Chapter 220 The Clingy Type
Laura laid out the situation.
Josephine took a moment, then got it.
Steven and Rex were in on it together.
Rex must've called Steven to bring her here.
Laura probably had no clue.
Josephine didn't plan to tell her, worried she'd get mad at Steven.
They were already arguing enough. Josephine didn't want to stir the pot.
Sure enough, Rex messaged her: [Can we eat now?]
Half an hour later, the four of them were at the estate's restaurant.
Rex stared right at Josephine.
She didn't look back but knew he was watching.
Laura noticed and got so mad she almost slammed the table. "What are you staring at? That's rude!"
Rex, who had a worse temper with age, didn't care. He laughed, "Josephine's attractive. Can't I?"
Laura was fuming. "Vulgar! Josephine would never go for you!"
Rex turned to Steven. "Can't you control Laura?"
Steven shrugged. "Can I?"
Rex had roped Steven into this dinner with Josephine.
They agreed that if they left right after eating, Josephine would get suspicious.
So, they waited until they were almost done, then Steven would pretend he had something to do and take Laura away.
That would leave Rex and Josephine alone to talk.
Steven didn't see why Laura hated Rex. To him, Rex was a great guy.
Rex had the background and character. Josephine should feel lucky to have him after Stuart.
Rex could stand up to Stuart, keeping him at bay.
So what if Rex had a daughter? Josephine had a son too.
Steven thought he was doing a good deed.
During the meal, Laura and Josephine sat together, whispering and ignoring the guys.
Steven knew Laura was doing it on purpose to make Rex back off.
But Rex didn't seem fazed.
Seeing Rex's determination, Steven said, "You're good at everything, but love's different."
Rex, understanding the hint, nodded. "I know what I'm doing."
At almost forty, he knew not to rush.
Halfway through, Steven's phone rang. He answered, then said, "Laura, something came up at home. We need to go."
Laura rolled her eyes. "If you need to go, go. I'm staying with Josephine."
Steven expected this. "It's a family matter. You need to come."
Laura wasn't having it. "What does your family matter have to do with me?"
Steven looked at Josephine.
Josephine spoke up, "Laura, you should go. I'll be fine."
Laura was skeptical. "What's so urgent at his place? Maybe it's a setup. We can't fall for it!"
The guys were stumped by Laura.
In the end, Josephine convinced her to leave.
Rex hadn't even said he was full yet, so Josephine couldn't just leave.
Once Laura and Steven were gone, Rex felt relieved.
He wanted to light a cigarette but held back, noticing Steven hadn't smoked either.
Steven probably refrained because of Laura.
If Steven could hold back, Rex figured he could too.
Rex joked, "Having a meal with you is really tough."
Josephine replied, "Mr. Armstrong, we're from different worlds."
Rex smiled. "I don't think so."
Josephine didn't want to argue. After all, they wouldn't meet again.
She said, "Thanks for the necklace, Mr. Armstrong. This meal is my way of saying thanks. We're even now."
Rex ignored that and asked, "What are your plans next? Aren't you following the project?"
Josephine replied, "You invested to make money. Just check the results later. We'll handle the process. No need to worry."
Rex smiled. "The more you act like this, the more interested I am. Men always want what they can't have."
Josephine shot back, "Should I throw myself at you so you lose interest? There are plenty of shameless people. I don't have time for all of them."
Rex's face darkened.
Josephine had not only humiliated him but also called him shameless to his face.
Even though he had joked about being shameless, it was different hearing it from her.
Rex's expression soured, and Josephine continued, "I'm not a teenager. I don't have time for love games. If you want to play, find someone else."
She stood up to leave.
Rex also stood up. "Alright, I misspoke. I apologize."
Anyone else would be shocked. When had Rex ever admitted he was wrong?
Even as a kid, his mom said he had a strong personality.
Now he was stumped by Josephine.
If Steven were here, he'd be surprised too.
Who would've thought Rex would go to such lengths for Josephine?
Josephine wasn't flattered. "Thanks for liking me, Mr. Armstrong. It's my fault. Let's not interfere with each other in the future."
Rex quickly said, "Don't say that. Alright, I'll back off and not make things hard for you."
Josephine asked, "And then?"
"Can we at least be friends?" Rex said, "I'm a person of some standing in Celestia Springs. If this gets out, it'll be a joke. Think about it: either we be friends and occasionally keep in touch, or I keep pursuing you and bothering you."
