Chapter 2

[Draft me a divorce agreement. The husband is at serious fault. I want you to fight for as much of the assets as possible for me.] Josephine sent the photos over.

The lawyer quickly replied, [No problem.]

After hanging up, Josephine sank into confusion.

The truth had hit without warning, pressing down on her until she could barely breathe. She didn't know where to go or what to do next.

She drove aimlessly until she stopped in front of a bar.

Josephine rushed inside and ordered the strongest drink they had. After a few glasses, a burning sensation surged from her stomach to her throat.

It made her uncomfortable, but it also scattered the suffocating feeling wrapped around her heart.

Her whole body felt light and floaty. The noisy music grated on her ears.

Josephine barely held onto consciousness, paid her tab, and turned to leave.

"Hey beautiful, all alone?"

Suddenly, several thugs surrounded her, their eyes roaming over Josephine brazenly. The leader even reached out to touch her face.

"Don't touch me!" Josephine frowned, instinctively trying to dodge.

The thug grinned wickedly and moved closer, this time trying to grab her and drag her outside.

Before he could touch her, a cold voice cut through the air.

"Stop."

Josephine's attention was drawn.

She squinted at the newcomer. He wore a dark shirt, his features bearing four or five parts resemblance to Gideon, yet somehow more refined and aloof.

Like a deity looking down from above.

Who... who was he? He looked so familiar.

Josephine's muddled brain struggled to think.

"Sister-in-law."

The man approached and called her calmly.

A flash of recognition struck Josephine, and she finally remembered his identity—Gideon's younger brother, Cornelius Carnegie.

"I'm not your sister-in-law." She shook her head in denial, her eyes filling with faint moisture and mockery. "I'm not anyone's sister-in-law. Your sister-in-law... was replaced long ago..."

Hearing this, the thugs burst out laughing. "Hear that? She doesn't want to be your sister-in-law."

"That's right. She's... waiting to be our woman..."

As they laughed uproariously, a figure suddenly flew sideways, crashing into a glass table with a deafening sound.

Cornelius stood in place, slowly retracting the left foot he'd just used to kick someone. His voice was cold. "If you don't want to die, get lost."

The thugs' expressions changed immediately. They exchanged glances, then charged at Cornelius with raised fists. "You punk, I'll kill you!"

Cornelius's eyes darkened slightly. He sidestepped the punch, grabbed the arm of a thug beside him, raised his knee, and kicked hard into his abdomen.

Taking advantage of his pain, Cornelius grabbed a bottle and smashed it over the head of the guy charging at the front.

Blood gushed out, instantly hitting pause on the chaotic scene.

"Get lost!" Cornelius said coldly.

The thugs didn't dare approach again. They looked at Cornelius fearfully before finally backing away.

Josephine looked around and walked toward the exit on unsteady feet. But the next second, she tripped and fell straight toward the ground.

Just as a cry escaped her lips, a hand appeared at her waist, steadying her firmly.

"Careful." The man's low voice came.

Josephine fell into Cornelius's arms. She frowned slightly, about to break free when he suddenly scooped her up horizontally. "Sister-in-law, I'll take you home."

"No—I don't want to go home!"

Josephine immediately struggled, but Cornelius remained unmoved.

He placed her in the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. Unable to break free, Josephine suddenly went quiet.

She stared at Cornelius intently.

Light and shadow danced outside the car window, making the man's features appear even more ethereal.

Cornelius frowned slightly under her gaze. He looked up, about to speak.

"You—"

Just as he parted his lips, drunk Josephine suddenly lunged forward and hugged him.

Cool lips pressed against his. Before Cornelius could react, Josephine tentatively stuck out her tongue and licked him lightly, then asked, "Tonight, want to have sex?"

Cornelius's pupils dilated sharply. He pulled Josephine away firmly. "Sister-in-law, don't fool around."

Fool around?

How was she fooling around?

Why could Gideon cheat outside while she had to stay like an idiot guarding this marriage in name only, making his life complete!

Josephine grabbed Cornelius's collar, looking at him stubbornly. "Yes or no? If not, I'll find someone else."

The woman's bold and forceful words made Cornelius's eyes narrow sharply.

He lifted his gaze slightly. His look at Josephine suddenly took on a strong, predatory quality.

In the cramped car, their breaths easily intertwined, weaving an ambiguous atmosphere. Invisibly, something seemed ready to ignite at any moment.

"You're sure, my sister-in-law?" Cornelius paused between each word, his dark eyes like a beast capturing prey, full of aggression.

Josephine squinted and slowly leaned closer to Cornelius. Her warm breath sprayed on his skin like premium aphrodisiac, making his blood rush rapidly to his lower body. Sensing the surging desire in his eyes, she nodded lightly, giving permission for him to approach. He bent down uncontrollably, his burning lips moving down from her neck, leaving several kiss marks of varying depths on her beautiful collarbone—ambiguous marks especially prominent on her skin.

"I certainly—"

The woman's soft words sounded in his ear. Before she finished, Cornelius felt a sudden weight on his shoulder.

He thought Josephine was pulling some new trick. He waited patiently for a moment, only to find the breathing at his neck becoming steady.

Cornelius glanced sideways and discovered Josephine had fallen into a deep sleep. Probably uncomfortable, she mumbled and shifted her head, her hair brushing against his skin and bringing a ticklish sensation.

Cornelius laughed through his anger.

"You're really something."

He placed her back in the passenger seat and hit the gas, heading straight for a hotel.

The next day, Josephine opened her eyes from her hangover. Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, memories from before she got drunk came flooding back, jolting her mostly awake.

How could she have said such things to Cornelius?

What happened after?

Did they cross any lines?

Josephine's heart was filled with regret, but the situation had come to an end and she could no longer stay in the hotel.

She quickly pulled herself together. On the way home, after much deliberation, she sent Cornelius a message: [Don't tell your brother about last night.]

The message went out. No reply came for a long time.

Josephine felt anxious, so much so that when she got home and saw Gideon, her expression slipped a bit.

"Why are you here?" she blurted out.

Gideon's expression wasn't great. "Where were you? Since when did you start staying out all night?"

Staying out all night?

Josephine found it laughable. He was the one who'd stopped coming home first, yet now he was turning it around to accuse her. What a double standard.

Suddenly, as if seeing something, Gideon grabbed Josephine's arm roughly.

"Josephine, what is this?"