Josephine paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it the Campbell family that got engaged to Emily?"
Laura nodded, "Yep. Even though Stuart's divorced, he's still got some marriage value, so the Campbell family is interested."
Josephine chuckled.
Laura reached out to touch Claudia's forehead, checking if she was okay, then asked, "What's so funny? No other reaction?"
Josephine shrugged, "I divorced him. Whether he stays single or remarries, that's his business."
Laura chimed in, "I heard Shirley from the Campbell crew is still a delicate flower. With Emily tying the knot, you reckon you'll bump into her?"
Josephine asked, "Do you want to see her? Is Steven going? You could tag along with him."
"We'll see."Laura switched gears, "So, what's the latest with that jerk Robin?"
Josephine replied, "Stuart said he's facing legal consequences."
"He deserves to be thrown in the slammer! Guys like him are a dime a dozen!" Laura fumed, "It's a good thing Jeffery wasn't scared, or I would've lost it!"
Claudia chimed in, "Jeffery was really brave. He worked well with Stuart at the time."
Josephine was confused. "What do you mean, 'worked well'?"
Claudia hadn't wanted Josephine to know what happened, but she let it slip.
She hesitated, but Josephine frowned. "Should I ask Jeffery?"
Bringing it up would only hurt Jeffery again.
Claudia had no choice but to give a brief explanation of what happened.
"Damn it!" Laura cursed again, "Can I hit someone during a prison visit? I want to kill Robin! He's the real monster!"
Josephine stayed silent.
Laura continued, "Stuart's no saint either; he's a beast!"
That night, while putting Jeffery to bed, Josephine held him close, feeling a deep sense of heartache.
Jeffery had been sleeping alone since he was three, but tonight Josephine was acting differently, staying with him in his room.
"Mommy, I'm fine," he reassured her, "I'm not scared; I'm a man."
"Our Jeffery is a man, but it's okay to be scared. Even I get scared. It's a normal human emotion. If you ever need to talk, you must tell me, okay?"
Jeffery tugged at Josephine's nightgown collar and whispered, "Actually, I was a little scared, but just a little."
Josephine patted his back. "Then Jeffery is very brave! If it were me, I'd be scared out of my mind."
"I'm afraid I won't see Mommy again," he said, wrapping his arms around her neck, "I don't want to be separated from Mommy."
His words made Josephine's heart ache and her eyes well up.
She kissed his hair. "I won't be separated from you."
Jeffery nodded his little head.
Once he was sound asleep, Josephine left.
She went back to her bedroom and saw that Stuart had sent her another message.
Stuart: [If dinner makes you uncomfortable, never mind.]
He even added a sad emoji, causing Josephine to smile briefly before her uncertainty returned.
After thinking for a long time, she finally fell asleep.
The next day, Josephine stayed home with Claudia and Jeffery.
Laura came over early in the morning, bringing lots of fruits and desserts.
Josephine rarely entered the kitchen, and Laura couldn't cook at all.
But Claudia had honed her cooking skills over the years, making delicious meals.
The four of them hung out at home all day, and before bed, they helped Josephine pick out an outfit and shoes.
Because the next day was Emily's engagement party.
To Laura and Claudia, Josephine wasn't just attending an engagement party; she was going to show the Kalmien family what's what.
This was a battle she had to win in style!
Since Josephine didn't want to wear any jewelry, Claudia picked out a dress with a fancy neckline for her.
It was pure black, looking simple from the front, but it was backless, perfectly showing off Josephine's beautiful back.
Luckily, it only revealed half; if it had shown her waist, Josephine wouldn't have gone for it.
But Josephine didn't expect Emily's engagement party to be such a big deal.
The engagement party was at a five-star hotel in Hustalia. Laura had mentioned that real wealthy families held events at their estates or clubs.
Who threw a party at a hotel?
The Campbell family was definitely a wealthy family.
Josephine learned upon arrival that Emily was not engaged to the son of the head of the Campbell family, but rather to a relative from a different branch of the family.
He was a businessman, pretty well-off.
But he wasn't exactly elite.
Still, given Emily's status, marrying into such a family was a step up.
After all, she was just the goddaughter of the Kalmien family; it's not the same as being a biological daughter.
At least, that's how outsiders saw it.
Josephine turned heads as soon as she walked in.
She was tall, with naturally healthy tan skin, which looked even more stunning against the black dress.
Josephine was already gorgeous, and Claudia's makeup only enhanced her beauty.
Josephine's makeup was light but perfectly highlighted her features, making her look exquisite and beautiful, like a noble princess stepping out of a painting.
She outshone everyone as soon as she appeared.
Emily and her fiancé were greeting guests at the door. When they saw Josephine, her fiancé couldn't take his eyes off her.
Emily, hiding her jealousy, tugged at him and then forced a smile, saying to Josephine, "Josephine, you're here."
Josephine handed over the gift she was holding. "Congrats on your engagement. I hope you two stay together forever."
Emily's fiancé was particularly enthusiastic. "Thank you, please come in!"
Inside, they saw Todd and Esther.
Esther looked her up and down with disapproval. "Are you here for the engagement party or to steal the spotlight? What kind of outfit is this?"
Josephine's voice was cold. "It's just a simple dress, not even a piece of jewelry. Is this stealing the spotlight?"
Esther had nothing to say.
She knew that what drew attention was Josephine's face.
Both she and Todd were good-looking, but Josephine's appearance was truly a blessing. She hadn't lost any of her attractiveness post-divorce; if anything, she had become even more beautiful.
Todd said, "Since you're here, get along with everyone. Stuart is here too. Make sure to talk to him, okay?"
When did Josephine completely lose hope in this couple?
It wasn't because they kept pushing her to reconcile with Stuart.
It was when she told them she had Jeffery, and they found out Jeffery's father was a foreigner. They never showed any interest in Jeffrey; when he returned this time, Josephine called Todd, but he showed no desire to meet Jeffrey.