“One part is mine,” Joseph laughed in the face of Kathy’s expression.
Kathy shrugged. Getting out of bed, the two of them sat at the table. Joseph poured her soup, and
added condiments for her, his ministrations precise and gentle. Kathy was at a loss. One day he’d treat
another woman like this. The thought wrenched at her.
Impulsively she asked, “Hasn’t Grandfather pushed you to remarry?” She remembered that when she’d
become part of their household, Grandfather had been quite nervous about their marriage.
“He hasn’t been around, so no.”
“Oh.”
“You really want me to remarry?” he feigned hurt.
She furrowed her brow. “Not really.”
“Why?”
“No reason,” Kathy replied, and left it at that. The thought of him marrying another woman was torture
for her.
“If you don’t want me to, I won’t,” he told her seriously.
Hearing this, she looked up, unable to hide her surprise. “It’s your affair, not mine,” she said evenly,
concealing her joy.
“Is that so?” Joseph asked, giving her a long hard look.
Kathy felt she could hide nothing from him. “Of course it is. Or else what?” she countered.
He laughed lowly. “I don’t want to hurt my ex-wife.”
“You won’t,” she insisted.
He stayed with her till that evening, to the point where she asked him, “Won’t you go home?”
He quirked a brow. “Won’t you be scared here all alone?” The room was VIP, quite large, yet felt cold
and empty.
“No.”
“All right. Then I’ll go.” With that, he prepared to leave.
Seeing this, Kathy’s face crumpled. Just the sight of him walking away was torment. “Don’t,” she said
before she could stop herself.
Joseph stopped in his tracks, turned, and asked pointedly, “What?”
“Stay here,” she forced herself to say.
“If I keep you company here, how will you make it up to me?” he asked, bending at the waist till they
were eye-level.
His handsome figure enchanted her. She swallowed hard, her face turning red. He was enticing her on
purpose! Regaining her senses, she said, “I got hurt at your company, shouldn’t you take
responsibility?”
“All right. How?” he asked patiently.
At this, she stared. What had she gotten herself into? “Well, of course you…” But before she could
finish, a searing kiss had covered her lips, a familiar scent filling her nose. Her eyes went wide in
shock. He settled her against the head of the bed, wrapped her up in his arms.
Once she snapped out of it, she wanted to push him away, but the kiss didn’t last long anyway.
Breathing deeply, she forced herself to say, “Get away from me.” The closer he got, the greater his
charm was.
He smirked. “All right. Just couldn’t help myself.” Kathy grabbed a tissue to scrub at her lips. He didn’t
even look, just went to sit on the sofa and said deeply, “Since your getting hurt involves me, I’ll stay
with you.”
Kathy turned away, a bit angry. A tense atmosphere permeated the room, yet even so, she gradually
drifted to sleep. Joseph watched as her eyelids fluttered shut.
Just then, Bertie arrived. Seeing Joseph, he stopped short. “For you to be here isn’t quite appropriate.”
“And your being here is more appropriate?” Joseph inquired coolly.
“I’m Kathy’s friend, while you’re her ex-husband.”
“Friend?” Joseph chewed this over, smiled coldly. “Has she said as much?” He had never once heard
Kathy mention Bertie as a friend. At this, Bertie’s complexion changed, and his hands balled into fists.
Authoritatively Joseph said, “I’ll stay here tonight.”
“I will too,” countered Bertie, sitting on an opposite end of the sofa.
Their noise had already woken Kathy, but she didn’t want to open her eyes. Yet with them both there,
how could she sleep?
“Kathy, who do you want to stay with you?” Joseph asked, knowing she was awake.
There was no use feigning sleep any longer. Opening her eyes to see both handsome men, she felt
prickles along her scalp. Evenly she said, “Both of you should go.”
“All right. Get some rest.” Joseph stood and left.
Yet Bertie, his expression determined, did not. Sternly Kathy said, “Bertie, I’m tired. Can you leave?”
“You really don’t want to see me at all?”
“That’s right,” she replied immediately. She wanted no contact with him. Once the room was quiet, for
some reason she couldn’t fall asleep. All she could think of was Joseph’s kiss, and the infatuation it
instilled in her.
Outside her door, Joseph leaned against the wall, watching Bertie exit. Bertie asked with narrowed
eyes, “What, have you still got feelings for Kathy?”
“Are you very interested in my affairs?”
“I am in Kathy’s.”
Coldly Joseph asked, “Does she desire your concern?”
“I’ll wait for her.”
The two men stood there all morning. The next morning, Joseph did not go in again, but Bertie went to
buy breakfast. When he returned, he found Kathy’s room empty. From a nurse he learned that she’d
already been discharged.
Then he saw her, and was quite surprised. “I thought you had to remain a few days longer?”
“I got a checkup this morning, and applied to leave.” Her face was haggard, her eyes rimmed with
circles.
Bertie asked with concern, “Have you not slept well? Are you not used to being here?”
“It’s fine.” She yawned a bit, then prepares to go to class.
“You can’t go to class like this,” Bertie said, blocking her. “Sleep a while. I’ll help you ask for leave from
the professor.”
She waved a hand. “I’m fine. I’ll just get some coffee.”
…
Because the Josephs’ Group’s lab was currently under construction, drug development was temporarily
being pursued at Ocean University’s lab. The Josephs’ Group had invested in the building long ago,
and now many of its researchers worked here every day.
Kathy brought Professor Watson over to inspect the lab, and ran into many familiar colleagues, yet
none acknowledged her. She felt a bit awkward. Because it was a coastal university, every day the
university’s conditions had to be recorded.
Amy has already been fired, and now another coworker, Claire Fleming, has taken over the project.
Seeing Kathy, she didn’t look pleased, yet Kathy had no choice but go over and ask her about their
situation.
Evenly Claire said, “Whatever you want to know, wouldn’t asking Joseph be more direct?”
Kathy frowned. “But he’s not here, is he?”
“We’ll report to him.” Obviously Claire didn’t want to deal with her, yet Professor Watson was waiting for
her to report back.
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