His smile froze, but he quickly handed over the phone. "It's Stuart."
Josephine frowned. "Impossible! I blocked him."
"He used an unknown number," William explained. "I accidentally answered it. When I realized it was him, I thought you wouldn't want to talk."
"So you answered for me?" Josephine's face darkened. "Even if you hit the button by mistake, you shouldn't have talked to him."
William stood up. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to, but he was really rude once the call connected. I got anxious and..."
William knew the trick of mixing one lie with ten truths.
The call was from Stuart using an unknown number, and he did accidentally answer it. Stuart's words were indeed unfriendly. That part was true.
As for the rest, he kept quiet, confident Josephine wouldn't check with Stuart.
Sure enough, Josephine's expression softened a bit.
She asked, "What did he say?"
William replied, "I answered, but before I could speak, he was already nasty. I told him to wait while I brought the phone to you, and he said some really awful things."
Josephine lowered her eyes, silent.
William continued, "He's a CEO, but I didn't expect him to be so harsh. He questioned your character and..."
He trailed off. Josephine could guess what Stuart had said. It was always about her cheating.
Liam walked over, sensing tension. "What's going on?"
Josephine spoke up, "Nothing, let's all sit down."
After dinner, back at the research institute's residence, Josephine got another message from William.
William: [Josephine, I'm really sorry. I promise this won't happen again.]
Josephine replied: [It's okay. I'll let it go this time. Just don't touch my things without permission next time.]
William held his phone, a flash of obsession and jealousy in his eyes.
Meanwhile, back in the States, Stuart was still fuming after smashing his phone.
He had to admit Josephine's departure had a big impact on his life. He couldn't eat or sleep well. Whenever he wasn't busy, her face popped into his mind.
This wasn't the first time he had such an intense reaction. Anything involving Josephine made him lose his temper.
When she was still in the States, it was a bit better. At least he could see her. But now, being so far away from her, Stuart had to to admit he was actually panicking.
He indeed liked Josephine, though he didn't know when it started. But liking someone didn't mean he had no dignity!
He thought maybe Josephine sensed his feelings, which made her act so recklessly. He couldn't indulge her! Otherwise, she'd get even more outrageous.
Besides, feelings were just a spice of life. His career was still his priority.
Stuart buried himself in his study, planning his work for the next five years.
He didn't know how long it took, but he suddenly realized all his plans for overseas expansion were tied to the city where Josephine was!
He thought to himself, 'I didn't do it on purpose; it's just that the city genuinely needs my investment. It has to be that!'
Stuart reassured himself and confidently called Robin. "Where are you right now?"
Robin mentioned a country and city, then asked, "Why are you calling so late?"
Stuart said, "I have a few projects I'm planning to launch overseas. Isn't the city you're in close to Josephine?"
Robin said, "Let me see... it actually is. I have a project there in a few days, so I'll be heading that way. If you need to contact her, I can meet her for you."
"No need," Stuart quickly said, "Why would you meet her?"
Robin replied, "I don't want to see her either. I just thought you might still have feelings for her. After all, Josephine is quite cunning; not many men can see through her."
Stuart's face hardened. "I have no feelings for her, and I don't like cunning women. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up!"
Robin put down the phone and smiled.
He had been preparing for months; now, he could finally approach Josephine without raising Stuart's suspicions.
When Josephine went abroad, if he had immediately gone after her, Stuart would have been suspicious. So he used work as an excuse to expand his business, gradually getting closer to Josephine's city.
With Stuart's call, he wouldn't even need an excuse to visit Josephine. If Stuart asked, he could just say he was concerned about him and went to check on Josephine. Nothing wrong with that.
Robin had the audacity to covet Stuart's woman. However, he would do it so subtly that Stuart wouldn't notice a thing. In fact, he would later design many scenarios to force Josephine to marry him, leaving Stuart with no objections.
He had planned it all out; after waiting so long, he was just one step away from his goal. He repeatedly told himself to stay calm, to be steady, and not to rush. Otherwise, it would all be for nothing.
Josephine had no idea that even after her divorce, so many people were still thinking about her, even plotting against her.
The research institute had a project on human prosthetics. These weren't ordinary prosthetics but involved neurology, internal medicine, and even computer science.
The next day, Josephine attended a meeting. After it ended, she sat in her office for a while, then went to the lab.
By the afternoon, before she left work, she mentioned something to her assistant.
The assistant was curious. "Dr. Kalmien, you usually work overtime. Why have you been so punctual these days?"
Josephine explained, "A friend from the States is visiting me."
The assistant, who was older and very cheerful, asked with a smile, "Is it a boyfriend?"
Josephine shook her head. "No. I don't have a boyfriend, and I don't plan on finding one for now."
The assistant smiled. "Got it!"
Josephine went to change clothes and saw a message on her phone, which she replied to.
Liam was at a dessert shop across from the research institute. He bought a few cakes that Josephine liked and was about to cross the street when he saw a familiar figure.
For a moment, he thought he was seeing things. After all, this was a foreign country, not a tourist hotspot, so it should be hard to run into someone from back home.
However, that person was clearly Robin. Liam had fought with him many times growing up, and he could recognize him even from across the street.
Robin was standing in front of Josephine's research institute.
Liam walked over with a stern face. "What are you doing here?"
Robin's body stiffened, but when he turned around, his face already had a teasing smile. "Well, Mr. Clement."