Chapter 50
Lorelei rushed to explain: "I just really admire Prof. Carter. When I heard he was coming to town, I wanted to visit him. Plus, it's good for the company—if we can bring him on board along with Frank, you'd have real leverage against Cedric."
Gideon studied her for a long moment.
"I hope that's truly your thinking. I appreciate the gesture, but right now, your main job is to safely deliver this baby."
This was the first time since the pregnancy that he'd shown her any warmth.
Before, it felt like once she'd gotten pregnant, her mission was complete—he barely looked at her anymore. Lorelei had been terrified he'd eventually cast her aside.
She gazed at him softly. "I'd do anything to help you."
But Gideon looked away. "I can't give you what you want."
A flicker of disappointment crossed her face. "That's okay. I'm already content with what I have—just being by your side, being useful to you. That's enough."
She gently stroked her belly, the picture of maternal devotion.
Gideon draped his jacket around her shoulders. "Let's go."
Watching his retreating back, Lorelei hurried after him and grabbed his hand. He hesitated but didn't pull away, and joy flooded through her all the way to the car.
Even though he eventually withdrew his hand, she remained elated.
The gentle approach was working on Gideon.
Gripping the steering wheel, Gideon pulled out his phone and opened his chat history with Josephine.
For nearly a month now, Josephine hadn't sent him a single message. All the frequent conversations ended a month ago—most of them initiated by her.
His replies had been brief. Looking back now, they seemed cold.
Back then... what had he been doing?
Right. He'd been busy sleeping with Lorelei, getting her pregnant, fighting Cedric for projects, appeasing his grandfather, juggling all the things that supposedly mattered.
Whatever. If Josephine really wanted to recruit Oscar, let her try.
His gaze drifted to Lorelei's belly, guilt stirring in his chest—but not guilt toward her.
……
Lorelei stepped out in front of the apartment building, watching Gideon drive away. As she turned, she spotted Aaron nearby.
"You—"
"Feel like chatting?" Aaron asked.
"About what?"
Hands in his pockets, Aaron walked up to her, studying her plain face with open mockery. "Gideon's taste has really gone downhill."
He had that gorgeous, sophisticated wife at home—how had he ended up with this Lorelei?
Taking in her pale complexion, he added another jab.
"Guess when you eat gourmet every day, even junk food starts looking appealing."
Lorelei fought to control her anger. "Mr. Getty, if you came here just to insult me, there's really no point. I need to go rest."
"Seems like you don't actually want Gideon after all."
That single sentence stopped her in her tracks. Her legs refused to move.
Aaron leaned in close, scrutinizing her face again. Still not attractive. "I can help you. Help you get Gideon."
"You can make him fall in love with me?"
Lorelei's eyes lit up with hope.
Aaron straightened, laughing derisively. "You really dream big, don't you? How could Gideon possibly fall for you? Do you have any idea how much he loves Josephine? Do you know why he's so obsessed with having a child?"
"Because his grandfather needs an heir, and Josephine can't—"
Aaron looked at the naive Lorelei and doubled over with laughter. "Let me enlighten you. Josephine isn't incapable of having children—her health is just fragile. Pregnancy would damage her body. Gideon resisted for years, then suddenly changed his mind because his grandfather pressured him. He did this to relieve the pressure on Josephine."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"If I were in his shoes, I'd do the same thing. But the wife at home—that will never change."
In other words, no matter how hard Lorelei tried, Gideon would never marry her. Even Aaron couldn't stand her.
The color drained from Lorelei's face. "Then how can you possibly help me?"
"If you keep playing the helpless damsel, you'll never have Gideon." No one understood Gideon better than Aaron.
Obsessive. Dark. Unhinged.
The woman he loved—Josephine—was equally strong. Unfortunately, she returned to her family half a year ago, and her light faded. Since then, Gideon has gradually stopped seeing her brilliance.
Like he'd caught the moon and assumed it would always be his.
"I can't control Gideon's heart. But... I can make you his wife."
"Really?"
"I'm serious. But whether it happens depends entirely on you."
Lorelei fell silent, considering. She actually did hold a trump card, one she'd never dared play. But now she stopped hiding her ambition and greed.
"I can do it."
"Excellent. Then here's to a successful partnership."
"Partnership?"
"You get what you want, and I get what I want." When he mentioned Josephine, the desire in Aaron's eyes nearly overflowed.
Lorelei thought bitterly, ‘Why does every man fall all over Josephine? What's so magical about her?’
Through gritted teeth: "Deal."
……
Lorelei pushed open Frank's office door.
Frank looked displeased. "This is a research lab. If you need something, discuss it outside."
Lorelei handed him a document.
After reading it, his expression transformed completely. "This—where did you get this?"
"I came up with it myself, obviously. But it's just a rough draft."
Lorelei sighed regretfully. "If you're willing, I'd like to give it to you. Two weeks—I need you to fully develop it."
"Two weeks is cutting it pretty close."
"That's all you have. In two weeks at the latest, Oscar Carter will sign with the Getty Group. After that, we won't be able to recruit him."
"You mean Oscar Carter? The Oscar Carter?"
Anyone in research knew Oscar Carter. Everyone idolized him.
He was a true legend in the scientific community. The year he burst onto the scene at twenty-two, he'd developed the mosquito saliva detection method—capturing live mosquitoes to extract salivary antigens for nanomagnetic bead labeling. Diagnosis of virus subtypes in thirty minutes.
That year, dengue fever had ravaged communities. Blood testing took forty-eight hours, with a mortality rate of thirty percent.
At just twenty-two, in an era when research was far less advanced, he'd proposed and actualized this solution. His fame was instantaneous.
At thirty, he'd achieved god-tier status with his non-invasive targeted brain tumor therapy. Brain tumor surgeries carried a high risk of collateral damage—post-operative aphasia and paralysis were common.
His subsequent achievements were countless.
Frank had entered research with the dream of studying under Oscar. Unfortunately, Oscar had only ever taken two students in his lifetime.
"Don't worry. Two weeks—I can do it."
"But I need us to keep this confidential until it's finished."
"No problem."
Frank hurried off, clutching the documents.
Lorelei smiled and dialed Gideon's number.
"What is it?"
Hearing the coldness in his voice, she smiled brighter. "Mr. Getty, if you can convince Prof. Carter to wait two weeks, I guarantee I can secure his partnership with Starlight Group."
"What's your angle?"
"It's a secret for now. The big reveal comes in two weeks."
Gideon's tone turned grave. "I'll give you one chance. But if you screw this up... you know the consequences."
"It's a deal."
Lorelei hung up, satisfaction written all over her face.