Josephine was caught off guard. What was Rex doing here too? She figured Steven must've tipped him off.
Lately, Rex hadn't been in touch much. He just sent a message a few days ago saying he was swamped.
He also had someone drop off a bunch of stuff for Josephine. Of course, she didn't accept it. The delivery person just left it at her door and took off.
The stuff wasn't cheap either, some of it was even flown in from overseas. Josephine had no choice but to take it for now.
She wasn't one to accept gifts for no reason and planned to have Laura bring some gifts to Rex if Steven visited him during the Starlight Festival. His unexpected appearance today, with a challenge for Stuart, caught her completely off guard.
Jeffery had just gone swimming and was pretty wiped out. Being a kid, he fell asleep.
Seeing him snoozing, Josephine left another phone by his side so he could reach her when he woke up, then she hurried out the door.
When she arrived at the spot Laura mentioned, she saw Laura and Steven together, with Liam nearby, but no sign of Stuart or Rex.
She quickly walked over. Laura saw her and waved, "Josephine!"
Josephine got closer and asked, "Where are they?" Before she could finish, she heard some noise. Turned out there was a swimming pool below where Laura was standing.
Right then, two guys were swimming like crazy, like a couple of mermen.
She recognized one of them right away as Stuart. The other guy, who was about the same height and build, had to be Rex.
They weren't fighting, which made Josephine breathe a sigh of relief. She asked, "What are they doing?"
Laura said, "They started arguing as soon as they met, and then decided to race. So childish!"
Steven chimed in, "Isn't it because you were egging them on, hoping they'd fight?"
Laura glared at him, "Did I?"
Liam just stood there, smiling without saying a word.
The tension between Stuart and Rex was already high. Even without Laura's prodding, they might've started fighting.
"It's fine," Josephine said. "At least they're not fighting. Swimming's good exercise."
"Exactly," Laura said, linking arms with Josephine. "Who do you think will win?"
Josephine said, "Doesn't matter. We came here to soak in the hot springs, and I haven't had enough yet. Wanna join me?"
Laura laughed, "Sure. Let them race. They're like peacocks showing off. Once you leave, who will they show off to?"
Laura led Josephine away. Steven and Liam exchanged a glance, thinking it was pointless, and each found a hot spring to soak in.
Stuart and Rex, certain of Josephine's arrival, felt their pride as men was at stake; losing was not an option.
Both were good swimmers. Maybe not pro level, but definitely impressive among regular folks.
They agreed to swim ten laps to decide the winner.
Both knew Laura would tell Josephine, and Josephine would come, so they were both determined to show off in front of her.
On the final lap, they were almost neck and neck.
But Stuart was a few years younger than Rex, and in the final sprint, he was half a body length ahead of Rex.
With a splash, he emerged from the water, wiped his face, and looked towards the shore.
Rex followed closely, less than a second behind, and also surfaced.
Where was everyone? No familiar faces on the shore.
Not even Josephine, and Steven and the others were gone too.
The two men exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked away and silently got out of the pool.
Once out, they found Steven in a nearby hot spring, looking so relaxed his eyes were closed.
"Steven!" Stuart called out. "Where's Josephine?"
Steven opened his eyes, saw the two of them out of the pool, and smiled, "She went to soak in the hot springs."
"Why didn't she watch our race?" Rex asked. "Didn't you tell her?"
Steven shook his head, "You guys are acting like kids. Josephine said she wasn't interested."
Rex scoffed, "He's the one acting like a kid!"
"Why don't you mention that you lost?" Stuart shot back coldly.
Rex retorted, "Only kids care about winning or losing."
"If you're not a kid, then why did you jump in to compete with me?"
"Alright, you two, cut it out," Steven said. "This is really childish."
Stuart turned and walked away. Rex immediately followed.
Stuart snapped, "Why are you following me?"
"Ridiculous! This place is huge, I can walk wherever I want!"
Stuart sneered, "Fine, Mr. Armstrong, after you." He gestured for Rex to go first.
Rex glanced back at Steven, "Still soaking? Get out and show me the way!"
Steven slowly got out of the water, "Show you the way? I don't even know where they went."
"What's the use of you then," Rex grumbled. "Are we even friends?"
Meanwhile, Josephine had no clue about the childish drama unfolding. She and Laura soaked for a while. Worried about Jeffery, she sent him a message. When she didn't get a reply, she knew he was still asleep.
Laura asked, "How many days off do you have for the Starlight Festival? Any plans?"
Josephine replied, "I'll be busy starting on the second. Mainly spending time with Jeffery, and I also want to visit Mr. Andrew Haustia."
"I heard the Campbell family is in a panic. They even sought help from the Clarence family at Celestia Springs, but it seems the Clarence family didn't intervene."
"The Clarence Family?" Josephine asked. "Are they close?"
"They used to be, but considering the Campbell family's actions, the Clarences probably won't meddle. If they did, Stuart would be in hot water too."
"No wonder my dad called me, sounding so anxious."
"Just ignore him," Laura said. "Emily thought she found a strong backing, but it turns out, the backing has fallen."
"Knowing my parents," Josephine said, "if The Campbell Family really falls, they would probably call off the engagement."
"That's exactly what they would do," Laura said. "They had such a wonderful daughter like you, it's really unusual. I mean, why don't you get a DNA test? Maybe you're not their biological child."
"How could that be," Josephine laughed. "Don't you see I resemble them in some ways? Besides, my grandparents love me so much, that wouldn't be fake."
"That's true," Laura sighed. "They are just too bizarre. You're unlucky to have such parents."
"It's nothing, I've let it go," Josephine said. "Now I have Jeffery, and you guys, what more could I want."
"How's Roy doing lately?"
"He's still busy, might have to go back to the country in a few days."
They chatted for a bit, and Josephine's voice grew softer. Laura looked over and saw Josephine had tilted her head and fallen asleep.
Laura chuckled softly, moved a bit closer to her, worried she might accidentally fall into the water and choke.
Stuart eventually located them: Josephine was leaning her head on Laura's shoulder, and Laura was gazing down at her tenderly from afar.
Stuart felt uneasy. Could it be that Laura liked girls too?
He walked over quickly. Laura heard footsteps, looked up, and made a shushing gesture.
Stuart whispered, "You can go, I'll take care of her."
Laura said, "You? I don't trust you."
"What's there not to trust?"
Before Stuart could finish, Josephine slowly woke up. She groggily leaned closer to the person beside her, opened her eyes, saw it was Laura, and immediately relaxed. She even snuggled closer to Laura, hugging her, her cheek resting on Laura's shoulder.
Laura touched her forehead gently, "It's okay, go back to sleep."
Josephine murmured an acknowledgment and intended to continue sleeping. Her complete trust in Laura, in just those few seconds, made Stuart feel it deeply.
Even though Laura was a woman, Stuart was incredibly jealous. And he had heard that many girls nowadays were quite open, liking both men and women. Laura might just be one of those!
Stuart felt like cursing. Now, in pursuing Josephine, he not only had to guard against men but also women? He could only blame Josephine for being too charming!