Everyone replied: [Thanks, Mr. Haustia!]
Finally, someone in the group chat got brave and asked, [Mr. Haustia, are you celebrating something?]
Stuart saw the message and thought, finally, someone asked!
He quickly replied, [I'm in a relationship.]
Wait, what? Stuart in a relationship? He had a girlfriend? The employees were all floored.
Stuart's divorce was a huge deal back then. Recently, rumors circulated that numerous affluent families, particularly those with daughters, were attempting to establish connections with Stuart. However, he had shown no interest in the past few years.
Most people at the company had never even seen him smile. Stuart was like a workaholic robot, with nothing but work on his mind. Who could have waited for him for five years?
In those five years, many people had gotten married, Stuart remained the lone bachelor, leading many to believe he would stay single forever. However, unexpectedly, Stuart was now in a relationship.
Was it the kind of relationship they were thinking of? Who was this amazing person who managed to snag him?
The employees in the group chat were bursting with curiosity. But since it was about Stuart, they just congratulated him and didn't dare to ask more.
Stuart finally shared the good news. Seeing the screen filled with well-wishes for him and Josephine, he was over the moon.
A shareholder who was close to him called right away, "Stuart, you're in a relationship?"
The shareholder was much older than him. Stuart laughed, "Yep."
The shareholder chuckled too, "It's about time you found someone. I was even thinking of introducing my friend's daughter to you, but I guess that's not needed now."
"Thanks," Stuart said, "but I don't need it."
"What does your girlfriend's family do?" the shareholder inquired, concerned about the impact of his relationship on the company's stock.
"You all know her," Stuart said. "She's my ex-wife, Josephine."
The shareholder was stunned, "You two got back together?"
Stuart confirmed it.
The shareholder asked again, "I heard the youngest daughter of The Clarence Family was found. Is it her? Is this true?"
"Indeed," Stuart confirmed. "She is indeed from The Clarence Family."
Relieved, the shareholder exclaimed, "Wonderful news! When can we meet Josephine?"
Stuart clarified, "My relationship with her isn't because of her family background."
The shareholder responded, "I understand. Yet, her lineage is advantageous! Strong alliances will surely benefit our company's future success!"
After hanging up, Stuart's joy was a bit dampened. He picked up his phone and sent a message to Josephine: [No matter if you're The Clarence Family's daughter or not, my feelings won't change.]
During lunch, Josephine read the message and found Stuart's words somewhat peculiar.
She was well aware that when Stuart had previously pleaded for her forgiveness, no one was aware of her status as a member of The Clarence Family.
Even though Stuart's message seemed a bit random, Josephine thought for a moment and replied with a cute emoji.
Stuart kept staring at his phone, even during meetings. When he saw her message, he immediately called her.
"Are you done?" he asked.
Josephine answered with a smile, "I was just about to have lunch."
"Did Nicole bring you lunch?"
Since both of them used to bring lunch, Josephine no longer allowed Stuart to do so, prioritizing Nicole's feelings. He refrained from competing with Nicole for the opportunity to demonstrate care.
"She did," Josephine said, looking at the abundant lunch in front of her, feeling a bit helpless. "She brings it every day."
"Then enjoy your meal," Stuart said. "Can we video chat?"
Josephine asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"
"I just finished a meeting. I'll have them bring my meal up, and we can eat together."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Stuart sent a video call. Josephine unconsciously tidied her hair before answering.
They hadn't video chatted much before. It was only recently that they sometimes video chatted because of Jeffery. A one-on-one video chat was indeed rare.
Stuart looked at her without blinking, "You should eat."
Josephine said, "How can I eat with you staring at me?"
Stuart laughed, "Then you can look at me too."
Josephine said, "We're eating, how can we look at each other?"
Stuart said, "Then don't look, just eat."
"You too."
"You don't understand," Stuart said. "Looking at you makes me eat more."
"Why?"
"Because you're so beautiful."
Josephine was stunned, then burst into laughter.
"I'm telling the truth," Stuart said. "I had a great appetite this morning."
Josephine, still smiling, said, "You should eat more. You've lost a lot of weight compared to before."
Stuart quickly looked at his arm. "A lot? Does it look bad?" He was worried Josephine would dislike him.
"If you maintain a regular schedule and eat well, your weight will come back quickly," Josephine said. "You're too thin now."
"Okay," Stuart said. "I got it."
Shortly after, Stuart's meal arrived, and as they chatted, he displayed a hearty appetite, consuming a substantial amount of food.
"In the future, if we can't eat together, can we video chat?"
Josephine said, "Sure."
Stuart looked at her, "Josephine, can we meet tonight?"
Even through the screen, Josephine could feel the intensity in his eyes. She lowered her eyes and started tidying up the table. "It might be late. I don't know when I'll be done."
"It's okay, I'll wait for you."
"Don't wait downstairs," Josephine said. "I'll come to you after I'm done, and we can see Jeffery too."
"No, I'll pick you up."
Seeing his insistence, Josephine had to say, "Then I'll message you half an hour before I'm done, and you can come over."
"Okay."
Putting down his phone, Stuart began to look forward to the evening. He called Ronald in.
Ronald naturally knew about Stuart and Josephine being together. With Stuart in a good mood, life was much easier for his subordinates.
"Help me order a bouquet of flowers for tonight," Stuart instructed. "Roses, make it beautiful, a big bouquet... never mind, I'll go see for myself."
Stuart finished speaking and got up to get his clothes.
Ronald smiled, "There's a flower shop right next to our company. You can check it out there."
Stuart put on his clothes and asked him, "Have you ever courted a girl?"
Ronald smiled wryly, "Mr. Haustia, I'm already married, and you even gave a big gift."
"Oh, I forgot," Stuart said. "Then you must have experience. Besides flowers, what else can I give?"
Ronald said, "Anything can be a gift. Girls like flowers, bags, clothes, all of it."
Stuart said, "I'll go check it out this afternoon."
"You have a meeting this afternoon."
"You host it."
Ronald remained silent. Why did it feel like Stuart was too busy with his relationship to work?
Stuart bought the gifts and began to look forward to the evening.