Chapter 94
After leaving Cedric's office, Josephine didn't return to Clearwater Ridge. Instead, she checked into a hotel near the company.
Turned out, her decision was spot-on.
Gideon's countless missed calls and text messages flooded her phone like a downpour—it actually lagged when she opened it.
The messages evolved from anxious explanations to heavy accusations, finally degenerating into almost obsessive repetition.
[Jojo, we need to talk.]
[Why haven't you come back to Clearwater Ridge? Who are you with right now?]
[I won't divorce you. This is all a misunderstanding. Let me explain.]
[Please, just let me see you.]
[Jojo!]
A misunderstanding...
Josephine couldn't help but want to laugh. If Gideon knew she'd already witnessed that disgusting scene of him and Lorelei having sex, she wondered if he'd still be able to use that word.
Letting the text bombardment continue, Josephine ignored it all. She only responded when communicating with her lawyer, saving select messages as circumstantial evidence of his emotional instability.
Her side remained calm.
Lorelei's side? Not so much.
Since Lorelei wasn't actually sick, she was discharged after just one night at the hospital. But she hadn't received a single word from Gideon. Even Briana's concern had noticeably cooled.
When Lorelei proactively called Briana, she detected reproach in her tone.
"You were too hasty. Even if you want Gideon to divorce and marry you, you can't just blurt everything out like that. Who knows what tactics Josephine will use now? Gideon could get screwed in the property division!"
Lorelei bit her lip. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't consider that..."
"Well, you'd better start thinking!"
Briana hung up.
She did want a different daughter-in-law, but absolutely not like this. If the affair went public, Gideon's reputation would be destroyed! In a divorce and property battle, he'd have no advantage!
Lorelei couldn't help but wonder—had she made the wrong move?
This feeling of being seen as a problem by everyone, possibly even a disposable pawn, made her heart race with anxiety.
No. She couldn't just sit around waiting for disaster.
If Briana wouldn't talk to her on the phone, she'd go find her in person. At the very least, she couldn't let this alliance fracture now.
She couldn't get an appointment with Briana, but she knew her habits—Briana loved having afternoon tea with her circle of wealthy friends. So that afternoon, Lorelei staked out a café and cornered her.
Given the scandalous nature of the situation, Briana couldn't let her say too much in public. She dismissed her other friends and dragged Lorelei into a private room, her expression darkening.
"What are you doing here?"
"Mrs. Getty, I know what happened at the hospital put both you and Gideon in a difficult position." Lorelei wore no makeup, faint shadows under her eyes, her voice soft and pitiful. "But I truly had no other choice... Every time I think about my child being born without legitimacy, being gossiped about, it feels like my heart's being carved up with a knife."
Briana looked at her belly and sighed. "I understand your difficulties, but with Gideon's stubborn personality, pressuring him will only backfire. Right now, he's barely even talking to me."
"Precisely because he won't listen to anyone, we need to help him make the right choice." Lorelei raised her tear-filled eyes. "Josephine's already filed for divorce—this is the perfect opportunity. If Gideon would just agree, everything would be resolved. But he insists on..."
"He's completely bewitched by that Josephine!" Briana said bitterly. "I don't know what kind of spell she's cast over him."
"Mrs. Getty, we can't just stand by and watch Gideon ruin his future for a woman who doesn't love him, and bring shame to the Getty family." Lorelei gently grasped Briana's hand, her tone earnest. "If Mr. David Getty finds out Gideon's refusal to divorce is causing turmoil at the company, what will he think? Will the position of heir still be safely his?"
That sentence struck right at Briana's weak spot. All her hopes rested on her son—she couldn't allow anything to go wrong.
"So what do you suggest we do?" Briana lowered her voice.
A flash of calculation crossed Lorelei's eyes, her tone growing more mournful. "Since reason won't work, perhaps... we can only make him see firsthand how cruel 'reality' can be. Make him understand that Josephine's very existence is the biggest time bomb in his life. Only by completely cutting ties with her can he be safe, and the Getty family be secure."
She didn't spell out the specific plan, but it was enough for an anxious Briana to fill in the blanks and tacitly approve.
In Briana's view, everything Lorelei did, even if the methods were extreme, was ultimately "for Gideon's good, for the Getty family's good."
Briana gritted her teeth. "You're right. We can't just watch him be dragged down by Josephine. Tell me your plan. I'll help you."
Lorelei's eyes lit up. She leaned close and whispered a few words in Briana's ear.
Briana looked at her, her expression meaningful. "You're actually quite clever."
She had to admit—Lorelei's plan just might make her son compromise.
...
Two days later, Josephine went to the office for an international video conference, but couldn't find a crucial document anywhere. Her computer didn't have a backup either.
Kenneth asked, "Any chance you left it at Clearwater Ridge?"
"Possible. I haven't been back recently."
Josephine confirmed it wasn't at the hotel. She'd assumed the file was at the office.
"I'll run back and get it. You guys start the meeting—I can be back in about half an hour."
"Okay, hurry back."
Josephine rushed out of the office. It was early afternoon, the sunlight perfect. She stepped inside her home, grabbed the document, and headed back to her car.
Midway, she received a call from an unknown number.
Assuming it was spam, Josephine ignored it and hung up. But the caller persisted relentlessly—clearly not a typical robocall.
She pressed accept and opened her car door to get in.
Lorelei's voice came through the phone, carrying an eerie calm mixed with desperation.
"Ms. Kennedy, I'm on the rooftop of Radiant Life Medical Center. There are some things about Gideon I need to tell you face-to-face. If you don't come, I'll jump. You can tell Gideon to come collect my body."
Josephine's heart jolted. Her first reaction was that this was absurd theater. Had Lorelei completely lost it?
"Are you sick in the head?"
Lorelei laughed softly. "Yes, I am sick. And I know you're outside Clearwater Ridge right now, sitting in your car, wearing a white trench coat, hair in a ponytail..."
A chill ran down Josephine's spine. She looked around—not a soul in sight. She had no idea where Lorelei was watching from.
"Your mental health is clearly shot if you're throwing your life away over some man."
"Ms. Kennedy, you have two choices—come or don't. I'll be waiting."
Lorelei hung up.
She hadn't originally wanted to choose the hospital, but on second thought, this could be dramatic without being too public. Otherwise, David would never let a 'psycho' marry into the Getty family.
Standing on the hospital rooftop, she squinted into the distance. She wasn't panicking—because she knew Josephine would come.
Josephine's car sped through traffic. She pulled up at the hospital entrance and dialed Gideon's number, playing him the recorded call.
Before Gideon could get a word out, he choked.
Josephine said coldly, "Your mess. You clean it up."
"I'm on my way."
After hanging up with Gideon, Josephine took a deep breath and strode into the hospital.
On the rooftop, the wind hit Josephine full in the face the moment she stepped out. When she finally made out the scene before her, she became even more convinced Gideon had gotten involved with a lunatic.
Lorelei stood by the low wall at the roof's edge, wind whipping at her thin dress, looking precarious, as if she might fall at any moment.
Yet she wore a smile, her gaze fixed on something behind Josephine.
Gideon had arrived.
His face was ashen, his eyes darting between Josephine and Lorelei, filled with shock and fury. Step by step, he approached, teeth gritted. "Lorelei, what the hell kind of scene are you making now?"
He tried to get closer.
"Don't come any closer!" Lorelei shrieked, tears instantly streaming down her face. "Gideon, I love you—love you enough to not need any title or status. But I really can't take it anymore... Every time I see you suffering for her, struggling because of her, my heart breaks! This baby is our creation, but you don't even have the courage to acknowledge him!"