Callie was taken aback. "What?"
"He is, he is..." Anita was so excited she could barely get the words out.
Callie gave her a weird look. "What's up with you?"
Anita suddenly calmed down and glanced at Callie.
Callie felt confused by her look and kept quiet.
Anita took a deep breath and then left with Bonnie.
Callie stayed silent, thinking Anita was acting really odd.
But Callie never expected that this guy was actually Josephine's real brother! Well, she got lucky this time!
The other parents who saw this scene got it too. They had been gossiping for days, thinking they were in for some big drama today. But surprise, surprise, Gerald wasn't Josephine's lover; they were siblings.
Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
But man, Jeffery's family was really something! They were easy on the eyes.
At this point, no one thought Josephine was shameless anymore.
Josephine noticed their stares returning to normal. She had to admit, sometimes words could be the sharpest weapon, even deadly.
Gerald didn't usually come to pick up Jeffery from school, but today he did and carried him forward.
Stuart and Josephine walked behind him. Stuart was so well-behaved he didn't even dare to hold Josephine's hand.
After a bit, they arrived in front of Clarence Villa.
Gerald, who had been chatting with Jeffery the whole way, turned to Stuart. "Wanna come in for a bit?"
Stuart quickly replied, "I won't bother you. I have to head to the office later."
Gerald nodded. "Alright, then we're heading home."
Jeffery waved. "Bye, Dad."
"Bye, buddy." Stuart smiled and said, "Gerald, see you around."
He finally looked at Josephine. "Take care."
Josephine nodded.
The three of them went inside, and Stuart turned to leave.
Meanwhile, Anita was telling Bonnie, "I was wrong earlier. You can play with Jeffery from now on."
"Your words are as useless as play," Bonnie grumbled.
Anita said, "I admitted my mistake. I think Jeffery is really nice."
"Yeah!" Bonnie said, "He's awesome!"
"Well, then be good friends with him."
"I will!"
Anita felt relieved. She had just remembered who Gerald was! She had seen him once at a bidding event with her husband.
Gerald had hosted a government meeting but left quickly, so Anita didn't have a strong impression. But his face was unforgettable. So she remembered.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Josephine was part of the famous Clarence Family.
Yes, the Clarence Family, the epitome of wealth and power.
Whispers of their legacy spoke of Gerald's grandparents and elders as legendary figures, each one more formidable than the last.
However, the Clarence Family was very mysterious, and she usually had no contact with them. Unexpectedly, Bonnie could attend school with a child from the Clarence Family! This was a huge opportunity!
But Anita had no intention of telling anyone else, especially Callie.
Callie was still puzzled by Anita's change in attitude. Not only that, but she also severely reprimanded Callie in several groups for her "reckless behavior without investigation."
Callie was so mad she smashed cups at home but didn't dare to say anything. She had to apologize and smile in the groups, promising not to do it again.
She didn't dare to confront Anita, so she directed all her anger towards Josephine.Josephine was the real problem. If it weren't for her, Anita wouldn't have chewed her out like that.
So the next day, when Callie saw Josephine, she shot her several dirty looks.
Josephine didn't want to deal with her at all. She had no patience for people like Callie who sneak around taking photos and spreading rumors.
Besides, Josephine was in a good mood today and didn't want to let random people ruin it.
Stuart noticed her good mood and asked, "Did you hang out with Nicole today?"
"No," Josephine said. "I was at home with Mom, cleaning out the old storage room. We found a bunch of toys that Gerald and the others played with when they were kids, and even some of my old clothes."
Stuart asked, "So that's why you're so happy?"
"Yeah. Not just that, but also because of Kathy's situation."
"Kathy?"
Josephine realized Stuart didn't know about this yet, so she quickly filled him in.
After listening, Stuart frowned and asked, "Did you ask a friend abroad for help?"
Josephine nodded, "Yeah."
Seeing his unhappy expression, Josephine asked, "What's wrong?"
Stuart said, "Did Gerald let you do that?"
"What's wrong with that?" Josephine said, "I just wanted to help Gerald."
"First of all, if that person finds out what you did and seeks revenge, what will you do?"
"That won't happen."
"Who can guarantee that?" Stuart looked at her. "Secondly, you would rather ask a friend for help than tell me about it?"
"I..." Josephine was taken aback. "I just happened to have a friend in that country, and I thought it would be more convenient."
"So, when something happens, you don't even think about letting me do anything."
"That's not it."
Stuart turned his face away, his lips pressed together, clearly unhappy.
Josephine hadn't thought of it that way. She said, "I didn't think that much."
"The fact that you didn't think of me is the biggest problem. It shows that you don't see me as someone you can rely on."
Before Stuart could finish, the kids came out of kindergarten.
Jeffery, being sensitive and perceptive, quickly noticed that something was off with his parents today.
On the way, Stuart, as usual, asked Jeffery about his day, and Jeffery answered.
When they arrived at the Clarence Villa, Josephine felt a bit guilty. "How about I come to have lunch with you tomorrow?"
Stuart said, "I have an international meeting tomorrow at noon, I can't make it."
Jeffery looked up at him. Unbelievable, Stuart actually dared to refuse Josephine's invitation? His courage had grown.
Josephine was also a bit surprised. She could only smile, "Alright, then you get busy."
After they went inside, Jeffery asked Josephine, "What's wrong with him?"
Josephine said, "He might be angry."
"How can a man be so petty?" Jeffery said, "It's embarrassing."
"You can't talk about Dad like that," Josephine said. "It's true that I didn't think things through."
Jeffery said, "Mommy is never wrong. If there's a mistake, it must be Dad's fault!"
Josephine ruffled his little head and didn't say anything more.
In the evening, Stuart didn't send any messages. Josephine felt a bit uneasy, and just then Laura sent her a message, so they started chatting.
After a while, Josephine asked Laura: [If you have something going on, would you think of Steven first and ask for his help?]
Laura: [What's wrong? Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Speaking of which, he and I had a fight about this before.]