Gerald had heard about Josephine from Alfonso before. He even went as far as getting a paternity test done.
But it wasn't until he saw her in person that he realized just how much Josephine looked like his grandmother. It wasn't just her looks, but her demeanor, gestures, and even her gaze.
The moment Josephine walked in, Gerald looked up and was floored.
Stuart got up, took the bag from her hand, helped her with her coat, and hung it up.
Laura went over, pulled her to sit next to her, and asked, "Are you hungry? You must be exhausted, right?"
Steven turned to look at Gerald, taken aback by Gerald's reaction as he stared at Josephine, completely unaware that his cigarette had burned out.
Taking advantage of Stuart's attention being on Josephine, Steven quickly nudged him. "Gerald?"
Gerald snapped back to reality.
Josephine hadn't spoken yet, but she smelled the smoke and couldn't help but cough twice.
Gerald was a guest and was sitting in the main seat, so no one said anything about him smoking. But Josephine had a sensitive respiratory tract and couldn't stand the smell of smoke.
In the next second, Gerald stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
Steven handed him another cigarette, but Gerald shook his head.
Stuart, spotting Josephine taking a seat, pulled up a chair beside her and introduced, "Mr. Clarence, this is Josephine, whom I mentioned before. She used to be a doctor and is now doing related research."
Gerald stood up and extended his hand to Josephine, "Nice to meet you, I'm Gerald."
"Josephine," she said, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Clarence."
"Don't call me that," Gerald said, looking at her. "I'm a few years older than you; just call me Gerald."
Laura chimed in, "Come on, Mr. Clarence, isn't that a bit unfair? I've called you Mr. Clarence multiple times, and you never let me switch to Gerald!"
Gerald clarified, "My bad. You can certainly call me that if you prefer."
Josephine withdrew her hand, but Gerald's gaze remained on her.
Stuart sensed something was off and gently guided Josephine to sit down, asking, "Are you hungry? Let's eat something first."
Steven also felt a bit tense. He admitted that Josephine was very attractive, but Gerald wasn't the type to be swayed by looks.
Given Gerald's status, he had seen all kinds of beautiful women. It didn't make sense for him to be so taken aback by Josephine.
Steven quickly said to Gerald, "Gerald, we've been friends for so many years. Look, we all have partners now, and you're still single. Shouldn't you consider making a girlfriend?"
His words were a subtle reminder to Gerald that Stuart and Josephine were a couple, and he shouldn't interfere.
Gerald smiled, "I don't have any plans for that right now. I'm too busy with work, and I wouldn't want to neglect anyone I was with."
"But given your situation, you do need someone to take care of you at home, right?"
"Maybe the time just hasn't come yet," Gerald said, then turned to Josephine. "Josephine, right? Can I call you that?"
Gerald was usually reserved, especially with women, and rarely initiated conversation. When Laura was there earlier, he just greeted her and didn't say much. But now, facing Josephine, his attitude was different.
Josephine quickly said, "Of course."
Gerald asked, "Are your parents in Hustalia? What do they do?"No one saw that question coming from Gerald.
Josephine answered honestly.
Gerald nodded, "That's great. Investors like you guys have really helped boost the rapid growth of many cities in our country."
Steven chimed in, "We wouldn't dare take credit for that."
The conversation shifted, and Stuart kept chatting while making sure Josephine had everything she needed.
Josephine barely looked up, not needing to serve herself as Stuart had it all covered.
After a bit, Gerald said, "Serenity Cove Resort is opening this weekend. I'm planning to take my family there to relax. Would you all like to join us?"
Steven looked at Laura, "What do you think?"
Laura nodded, "Sure, Mr. Clarence personally invited us. We should definitely go."
Gerald turned to Josephine, "Do you have time, Josephine?"
Everyone could tell Gerald brought this up because of Josephine. If she hadn't come, he probably wouldn't have mentioned Serenity Cove Resort.
Stuart felt a bit uneasy. Could it be that Gerald, like Rex, also had a thing for Josephine?
He glanced at Josephine, who didn't seem too pressured. She said, "I've been busy lately, so I might not be free this weekend."
Gerald said, "In that case, can we add each other on WhatsApp? If you have time, you can let me know, and I'll arrange it in advance."
Stuart interjected, "I'll contact you when the time comes."
Gerald smiled, "Am I being too forward?"
"Not at all," Stuart said. "I just thought that you're so busy, and this is just a small matter..."
"It's not a small matter," Gerald said, looking at Josephine. "I just wanna see if Josephine is okay with adding me on WhatsApp."
Josephine had no choice but to take out her phone, "Sure, Mr. Clarence."
"No need to be so formal with me," Gerald said, handing her his phone. "I see you all as my younger siblings."
After Josephine finished eating, Stuart whispered a few words to her, then said, "Sorry, but Josephine and I need to pick up Jeffery, so we'll head out first."
Gerald looked at him, "Alright, take care on the way."
After Stuart and Josephine left, Gerald lit another cigarette. He took a couple of puffs and then looked at Steven, "What are Josephine's parents like?"
Steven sensed something was up; Gerald was acting a bit weird today, with all this interest in Josephine's parents.
Steven held Laura's hand, stopping her from replying. "What exactly do you wanna know?" he inquired.
Gerald said, "Tell me everything you know."
Laura wanted to speak, but Steven stopped her again. He said, "Gerald, I can tell you. Of course, I know you can find out on your own if I don't. But let me say this first..."
Before he could finish, Gerald said, "I understand what you mean. I have no other intentions towards Josephine."
Steven clearly didn't believe him.
Gerald had to say, "To be honest, my sister went missing over twenty years ago."
"What do you mean?" Laura's eyes lit up. "You don't think Josephine is your sister, do you?"
Gerald shook his head, "We did a paternity test. She's not."
Laura was immediately disappointed.
But she quickly asked, "Why did you do a paternity test? When did you meet Josephine?"
Gerald said, "You know The Campbell Family. I heard about Stuart's dealings with them, and that's when Alfonso told me that Josephine looks a lot like my grandmother."