Chapter 57
"I'm so sorry! I totally didn't see you coming."
The girl who'd crashed into Josephine was absolutely stunning—bright-eyed and confident. She crouched down to help gather the scattered fruit, her face painted with apologetic smiles.
Josephine waved it off. "No worries. I wasn't looking either."
"It's all my fault..."
"If we both think we're to blame, let's just call it even."
Their collision turned into an accidental introduction.
Walking back, they chatted here and there. Josephine learned the girl's name.
Luna White.
Even more coincidentally, Luna lived right across from Sophia's place.
Back at the apartment, Josephine mentioned the encounter to Sophia.
Sophia ruffled her hair. "Honestly? I've never paid attention to who lives around here. I don't really do the whole neighbor thing."
Josephine washed the fruit, calling over her shoulder, "You really should get to know them, though. Living alone and all—if something happens, they could at least call the cops. Or call me."
"Got it, got it."
That evening, as Josephine prepared to head home, she grabbed the trash on her way out.
The moment she stepped into the hallway, she spotted someone familiar.
Cedric disappeared into Luna's apartment.
The door clicked shut. Josephine stood frozen by the elevator, still processing.
Something clicked into place.
Everyone said Cedric was searching for his first love, but that was just gossip. What did Cedric actually do behind closed doors? Only he knew.
Hell, whether this so-called first love even existed was up for debate.
"Deep thoughts?"
A familiar voice cut through her mental spiral. Josephine nearly jumped out of her skin.
She whipped around.
Cedric!
"You're out already?"
Cedric's eyes narrowed. "How long did you expect me to stay?"
Josephine fell silent.
...That was honestly way too fast.
She snuck a glance at him. She'd fully expected them to be going at it all night, maybe not even see him at the office tomorrow.
But ten minutes? Not even?
"What's going through that head?"
A chill crept up her spine... Josephine rubbed her arms, lost in thought, and answered on autopilot.
"I was just thinking... that was really fast..."
She slapped a hand over her mouth.
Cedric let out a low chuckle. "What was fast?"
Why was he even asking?!
Cold sweat prickled her back. Note to self: never answer questions while thinking. Your brain completely checks out.
She swallowed hard. The elevator dinged open—her salvation.
"I meant the elevator came pretty quickly."
She practically dove inside.
Cedric's long legs carried him in after her.
Head down, Josephine's mind raced through seven different spirals. Finally, Cedric had enough and tapped her forehead with his knuckles.
It actually hurt.
Josephine pressed a hand to her head. "What was that for?"
"Your brain needs a hard reset. You overthink everything."
Cedric's expression remained perfectly neutral.
Josephine clenched her jaw. Only because he was her boss. Anyone else pulled that, she'd be swinging her bag right back at their head.
The elevator doors slid shut.
Luna stood in her doorway, catching the entire scene through the closing gap.
They looked... close.
Cedric actually stood that near to someone... Yet no matter how she'd tried to seduce him, he wouldn't stay. Did he suspect her identity?
Or maybe...
Were the rumors wrong all along?
...
Kenneth dropped an invitation on Josephine's desk.
"Here, the Vanguard University lecture invitation."
Josephine glanced at it. "No time. Give it to Aiden."
"If I give it to him, you'll regret it."
That piqued her curiosity. She opened the invitation.
Oscar's lecture!
"Professor's doing a talk!" Her excitement quickly gave way to confusion. "Wait, didn't he say he was done with teaching?"
Kenneth raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"
Josephine considered it, then understood. "He's really going above and beyond for me."
He couldn't openly associate with them now—any future decisions might get questioned. This was the only way.
Monday arrived. Josephine showed up early to Vanguard University for Oscar's lecture, backpack slung over her shoulder. Being back on campus after so long felt surreal.
Like stepping back into her student days.
Vanguard University had been her school once.
Under a distant tree, a couple stood wrapped in each other's space. Looked like a fight—the guy bent down, coaxing the girl.
Whatever he said made her laugh.
Josephine smiled too.
Campus romances always hit different—that raw, unpolished sweetness. She'd had those moments herself.
Even now, she didn't regret marrying Gideon.
When they loved each other, that love was real.
Hearts change in an instant. Love can't last forever. That's just an unchangeable fact of life.
The lecture hall was packed wall-to-wall. Good thing Josephine arrived early enough to snag a decent seat up front.
By the time the session ended, it was already noon.
Josephine decided to grab lunch before heading back to the office. She watched Oscar get swarmed by students.
No point joining that mob scene.
Whatever questions she had, they could wait until Oscar joined the company. They'd have all the time in the world to talk.
Leaving campus, something felt off.
She glanced around. Nothing but traffic and hurried pedestrians rushing past.
Just her imagination?
Josephine rubbed her temples and headed toward the underground parking garage. Her phone buzzed.
Cedric.
"Get back here. Over time."
"Yes, Mr. Getty."
That petty man. Ever since that elevator incident—and she still wasn't sure if he'd caught on—he'd been piling overtime on her. She'd been so exhausted that she'd passed out the second she got home.
"Double pay."
Josephine's eyes went wide. "Thank you, Mr. Getty! Long live Mr. Getty! I'll be there in ten."
She could definitely handle more overtime.
She hung up and reached her car, unlocking the door. Just as she pulled it open, sharp pain exploded at the base of her neck.
Everything went black as she collapsed.
...
In the conference room, people filed in one by one, finding their seats. Moments later, the door swung open. Cedric and Noah entered, one after the other.
Cedric's gaze swept the room, searching for that particular face. Nothing. "Where's your supervisor?"
Kenneth replied, "Not here yet."
Cedric's brow furrowed. Twenty minutes had passed since that phone call. Josephine wasn't the type to be this late.
He issued a sharp command. "Call her."
Noah immediately pulled out his phone and dialed. No answer. He tried again. And again. Eventually, the calls wouldn't even go through.
"Phone's not connecting. Ms. Kennedy never does this. Even if her phone died, she'd borrow someone else's to let us know."
Josephine was nothing if not professional. She would never leave work hanging.
Cedric considered this briefly, then strode out of the conference room with those long legs.
Noah hurried after him.
They arrived at Vanguard University. Cedric's destination was crystal clear—straight to the principal's office.
He pushed the door open. "Pull up the security footage."
The principal looked bewildered but didn't dare refuse. He pulled up the surveillance recordings at lightning speed.