Chapter 85
Gideon didn't leave that night. Of course, Josephine had no intention of letting him stay in her bedroom—she just didn't want to keep provoking this lunatic, so she agreed to let him remain.
But he could only sleep on the sofa.
Even so, Gideon was happy.
Late that night, Josephine lay in bed and heard the softest footsteps outside her door.
She opened her eyes. In the darkness, they gleamed like glass.
The footsteps gradually approached her door, then stopped.
He didn't come closer. Didn't knock. Didn't try to open the door.
But Josephine wasn't afraid.
Even if he really wanted to come in, the door wouldn't open. Before getting into bed, she'd already locked it from the inside.
She knew that right now, Gideon was probably doing what he'd done countless times during their past fights and cold wars—sitting silently outside her door until dawn.
He was betting that she'd feel sorry for him. And Josephine used to—she didn't want to see him catch a cold, so she'd always open the door at some point during the night and let him in.
But this time, she simply rolled over, pulled the covers tight around herself, and fell into a deep sleep.
...
The next morning, when she came downstairs, she caught the aroma drifting from the kitchen. Gideon had cooked breakfast himself.
He'd learned to cook for her.
Josephine used to find it touching. Now... she forced down a few bites, then told Gideon, "I have to work today. You should head back to the office, too."
Gideon was reluctant to part from her. "Call me when you get off work. I'll come pick you up."
Josephine's mouth twitched. She didn't say yes or no.
Gideon took her silence as agreement. Before leaving, he insisted on hugging her in the entryway and tried to lean down for a kiss. Josephine couldn't take it anymore.
When he moved in, she turned her head away.
Gideon froze, looking down at her.
Josephine raised her hand to straighten his tie, her expression unchanged. "I'm going to be really busy lately. I'm solely responsible for a project. The rumors about you just died down, and your company needs new developmen,t too. I think we should both focus on our careers, don't you?"
"But I can't stand being away from you."
Gideon held her, resting his chin on her shoulder, feeling more fulfilled than ever. This feeling—no one but Josephine could give it to him.
"How about I don't bother you during work hours, but we spend time together after? Sound good?"
This man was impossible!
Josephine felt incredibly irritated but had to pacify him for now. "Focus on work first. Once things are settled there, we can talk about other stuff."
Gideon sighed and clung to her reluctantly for a while longer before finally letting go. He slowly changed his shoes and turned to leave.
But when he reached his car, he turned back. "You can't stay mad at me, okay? And don't ignore me."
Josephine smiled at him.
Gideon left satisfied.
Little did he know, the moment his car pulled away, the smile vanished from Josephine's face.
Gideon was exhausting.
Yesterday she'd planned to discuss the divorce clearly, but when the words reached her lips, and she saw that obsessive look in his eyes, she'd changed her mind. The project wasn't finalized yet—she couldn't afford complications.
More importantly...
Josephine touched her flat stomach. She'd never forgotten how much hope she'd placed in that child, never forgotten the pain of losing it.
She was going to make Gideon taste every bit of her suffering.
Just wait. It wouldn't be much longer.
At noon, Josephine was in a meeting with the research institute team members. When lunch hour approached, she told everyone to go eat, and they'd continue the meeting in the afternoon.
The team had just left when Emma came back.
"Josephine, someone sent you flowers."
A bouquet of red roses, bright as flames, releasing their fragrance.
"Who sent them?" Josephine didn't immediately accept them.
"No idea. The reception brought them up. A delivery guy dropped them off half an hour ago, but didn't say who sent them. Seems to be anonymous."
Emma set the roses on the desk. She was just the messenger—mission accomplished, she left.
Josephine noticed a card nestled among the layered petals. She pulled it out.
Remember to eat. Love you.
No signature, but the words were handwritten. Just from the handwriting, Josephine knew exactly who it was from.
Besides, this tactic—Gideon had pulled it more than once.
Every time Gideon made her angry, or they were in a cold war, he'd use this move. He'd send roses, shower her with tender care and affection.
But so what? The core issue remained unresolved.
"Not going to lunch?"
At Cedric's voice, Josephine tossed the bouquet into the trash can and grabbed her phone and bag, jogging toward the door. "Heading there now. Want to join?"
"Sure."
"Perfect. There are some things I wanted to report to you anyway."
The two walked side by side, their figures receding into the distance, leaving only that bouquet of red roses lying forlornly in the trash.
Josephine thought that by throwing out the flowers, the matter was settled. She never imagined this was only the beginning.
Over the next week, someone delivered flowers every single day. Always roses, just in different colors—red, pink, ice blue...
It got to the point where everyone in the company knew Josephine was being ardently pursued.
"Josephine, someone sent you flowers again."
Emma felt like she'd become a delivery person, hauling flowers upstairs every day. It had become routine—before going downstairs for lunch, check the front desk first.
"Just throw them out."
This time, Josephine didn't even bother checking the card. The same trick lost its effectiveness after repeated use. She wasn't that easily pacified girl anymore.
"These are from Gideon, right?"
The other colleagues didn't know, but Emma had been part of Josephine's team. She was one of those dismissed by Starlight Group, too, so she knew all about their situation.
"He's lost it. Just ignore him."
The moment Josephine finished speaking, her phone screen lit up with a name—Gideon.
She rubbed her temples thoughtfully. If she didn't answer, knowing Gideon's personality, he'd probably show up at the office. They were still legally married, and if Gideon had a moment of insanity and made their situation public...
She pressed the answer button.
"What is it?"
"Did you get the flowers I sent?" On the other end, Gideon was in high spirits, gently rocking in his chair, his tone radiating pleasure.
"I got them." Too bad they all went straight into the trash.
"What other flowers do you want? I'll send them."
Josephine's expression was flat. "No need. You've sent plenty. I have nowhere to put them."
"Display them? Just enjoy them for a bit, then toss them."
Just from his tone, it sounded like they'd returned to their loving period. In fact, before Josephine discovered Gideon's affair, they'd always been this sweet.
Josephine froze, setting down her pen with a quiet sigh.
"What's wrong?" Gideon heard it.
"Nothing. Work's been tiring lately. I want to grab lunch."
"Okay, go eat. Don't let yourself get hungry."
His care and consideration were unchanged, as if those conflicts between them had never happened.
Josephine smiled mockingly to herself. Actually, no—from Gideon's perspective, there really weren't any unresolvable conflicts. After all, in his mind, the affair was still well-hidden.
"Got it."
After hanging up, Josephine stared at her phone for a long time.
She didn't even notice when Cedric appeared silently in the doorway.
"What's wrong?" Cedric asked.
Seeing him, Josephine raked her fingers through her hair in frustration. She didn't bother hiding it from him. "Lately Gideon's been acting crazy, having someone send me flowers every day..."
"You don't want them?"
"No. The sight of roses annoys me." Actually, Josephine loved roses. Rather than hating the flowers themselves, she hated Gideon for sending them.
"I see. Let's go eat first."
At Cedric's words, Josephine looked confused. What did he understand?
But Cedric didn't intend to explain. "I ordered barbecue ribs at the restaurant. If we don't go soon, they'll get cold."
Barbecue ribs!
Those were Josephine's absolute favorite. All her worries instantly vanished. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
At the mention of ribs, she became even more eager than Cedric, practically flying out the door.
Cedric shook his head helplessly, his long strides easily keeping pace with her.
...
Night.
When Josephine returned home, unsurprisingly, she found a delivery person waiting at her door with another bouquet. She took a deep breath and ultimately accepted the flowers.
Not for any other reason—she just didn't want to make things difficult for the delivery guy. But once she brought the flowers inside, there was no way she'd put them in a vase. The sight of them was irritating.
She tossed them aside and went to wash up.
She didn't see the message that popped up on her phone from Gideon.
[Jojo, I have to go on a business trip.]
...
Half an hour earlier, Gideon had received a call from the Getty Manor and rushed over. The moment he entered, he heard David's sharp rebuke.
"Kneel."