Stuart felt good about getting the same treatment as Josephine's bestie.
Out of nowhere, Roy blurted, "Josephine, why'd you let him in? Just looking at him ruins my appetite."
Josephine sighed, "Roy, I told you last night, Stuart's my boyfriend. Remember what you promised me?"
Roy looked a bit reluctant, "But I need some time to get used to it."
Back when they were abroad, even though Josephine turned him down, Roy always stuck around, even helping her take care of Jeffery.
There were occasions when Jeffery had a fever at night, and Roy, who accompanied them to the hospital, made Josephine feel indebted to him.
She kept trying to convince Roy not to waste his time on her, but she couldn't get through to him.
She even thought about ignoring him, distancing herself, hoping he'd eventually give up. But Roy was the kind of guy who, once he set his mind on something, wouldn't back down. No matter how hard Josephine tried to ignore him, he would still show up with a smile, leaving her feeling quite helpless.
She had laid it all out for him last night. Roy had seemed to grasp her words, giving Josephine the impression that he had accepted them. However, his unchanged behavior the next day revealed that Roy had only understood her words on a surface level.
Josephine felt utterly powerless.
When the two guys walked into the house, the once spacious living room seemed to shrink instantly.
Stuart headed to the kitchen on his own, while Roy, a step behind, couldn't help but say to Josephine, "He's suddenly acting so nice, let's see how long that lasts!"
Josephine rubbed her forehead, "What did you buy?"
"All your favorite foods!" Roy quickly put the items on the dining table. "You can only eat what I bought!"
Josephine asked, "Have you thought about when you're going back home?"
"I just got here, and you're already trying to send me away?"
"I'm not trying to send you away," Josephine said, "Roy, you really deserve a better girl."
"In my heart, you're the best girl," Roy looked at her, "Josephine, if I were a painter, you'd be my muse. If I were a fish, you'd be the water that gives me life."
Stuart walked out just in time to hear Roy's heartfelt confession.
Who knew where he learned these lines, they sounded pretty awkward, but he said them with great enthusiasm.
After all, Roy was a foreigner, and Josephine knew his personality. In order to improve communication with her, he had dedicated much time to learning Veridianian. While their daily interactions had improved, he still occasionally stumbled upon odd sentences, which he would then recite to Josephine.
Nowadays, who confessed like this? But he didn't know that. He thought these sentences were quite beautiful. They perfectly expressed his current feelings.
Stuart walked over with a plate of food, glanced at him.
Josephine noticed that the atmosphere between the two had been pretty tense, but Stuart's glance seemed to carry a hint of sympathy.
Seeing that Josephine had no reaction, Roy finally stopped talking. He saw Stuart and felt pretty pleased with himself because he had said beautiful words, and Stuart had said nothing. In this round, he had won!
After a tough breakfast, Josephine had to go to the research institute.
Roy quickly said, "I'll take you."
Stuart took a deep breath and said, "Then I'll pick you up in the evening."
He intended to fetch Josephine and bring her back to Haustia Manor, ensuring that Roy wouldn't even catch a glimpse of her!
On the way to the institute, Josephine said, "Roy, since I chose him, I won't regret it."
"He's just not the one for you. If he was, you two wouldn't have split up in the first place."
Josephine replied, "There were a lot of reasons we broke up back then. All I can say is, I'm sorry."
"You don't owe me an apology. I won't give you a hard time, but I'll be keeping an eye on things to see if he truly makes you happy."
Josephine sighed, "Why bother?"
"This isn't a waste of time," Roy said, "I'm still young, you don't have to worry about me."
"Just don't let me affect your work."
"Got it."
Josephine rarely finished work early in the afternoon, and Stuart took her straight back to Haustia Manor.
Jeffery had been staying with the Haustia Family and Andrew for the past few days, and Josephine hadn't seen him for a while. When they met, they couldn't help but chat for a bit.
Jeffery told her a lot, mostly about the Clarence Family.
He talked about how nice Nicole was to him, how Gerald indulged him in everything, and even Ulysses gave him his favorite toy.
Josephine followed his lead and told him many principles and truths about life. Even with the closest people, Jeffery shouldn't take their kindness for granted. One must learn to be grateful.
Jeffery listened and nodded obediently.
Stuart knocked and came in, bringing them some fruit, but didn't interrupt the mother-son conversation, quietly listening from the side.
When Josephine finished, he said, "Josephine, thank you."
"Thank me?" Josephine glanced at the fruit plate. "I should be thanking you, right?"
"No, I mean, thank you for raising Jeffery so well," Stuart said, "He understands reason, distinguishes right from wrong, and is smart and adorable."
Josephine patted Jeffery's hair and said, "Some things don't need to be taught; it's in Jeffery's genes. He learns everything quickly."
When Josephine said Jeffery had good genes, wasn't she complimenting him as the father?
Stuart smiled, "Anyway, Jeffery is the best kid in the world, no doubt about it!"
Jeffery looked at him and said, "Mommy said we should be humble."
Stuart laughed, "Yes, we should be humble."
Jeffery checked the time and said, "Mommy, I need to practice my writing!"
"Go ahead."
After Jeffery left, Stuart sighed, "It feels like a dream. Now, you're back, and you brought Jeffery with you."
Josephine also felt emotional. "It's been over five years in the blink of an eye, and Jeffery is already four." She looked at Stuart, "Do you want Jeffery to call you Dad?"
tuart was shocked; he had pondered it but didn't feel entitled to broach the subject.
From pregnancy to birth, from infancy to learning to walk, he hadn't been involved at all in Jeffery's growth. What right did he have to ask Jeffery to call him Dad?
He shook his head. "No need to hurry. I owe a lot to both you and Jeffery. Especially Jeffery, I've never looked after him, I'm not a proper dad."
"You weren't before, but you can be in the future," Josephine said. "Alright, I also think it's better to let things happen naturally."
Josephine decided to gauge Jeffery's feelings first. Springing the "Dad" title on him suddenly might make Jeffery uncomfortable. However, she was surprised to see Jeffery adjust to the change swiftly.