Chapter 191
With this recording as evidence, Yves had no defense. He wanted to claim it was fake, but the background noise included reporters' voices.
Even if it had been prepared in advance, no one could have predicted today's exact situation.
He was sweating profusely. Lily, however, had long given up on this brother. She'd come today determined to cut ties, and said coldly, "I don't care what your intentions were before—I don't want to hold it against you anymore. But from now on, let's not see each other again."
"What are you saying?" Yves's face darkened. "You want to sever ties with me?"
"Yes." The moment she said it, Lily felt it wasn't as difficult as she'd thought. Her brother had suppressed her for years. She'd once believed she could never escape him.
But the truth was, she could break free from her toxic family. "From now on, I'll take care of Grandma. I'll be responsible for her in sickness and health. As for you... stay away from us. I won't give you another cent."
Yves laughed bitterly. Things had come to this—acting was pointless. He simply revealed his true colors. Shameless. Despicable. "You think you can just decide not to give me money? I'm your real brother. Grandma's my grandmother too. If you won't give me money, she will!"
"Have you no shame?" Lily couldn't take it anymore. "Grandma's so old—you still plan to take money from her?"
"That's right. As long as she's alive, she has to support me!"
This shameless declaration was too much even for Josephine. "I've never met anyone so utterly shameless."
Cedric nodded. "First time for me too."
He was well-traveled and experienced, but even he was shocked by Yves. This wasn't just shameless—it was beyond shameless!
Lily took a deep breath. With Josephine and Cedric beside her, she felt less afraid of her brother.
Without his physical intimidation, he actually wasn't scary at all—just impotent rage.
"The reporters are all here today anyway. I'm severing ties with you. From now on, support yourself. Don't bother me and Grandma again, or I'll call the police. If you won't let go, I'll have no choice but to send you to prison for proper reform."
Maybe that would straighten him out. Who knows?
Yves glared at Lily. "Fine. You win!"
He finally gave up on exploiting Lily and left with his soaked pants, his retreating figure utterly pathetic.
With him dispatched, only the reporters remained.
Lily said, "I'll only say this once. The Getty Group didn't mistreat me. They gave me all the medical expenses and compensation they should have. Ms. Kennedy arranged the best hospital room for me. The reason I didn't appear was because I needed to rest quietly—she didn't want anyone disturbing me."
"Then why did you come out today?"
"Because I didn't want you all to keep misunderstanding Ms. Kennedy. She's truly a good person. I don't blame anyone for this accident—it was just my bad luck. And I also believe Ms. Kennedy's employee didn't make the mistake on purpose. We're all human. We all make mistakes."
The person directly involved had expressed forgiveness, showed no resentment, and was holding hands with Josephine like they were good friends.
No matter how gossip-hungry the reporters were, they couldn't keep pressing.
Finally, Josephine got into the car with Lily.
Lily looked through the window at Cedric and the driver standing outside. The two thoughtfully didn't get in, leaving the space to Lily and Josephine.
Lily said somewhat enviously, "Is that your brother?"
Josephine paused. Thinking about it, based on her relationship with Gideon, Cedric could sort of count as her brother...
But now that they were divorced, that calculation clearly didn't fit.
But thinking about explaining their complicated relationship to Lily gave Josephine a headache. She ultimately chose the simplest, quickest approach. "He's my boss, the CEO of the Getty Group."
"I see." Lily nodded, a bit disappointed. "I was rather envious of you, thinking you had such a good brother."
Josephine said gently, "Having a good brother is certainly enviable, but not having one isn't anything to regret, because... I think you're amazing."
"Me? Really?" Lily wasn't very confident. She'd rarely been praised growing up.
Josephine nodded. "Yes. You're so young yet you're devoted to your grandmother, work part-time to earn money, and you're sensible and reasonable. Compare that to your brother—the difference between you two is enormous."
Lily felt a bit embarrassed and scratched her cheek. "Actually, I'm not as good as you say..."
"Lily, thank you." Josephine suddenly said seriously.
Lily grew even more embarrassed, her face flushing. "Don't say that. I'm just telling the truth. I really didn't do anything."
But Josephine understood—her willingness to step forward had already taken tremendous courage.
Lily could have completely stayed out of it, but she still came.
"Don't worry. Regarding severing ties with your brother, I'll help you find a good lawyer. I guarantee you'll get what you want."
Lily joyfully grabbed Josephine's hand. "Really? Can I really..."
Her voice trembled with excitement.
Not until Josephine gave a definitive answer: "Yes."
Lily was so happy she didn't know what to do. Instinctively she pulled out her phone, wanting to call her grandmother to share the good news.
Josephine didn't disturb her, just listened to Lily's conversation with her grandmother. She suddenly missed her own family.
Tonight, she'd go home and see her father and mother.
Twenty minutes later, Lily's call with her grandmother ended and her emotions had calmed considerably. Only then did Josephine call Cedric and Noah back.
Noah drove Lily home first to rest, then took Josephine and Cedric.
At the entrance to Clearwater Ridge, Josephine got out of the car. After closing the door, she looked toward the passenger seat. Cedric happened to look up too.
Their eyes met.
"What is it?" Cedric asked.
Josephine pressed her lips together and said quietly, "Thank you for today."
"I didn't really do anything. Lily suggested coming to help clear your name herself." Cedric was brutally honest, speaking truthfully. "You moved Lily, so she wanted to help you. That's your own achievement."
But Josephine knew it wasn't like that. If Cedric hadn't gone to find Lily, she never would have appeared here.
"Oh, and get some good rest when you go back. Tomorrow there's still the main event." Cedric said.
Josephine didn't understand. "What do you mean? This isn't over?"
Cedric smiled meaningfully. "Today was just an appetizer."
Josephine was smart too and immediately guessed he'd had a plan all along. "What exactly were you trying to accomplish by calling this press conference? Could it be..."
She suddenly thought of Gideon. Last time Gideon held a press conference, it was to find someone to whitewash Lorelei's reputation and take the fall.
That person was still in prison now, while Lorelei remained untouched.
"You wouldn't..." Josephine immediately objected. "No. I don't agree with that. Gideon doesn't consider consequences when he does things—he'll eventually be abandoned by his employees. Don't learn from him!"
No matter who he found, they wouldn't be a suitable candidate. Haven was a good girl—she couldn't withstand another shock.
Cedric frowned, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Being compared to others was one thing, but being compared to Gideon was an insult to him.
"In your heart, am I really such a despicable person?"