Chapter 86
Gideon still didn't understand what was happening. He stood stiffly before David. "Grandfather, I don't know what I did wrong."
David threw a stack of photos directly in his face.
The contents were explicit—compromising photos of Gideon and Lorelei in bed, transaction records, documentation of the house he'd bought her, the money he'd given her.
And Lorelei's pregnancy test results.
Seeing these, Gideon's expression darkened.
David's tone was calm, which made it even more oppressive. "Now do you know what you did wrong?"
Gideon gathered the obscene photos and placed them face down on the floor, slowly bending his knees to kneel.
David watched him bow his head, his voice heavy. "I told you—with your father as a cautionary tale, I will not allow you to create scandals. I absolutely will not allow the disgrace of extramarital pregnancies."
Gideon and Cedric's generation was too chaotic.
The struggle between legitimate heirs and illegitimate children had never stopped. David knew everything—he just pretended not to.
After all, they were all Getty blood.
He'd learned his lesson. He didn't interfere with their marriages and children, with only one requirement: no extramarital affairs. And if they must have affairs, absolutely no children.
Such sordid matters must not become public. The fig leaf had to stay firmly in place.
"You were so determined to be with Josephine. I thought your feelings ran deep." Coming from David, the statement dripped with sarcasm.
He still remembered Gideon standing before him, face full of defiance, declaring he'd marry no one but Josephine.
"I told you from the start—you two weren't compatible."
Gideon couldn't stand hearing that. He'd remained silent until now, but couldn't help retorting. "We are compatible. I only love Jojo."
David countered, "Then how did you get another woman pregnant?"
Gideon fell silent.
There were many reasons. He had ambition, wanted the Getty Group inheritance. David had constantly pressured them about having children, putting enormous stress on Josephine.
And her body wasn't suitable for pregnancy.
Gideon thought this arrangement met everyone's requirements—the optimal solution. But he said none of this, only repeated stubbornly, "I love Josephine."
That would never change, even on his deathbed.
David couldn't be bothered to press further. In his view, all this love nonsense was just hormones and temporary impulses.
"Since the child already exists, the Getty family's descendants cannot be left outside. Divorce Josephine and marry Lorelei."
Gideon's head snapped up. "I refuse."
"You've been fooling around with that Lorelei constantly—isn't it because you want to be with her?"
"I told you, the person I love is Josephine."
David laughed coldly. "Don't you feel ashamed saying that now?"
Gideon's expression stiffened, but he insisted, "No matter how many times you ask me, my answer will always be the same."
David shot to his feet. "Once a bastard, always a bastard. Your own child will be a bastard, too. If I'd known you'd turn out like this, I never should have brought you back."
Gideon clenched his jaw, saying nothing.
David was livid. "Whether you divorce isn't up to you. Call Josephine here. If she's willing to accept this child, we'll pretend this never happened. If she's not willing..."
David paused.
A major reason he disliked Josephine was her personality—stubborn and headstrong.
David asked Gideon, "What are the chances Josephine would accept this child?"
David knew Josephine's personality, and of course, Gideon did too. "Once the child is born, I'll tell her it's adopted."
Even David's eyes widened at that. After a long moment, he shook his head. "I thought your father was shameless enough. You've surpassed him."
Cedric's father also liked to philander, but he was always upfront about it—who he loved and didn't love was clear as day. It was precisely this cold, decisive attitude that had caused Cedric's mother to develop depression.
After being berated for so long, Gideon had long since abandoned any sense of shame. He repeated, "I absolutely will not divorce. Jojo's health is poor—she can't get pregnant. You've been pressuring us for children constantly. This was my only option."
At these words, David studied him deeply. Gideon couldn't decipher the look—only felt instinctively uncomfortable.
David seemed to be... pitying him.
David's voice was heavy. "Handle your own mess. Remember my bottom line. If you damage the company's interests or reputation, you know how I'll deal with it."
Of course, Gideon knew. If it affected the company, he'd be the one eliminated. "Please rest assured, Grandfather. I won't disappoint you."
David neither confirmed nor denied this. "Just because I said to handle it yourself doesn't mean you can wash your hands of it now. Call Josephine back immediately."
"You want me to explain everything to her?" Gideon's entire body went rigid.
David sat on the sofa and sipped his tea. "Since you insist the child will be adopted, you should discuss it with her beforehand. You know her temper better than I do."
How could Gideon possibly reveal this now? At least not yet. Better to wait until the child was born, let Josephine bond with the baby first, then bring up adoption.
But he couldn't defy David's orders now. Repeated defiance would only ignite David's fury.
Gideon quickly thought of a solution. "Not today. I have a business trip—an important project for my company. Can it wait until I get back?"
This trip would last at least two weeks. He could stall as long as possible.
David finally agreed. "You have two weeks. That's it."
Gideon acknowledged this and sent Josephine a message as he left.
As usual, it sank without a trace—no response.
...
Josephine didn't check her phone until morning, seeing one unread message. Before she could open it, Cedric's call came through.
"Pack up. We're going on a business trip."
"Okay, I'll meet you at the office."
"No need. I'm outside your place."
Josephine rushed to the window. Sure enough, that familiar Rolls-Royce sat quietly by the curb. Without another word, she returned to the bathroom for a speed run of her morning routine.
After getting everything together, she headed out and got in the car. Only then did she have time to glance at that unread message.
"Why's he telling me about his business trip?" she muttered.
"He won't be back anytime soon." Though Josephine had spoken quietly enough, Cedric still heard. "You can focus on work now."
At those words, Josephine couldn't help looking at him. "Don't tell me you orchestrated this?"
"Guess."
...Guess my ass.
Josephine was speechless, but his attitude was basically an admission. "It had to be you. I can't think of anyone else. But how did you pull it off?"
Cedric gripped the steering wheel, merging onto the highway.
"Even if it was me, I can't control everything. I just threw out the bait. How he chose to respond—that's on him."
He couldn't control the whole situation, but predicting Gideon's thoughts and actions? Not difficult at all.