Chapter 22
When Josephine arrived at the company, she walked right into quite a scene.
Marshall was clearing out his desk, struggling with a large cardboard box full of his belongings.
"Happy now? You finally got me kicked out. But if you think the research department is your kingdom now, you're dreaming." Marshall spat out his threat. "I'll be back."
"I don't think so," Josephine replied with frank honesty.
Marshall snorted. "We'll see about that. Even with me gone, the others won't respect you. You only solved this crisis because you got lucky. Just wait—someday I'll return and throw you out on your ass."
Josephine smiled faintly. "I'll be waiting."
Marshall felt like he was punching a pillow—all his force going nowhere, leaving him utterly frustrated. He stormed off angrily.
The other colleagues immediately gathered around Josephine.
"How did you do it? Everyone thought the research department was finished, but you actually solved it. You're amazing!"
Josephine just smiled without answering.
Truth was, Gideon could have fixed this if he'd been willing to swallow his pride and bring Aiden's team back. The difficulty was that Marshall had burned those bridges completely. The research department had plenty of talent, but very few who actually understood the system. This whole mess was Marshall's creation from start to finish.
"Want to join us for lunch?" asked colleagues who had previously ignored her, now suddenly friendly.
Josephine declined. "I already have plans today. Maybe another time."
"No problem! Whenever you're free, we'll do lunch."
---
Josephine went to meet Cedric. The property rights document was her perfect entry ticket.
Cedric flipped it open and glanced at it. "Not bad. Efficient work. Your crisis management was solid too. I hear you personally fixed the faulty data."
"That's right." It was a good test run of her skills.
Cedric crossed his legs elegantly, his voice deep. "When can you start?"
"I need to resign first." Josephine paused, her eyes brightening. "And there's something else I want to discuss."
"Go on."
"I'm bringing my team with me."
Cedric narrowed his eyes, not responding immediately.
Josephine remained calm. "They're all extremely talented. At Gideon's company, they weren't treated well. I want to bring them with me."
Cedric nodded. "Fine."
Josephine had anticipated this response—Cedric wouldn't refuse, regardless of his motivations. With his eye for talent, he wouldn't pass up such an opportunity. Still, hearing his confirmation brought her relief.
"Thank you."
"No need for thanks. I'm not doing this for you."
Looking at his cold, dignified face, Josephine didn't mind his sharp tongue. She understood something important now: judge people by their actions, not their words.
"We'll start tomorrow."
Cedric made a sound of acknowledgment. "I've had a new research department prepared for you. I happen to have a challenging problem that needs solving. You're perfect for it."
He didn't elaborate, but Josephine was confident. "Whatever it is, I'll give it everything I've got."
---
Marshall went straight to Lorelei's place.
She was at home resting during her pregnancy. She still went to the company occasionally for appearances, but since Josephine started working there, Gideon had asked her to stay home. She wasn't happy about it but didn't dare complain.
Marshall burst in with a stream of complaints. "What's going on with you? You're pregnant with his child, but Gideon still hasn't married you?"
"Why are you bringing this up again?"
It wasn't that Lorelei didn't want to marry Gideon—she wanted it desperately. But Gideon refused to divorce, and she didn't dare ask, especially while trying to maintain her non-confrontational image around him. She was suffocating inside.
"This time it's your fault. You got fired because of your own mistakes. Don't take your anger out on me," she snapped.
Marshall could see his sister wasn't going to stand up for him. He laughed coldly. "You really think having his baby means you're set for life? You know better than anyone how Gideon feels about Josephine. She shows up and immediately gets into the most important department, while you're pregnant and can't even go to the office. Gideon fired me for her sake! He knows I'm your brother—this isn't just about firing me. He's slapping you in the face, which only proves one thing."
Marshall leaned closer to Lorelei, watching her face pale.
"Gideon doesn't give a damn about you. To him, you're just something to use and discard, someone he can pay off and be done with. So what if you're carrying his child? You're just a baby-making tool."
Lorelei, stung by the truth, gritted her teeth and tried to slap him.
Marshall caught her wrist. "Don't play the rich man's wife with me. You're not his wife yet, and it's still questionable if Gideon will marry you at all. If you want to become Mrs. Getty, you'll need my help."
Lorelei struggled to free herself. "What are you even doing here? Just came to mock me?"
"I'm here to help you."
"You're going to give me a heart attack."
Though everything he said was true, saying it out loud felt like a direct attack. Having vented his frustration, Marshall started offering advice. "Are you stupid? Josephine is too clever. Today she got rid of me, tomorrow she could get you fired."
"I'm carrying Gideon's child," Lorelei said, touching her belly. This was her trump card.
Marshall laughed coldly. "How naive. Has Gideon ever said he wants you to be the mother of his child after it's born?"
Lorelei froze.
"Stop fooling yourself. He never intended to make you his wife. You're just a tool for producing his heir. If you keep deluding yourself, one day he'll throw you away like garbage!"
Lorelei lowered her eyes, her fingers on her stomach turning pale. After a while, she looked up.
"What do you want me to do?"
"If I remember correctly, Gideon's mother doesn't like Josephine." Marshall smiled slowly.
---
The restaurant buzzed with energy. Aiden's smile was bright. "Let's celebrate the success of our first plan. Congratulations to Josephine for reclaiming the first property rights!"
Emma quickly added, "Yes! I believe if we all work together, we can reclaim more rights in the future. Everything that belongs to Josephine will be hers again!"
Kenneth gave Josephine a meaningful look before downing his drink in one go.
Josephine raised her glass. "The good news doesn't stop there. I've found a backer willing to hire all of us."
"It's not another Gideon, is it?" Aiden asked, genuinely concerned.
Emma kicked him under the table. What was he thinking, saying that in front of Josephine?
Aiden covered his mouth.
Josephine smiled. "This is different. This person... truly values talent." Sometimes, business interests were more reliable than emotions.
Just as she finished speaking, the restaurant door burst open. A woman stormed in, grabbed a glass of wine from the table, and threw it directly in Josephine's face!