Chapter 303 The Deepest Yearning in the Heart
Laura scoffed, "Parents like that, if you don't deal with them, what's the point of keeping them around?"
Stuart frowned, "No matter what, they're still Josephine's family."
"Family? JJosephine may see them that way, but they've never acted like it! When she needed them most, they turned a blind eye and even took the wrong side. What kind of family does that?"
Stuart stayed quiet. While dealing with Todd might be within his capabilities, Todd was still Josephine's father.
Laura sighed, "Forget it, I see you don't have the guts."
Stuart kept his silence. Was this really about guts? Honestly, if it weren't for him, Todd's company wouldn't have gotten so many projects.
Stuart said, "I'll talk it over with Josephine."
"Can't you just surprise her?"
A surprise? Like, "Hey Josephine, your family's bankrupt." Stuart was speechless.
In his mind, Laura, aside from being loyal and genuinely good to Josephine, didn't have many redeeming qualities.
As a woman, she wasn't reserved at all and even took Josephine to clubs to pick up guys. Just thinking about it made Stuart want to punch something. He couldn't understand how Steven put up with her.
Seeing him not speaking, Laura didn't push further. But she warned, "Don't you dare bully Josephine again. If you make her sad, I won't let you off!"
After that, she pulled out her phone, copied something from her notes, and sent it to Stuart.
Stuart checked his phone and was pleasantly surprised, "What's this?"
Laura snorted, "Don't forget about dealing with Todd!" Then she left.
Looking at the file on his phone, Stuart suddenly felt Laura wasn't entirely useless. The stuff she sent him was like gold.
The information was detailed, covering Josephine's daily habits, likes, and dislikes.
By the end, Stuart's smile faded.
The last line listed Josephine's most hated person, and Laura had written: Stuart!!!!]
There were several exclamation marks after his name. Anyone who didn't know would think they had a huge grudge.
Stuart knew Laura was joking. If Josephine really hated him that much and had no feelings for him, Laura wouldn't have sent him this info.
Laura treating him this way was, in a way, a good sign.
Reflecting on the recent kiss, he could tell that despite Josephine turning him down, there were underlying emotions at play.
Yet, dwelling on it proved unsettling, stirring up uncontrollable sensations within him.
After all, he had been celibate for over five years and was feeling unsatisfied.
But he also knew that physical needs were secondary. More importantly, he wanted Josephine from the depths of his heart.
It was like half of his heart was missing, and only being with Josephine could make it whole.
Unfortunately, he realized this too late.
No, it wasn't too late now. He still had a chance!
Stuart strode in the direction Josephine had left. When he arrived, he saw Josephine with Liam, and Jeffery was beside them.
The three of them really looked like a family. Stuart had always been jealous of Liam, jealous of his closeness with Josephine.
From childhood to now, Liam had always been one of the most important people in Josephine's heart.
Unexpectedly, even now, Stuart was still jealous. If you count it, he had been jealous of Liam many times.
Seeing Stuart approaching, Liam nodded as a greeting.
Jeffery also obediently called out, "Stuart."
Only Josephine turned her face away without speaking. But Stuart keenly noticed that her earlobes were red. He knew she was still shy.
He didn't want others to misunderstand that Liam and they were the real family, so he sat directly next to Josephine and asked, "Jeffery, did you go swimming?"
Jeffery was still wearing his swim cap, with his goggles perched on his head. He was good-looking, with delicate features, and even with the swim cap on, his attractiveness wasn't diminished.He nodded, "Yeah, I did."
"Jeffery, you're amazing, being able to swim at such a young age."
Jeffery said, "My godfather comes to find me abroad every year. He taught me."
Stuart glanced at Liam.
Liam was truly capable. When Josephine left, Stuart had searched all over the United States but couldn't find her. He never stopped keeping an eye on Liam, and yet Liam still managed to find an opportunity.
If he had known where Josephine was earlier, he might have already won her over by now.
Considering it from this angle, Liam and Josephine were truly incompatible. Otherwise, after five years, they wouldn't have remained merely friends.
Contemplating this, Stuart recalled his past doubts regarding their relationship. Why didn't he understand back then that if Liam and Josephine really had something, there would be no place for him? It was a pity he only realized this now.
But even so, it couldn't stop him from being jealous.
Stuart asked, "So, Jeffery, do you want to learn more? I know some things too, like tennis, soccer, basketball, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu."
Josephine interrupted him, "Why are you telling Jeffery all this? I'll arrange his activities."
Stuart felt a bit down, "Oh, I see."
Liam glanced over.
Josephine lowered her eyes guiltily. She just instinctively wanted Stuart to have less contact with Jeffery. If Stuart found out that Jeffery was his child, Josephine still hadn't figured out how to explain it.
Seeing Jeffery blink, she stood up. "Jeffery, I'll take you back to the room to rest."
He had just been swimming, and wearing contact lenses might be uncomfortable.
Stuart promptly offered, "I'll take you there."
But Josephine didn't want him to follow, she said, "No need, didn't you bring your subordinates? Why don't you go find them?"
After saying that, she took Jeffery and left.
Stuart was in a daze for a while. When he looked back, he saw that Liam had already found a nearby hot spring pool and got in.
Stuart walked over. Liam heard the noise and opened his eyes to look at him.
The hot spring pool was round, and Stuart got in from the other side.
After sitting down, he looked at Liam and said, "I'm sorry."
Liam looked at him in surprise, "You're apologizing to me? That's rare."
"I'm really sorry for having bad thoughts about you before and even getting physical," Stuart said. "You're Josephine's best friend, and she treats you like family. I hope we can get along well in the future."
Liam was genuinely surprised by Stuart's unexpected gesture of bowing to him. After all, they had been arch-enemies since childhood. Even without Josephine, they couldn't stand each other.
Liam said, "I'm not used to you being like this."
Stuart added, "I know you all have issues with me. I was indeed a jerk before. But I'll change. I'll be good to Josephine, for the rest of my life."
Liam said nothing. Stuart also felt a bit awkward. Indeed, if it weren't for Josephine, he and Liam probably would never reconcile in this lifetime.
After a brief pause, Stuart inquired,, "So, why haven't you found a girlfriend at your age? Is there some hidden issue?"
Liam gritted his teeth, "Stuart! Do you want to get punched?"
Indeed, they were just naturally incompatible, weren't they? Stuart offered an apology, yet a sense of injustice lingered within him. Despite their years of conflict, the sudden act of submission felt awkward.
But teasing Liam like this instantly lifted his mood. "So why don't you find a woman?" As far as he knew, there wasn't even a woman who had close contact with Liam.
Liam said, "I'm busy with surgeries every day. Where do I have time to date a woman?"
Stuart said, "But you still need to date one. Otherwise, if some functions aren't used for a long time, I'm afraid they'll become useless."
Liam sneered, "So, Mr. Haustia, does that mean you've dated plenty of women in the past five years? Your functions must be well-maintained."
Stuart immediately got anxious, "Hold on, don't jump to conclusions!"
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