Chapter 66
Late that night, Cedric returned to the company only to find the lights still on in Josephine's office.
He pushed the door open gently. Josephine had fallen asleep at her desk, half-finished documents beside her, the computer screen flickering with a faint glow.
He noticed the annotations on the documents—clear evidence of considerable time and effort.
He'd meant to wake her, but his hand froze mid-reach.
Instead, he picked up a pen and scribbled a line on the document.
The office door clicked shut softly. Josephine startled awake, rubbing her eyes as something slid off her shoulders and pooled on the floor.
She looked down. A black jacket. The designer logo caught her eye—Cedric's.
When had he been here?
Josephine checked the time. Midnight already. She decided to head home, but as she glanced down, a line of writing on the document caught her eye.
—The press conference for Oscar Carter's signing is set for three days from now.
The bold, sweeping handwriting could only be Cedric's. His penmanship was nothing like his personality—wild and flamboyant, yet strikingly beautiful.
Josephine smiled.
They'd won this battle, sure, but whether to partner with Oscar and when—that was entirely Cedric's call.
More importantly, she knew this sibling showdown would definitely piss off David. Knowing his personality, he'd absolutely blame her for this mess.
Turned out, she was right.
After Cedric returned to his office, he worked straight through till dawn. Noah walked in carrying a coffee.
"Mr. Getty, your coffee."
Cedric rubbed his stiff neck. "Contact Summit Group and Prosperity Group. Tell them I want to talk."
Noah froze. "But didn't you refuse to work with those two groups before?"
They currently had a government development project that countless people had fought over, but Cedric had ultimately secured it with absolute skill and capability. Other corporations had been clamoring to partner and share in the profits, but Cedric had turned them all down.
Cedric said coolly, "Sure, bringing them in means splitting some profits. But more partners also means greater collective strength."
More investment meant higher returns, and naturally, they'd get a bigger piece of the pie too.
Noah still didn't get it. "Why the sudden change of heart? Is it because of Mr. David Getty..."
If he remembered correctly, David seemed to have decent relationships with both groups. He'd always wanted the Getty Group to expand their external partnerships. But Cedric wasn't the collaborative type. He operated on efficiency and going solo.
Cedric shot him a look. "You talk too much."
Noah immediately shut up. "Right, I'll handle it according to your instructions, Mr. Getty."
At the Getty Manor, David was playing chess while the butler watched in silence, a question burning on his tongue that he'd been too afraid to voice.
"Just say what's on your mind," David spoke first.
The butler asked, "Why are you having Mr. Cedric Getty partner with those two groups?"
He genuinely didn't understand. Splitting the corporation's profits didn't seem beneficial.
David held a chess piece between his fingers, slowly placing it on the board.
"Cedric's excellent in every way—personality, ability, all outstanding." But he had one glaring flaw: too arrogant, and not easily controlled.
"For the Getty Group, what do those profits matter?"
David's tone dripped with contempt and indifference. He clearly didn't give a damn about that bit of money.
The butler understood now. David wanted to put Cedric in his place—to make him realize that even as the current CEO of the Getty Group...
So what?
The true power in the Getty family still rested with him—David.
"But... what if it triggers Mr. Cedric Getty's rebellious streak..."
"Cedric isn't Gideon. You think he doesn't understand exactly why I'm doing this?"
David's fondness for Cedric wasn't without reason.
He placed the final piece. Playing both sides against himself, he'd achieved a stalemate—not entirely satisfying, but acceptable.
"He's far smarter than you."
Catching the undisguised admiration in his words, the butler quickly smiled. "Of course. Mr. Cedric Getty is the most outstanding heir the Getty family has seen in nearly a century. Plus, you personally raised and trained him—he inherited your wisdom and methods. Everyone who meets Mr. Cedric Getty praises what an excellent job you've done raising him."
David chuckled softly. "The boy's perfect in every way, except... this marriage business gives me headaches. I heard he's been keeping some woman lately?"
"Not exactly keeping her. Mr. Cedric Getty has just been seen frequently with Ms. White. Apparently, she lives at Mapleframe Apartments."
"Have him bring her to meet me. If I approve, get them married immediately and give me a great-grandchild. The longer he drags this out, the more ideas it gives certain people."
"Yes, sir."
The butler left, closing the door behind him.
David came from a proper, legitimate background—he despised illegitimate children most of all. No matter what, his heart would always favor Cedric.
At Starlight Group, everyone was on edge.
After this incident, the company's reputation had plummeted overnight. Gideon was still investigating, starting with Frank, the project lead.
"You're certain Lorelei gave you the blueprints, and you didn't make any modifications to the original design?"
Frank's face turned iron-gray at the question. "What exactly are you implying, Mr. Getty? That I'd conspire with Ms. Kelly to steal someone else's ideas?"
He wasn't that low!
Gideon said gravely, "That's not what I meant. You know the scientific community has strict standards for determining plagiarism, so I have to ask clearly."
"Then you shouldn't be asking me. You should be interrogating Ms. Kelly."
Frank had been losing his mind these past few days. He'd finally developed a major project, only to be accused of plagiarism with concrete evidence.
He'd been about to reach the peak of his career, then suddenly became a target of public scorn.
His phone had been blowing up for days—all unknown numbers. The moment he answered, people immediately launched into vicious tirades.
"Ms. Kelly came to me first with this original manuscript, claiming it was her own idea!" Frank yanked the document from his drawer and slapped it on the desk. "See for yourself, Mr. Getty. This is the original. I didn't touch a thing."
Gideon took the manuscript. This was the first time he'd reviewed it since the project launched.
Handwritten, inevitably carrying the author's personal style, including the way certain numbers and words were formed.
He recognized it immediately. Many of the characters bore traces of Josephine's handwriting.
Jaw clenched, he collected the document. "I'm taking this. Stay in the lab these next few days. Try not to go out."
"So what exactly do you plan to do about this? I can't stay locked in the lab forever. I need to eat, go shopping, see people!"
He was devoted to research, but he couldn't lose all social interaction.
Gideon had already reached the door when he turned back. "I'll investigate thoroughly as soon as possible. If you're not involved, I won't let you take the fall."
After he left, Frank slumped in his chair, suddenly remembering that Josephine had come to him before this whole thing exploded.
What had he told her then?
Oh right. He'd said without evidence, he didn't believe her.
Now that the evidence was here, he wished he could go back and slap himself across the face.
Better than this public disgrace and ruined reputation.