued most—his power and his company—to force his hand.
"Book the earliest flight back. I'm leaving immediately." Gideon slammed the computer shut.
The next afternoon, in the Getty Group's meeting room, Josephine sat silently on the sofa, her posture composed but distant, a cup of coffee already gone cold in front of her.
Darren sat beside her, calmly and methodically organizing the documents in front of him.
With a loud crash, the meeting room door was shoved open.
Gideon burst in, travel-worn and emanating a chilling, barely restrained fury. He hadn't slept since returning the previous day.
He had spent the entire night trying to understand how Josephine could be so heartless. His bloodshot eyes were fixed unwaveringly on her.
Darren stood, offering a professional smile. "Mr. Getty, you're back two hours earlier than I projected. I take it you've verified the document's authenticity."
"Get out." Gideon didn't spare Darren a glance, his gaze locked firmly on Josephine's face.
Darren adjusted his glasses but remained where he was, unmoved. "Mr. Getty, I'm Ms. Kennedy's full legal representative. I have a responsibility to—"
"I said, get out!" Gideon suddenly roared like a cornered beast.
Darren had no doubt that if he didn't leave now, he was going to get hit. But he was a professional lawyer, bound by both duty and authority to protect his client.
How could he just walk away when his client hadn’t said a word?
If he got hit, he'd file a workplace injury claim and have Cedric handle Gideon appropriately.
Maybe he could even squeeze some compensation out of it.
Unfortunately, the plan never had a chance to play out.
Josephine raised her hand slightly, signaling Darren. "Wait outside for me."
Darren glanced between the two of them and nodded. "Alright. If anything happens, just shout. I'll be right outside."
He was making it unmistakably clear that he didn't trust Gideon.
But at that moment, Gideon wasn't angry—he was simply staring at Josephine.
Darren turned and left the meeting room, quietly closing the door behind him.
Gideon approached Josephine step by step, bracing his hands against the back of the sofa on either side of her, trapping her in his oppressive shadow. "Josephine, you've really outdone yourself."
Gideon glared at her, his voice hoarse beyond recognition. "You actually schemed against me? You know exactly how much I sacrificed to get where I am today, and you're using all of that to threaten me?"
"I'm simply taking back my freedom."
"Freedom... is that more important than me?" Gideon refused to believe the Josephine before him had no feelings left for him. "You hate me, which means you still love me, doesn't it? You keep insisting on a divorce, and you care about Lorelei—which means you still care about me."
"So that's how you've been convincing yourself?" Josephine almost let out a bitter laugh.
But she only tugged faintly at the corner of her mouth. Perhaps she couldn't quite manage a smile when facing him.
Her voice was eerily calm. "This accounting discrepancy is the result of your own poor management—Lorelei's brother exploited the loophole. If you had signed the divorce papers without issue from the start, I never would have touched your computer."
"You'd destroy me just to divorce me?" Gideon felt as though an invisible hand was tearing his heart apart.
This was the woman he'd loved for seven years. Once she withdrew her affection, she became colder than anyone he had ever known.
"Gideon, you were the one who destroyed the trust and marriage between us first."
Destroyed? Perhaps.
Josephine saw no path forward for herself. Without escaping this marriage, she could never be reborn. She couldn't allow herself to remain mired in this this suffocating marriage.
She yearned for a fresh start—craved it desperately.
Facing his accusations, she remained composed, stating the facts without a trace of emotion. "You have two options. First, sign this divorce agreement. We go our separate ways, and I'll take this to my grave. As for the Kelly family's embezzlement—you handle that yourself."
"And the second?" Gideon asked, his voice strained through gritted teeth.
"We keep dragging this out, and that document will land Mr. David Getty's desk first thing tomorrow morning. When that happens, given Mr. David Getty's temperament, do you really think you can hold onto your position as one of his only two heirs?"
She went straight for the jugular.
His Jojo had learned all too well.
Gideon let out a strained, almost unhinged laugh. "Jojo, you really think one document can control me? Don't forget—I'm your husband. As long as I don't give in, you'll be tied to me for the rest of your life!"
Just then, the meeting room door opened again.
Cedric strolled in at an unhurried pace, with Noah following closely behind.
"Maybe she can't control you—but what about me?" Cedric's voice wasn't loud, yet it carried the unmistakable authority of someone used to being obeyed.