Chapter 368 Feeling the Pressure
Ulysses squatted down too. "Hey Jeffery, I'm Ulysses. From now on, we're family!"
Jeffery nodded. "I'm Jeffery."
Ulysses turned to his dad. "Dad, what about Aunt Josephine and Jeffery's last name..."
Gerald shot him a look. Was this really the time to bring that up? They were all back together now, and the last name wasn't the big deal. It was just a formality.
They should ask Josephine what she wanted. If she wanted to change it, cool. If not, no biggie. The Clarence family didn't sweat the small stuff.
Gerald got where Todd was coming from though. Todd thought since the Kalmien Family had raised Josephine, the Clarence Family would certainly not want to sour relations with them. Given the family's prominence and Gerald's political career, upholding their reputation and dignity was paramount for the Clarence Family.
But that was just Todd's take. The Clarence Family was super protective and didn't care much about formalities. Todd just didn't get that.
Nicole and Josephine chatted for a bit, with Nicole still holding Josephine's hand. After a while, Nicole finally looked at the others.
Josephine quickly introduced them, "Mom, this is my best friend, Laura. And this is her boyfriend, Steven."
Laura greeted them confidently, "Hey there!"
Steven chimed in, "Hi."
Nicole smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you! Since you're Josephine's best friend, you're like family to me too. I didn't bring a gift today, but I'll make it up to you."
She then turned to Steven, "You're Steven, right? I think I've heard Gerald mention you."
Steven nodded quickly, "Yeah, I've known Gerald for a long time."
Gerald added, "He's my buddy. Mom, look, we're all tied to Josephine."
Nicole nodded, "Of course, Josephine is my daughter, how could we not be connected."
As she spoke, memories of the past twenty years flooded back, and she felt tears welling up again.
Concerned for her mother's well-being, Josephine swiftly shifted gears. "Mom, this is Stuart, Jeffery's dad."
This was the first time Josephine acknowledged Stuart's role in front of everyone.
Of course, she had already talked to Jeffery about it.
She found out that Jeffery had known Stuart was his dad for a while.
Josephine was shocked and asked, "How did you know?!"
Jeffery shrugged, "I guessed. It was pretty obvious."
Josephine was stunned. She thought she had hidden it well. But Jeffery had figured it out long ago.
Josephine calmed down and asked Jeffery if he minded others knowing about Stuart being his dad. Jeffery responded nonchalantly that he didn't mind his dad being known, as long as his mom remained unchanged. Upon hearing this, Josephine felt a blend of melancholy and amusement.
So today, she acknowledged Stuart's role in front of everyone. But to her, Stuart was just Jeffery's dad and nothing more.
Stuart was taken aback, looking at Josephine in disbelief.
Nicole looked at him, her face losing its earlier joy. "You're Stuart? The one who divorced Josephine?"
Stuart wanted to say something, but he froze. How was he supposed to respond to that?
Gerald didn't have a high opinion of Stuart either, but it wasn't the time to be harsh with so many people around. He quickly said, "Mom, that was ages ago. We're in front of Jeffery, let's keep it down."
Nicole waved Jeffery over. "Jeffery, come here."
Jeffery walked over and sat next to her. She smiled warmly at him. "Jeffery, you're such a good kid. You must have had it tough growing up with Josephine. But from now on, Grandma's got you, and with Gerald and Ulysses around, you won't be alone."
Jeffery nodded obediently. "Thank you, Grandma."
Stuart tried to speak up, "Nicole, in the past, I..."
Josephine cut him off, "Let's not dwell on the past."
She turned to Nicole, "Mom, everyone's so happy today. Shouldn't we celebrate?"
Nicole's face lit up when Josephine called her mom. "Absolutely! We must celebrate!" She turned to Gerald. "Gerald, have someone bring Josephine's belongings!"
Gerald nodded, "Sure, I'll get them sent over."
Josephine appeared puzzled. "What things?"
Nicole explained, "Your stuff. Our family has a rule that every child gets shares in the family business from birth, and you have yours too. Plus, your dad transferred his private assets to you before he passed away. We've also kept all your birthday gifts over the years."
"Mom, those aren't urgent," Josephine said quickly. "I don't need them."
"Whether you want them or not, they're yours," Nicole insisted. "It's part of being a Miss of the Clarence Family. Unless you don't want to be my daughter?"
"Of course not, but..."
"Josephine," Gerald interjected, "Everyone in our family has them, including Ulysses."
Ulysses chimed in, "Yeah, yeah. My birthday gift was a model airplane, while Josephine's was a real airplane."
Gerald gave him a light smack on the head.
Ulysses insisted, "I swear it's true! Last year, you got a private jet with Josephine's nickname on it!"
Laura was curious, "What's the nickname?"
Nicole smiled, "It's Lily. She was so well-behaved as a child, rarely cried, and was so cute and well-mannered that everyone adored her."
Laura couldn't help but laugh at the thought of a private jet named Lily. She whispered to Steven, "Stuart must be feeling the pressure."
Steven nodded, "With a family like Josephine's, what guy wouldn't feel the pressure?"
Laura glanced at Stuart sympathetically. Stuart stood there, lips tightly pressed, not saying a word.
For the Clarence Family, this was a big deal.
Today, only Nicole, Gerald, and Ulysses were there to meet her. Gerald had another brother, the second in the Clarence Family, who was still abroad.
They had dinner together at the resort, but Nicole barely ate, spending the whole time looking at Josephine and serving her food. She also took care of Jeffery.
Gerald said, "Mom, don't do that, you're making Josephine uncomfortable."
Josephine quickly said, "It's okay, Gerald."
She then served Nicole a bowl of soup. "Mom, you eat too."
Nicole's eyes welled up again. "If your dad were alive to see this, he would be so happy."
Gerald said, "Mom, it's a happy day, let's not go there."
"Okay, okay, I won't say it." Nicole looked at Stuart, then back at the table. "Let's talk about Lily's marriage."
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