Chapter 229
The next afternoon, Josephine carefully dressed and arrived at Jagger's home with an anxious heart.
It was a house filled with scholarly atmosphere, books and collectibles everywhere.
Faye warmly welcomed her and introduced her to several friends who'd come for the gathering.
Just as the group was enjoying themselves, Jagger walked in.
When he saw Josephine, his expression darkened instantly. "What are you doing here?"
Faye glanced over coolly. "I invited her. Do you have a problem with that?"
Jagger looked at his wife, then at Josephine. His expression grew even worse, but he didn't dare say he had a problem. "Faye, do you know who she is? She's from the Getty family, that..."
"I know." At the mention of the Getty family, Faye thought of a certain someone and immediately looked as if she'd swallowed a fly. "I told you long ago to stay away from that man. You just won't listen. Now what are you bothering me for? Go be with him instead."
Jagger was struck speechless.
Then Faye simply ignored him. Everyone present was Faye's friend, so naturally they gave him no pleasant looks either.
Josephine sensed the atmosphere between the couple seemed off.
Clearly, Faye didn't think much of Jagger, while Jagger seemed to lose all his confidence around her.
Even though Faye ignored him, Jagger didn't leave. He stayed nearby, uncomplaining. When Faye went to get coffee, Jagger even reached over to help.
Josephine watched, fascinated.
After the meal ended, Faye walked Josephine out. At the door, she held her hand and said softly, "I'll call you tomorrow."
Josephine paused, then nodded. "Thank you."
"Go on, then."
Faye watched Josephine leave.
Jagger followed Faye back inside. The other guests gradually departed, leaving just the two of them.
Finally, some alone time!
Jagger spoke first. "You even bought a house this time you came back. Does that mean you're not angry with me anymore?"
Faye glanced at him. "I called you over this time—don't you know why?"
Jagger froze, scratching his head. "Because of Josephine?"
Faye sat on the sofa, voice gentle but eyes sharp. "What did that girl do to offend you?"
Jagger smiled bitterly. Here it comes.
He knew his wife's personality too well—she had strong opinions. If she took a liking to someone, she wouldn't allow others to look down on them.
"She didn't offend me, but..."
She'd offended David.
Faye snorted coldly, completely unsurprised. "Because of David. You two have always been good friends. Whatever he says, you listen. My words as your wife carry no weight with you."
"That's not true. We've been close for years, you know that..." Jagger felt deeply wronged.
He and David had been friends for years, growing up together. But somehow, David and his wife just didn't get along.
Jagger was caught in the middle, unable to move forward or back. Nothing he did was right.
"Tell me—why doesn't David like that girl?" Faye held a cup of coffee and took a sip.
Jagger didn't dare hide anything. He told her everything he knew.
After finishing, he looked at Faye cautiously.
Faye's voice turned cold. "Since she's already divorced, what does it have to do with David! What right does he have to stop you from treating that girl's father?"
Jagger quickly explained. "It's not that he won't let me—he just wanted her to back down..."
Faye slowly set down her coffee cup and picked up a throw pillow. The next second, she threw it at Jagger.
Jagger seemed long accustomed to this, skillfully catching the pillow with practiced ease. "I was wrong."
Faye's eyes held anger. "Now you know you were wrong. When you were helping that shameless old man make things difficult for a young girl, didn't you feel embarrassed? You came back because you promised her, didn't you!"
Jagger felt a bit guilty.
He knew what he'd done wasn't right, but...
"We haven't seen each other in years. He made just this one request. I really... couldn't bring myself to refuse him."
"You agreed to someone's request, then immediately went back on your word—doesn't that make you feel ashamed?"
Jagger fell silent.
Faye gave him a thorough scolding. Finally, Jagger asked in compromise, "What do you want me to do?"
"Do what you should do. If you weren't willing to treat him, you shouldn't have agreed in the first place."
Jagger's expression grew troubled.
Faye stood. As she passed him, she dropped a cold remark. "If it weren't for him, Flora wouldn't have died."
Flora had been David's wife and Faye's close friend. They'd grown up together like sisters.
Jagger's breath caught, his eyes dimming.
He'd also treated Flora like a sister, but his thoughts differed from Faye's.
"He didn't mean for it to happen."
"Of course he didn't mean it—because he wasn't the one who kidnapped Flora. But those people came because of him, didn't they?" Faye's voice was icy, carrying resentment and grievance.
Jagger sighed helplessly. "Why must you be like this? Everything that led to this point was Flora's choice..."
"But back then, when Flora got together with him, he forced it!" Faye looked at Jagger coldly, enunciating each word. "He's not the direct murderer, but he's indirectly responsible for her death!"
With that, Faye left in anger.
Jagger stood in place for a long time without speaking.
The next day, Josephine was woken by a phone call. She'd stayed up late looking at materials and wasn't fully awake. Without checking the number, she only heard the familiar voice on the other end.
Jagger's tone remained lukewarm, even somewhat stiff. "Ms. Kennedy, I need to see your father's condition personally. Tomorrow morning at nine, bring him to the hospital to see me."
Josephine sat bolt upright in bed, gripping the phone, voice trembling slightly. "Thank you, Professor. Thank you so much."
"Don't thank me," Jagger said flatly. "Thank my wife."
After hanging up, Josephine leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor, finally showing a relaxed smile on her face.
Getty Manor, in the study.
David stood by the window, gazing at the overcast sky outside, holding a cup of tea that had long gone cold.
The butler quietly entered and stood behind him. "Mr. David Getty, Mr. Phillips... has agreed to treat Ms. Kennedy's father."
David seemed somewhat surprised. "How did she manage that?"
"She learned opera. A three-day crash course. Ms. Tudor was quite impressed with her."
David chuckled softly, the laugh carrying both mockery and some indescribable complex emotion. "That girl... certainly knows how to find a breakthrough."
He turned and set the teacup on the desk. "She knew Faye and I have issues, so she approached through Faye. Simple tactic, but effective."
The butler was silent for a moment before saying quietly, "Ms. Kennedy is indeed very clever."
David said nothing, only slowly walked back to sit behind his desk.
He opened a drawer and took out a yellowed old photograph.
The photo showed three young people:
A young David, Jagger, and a gentle, beautiful woman.
That was Flora.
"She's still too young," David said softly, his fingers lightly brushing over the woman's face in the photo. "She thinks if she can solve the immediate problem, she can rest easy."