Chapter 218
"I don't need anyone's permission to be here. I come when I want."
Josephine shot Gideon a glare and yanked her hand free without hesitation, looping her arm through Cedric's instead. "I'm your brother's date tonight, so show some respect and keep your hands to yourself."
Cedric backed her up smoothly. "If you upset my date, I'll have to teach you some manners. Brother or not."
Gideon's face went rigid before he turned and left. He wasn't about to stick around and humiliate himself further.
Ten minutes later, David came downstairs.
His eyes landed immediately on Josephine, standing quietly beside Cedric among the crowd. The butler noticed too and said, "I'll invite Ms. Kennedy to wait in a private room."
"No need. She's a guest like anyone else."
David said it and then didn't spare Josephine another glance.
But the butler felt uneasy. David wasn't the type to take a hit and stay silent. If Josephine disrupted this event, he wouldn't let it slide.
Yet things didn't turn out as badly as he'd feared. David didn't confront Josephine. All his attention was on mingling with guests.
He instructed the butler, "Bring Cedric over."
The butler approached Cedric and Josephine, but before he could speak, Cedric said, "I know."
The butler stood silently to the side.
A moment later, Cedric left.
Josephine cut off a small piece of cake with her fork. The cake was excellent—sweet but not cloying. "Just say what you need to say."
"How did you—"
"You're standing here because you have something to say, right?"
The butler let out a soft sigh. "Ms. Kennedy is as sharp as ever. I've always believed that once you left the Getty family, you'd carve out a life of your own."
"I appreciate that." Josephine smiled faintly.
The butler's tone shifted. "You shouldn't have come tonight."
"But I'm already here."
At that, the butler frowned. "If you understand how important this event is, you should know Mr. David Getty won't allow anyone to ruin it."
"I haven't done anything." Josephine held her plate in her left hand, fork in her right, savoring each bite with ease. "I'm just here for the party. Eating some cake. That's all."
"But your very presence introduces uncertainty."
Josephine's smile faded, replaced by a hint of resignation. "Are you warning me on Mr. David Getty's behalf, or giving me advice?"
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course there is." If he was warning her for David, Josephine had no intention of listening. She was already here—dwelling on it now would only stress her out.
But if he was offering advice…
Honestly, Josephine had a good impression of this butler. In all her years with the Getty family, he was the only one who'd truly treated her as Gideon's wife.
"I will never forget your kindness," the butler said quietly.
So Josephine understood. She set down her plate, pulled out a napkin, and wiped her fingers. "Thank you for the advice. I'm not planning to do anything tonight. Mr. Getty asked me to come with him. When your boss makes a request, what right does an employee have to refuse?"
"Perhaps you should consider finding a new job." Only the butler knew how risky this position was.
"I'll think about it." Josephine smiled.
The butler assumed she wasn't taking him seriously, so he didn't push further. He'd done what he could and said what needed saying. He turned and left.
Josephine's expression turned thoughtful.
She wasn't that naive. After signing the agreement with Cedric, she was both an employee and a partner. Walking away from Cedric and the company now wouldn't be easy.
She shook her head, unwilling to dwell on such complicated matters for now.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
Josephine stepped aside to a quiet spot to take the call. A young man's voice came through.
"Ms. Kennedy, hello. This is Knox Wright, the assistant. Last time you asked if our professor would be willing to return to the country to treat a patient. The professor reviewed the case and is very interested. He's already booked his flight. Would you be available to pick him up at the airport?"
"Absolutely!" Josephine hadn't received any updates in so long, she'd assumed the whole thing had fallen through. This good news was completely unexpected.
"Great. We'll also need you to arrange accommodations," Knox added. "The professor hasn't been back in years. He'll need a very knowledgeable guide."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure everything is perfect."
After hanging up, Josephine was in high spirits. She felt like she could eat another slice of cake.
Just then, a woman in a black dress walked over.
She was tall with a striking figure and bold makeup that somehow worked. She gave Josephine a sidelong glance. "So you're the ex-wife Gideon dumped?"
It was true, but phrased like that, it stung.
Still, Josephine was in a good mood, and the woman was undeniably beautiful and stylish. She didn't want to make an issue of it. "Did you need something?"
The woman seemed like the straightforward type. "You're divorced from Gideon. Why are you even here?"
"I'm still his ex-wife, aren't I? That's not completely out of place." Josephine raised an eyebrow. "What about you? You have no connection to the Getty family at all."
The woman faltered for a second, then shot back proudly, "I'm here for a matchmaking introduction!"
"Then go ahead and focus on that. Why come talk to me?"
"If you hadn't shown up with Cedric, I wouldn't bother." The woman lifted her chin haughtily. "You should stay away from him. Every woman here tonight came for him. Getting too close to him won't end well for you."
"Are you warning me?" Josephine was surprised. She'd expected the woman to pick a fight.
The woman cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable. "Don't get the wrong idea—I'm not worried about you. I just don't want to watch you stumble around oblivious while people target you."
Josephine suppressed a smile and nodded. This woman was actually kind of endearing. "Got it. I'll be careful."
The woman glanced at her, then added awkwardly, "You don't need to feel bad about the divorce, either. I know a little about what happened. Gideon cheated on you, didn't he?"
With David keeping a lid on things, there was no way the real reason for the divorce would ever get out. Even now, outsiders couldn't confirm why they'd split.
People had their suspicions, but without proof, no one dared make definitive claims.
Josephine asked, "Aren't you afraid the Getty family will retaliate for saying that?"
The woman scoffed. "I'm not scared. My family isn't some small-time nobody. My grandfather and Mr. David Getty grew up together. Besides, I'm not saying this to anyone else."
She hesitated, then leaned closer to Josephine. "Actually, there's something I was hoping you could help me with."