Chapter 365 We Ask for Nothing Else
Just as they were about to get out of the car, Stuart turned to Josephine and said, "I'll take Jeffery somewhere else to play for a bit. You go ahead and meet The Clarence Family."
Josephine nodded, "Alright."
She bent down to Jeffery's level, "Be good, Jeffery. Go have some fun, and Mommy will come find you later, okay?"
Jeffery nodded.
Laura and Steven walked over.
Laura exclaimed, "Josephine! I just saw Gerald's mom! She seems so sweet!"
Nicole, nearing seventy, dressed modestly, with hints of gray at her temples, exuding a slight fragility.
Steven pulled Laura aside, "What do you mean Gerald's mom? She'll be Josephine's mom too."
"Right!" Laura said, "Anyway, I really like her. I said hi, and she gave me the warmest smile."
Stuart chimed in, "Laura, can you go with Josephine?"
Josephine added, "Yes, Laura, will you come with me?"
Laura quickly nodded, "Of course! Can I record it? This is such a special moment, it definitely needs to be captured!"
Josephine smiled, "Sure."
Steven said, "We'll wait for you here."
Gerald came over quickly, his eyes never leaving Josephine.
Over the past few days, he had uncovered the full story of Josephine's past. With each revelation, his heart broke a little more.
If Josephine hadn't gone missing, her life within The Clarence Family would have been the epitome of envy. She would have been the sole young lady of the Clarence lineage, raised in luxury from a tender age, shielded from any form of hardship.
However, Josephine's reality was starkly different. She endured a challenging childhood and was eventually taken in by the Kalmien Family.
Todd and his wife basically ignored her.
Luckily, Percy and his wife were good to Josephine.
Josephine excelled in her studies from a young age, developed in all aspects, and later got into a prestigious medical university.
Who would have thought she would marry a jerk like Stuart!
Gerald couldn't stand Todd, nor could he stand Stuart.
He felt that Todd, as a father, and Stuart, as a husband, had not fulfilled their responsibilities as men!
Trading Josephine's marriage for financial gain was a shameful act on Todd's part as a father. However, it was evident that Todd felt no remorse, only a sense of pride.
And Stuart? Not to mention his actions leading up to the divorce, but following the separation, Josephine was left pregnant, giving birth on her own, with him unable to even find her. It was utterly foolish!
That day, Todd called Gerald, who was curious about the reason for Todd's call.
Since Todd had found him, he must have known that Josephine was his biological sister.
As a result, when Gerald called back, he was almost shocked by Todd.
Todd said on the phone, "Mr. Clarence, I am Josephine's father. Even though we're not blood-related, I've been there for her all these years. The love and care in raising her mean more to me than just being her biological father. So, even if Josephine returns to The Clarence Family, you must let me continue to interact with her."
Gerald found it amusing. "Did Josephine say she wouldn't interact with you?"
Not interacting was putting it lightly; she said she wanted to sever ties. Of course, Todd wouldn't say that.
He said, "Maybe Josephine is considering your feelings, so... I know, I don't have the prestige and power of The Clarence Family, but I've been there for her for more than twenty years. It really hurts to see her actions."
Gerald said, "I'll talk to Josephine about it."
"That would be great," Todd replied, "Honestly, I didn't expect Josephine to be a child of The Clarence Family. So, our two families will be like one, right?"
Gerald responded, "We'll follow Josephine's lead on that."
Todd quickly added, "Josephine has been spoiled by us. And because of her divorce from Stuart, things got tense between us. We sympathize with her raising Jeffery on her own, but she doesn't see our intentions and hasn't visited home lately.."
Gerald, seeing through the facade, knew Todd was being dishonest. He remarked, "I'll discuss this with Josephine."
"Yes, I knew it. The Clarence Family has strict rules and good manners. It's my fault for spoiling her too much when she was young, making her this way."
If he didn't know Josephine's character and past, he might have thought she was a willful, spoiled, and unreasonable person from Todd's words.
But clearly, Todd's scheming was too obvious. Gerald understood everything. After hanging up Todd's call, Gerald sneered.
Todd, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. He said to Esther, "I don't think there's a problem. A family like The Clarence Family, even for the sake of reputation, wouldn't go against us. In the future, we'll have a strong backing. But you, as a mother, should interact more with Josephine. And Jeffery, since he's Stuart's child, you should also try to win him over. If you can't win over Josephine, winning over Jeffery should be easy, right?"
Esther was also determined, "Don't worry, there won't be any problem!"
Todd added, "Even if Josephine doesn't want to have a relationship with us, The Clarence Family will care about their reputation. They wouldn't want people to say they're ungrateful. As long as we use The Clarence Family's name, our business will definitely do better!"
Little did they know, Gerald was already aware of everything they had done. Gerald planned to discuss with Josephine and then decide how to deal with the Kalmien Family.
At this moment, his eyes were only on Josephine. He looked at her and said, "Josephine, I'll take you to see Mom."
Josephine nervously followed him.
Laura, linking arms with her, inquired, "Did you clue Nicole in on this?"
"I just said I was bringing her out to relax," Gerald said, "She hasn't been very happy all these years. But when she sees Josephine, she'll definitely feel something."
Gerald added, "By the way, my son, your nephew, is here too. His name is Ulysses Clarence, and he's eighteen."
Laura also said, "Don't worry, they'll all like you. Even patients with no blood relation like you, let alone your family."
Gerald said, "That's right, the family has been waiting for you for so many years."
"But..." Josephine said, "I might not be as good as they expect."
Gerald couldn't help but touch her hair, "Josephine, in my heart, you're the best."
Laura said, "You're not good enough? You excelled in your studies from a young age, got into the best medical university as a teenager, and whether it's surgery or research, you're way better than others. If someone like you doubts themselves, what hope is there for the rest of us?"
Gerald said, "Josephine, as long as you're healthy, that's all we could ever ask for."
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