Stuart felt like he was about to explode, but he kept it together. He'd promised to respect Josephine, and he meant it. No way was he going to do anything to upset her without her say-so.
Josephine kissed him and didn't pull away. Instead, she snuggled closer, her hand resting on his chest.
Stuart's chest was broad and firm, muscles rippling under her touch.
Josephine saw herself as just an ordinary person. Over the last five years, she had been fully immersed in her child and career, leaving no room for things like this. However, with Stuart by her side now, all the wonderful memories they shared flooded back to her.
In that moment, it was hard not to feel something. She hugged Stuart, pressing her cheek against his chest, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat.
Stuart was surprised by her move. He stood frozen for a moment before reciprocating the hug.
They embraced in silence, yet Josephine could sense the tension in Stuart.
It was hard to miss, especially with the tightness of their hug.
Stuart held her without making any other moves, not even kissing her.
Josephine stayed quiet for a bit, feeling calmer. She gently pushed him away, looking down. "I'll go downstairs first. You take care of yourself."
Stuart was still pretty worked up. If this kept up, she was worried he might hurt himself. What if he got sick from holding it in?
Josephine turned to leave, but Stuart grabbed her hand. He wanted to ask for help but didn't dare.
Josephine glanced back at him, then looked down.
Stuart's Adam's apple bobbed, and he let her go.
Josephine quickly left, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
Stuart took a few deep breaths and headed to the bathroom.
Josephine sat on a chair on the second-floor terrace, looking out at the scenery.
It was more than ten minutes before Stuart came out. He'd changed into loungewear, his hair slightly damp. He looked more relaxed and even younger compared to his usual formal, serious self.
Josephine glanced at him and then looked away. "Are you done?"
Stuart nodded and sat down next to her.
"Don't sit," Josephine said. "We should go downstairs."
They'd been upstairs for almost half an hour.
"Grandpa wants us to stay a bit longer," Stuart said honestly. "The better we get along, the happier he is."
Josephine said, "But we can't leave the elderly and the kid downstairs. Let's head down. I need to chat with Andrew, then I gotta bounce."
"Bounce?" Stuart immediately panicked. "You're leaving now?"
"I still need to go to the research institute," Josephine said. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, Jeffery's crashing here for a bit."
"Jeffery's crashing?" Stuart's eyes lit up. "What about you? Are you leaving Jeffery here alone? Are you okay with that?" His intentions were pretty clear.
Josephine said, "What's there to worry about? Can't you take good care of him?"
"Of course, I can, but what if Jeffery gets fussy at night?" Stuart looked at her without blinking. "Josephine, can you stay too? You can stay in our room, and I'll go to another room."
Josephine shook her head. "No. If Jeffery gets fussy, I'll come to get him. There's no other way."
Josephine had already talked to Jeffery about it, and she trusted him. She was sure he wouldn't get fussy.
Stuart sighed, "Mom and Dad are back, Jeffery's back, and all that's missing is you. Then our family would be complete."
Josephine didn't respond to that. She just said, "Let's go downstairs."
Stuart stopped her. "Josephine, there's one more thing."
Josephine asked, "What is it?"
"It's about Angela."
Hearing that name, Josephine frowned a bit.
Stuart quickly added, "I told you before, she helped me out once, and I owe her a favor. She asked me to help The Lopez Family secure a project, and after that, we're even."
Josephine just said, "Oh."
Stuart continued, "After this project, I won't be in contact with her anymore."
Josephine looked out the window. "It's okay to stay in touch. Everyone has a few friends."
"No more contact," Stuart insisted, holding her hand. "Really, trust me."
"I trust you," Josephine said. "But don't force yourself."
"How could I be forcing myself?" Stuart said anxiously. "Josephine, to be blunt, if there was anything between me and her, it would have happened in the past five years. But after you left, I haven't seen her."
"I've told you something like this before, haven't I?" Josephine looked back at him. "Just like me and Liam."
"It's different," Stuart quickly said. "You and Liam grew up together, and your bond is special. But Angela and I don't have much interaction, just that one time."
Josephine looked at him, and Stuart stopped explaining. "Anyway, it was just that one time, and I owe her a favor," he said.
Josephine didn't care about their past. However, if Stuart said that after this one time, there would be no more interaction, it was a good thing.
Women could be petty.
Thinking about the past and hearing about Stuart's special treatment of Angela always made Josephine uncomfortable.
Her mindset was different now. Maybe it was also because her status was different. She used to be Stuart's wife. Now she wasn't.
She saw many things more clearly and wouldn't ask Stuart to do anything because she didn't have the standing or the right.
But if Stuart wanted to do it himself, she certainly had no objections. She wasn't stupid.
Having talked about Angela, Stuart felt relieved. Since there would be no more interaction with Angela in the future, Stuart thought it was best to cut ties cleanly.
It was Angela who brought it up, but it was exactly what Stuart wanted.
Having discussed this matter, he felt much lighter. "Shall we go downstairs?"
Downstairs, Andrew and Jeffery were still chatting, occasionally bursting into happy laughter.
Josephine knew that Jeffery was not an easy child to get close to. But she didn't expect him to get along so well with Andrew. It seemed that the bond of blood was undeniable.
When Andrew learned that Josephine was leaving, he glared at Stuart.
Josephine gave some instructions about Jeffery, and Andrew quickly told Stuart to see Josephine off.
Andrew personally took Jeffery to see his room. Upon discovering Jeffery's presence, Andrew had a children's room meticulously designed with top-notch layout and furniture.
For the next two days, Josephine was busy at the research institute, while Stuart prepared for the project.
Carol was about to be discharged, and Josephine also received news from Claudia that both Jair and she were returning to the country.