Chapter 71
"I told you—I'll give you a satisfactory resolution."
Gideon dodged the question, offering only a vague answer.
Josephine studied him for a long moment.
"I hope so. If your answer doesn't satisfy me, I'm filing a lawsuit against her."
Gideon looked confused. "Jojo, you seem to especially dislike Lorelei. You keep targeting her. Why?"
He was testing the waters.
Trying to figure out if Josephine knew the truth.
For one fleeting second, Josephine wanted to throw the truth in his face, then slap him hard across the cheek.
Punish him for tainting their relationship with such filthy behavior.
But the impulse passed quickly.
She knew clearly that now wasn't the time. Just wait a bit longer. Soon she could lay all her cards on the table. Once this crisis was resolved, once the Getty Group signed with her professor, once their project launched—
She'd have the leverage to negotiate with him as equals.
Soon.
She reassured herself, finally tamping down the urge.
"I just don't like her."
Gideon blinked. "Why not?"
"Gideon, do you genuinely not know, or are you playing dumb?" she shot back.
"Know what? What am I supposed to know?"
"Mr. Getty."
At the voice, Josephine turned to see Lorelei standing nearby.
Spotting a pregnant woman was easy. Lorelei was textbook—though barely three months along, she kept her hand protectively over her belly.
Before Josephine could get a better look, Gideon stepped in front of her.
"Ms. Kelly, what a coincidence running into you at the hospital."
His phrasing made it clear—he didn't want Josephine to know. Lorelei caught on immediately. "I wasn't feeling well, so I came for a checkup. Didn't expect to run into Mr. Getty and Mrs. Getty here."
She locked eyes with Josephine while stroking her stomach.
That silent implication was revolting.
Josephine pushed Gideon aside. "You wanted to know why I dislike her? Today I'll show you."
She walked right up to Lorelei and slapped her across the face.
God, that felt good.
Gideon stood frozen. "Jojo..."
The slap drew stares from passing bystanders, people stopping to watch the drama unfold.
Lorelei clutched her cheek, tears streaming. "Ms. Kennedy, why did you hit me? What did I do wrong?"
When no one was around, Lorelei touched her belly and called her 'Mrs. Getty'—deliberately needling her. Now with an audience, she switched to 'Ms. Kennedy.'
Josephine shot her a disgusted look. "I'm not a man. The damsel-in-distress act doesn't work on me. Stop performing."
"I'm not..."
Lorelei looked pitifully at Gideon.
Gideon pulled Josephine to his side, voice low and sharp. "What's gotten into you? How can you hit someone in public?"
"Does it hurt to watch?"
"What are you even talking about?" His brow furrowed in displeasure.
But he used to be so different.
The old Gideon didn't just love her in words—his actions backed it up unconditionally. If she got into an argument with someone, he never asked who was right or wrong, never cared about the reason. He always took her side.
Even knowing the true face of the man before her now, Josephine couldn't help the bleakness spreading through her heart.
Years of love, ultimately reduced to ashes.
"Ms. Kennedy, if I upset you somehow, just tell me. I'll apologize, admit I was wrong—whatever you want. But you can't hit me... not even my parents have hit me..."
Lorelei sobbed pitifully.
Drawing sympathy from several onlookers.
"No matter what, hitting people isn't right."
"What a shrew. Actually getting physical."
"I'm recording this and posting it online. Haven't seen a woman this aggressive in ages. Today it's hitting someone in public, next time it'll probably be murder."
Some busybody pulled out their phone to film, getting more absurd by the second.
Lorelei ducked her head, hiding the triumph in her eyes.
"Stop filming." Gideon's cold rebuke cut through the noise. Then he turned, voice lowered. "Come home with me."
He grabbed Josephine's hand, ready to leave.
Josephine yanked free. "Who said I'm going anywhere with you? I'm not finished talking."
"What exactly do you want?"
Josephine turned to Lorelei. "Aaron already told me everything. You were an accomplice in my kidnapping."
That idiot!
Lorelei was furious inside but maintained her outraged denial. "That's slander! I never did anything like that, never helped anyone kidnap you. I barely even know Mr. Aaron Getty."
Meeting Gideon's gaze, she said pitifully, "Mr. Getty, please believe me. I didn't do it. This has nothing to do with me."
Gideon felt a headache coming on. On one hand, he didn't think his wife would lie about something like this. On the other hand, he couldn't believe Lorelei was capable of such a thing.
Lorelei wouldn't dare do something like that.
"Jojo, do you have proof?"
"Aaron's word is proof. We can go confront him right now. He's in this very hospital."
"Ms. Kennedy, you can't trust what Mr. Aaron Getty says. He and I have... bad blood."
"Didn't you just say you barely knew him?"
Josephine watched her act with cold eyes.
Lorelei immediately backpedaled. "The first time I met Mr. Aaron Getty was at the Getty Manor last time. I never expected him to try to... take advantage of me. When I rejected him, he got furious and cursed me out. I think he told you those things because he's been holding a grudge, trying to use you to get revenge on me. Ms. Kennedy, please don't fall for it!"
Lorelei was a smart woman—she'd crafted her story in seconds flat.
And it sounded pretty logical.
At least Gideon seemed to buy it.
Just as Josephine predicted, Gideon spoke up. "Before accusing someone, you need solid evidence. Aaron's word isn't reliable."
How boring.
Suddenly, Josephine didn't feel like saying anything more. If someone wanted to believe, they'd believe even without evidence. If they didn't want to believe, nothing she said would matter—everything would be refuted.
"Believe me or don't—doesn't matter. I'm just telling you I had my reasons for hitting her. Whether you approve or not, I already did it. If you want to defend her honor, go ahead and hit me back."
"What are you saying? I'd never lay a hand on you." It was just one slap. Done was done. Gideon took her hand in full view of everyone. "I believe you had good reason. Give me some time, and we'll investigate properly. Anyone who tries to hurt you—I won't let them get away with it."
Josephine didn't want him holding her hand. She pulled away decisively. "I hope you mean that."
With that, she turned and left.
Lorelei kept crying. The crowd was still thick, and Gideon felt constrained—some things weren't appropriate to say here. "Stop crying and go home. I'll contact you if anything comes up."
"What about the press conference..."
"You don't need to attend."
After speaking, Gideon hurried out.
Lorelei took a couple of steps forward, watching from the doorway as Josephine and Gideon left together.
If he wasn't bringing her to the conference, did that mean he'd already figured out how to handle the crisis?
That night, Josephine lay in bed chatting with Cedric about the day's work.
Her phone suddenly pinged with a new message.
An unknown number, requesting to add her as a contact.
Josephine ignored it.
The number kept trying repeatedly—four or five times in a row. Josephine's curiosity got the better of her. She accepted.
After accepting, she didn't send a message, just stared at the chat window for a bit.
At the top, it showed the other person was typing.
Soon, a message appeared.
[Ms. Kennedy, you were pretty badass at that press conference, I'll give you that. But so what? Whether it's the research achievements or Mr. Getty, they'll both be mine. You're just a loser.]
That tone—obviously Lorelei.
Josephine laughed in exasperation. Lorelei was incredibly brazen.
[One slap during the day wasn't enough for you?]