Chapter 54
Josephine regarded her coldly.
"Shameless doesn't even begin to cover it. You can actually say such disgusting things out loud."
Lorelei's smile brightened. "Shame? What's that worth?"
She admitted it freely.
"As long as I get Mr. Getty, forget shame—I'd do anything."
Lorelei settled into the office chair Josephine once occupied, swinging her legs leisurely. "Know why I didn't replace this chair?"
Josephine stared at her, expressionless.
"Because one day, I won't just be taking your office and your chair."
With Gideon absent, her arrogance knew no bounds.
Josephine pulled out her phone and waved it, the screen displaying "Recording in Progress." "If I play what you just said for Gideon..."
Lorelei's expression finally shifted.
She shot to her feet, then slowly sank back down.
"So what? I'm carrying Gideon's child right now. Even if he gets angry with me, as long as this baby exists, he'll still bend over backward for me."
What did it matter if Gideon treated her poorly? What did it matter if he stubbornly refused to divorce Josephine?
One phone call from her, and he'd come running like a good little puppy.
"Once he knows your true colors, knowing Gideon like I do, he'll probably stick you in some apartment, assign you a maid and a nutritionist to look after you, and won't visit you again until after the baby's born."
Josephine's words planted seeds of unease in Lorelei's mind.
She knew Gideon too—his stubborn personality, his ruthless methods, and cold heart.
There was no guarantee Josephine's prediction wouldn't come true...
She clenched her teeth slightly. "Mrs. Getty, you're craftier than I thought. Looks like I underestimated you."
Josephine had actually been recording!
Josephine's voice turned icy. "Give back what you stole from me, and I'll delete this recording."
"Mrs. Getty, I don't know what you're talking about. What did I take?"
"What did you just say in the recording?"
"Did I say something? I didn't say anything at all." This time, Lorelei learned her lesson—regardless of whether Josephine was secretly recording, she'd keep her mouth shut.
The more you said, the more mistakes you made. Say less, mess up less.
Besides, she hadn't really said much earlier anyway—just a few provocative remarks.
She feigned innocence. "Mrs. Getty, why do you keep twisting my words? I didn't say anything, didn't take anything. If you think something's missing, you should report it to the police, not come after me."
This fake innocent act was even more nauseating than her earlier arrogance.
Josephine's hand itched. She wanted to slap Lorelei.
"What? Is Mrs. Getty going to hit me?" Lorelei added fuel to the fire, not satisfied with the level of conflict. "If Mrs. Getty lays a hand on me, I won't let it go. I'll definitely tell Mr. Getty. After all, I'm pregnant right now. Even if Mr. Getty won't do anything to you, his mother values me highly. She said the baby in my belly is precious—everyone has to treat me like royalty."
She covered her mouth, laughing.
"Oh, I forgot—Mrs. Getty can't have children, so of course you wouldn't understand this feeling."
Every word was designed to provoke, leveraging the bastard child in her belly to push Josephine's buttons relentlessly.
Josephine laughed bitterly and raised her hand to slap her.
Just then, Gideon pushed the door open. Seeing the scene before him, his expression turned glacial. He strode forward quickly and caught Josephine's wrist.
Lorelei immediately hid behind him.
"Mr. Getty, I just came to the office to pick up some things today, and I ran into Mrs. Getty. She tried to hit me without any explanation. I don't even know what I did wrong..."
She covered her face and burst into tears.
Gideon asked in a low voice, "Is what she said true?"
Josephine replied coldly, "You're hurting me."
Her wrist had turned red from his grip.
Gideon immediately released her, his brow furrowed. "Explain yourself."
"I was going to hit her."
Josephine admitted it directly.
Gideon looked incredulous. "Why? You two haven't even crossed paths recently. She couldn't have provoked you."
Was this about the project?
His tone turned patronizing. "Jojo, this is normal business competition. You lost because you weren't good enough."
"Does that include using underhanded methods?"
"What methods did we use? We researched our project fair and square." Gideon looked at Josephine with amusement. He'd never used those tactics against her.
If he really wanted to play dirty, she wouldn't even be able to keep her job at Cedric's company.
He was already going easy on her.
"Jojo, stop throwing a tantrum."
"Do you believe me or not?" Josephine asked just one question.
Gideon stepped forward, trying to take her hand. She didn't dodge, and he successfully clasped it, smiling as he tried to placate her. "Jojo, if there's something to discuss, we can talk about it in private. Don't make a scene at the office. If this gets out of hand, it'll be embarrassing for everyone. There's been some misunderstanding—I'll explain everything to you later."
Josephine's heart turned to ice.
"After all that, you'd rather believe this thief than believe me."
After all his talk, she still wouldn't listen to reason. Gideon's expression darkened—he couldn't just keep coddling her. "Can you please behave?"
Everyone was swamped with the new project these past few days. He didn't have time to indulge these petty tantrums.
"Go home."
"I never expected you to stand up for me anyway." Josephine's words dripped with mockery.
Good thing she hadn't counted on him.
But even so, she still felt disappointed.
She yanked her hand free, forcefully shaking off Gideon's grip, and glared at Lorelei, hiding behind him. "Whatever you've done will leave traces. The glory you stole through dirty means—you won't get to keep it."
She turned and left, slamming the door violently behind her.
Lorelei rubbed her eyes until they reddened, putting on a pitiful display. "Mr. Getty, why did Mrs. Getty suddenly come after me? I didn't do anything, didn't say anything. I've been really well-behaved lately."
Gideon tore his gaze from the door and studied Lorelei's face with scrutiny. "Did you really do nothing?"
"Really, nothing."
Gideon didn't pursue it further, only warned, "Jojo got one thing right—if you did something dirty, used dishonorable methods, you'd better have the ability to cover your tracks completely. Otherwise, it'll all come out."
"I really didn't do anything..."
Gideon had no patience for her protestations. "Lorelei, you don't understand Josephine. She's not weak. When it comes to business, her methods are every bit as ruthless as mine."
Lorelei fell silent.
Because she suddenly realized that Gideon didn't just feel intense love for Josephine—he also deeply admired her.
He loved not just Josephine's appearance, but her soul.
Her jealousy of Josephine intensified.
"Don't worry, I really didn't do anything. My only thought is to help you, help the company. I want our child to have a good life with you. Even for the baby's sake, I wouldn't do anything wrong."
Gideon remained noncommittal.
"You'd better not have."
……
While Josephine was in the car, Cedric called.
"Any progress?"
"I'm heading back now to get something. If things go smoothly, I might be able to find the original files."
The day Josephine moved out, she'd left many things behind at Evercrest Manor.
Mainly electronic devices she couldn't take with her, including an old computer she'd used earlier.
"Don't rush. Take your time."
Despite how urgent the situation had become, Cedric remained unhurried, completely composed. "If you really can't find it, letting them collaborate once won't be the end of the world."
His tone carried calm detachment.
Clearly, he wasn't worried in the slightest.
Josephine's heart steadied as well. "Don't worry. One way or another, I'll find it. I absolutely cannot let someone else use my ideas."
This was no longer just a battle between two companies.
This was a war between her and Lorelei. She could give up Gideon, but she would not surrender her research.