Chapter 172
"I'll go, just not right now." Josephine declined. "Let's get the data sorted out first."
Gideon watched her leave with Cedric, heading toward Frank's office.
Lorelei noticed the dazed look on his face and clenched her teeth. The person was already gone, yet he was still staring after her. Was he really that reluctant to let go?
Taking a deep breath, she turned to the employees. "Get back to work."
Then she followed Gideon out. But the entire way, he didn’t acknowledge her even once.. Lorelei couldn't tell whether he was angry with her.
When they reached his office door, Gideon finally turned to look at her. Lorelei's heart lifted, and she was about to speak when Gideon said coldly, "Have you forgotten what I told you?"
Lorelei froze.
She hadn't forgotten. Gideon had said he wouldn't allow her to set foot in the company. He didn't want anyone knowing about their relationship.
Including this child.
Lorelei placed both hands on her belly. The child growing inside her gave her courage—and the nerve to push back. "Before, when you told me not to come, I understood."
After all, he hadn't been divorced yet.
"But you're divorced now. Why are you still so afraid? Even if others find out, it won't have any impact on the company or on you, because you're single now."
The words had barely left her mouth when footsteps echoed nearby—an employee was approaching.
Gideon grabbed her wrist, pulled her into the office, and pressed her against the wall. The look in his eyes was ice cold. "You think I don't know what you're thinking?"
Lorelei went cold all over, feeling utterly exposed—as if every scheme in her heart was laid bare under unforgiving light.
"What am I thinking?" She couldn't admit it.
"I warned you not to show up at the company. Do you take my words for nothing?" Gideon's gaze was dangerous, without a trace of warmth.
Yet his hand gently cupped Lorelei's chin and tilted her face up, his eyes cutting across every inch of her face like a blade. "Your family's company is doing well now. I've given you enough."
He let go and pulled out a tissue, meticulously wiping every finger that had touched her.
Lorelei bit her lip and lowered her head, somewhat humiliated. "We started as a transaction—a clean exchange, that was the agreement. But now the child grows more every day, and you still haven't seen him. You can't understand how I feel. I'm not scheming for anything. I don't want anything. I just want to bring this child into the world and let him know he has a father and a mother—that he's not illegitimate. That's all I've been working toward."
Gideon stepped back and tossed the used tissue into the trash with effortless precision, his voice detached. "Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. You will only ever be this child's biological mother."
Lorelei forced a smile. "I never had any hope of marrying you. You're right about that. Even if it's only biology, at least for a period after the birth, I'll need to stay and care for him."
Gideon said nothing.
Lorelei knew that Gideon wasn't the kind of man who could be truly cruel to a child. He simply didn't love her. She stepped closer and tentatively took his hand, deliberately bringing her swollen belly into his line of sight. "Ms. Kennedy finding out about us—that was never because of me. I never wanted to ruin what you had. I'm not your enemy, Mr. Getty... please believe me. I never intended to hurt you. Once the baby is born and the nursing period is over, I'll leave. I promise I won't disrupt your life with Ms. Kennedy."
Her belly was large, but she wasn't heavy. Despite eating well and making regular hospital visits, she remained on the thin side.
Carrying this child had been hard on her.
Gideon looked down at her, his eyes devoid of love—yet there was still a flicker of tenderness for the unborn child. He said quietly, "Carry the baby safely. I won't make things difficult for you. Everything I promised, I'll deliver."
Just as she'd always known—he'd never once considered starting a new life with her.
Lorelei had known this long ago. But hearing it from his own lips still sent a jolt through her, sharp with pain and fury.
She loved him so much. And he simply didn't love her back.
Lorelei took a long breath and buried every shred of resentment deep within herself. She said softly, "I know. We began as a transaction. I never had any illusions that you would fall in love with me."
She stroked her belly, and for just a brief moment, her expression softened.
Gideon's gaze fell to her stomach, but his thoughts drifted to someone else entirely.
How wonderful it would be if this were Josephine's child.
He would have been a good husband, a good father. Not someone negotiating terms in front of a child not yet born.
For a fleeting moment, he wondered—was this child's existence truly right?
By evening, Gideon still hadn't arrived at any answer.
He made his way to Frank's office.
The lights inside were on. Gideon assumed Josephine was still there working late and quickened his pace, pushing open the door—only to find Frank sitting alone at the computer. "Where's Josephine?"
Frank knew who'd come in, but he was swamped and didn't look up. "Work ended. She left with her team."
Gideon turned and ran.
That actually caught Frank off guard. He looked up—and the man was already gone.
Downstairs outside the building.
Josephine sat in the back seat of the car, door still open. Cedric was nowhere in sight.
About ten minutes later, Cedric returned, carrying a small bag of cakes.
Getting into the car, he handed the bag to Josephine and pressed the button to close the door. "You haven't eaten tonight, and there's nothing around here you'd like. Have some cake for now."
Josephine nodded and opened the box. Inside was a small plastic knife and fork. The cake was fairly large—too much for one person.
So she cut it in half and held out one portion to Cedric.
"You eat it," he said.
"I can't finish it on my own. Did you eat anything tonight? Have some cake with me. Otherwise, throwing away what's left would be a waste."
She kept insisting, holding out the half-slice along with the fork, until Cedric finally had no choice but to accept it.
He looked down at the cake resting on his knee. It was topped with a colorful arrangement of fruit, and someone had written an encouraging message in the cream.
Adorable presentation. Very much something a girl would love.
Cedric took a tentative bite.
His expression went flat almost immediately.
It was sweet. Unbearably, tooth-dissolvingly sweet.
He'd tried all kinds of things growing up—sour, bitter, spicy, none of it bothered him—but desserts were something he'd always kept at arm's length. One bite was enough to leave him feeling cloying for days.
Josephine ate happily, not even noticing the smear of cream at the corner of her mouth. "This cake is really good—sweet but not overwhelming. And the fruit on top is so fresh..."
She went on praising it, then turned to ask for his opinion.
Cedric met her eyes. The sweetness still lingered stubbornly in his mouth. He slowly scooped up another bite and brought it to his lips.
"Yes," he said. "Very sweet."