Chapter 182
Josephine bit her lip slightly, her fingers lightly picking at the fabric on her right arm. "I wasn't thinking about all that at the time. Whether I can swim or not, I couldn't just watch Haven fall."
"So you disregard your own safety?" Cedric narrowed his eyes. "How admirable."
Josephine fell silent, he was definitely angry.
Cedric turned and walked away. Josephine hurried to follow, but the moment she took a step, it pulled at her arm. A sharp pain shot from her arm, making the veins at her temple bulge.
She'd only just managed to touch her arm lightly when Cedric was already back at her side, his broad palm supporting her elbow. "What's wrong with your arm?"
Josephine said softly, "It might be... dislocated."
After all, she'd been holding up a full-grown adult. She didn't even know how she'd managed to hold on—she'd simply gritted her teeth and endured.
Only now did she belatedly remember that when pulling Haven up, she'd vaguely heard the sound of dislocation.
Cedric pressed his thin lips together and scooped her up horizontally. Before Josephine could speak, he scolded, "Josephine Kennedy."
This was the first time he'd called her full name.
Josephine pressed her lips together. "What?"
"I'm in a bad mood right now. Don't talk." Cedric's steps carrying her forward were steady, creating an extreme contrast with his cold voice.
Josephine chose to shut up so as to not anger him further.
Once in the car, Cedric set her down, his palm gently lifting the dislocated arm. He pressed the injured area, and Josephine immediately hissed in pain. "Don't press it—it hurts!"
Cedric glanced at her. "You think it hurts now? What are you going to do when it needs treatment?"
"Won't they use anesthesia?"
Cedric ruthlessly shattered her fantasy. "They don't use anesthesia for dislocations."
Josephine's mouth twitched. "Will it hurt a lot?"
Cedric let go of her and said flatly, "It's alright."
Just as Josephine was about breathing a sigh of relief, Cedric added, "A little better than a fracture."
Josephine fell silent, that wasn't much better at all!
She grimaced, her dislocated arm hanging at her side, unable to move or touch it. "Is there a way that doesn't hurt?"
"There is. I'll set it for you."
"You can do that?" Setting aside the pain issue, wasn't this completely in a doctor's domain?
A CEO managing a corporation could do this too?
Josephine was genuinely surprised, with a hint of doubt. "Are you sure you can? Maybe we should go to the hospital. And I think we should take Haven too, get her checked out..."
Cedric gently lifted Josephine's arm, his fingers following along her shoulder, finding the dislocated spot bit by bit. "When I was sixteen, I also had a dislocation."
"How'd that happen?"
"I'd just started high school. A girl confessed to me, and I rejected her. Later, she started dating a guy from outside school. He heard about her confession to me and came looking for trouble. I got into a fight with them."
His voice was pleasant to listen to, when he spoke like this, it had a soothing effect that unconsciously drew Josephine into the narrative.
"So then what? Did you lose?"
"They brought eight people to gang up on me." Cedric's fingers pressed on her dislocation, resting there lightly. "The result was my right arm got dislocated, and those eight people went to the hospital."
How impressive...
Before Josephine could react, Cedric had already swiftly and decisively reset the dislocation. A sharp pain instantly shot through her brain.
Josephine nearly cursed. How was this any different from a sneak attack?
However, after the intense pain passed, her arm suddenly felt like it had returned to normal, not heavy and immobile like before when it had been dislocated.
She tried moving her arm and found that the previously dislocated area really didn't hurt anymore. "It's actually better! You're amazing!"
Cedric sat back in his seat, turning his head to look at her. "Not cursing me in your head anymore?"
He'd seen right through her.
Josephine certainly couldn't admit it. "No way. How could I curse you in my head? Your technique is really good. Even though it hurt for a moment, it's fine now."
Plus, she'd been so focused on wanting to hear the rest of his story that she hadn't put any attention on her arm at all. She hadn't been afraid or anxious, and by the time she realized it, her arm was already set.
"Will you dare to show off next time?" Cedric asked.
Josephine fell silent and turned to look out the window. "The weather's nice today."
Which meant she'd dare again next time.
Cedric was amused despite his anger and immediately switched to sarcasm . "I thought you'd have made some progress by now. Turns out you have indeed progressed—you're almost an angel."
Josephine's face flushed after hearing his words, feeling a bit annoyed. "Regardless, I at least saved a life. Even if you don't approve, you don't need to be so sarcastic about it."
"When did I say I didn't approve of you saving someone?"
"Isn't that what you meant with all your passive-aggressive comments?"
Cedric stared at her. After staring for a long while, he suddenly didn't want to talk anymore.
She was impossible.
On the way back, he remained silent. The low pressure in the car wouldn't dissipate. Josephine didn't want to talk either. Although her arm had been set, her stomach had taken a hard hit against the railing.
Now that area of her stomach had a sore, aching feeling.
She reached down to rub it and unknowingly fell asleep leaning against the window.
When she woke again, she found herself lying in the lounge. Outside the lounge was Cedric's office.
Josephine was a bit confused. How had she gotten back here?
As she was wondering, the door opened.
Noah walked in. "Ms. Kennedy, you're awake. Mr. Getty had me prepare these clothes for you."
He placed the clean clothes on the bedside table, then turned to leave.
Josephine quickly called out to him. "Where's Mr. Getty?"
Noah paused, his voice gentle. "Mr. Getty had something come up and left on a business trip. He probably won't be back until tomorrow morning."
"A sudden trip?"
"Yes." Noah maintained his smile.
Although Cedric's trip was indeed for work, as his assistant, he strongly suspected his boss had been driven to it by Ms. Kennedy.
Josephine made a sound of acknowledgment.
"Do you have any other questions?"
"No."
"Alright then, I'll head out. If you need anything, feel free to call me anytime."
Josephine certainly wouldn't call him again. As for the clothes on the bedside table, she hadn't planned to change into them either, until she stood up and noticed her chiffon shirt had been torn.
It must have gotten caught on the railing when she was pulling Haven up.
Josephine sighed and ultimately changed into the clean new clothes. She preferred comfortable, casual clothing, and this outfit perfectly matched her aesthetic and preferences.
When Josephine stepped out, she belatedly realized a very, very serious problem.
How had she gotten back here?
Unfortunately, she'd slept too deeply and had no memory of it. She just felt something was off. When she looked up, a group of employees were staring at her with gleaming eyes.
Josephine calmly looked back at them, and they unconsciously averted their gazes.