Stuart waited all evening but still didn't hear from Josephine.
He called Andrew to check if she got the gift.
Andrew said she loved it, and the servants had already taken it upstairs.
Stuart sat alone in his office, sulking.
She accepted the gift but ignored him.
Did he not send enough?
His phone buzzed, and he quickly checked it.
It wasn't from Josephine, which bummed him out, but he noticed it was a push notification from his favorite watch brand.
He wondered if he should buy a watch for Josephine.
As he stepped out of the office, he got a call from Robin.
Stuart asked, "Besides buying gifts, how do you make a woman happy?"
Robin laughed. "Trying to please Doris?"
Stuart didn't want to say but also didn't want to be misunderstood.
He said, "No."
Robin asked, "Then who?"
Stuart got annoyed. "Do you know or not? If not, I'll ask someone else!"
Robin paused, then asked, "Trying to please Josephine?"
For some reason, Stuart didn't want Robin to think he was trying to please Doris.
But he also didn't want others to know he was trying to please Josephine.
As a man, it felt humiliating to be so humble in front of her.
Stuart didn't deny it.
Robin said, "Sometimes women are like men, they can be fickle. The more you treat her well, the less she cares."
Stuart frowned. "And then?"
Robin continued, "Ignore her a bit, give her some attention occasionally, and she'll come running."
Stuart was skeptical. "Really?"
"This is universal," Robin said, "Why do you think I have such good luck with women?"
Indeed, Robin always had women around him, changing girlfriends almost weekly.
What was more amazing was that every woman who broke up with him never held a grudge. They even stayed on good terms.
Stuart had to admit Robin understood women well.
Stuart said, "Got it."
Robin asked, "Want to grab a drink tonight?"
Stuart said, "I need to go to the mall nearby, no drinks tonight."
"Going to the mall?" Robin was surprised. "You're going yourself?"
"Yeah," Stuart said, "Gotta go."
Robin looked at his phone, which had been hung up, and without hesitation, dialed another number. "Go to the mall next to Stuart's office right now, to the luxury stores on the fifth or sixth floor."
Stuart's company was in a high-end commercial center.
Any mall here wouldn't house ordinary brands.
Stuart went straight to the sixth floor.
He rarely visited stores, but his tall, handsome, and distinguished appearance made it clear to the staff he was someone of wealth and status.
The watch Stuart wanted wasn't available in the country yet; it had to be shipped from abroad.
The watch had a midnight blue face, inlaid with tiny diamonds.
He thought it suited Josephine perfectly.
Moreover, he had a similar one.
Thinking about both of them wearing matching watches, he felt it was quite nice.
As Stuart walked out of the store, he spotted a familiar figure—the same one he saw on the street last night.
He hesitated for a moment before following her.
The girl had long hair and was talking on the phone as she walked.
Stuart kept his distance, but she suddenly entered a side door.
He ran over and found it was a fire escape.
He chased after her, but she was already gone.
Determined, he ran to the next floor but still didn't see her.
He immediately called Robin. "I need to see the mall's surveillance footage. Get someone to contact me."
Robin asked, "What's wrong? Did you lose something?"
Stuart closed his eyes and then opened them again. "Have you been in touch with her recently?"
Robin said, "Who... oh, you mean her? I chatted with her a bit when she had a fever last time, but haven't been in touch since."
Stuart gripped his phone tightly. "I suspect she's back in the country."
Robin said, "No way, I haven't heard anything about that."
Stuart said, "That's why I need to see the surveillance footage."
Robin said, "Hold on, I'm nearby. I'll be right over."
Robin arrived quickly and took Stuart to see the surveillance footage.
When Stuart saw the face on the screen, he was stunned for a full minute.
Robin patted his shoulder.
Stuart murmured, "How can they be so similar?"
If Doris's face was a five out of ten resemblance to her, then the face on the screen was an eight out of ten.
Although very similar, Stuart could tell at a glance that it wasn't her.
Robin said, "I meant to tell you about this earlier. Funny thing is, she's my cousin."
Stuart pointed at the girl on the screen. "Is this your cousin?"
Robin nodded. "A distant cousin, my aunt's daughter. I was also surprised when I first saw her."
Stuart looked at the screen, deep in thought.
Robin, seeing his expression, tentatively said, "How about we have dinner together sometime?"
Stuart didn't respond.
Robin continued, "You asked me earlier if she had returned to the country. I just asked a friend, and he said she probably doesn't plan to return for a few years."
Stuart's eyes darkened.
Robin went on. "What's even more coincidental is that my cousin also studied art and just returned from abroad."
Stuart lowered his gaze. "See when she's free, and we'll have dinner."
Robin immediately said, "Sure."
Stuart started walking out.
Robin followed. "Did you buy what you needed?"
Stuart's expression was unreadable.
Robin glanced at him and, seeing he wasn't speaking, asked again, "You've bought a lot of nice things for Josephine. Has she ever bought you anything?"
Stuart stopped and looked at him, his gaze cold. "No matter how much animosity you had towards her before, she's my wife now. Show some respect."
Robin looked at him in shock. "You're saying this to me for her? Our brotherhood since childhood can't compare to Josephine, right?"
"Don't compare," Stuart said, "Friends and a wife are not comparable."
"So you're saying she's more important than me?" Robin's face darkened. "Stuart, are you seriously in love with her? Don't forget, your marriage is just a family alliance. She only sees you as a money-making tool. She and Liam's group can't stand you!"
Stuart's face turned grim. "Shut up!"