Chapter 323: Chapter 1791-1800

After sending the email, Josephine waited for the sender to take the bait. A message appeared on Selena’s phone. Even though she sent the email anonymously, she could still receive replies from it.

When she saw that the TV station had replied to her, she grabbed her phone in a panic, then got up and went out.

When Josephine saw Selena getting up and leaving the table, she was almost certain that Selena was the perpetrator. This time, she would catch Selena.

Josephine got up with her phone in hand as well. Then, she followed Selena to the lawn outside.

Selena was sitting on a bench on the lawn while looking at her phone. When she opened the email and read it, she couldn’t help feeling surprised and elated for a few seconds. She didn’t think she would be rewarded for submitting something.

Could it be a cash reward? Selena was in dire need of money right now, so she would never pass up the chance to get any.

She quickly memorized the phone number stated in the email; she wanted to ask how much money she could get at once.

Selena dialed the number and waited for the person to pick up. Meanwhile, Josephine was holding her phone which was on silent mode. Just then, a call came in.

Josephine’s red lips curved into a sneer. As she picked up the phone, she walked toward Selena.

As soon as the call went through, Selena asked anxiously, “Hello, I heard that your company gives out rewards for submissions, am I right?”

“Yes, that’s true,” Josephine answered enthusiastically as she walked toward Selena.

Selena had no idea that Josephine was walking over to her from behind. She just wanted to know how much money she could get as a reward, so she continued asking, “May I know what the reward is? Will it be in the form of money or a gift?”

At that moment, there were only a few feet between Josephine and Selena. Josephine strode right up to Selena and stared at the latter.

When Selena saw her, she was flustered for a moment before she said angrily, “Can’t you see that I’m on a call?”

“You were asking about the reward for your submission to our TV station, weren’t you?” Josephine was sufficiently pissed as anger colored her beautiful eyes. She suddenly raised her hand, then delivered a slap across Selena’s face.

Selena was seated, so she couldn’t dodge it in time. Hence, she received Josephine’s slap squarely on the face.

“How… How dare you hit me!” Selena never thought that Josephine would hit her.

Josephine raised her phone and showed Selena the number displayed on it. “I used the email to bait you, successfully proving that you were the one who leaked the photos. Selena, come with me to the bride and apologize to her.”

Selena’s face immediately turned red as she realized that the reward was just a lie, and her actions of framing Josephine were exposed just like that.

When Selena heard that Josephine wanted to take her to Ellen, she hastily put on a pleading expression. “I’m so sorry, Miss Jacobson. I didn’t do it on purpose, and I sent those photos without thinking. Please have mercy on me!”

Josephine crossed her arms and snorted. “Have mercy on you? You almost ruined my reputation, and now you’re asking me to have mercy?”

“How about this, Miss Jacobson? I’ll do everything you ask. As long as you don’t tell anyone about this, I’ll even kneel in front of you!” Selena was panicking now. She never thought that Josephine would figure out that it was her. She glanced around, and with the bench as an obstruction, she got down on her knees in front of Josephine.

“Miss Jacobson, I’m begging you. Please forgive me.”

“Forgive you? Do you know how much the Presgraves were affected by the photos you leaked? I will never forgive you.” Josephine was not open to negotiation.

She walked toward the banquet hall with her phone in hand. At that moment, the neon lights lit up, looking pretty and festive.

After Josephine went back to her seat, she took out her phone and sent Ethan the recording of the conversation between her and Selena. She also sent a message saying, ‘I’ve figured it out. Selena was the one who leaked the photos. She even admitted to it.’

Meanwhile, Ethan was about to leave the villa to get to the banquet hall. He heard the notification and proceeded to read Josephine’s message. Then, after listening to the recording, he forwarded it to Jared. He left a voice message, saying, “Jared, we’ve found the culprit. Josephine is innocent. Deal with it as you please.”

At that moment, Jared was waiting for Ellen to change into her evening dress. He grabbed his phone and listened to the recording right away. His sharp eyebrows immediately furrowed. Selena didn’t turn from her evil nature, and she even leaked photos of the wedding to frame someone else.

A person like her had no right to attend his wedding, much less be treated as a guest.

Jared lifted his phone once more and gave an order to the person on the other end of the line, instructing, “Go to the banquet hall and ask the guest named Selena Aguirre to leave. Get her off the island immediately.”

“Understood, Mr. Presgrave.”

Meanwhile, Selena was still seated on the bench. She was stressed out, and she felt that Josephine wasn’t someone she could mess with. She wondered if Josephine would tell Jared about this. If so, a terrible end would await her.

The bodyguards couldn’t find Selena in the banquet hall, so they went to the garden to look for her.

When the two bodyguards spotted Selena sitting there, they immediately went over to her and stood behind her, saying, “Miss Aguirre, Mr. Presgrave wants you to leave the island immediately. Please come with us.”

Selena’s face turned pale in shock. She hastily said, “I am a guest, and the bride’s cousin at that. You can’t just chase me out.”

“Those are orders from the young master. If you refuse to cooperate, Miss Aguirre, we’ll have no choice but to force you out.”

“How dare you?! Bring me to your young mistress. I want to see Ellen.” Selena didn’t want to leave, for she had planned on enjoying another week on this island. Even if she couldn’t get Ethan, she had other chances.

Also, this would be the only time she could visit this island, and she hadn’t had enough fun just yet.

Even if she had to shamelessly beg Ellen for it, she wanted to stay.

Seeing her refusal to cooperate, the bodyguard could only call Jared and say, “Mr. Presgrave, Miss Aguirre wants to speak to the young mistress.”

Jared said, “Let me have a word with her.”

The bodyguard immediately passed the phone to Selena. “Mr. Presgrave wants to talk to you.”

Selena took the phone with shaky hands and placed it to her ear. “M-Mr. Presgrave.”

“Selena, from today onward, I won’t let Ellen have anything to do with your family anymore. Also, you’re not allowed to talk to her for the rest of your life—you have no right to. If you don’t want my subordinates getting rough with you, you’d better get lost right now,” Jared said furiously.

Even if he were the bridegroom, he refused to give Selena any respect.

Selena’s face reddened before it turned pale. Jared’s words were like a dozen slaps to her face, and she felt her face burning in pain.

After returning the phone to the bodyguard, Selena stood up and said, “I’ll inform my parents, then I’ll go with you.”

With that, she bit her lip and walked toward the banquet hall. When Olivia saw her coming back, she immediately said, “Lena, come and sit down. The food is served, and lobsters are on the menu. You love them, don’t you?”

Opposite them, Josephine sneered as she looked at Selena. When she saw the two bodyguards at the entrance, she knew that Selena would be chased out soon. At that moment, she was very much satisfied.

“Mom, I… I have to leave. I need to deal with something urgent, so enjoy the dinner with Dad,” said Selena.

“What? What’s so urgent that you have to leave right now? Aren’t we going to stay here for another week?” Olivia was so anxious that she stood up. She was completely out of the loop, and she didn’t want her daughter to waste this opportunity.

“Mom, I really can’t stay here. I have to go.” With that, Selena turned around and walked away, her eyes red.

“Lena, Lena—” Olivia shouted, feeling distraught.

Connor was confused as well. “Why did Lena leave just like that?”

“I’m not sure either. We planned on spending another week here, so why is she leaving already?” Olivia felt that her daughter shouldn’t leave at all.

When Josephine saw that, she knew right away that Selena hadn’t dared tell her parents about what she did. Josephine decided that she would be nice and tell them instead!

“Oh, that girl. She was even making a fuss about eating lobsters this morning!” Olivia looked toward the main entrance, wishing she could just drag her daughter back.

Meanwhile, Selena was in the bodyguards’ car, on the way back to the villa to gather her things. After that, she had a dejected look on her face as she was sent to the airport, where a helicopter soon took her away.

Meanwhile, there was a celebratory atmosphere in the banquet hall. Josephine was a little upset because of Selena’s incident, so she drank more wine than usual, and she couldn’t quite stop.

“Joey, this wine is nice too. Do you want some?” At the side, Luke introduced more wine to her.

Frankly speaking, Heidi was quite satisfied with Luke. Even though Luke didn’t have outstanding looks, he still came from a decent background. He had also put in a lot of effort to pursue her daughter, but her daughter declined his advances all the time.

“Luke, help yourself to more food!”

“You too, Mrs. Jacobson. I’ll deliver more supplements to you later.”

“It’s okay. You gave me plenty last time, and I haven’t finished them yet!” Heidi said with a smile.

While seated at the main table, Ellen was wearing a festive red dress, and she exuded the charming and tender aura of a bride. Jared took care of her with great consideration, and Willow was seated at the side as well. They were very considerate of Ellen.

Due to his unique identity, Ethan was also seated at one of the front tables. However, as he chatted with the guests, he couldn’t help but steal glances behind him. Because of the obstructed view, he could only catch sight of Josephine’s figure every now and then.

“A toast to you, Mr. Quarles.”

“As to you.” Ethan clinked glasses with the person, and after he had finished the wine, an idea occurred to him. “Enjoy your meal. I’m going to talk to a friend.”

With that, Ethan took his wine glass with him as he headed straight for Josephine’s table.

Meanwhile, Olivia was suggesting to Connor that they should toast at the Presgraves’ table. She wanted to get on good terms with the Presgraves so that they could help them in the future.

However, Connor wasn’t quite willing. Firstly, he felt like he had no right to meet the Presgraves.

Secondly, it was a big day for Ellen, so he didn’t want to affect her mood. Thirdly, the Presgraves might not welcome theSeeing that her husband was too timid, Olivia could only give up. They were still unaware of the fact that their daughter had been chased off the island!

After observing Olivia, Josephine realized how Olivia managed to raise a cunning woman like Selena.

Olivia was a very selfish person herself; she had terrible table manners, and she kept hoarding the latest dishes so that she could taste them first before everyone else.

Josephine watched Olivia’s behavior as if she were watching a show. Meanwhile, the other guests at the table chose not to speak up since they had their reputations to maintain, but they were obviously upset.

Just then, Luke was about to put some food on Josephine’s plate when he noticed Olivia grabbing the dishes again. He said harshly, “Ma’am, let’s be decent people, alright? Stop hogging the dishes; it’ll come to you.”

Olivia almost lost her cool, and with another glare from Connor, she reluctantly let go.

As Luke scooped up the food, a pair of arms rested on Josephine’s shoulder. A low and alluring man’s voice sounded. “Miss Jacobson, here’s a toast to you.”

Josephine’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned to see that Ethan had arrived. She immediately got up and took her wine glass, clinking it with his as she said earnestly, “Mr. Quarles, thank you so much for helping me out.”

Heidi turned to look as well. Her eyes widened when she registered what she was seeing. Since when had her daughter gotten to know such a tall and handsome man? He looked even better than a male model! What was more, he had a noble and elegant aura about him.

“You’re welcome. We’re acquaintances, after all. It was nothing.” Ethan curved his lips into a smile.

“No, if possible, I insist on treating you to a meal as thanks.” Josephine thought that thanking him wasn’t enough to repay this kindness, so she should treat him to a meal.

“Really? In that case, I’ll be waiting,” replied Ethan eagerly.

“Who’s this, Joey?” Heidi tugged at her daughter’s sleeve.

It was only then Ethan remembered that Heidi was sitting next to Josephine. He immediately smiled and greeted, “Hello, Mrs. Jacobson. I’m your daughter’s friend.”

“Hello, hello! What’s your name?” Heidi hastily asked.

“My name is Ethan Quarles,” Ethan replied with a smile.

At the side, Luke suddenly lost interest in the food as he turned around and said, “Joey, stop chatting.

Have some more food.”

Josephine had consumed a few glasses of wine, so her face was tinted red. There was even a glassy look in her eyes as she said to Ethan, “You should go back to your seat and eat something.”

Ethan’s gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds. He then reminded her, “Don’t drink too much.”

Josephine’s face reddened even more. Why did she feel like he was speaking as if he were caring for her as a boyfriend?

At the banquet, Olivia kept making phone calls to Selena, but her daughter wasn’t picking up. She couldn’t help but complain to her husband, saying, “What’s wrong with Lena? She’s not picking up my calls, and she disappeared just like that.”

Connor shook his head as he replied, “How would I know?”

All of a sudden, Josephine felt it was necessary to inform them of the truth; Selena was probably too ashamed to tell them.

“Mrs. Aguirre, could you come out with me for a moment? I’ll tell you what happened to your daughter,”

Josephine said to Olivia.

Olivia stood up, half doubtful as she asked, “Do you know what’s going on?”

“Yes, I do.” Josephine nodded.

Olivia followed Josephine to the lawn outside. She even looked a little impatient as she said, “What exactly do you want to say to me?”

“Mrs. Aguirre, your daughter has done something vile,” Josephine said, turning around.

Olivia’s expression shifted as she retorted in anger, “My daughter is innocent. She’d never do anything wrong, so don’t slander my daughter like that.”

“Let me tell you, then. Your daughter didn’t leave of her own accord—she was chased off this island by the Presgraves because she leaked photos of the wedding to a media company. She even accused me of doing it,” Josephine said calmly.

“Nonsense! What evidence do you have that my daughter framed you? I’ll sue you!” Olivia immediately threatened.

Josephine pulled up the recording of her conversation with Selena and played it for Olivia. When Olivia heard it, she panicked. The voice in the recording did belong to her daughter. Selena was trembling as she pleaded, so it was obvious that she was the real culprit and had begged Josephine for mercy.

“Well, do you believe me now? Your daughter is a relative of the bride, but she did such a horrible thing. That’s very unethical of her.” Josephine felt injustice on the bride’s behalf as well.

Olivia was panicking now, and she was embarrassed as she asked, “Did they really chase my daughter out?”

“Yes, Mr. Presgrave himself gave the orders to chase her out,” Josephine said.

“That girl, how could she do such a thing? I’ll teach her a lesson when I go back.” Olivia immediately pretended to complain about her daughter to get out of the situation. Then, she said to Josephine, “Miss Jacobson, I’d like to apologize to you on my daughter’s behalf.”

“It seemed like you and your husband weren’t aware of anything, so I just wanted to inform you guys about it.” With that, Josephine turned around and went into the banquet hall.

When Olivia returned, she had an uneasy expression on her face. Everyone had more or less eaten their fill, so Olivia tugged at her husband’s sleeve, signaling that they should leave.

Connor had a little too much to drink as well, for the wine here was the most fragrant he had ever tasted. Olivia helped him up and went out, then got a driver to drive them back to the villa. As soon as they returned, Connor lay on the couch and fell asleep.

Olivia angrily grabbed her phone and dialed her daughter’s number. At that moment, after the hour-

long flight on the helicopter, Selena had just arrived at the pier. When she heard her phone ringing, she reached out and answered the call. “Mom?”

“Look at what you’ve done, you brat! Why did you leak photos of the wedding? Our reputation is ruined because of you,” scolded Olivia.

Selena thought she could keep this a secret forever. She said guiltily, “Who told you, Mom?”

“Who else? Josephine, of course! Why did you frame her? Do you have a grudge against her or something?!”

“Mom, I just arrived at the pier. I’m going back first.” Selena didn’t want to say anything more. After all, she would never be involved with the Presgraves again for the rest of her life.

Olivia finally came to her senses and regretted the way she raised her daughter. Now, Selena was all grown up, but all she ever learned was to cause trouble. She was hopeless.

Olivia also felt too ashamed to remain there, so she planned on leaving with her husband the next day.

Meanwhile, the entire island was still brimming with wedding cheer. Josephine was about to accompany her mother back when Luke rushed over and said, “Joey, I heard the boats are going out to sea tonight. Do you want to come with me? Maybe we can watch the fireworks show on the ocean.”

Heidi immediately nudged her daughter and said, “Go ahead! You guys should enjoy yourselves.”

“Mom—”

“You rarely get any days off, so now that you’re free these days, have as much fun as you’d like. I can go back on my own.” With that, Heidi walked toward the row of cars waiting for passengers.

Josephine said to Luke, “Go ahead and have fun. I don’t feel like going.”

“In that case, I’ll stay with you wherever you go. All my time tonight belongs to—” Before Luke could finish speaking, a man’s voice forcefully interrupted him.

“Come with me, Josephine.” Ethan suddenly made his appearance, ready to snatch Josephine away.

Luke immediately stretched out his arms and stopped Ethan from getting closer to Josephine. “Hey, I was the one who asked Joey out first. Don’t you dare snatch her away.”

Josephine blinked her slightly hazy eyes, and as she looked at Ethan in his black shirt, she found that he looked a little too handsome with the neon lights illuminating his face. She blinked a few more times, then asked, “Where are you taking me?”

“Just come with me.” With that, Ethan stepped forward and took her hand, then moved to leave.

Luke had never held Josephine’s hand by force before. He said angrily, “Ethan Quarles, was it? Let go of Joey right now!”

Josephine was stunned too, but in the next moment, she was led forward by some force. She didn’t know if it was the alcohol or whether her brain had turned to mush, but she followed the man and kept going. Ethan led her into a car, then got in himself and told the driver to start driving.

Behind them, Luke immediately got into another car and said, “Follow that car in front of us.”

In the car, Josephine’s mind was clearing up as she asked curiously, “Where exactly are you taking me?”

“You’ll know when we get there,” Ethan said mysteriously.

Josephine thought that this man probably couldn’t do anything bad to her. Even the air felt free tonight, so she decided to go wild just this once. She wanted to see where this man would bring her.

Finally, the car pulled up at the pier. Josephine looked down the pier to see a boat waiting for them.

What was more, it didn’t look like the type made to ferry guests; it looked more like a private boat.

“Come! I arranged this especially for you.” With that, Ethan took her hand again and began walking.

Josephine allowed him to lead her toward the brightly lit boat. She felt as if she were the female lead of a movie with a romantic atmosphere and the handsome male lead, as well as the beach and the boat.

Everything was extravagant and charming like a movie.

It didn’t seem like a bad idea to be a female lead for once.

While Josephine was getting into the boat, she heard Luke’s desperate shouts coming from the pier behind her. “Joey, Joey… Wait for me.”

How could Luke let this opportunity go? He wanted to get onto the boat and go out to sea with Josephine too.

However, two bodyguards suddenly reached out and blocked his path.

“Why are you stopping me? I’m a guest,” Luke said immediately.

“Sorry, sir, this is a private boat. It’s not meant for other guests.”

“What do you mean?” Luke couldn’t understand for a moment.

“This is Mr. Quarles’ private boat.”

Luke was dumbfounded. What? Ethan’s private boat? Did he bring his boat here as well?

“Joey! Get off, Joey. Don’t go with him! He’s dangerous!” Luke shouted toward Josephine from the railing.

Ethan turned around and narrowed his eyes. He glared at Luke with an extremely sharp and cold look, then extended a hand in front of Josephine. “Ladies first.”

The wind was quite strong at the pier, and Josephine could only see Luke’s animated behavior as the latter was being held back. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, and she even asked Ethan, “What is Luke saying?”

“Ignore him.” Even if Ethan could make out Luke’s words, he wouldn’t tell her.

Luke could only watch as Josephine was being snatched away. He was so pissed that he clenched his fists and stomped his feet in anger.

Josephine walked into the luxurious cabin. As she examined her surroundings, she asked the man, “Is this yours?”

“Yeah! All mine,” the man replied behind her.

“What company does your family run?” Josephine began to realize that this man was wealthy beyond her imagination. She was starting to feel a little pressured when she talked to him.

“We’re in the shipping business.”

When Josephine heard that, she was stunned. People working in that field were always super rich!

“So, your family is very, very rich then?” Josephine turned around with a faint look of admiration in her eyes.

Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle. “I may need a few lifetimes to spend it all.”

Josephine burst out laughing. At that moment, she could feel the boat bobbing on the ocean, so she found a couch to sit on. As she gazed at the scenery outside, she felt herself relaxing.

“It is an honor to befriend you. If not, I would never know what it’s like to be in a luxury boat.” Josephine smiled, relieving the awkward atmosphere between them.

“If you’d like, I can bring you out to sea often,” said the man as he gazed at her with deep and earnest eyes.

Josephine met his gaze, feeling her heart subconsciously skip a beat. This guy couldn’t be pursuing her, could he?

Josephine had always been a good girl. She studied earnestly and always got good results in school, proceeding to find a stable and meaningful job after. For the latter half of her life, she decided that she would get married to someone of her status, such as a colleague or someone she knew. Then, she would have children and spend her life in peace and normalcy.

Never had she thought of getting married into a rich family, nor had she even dreamt of it. Now that a super wealthy man wanted to pursue her, she had mixed feelings about it.

Her feelings were so complicated that she suddenly turned wary. She wasn’t a woman who could endure some reckless play. If Ethan just wanted a one-night stand with her, he had come to the wrong person.

“Ahem! Never mind, I’m always super busy with work. I won’t have time to go out to sea.” Josephine smiled while declining his offer.

“Is your job tiring?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, but it brings meaning to my life,” Josephine replied.

Ethan could understand from their gazes and conversation that Josephine wasn’t the sort of girl he could woo with wealth alone.

“What would you like to drink? Water? Coffee? More wine?”

“Water, please. I’ve drunk enough wine; I still feel a little tipsy,” said Josephine.

Ethan passed her a bottle of water. Josephine unscrewed the cap and took a few sips. Then, she asked, “Can I look around?”

“Of course.” Ethan curved his lips into a smile.

Josephine stood up and began looking around. When she went out the door and stood at the railing, the man followed as well. He held a glass of wine in his hands, and he exuded the elegant aura of a noble young master.

Josephine stood at the railing for a while. Suddenly, the waves got a little rough, and she couldn’t help but stagger. As she stepped backward, a firm arm caught her at the perfect time.

“Watch your step,” the man reminded her.

Josephine gripped the railing as she smiled. “Thank you.” Then, she walked toward the deck. She could see the entire island from there.

Josephine took a seat on the couch placed there. The man beside her sat down as well, and the two admired the view together.

Josephine’s long hair was tousled by the sea breeze, covering her palm-sized face. She had no choice but to gather her hair to one side in front of her chest, revealing her mesmerizing profile.

The man couldn’t endure Josephine’s allure as he gazed at her small face, then at her red lips.

Thoughts began sprouting in his mind.

Finally, the boat slowly came to a halt. At the same time, fireworks blossomed near them on the surface of the sea. The fireworks filled the sky with their brilliance, blooming one after the other in the night sky.

“Wow!” Josephine couldn’t help her awe. The fireworks reflected in her eyes, which were glimmering and beautifully clear as well.

“Let’s enjoy the fireworks here,” the man suggested.

“Sure!” Josephine didn’t want to leave either.

Josephine gazed at the fireworks, so entranced by them that she didn’t even blink. She failed to notice that the man next to her was scooting closer.

By the time Josephine finally sensed it, she turned to see the handsome face inches away from hers.

Ethan’s arm had also extended around her shoulders without her realizing it. They were so close that they could feel each other’s breaths.

Josephine’s heart skipped a beat. What’s going on? she thought.

Her mind went slightly blank. She knew it was extremely suggestive, but she was so absorbed in the moment that she didn’t want to push him away.

Also, as the fireworks were reflected in the man’s eyes, it was as soul-stirring as the galaxy. She was deeply enchanted as if she were under a spell.

Ethan edged closer, meaning to test her response. He soon found that Josephine wasn’t moving away;

he felt as if she was encouraging and welcoming him instead.

Ethan swallowed seductively, then pressed his thin lips against Josephine’s.

It was so soft that he felt like his entire body had gotten an electric shock. Greed filled him in that instant, and he desired even more.

Josephine felt like the fireworks had exploded inside her brain too, and her mind turned completely blank.

Hm? I don’t hate it, she realized.

I never thought a man’s lips would be this soft.

Josephine was quite particular about hygiene, especially when it came to physical contact with people of the opposite gender. However, strangely enough, she didn’t mind Ethan that much, and she even thought he smelled good.

Ethan’s hand snaked up behind her head and held it gently. With a slight force, he pushed her against him so that the kiss was no longer just a graze. The man was exploring according to his own wishes.

“Mm!” Josephine let out a small moan as she ignored the danger signals in her brain.

She realized that she liked the kiss. It was refreshing and something she had never experienced before, so it implored her to explore even further.

Finally, when the kiss got too embarrassing for Josephine, she reached out and pushed him away. She looked away and panted slightly.

Ethan curved his thin lips subtly, his eyes colored with unfulfilled desire.

“Ahem!” Josephine held her fist to her mouth and coughed on purpose to relieve the awkwardness.

“Um… we should head back.”

“Don’t you want to stay a while longer?” Ethan had no intention of going back just like that.

“I… I have to go back and pack my things. I’ll be going back to the city for work tomorrow morning.”

Josephine found a random excuse.

Ethan glanced at the time. “It’s only 8.30PM. The night is still young.”

Josephine was speechless. Couldn’t this man see that she was getting awkward already? She wasn’t good at kissing strangers at all.

Wait, is he good at kissing strangers? Does he bring pretty girls to his private boat often, then seduce them with his charm?

As soon as the thought occurred to her, Josephine woke up from her trance.

She had to treat that kiss seriously. If not, the man might think she was an easy woman.

“Mr. Quarles, it’s getting late. Please send me back,” said Josephine sternly.

Ethan was slightly stunned. Why was she suddenly demanding to go back? Wasn’t the atmosphere perfect just now?

“What’s wrong? Did I upset you without realizing it?” Ethan immediately straightened up and asked her curiously.

He couldn’t help but feel reluctant to leave. “Won’t you stay a while longer with me?”

However, Josephine was determined to go back. “Why don’t you send me back, then go back out to sea if you’d like?”

Ethan was bewildered. Without her by his side, what fun was there to have out on the sea alone?

“Alright, I’ll take you back.” Ethan took out his phone and contacted the people in the control room to head back to the pier.

Josephine bit her red lips. Just then, the inertia from the boat turning around suddenly sent Josephine crashing against the man.

“Ah!” Josephine shrieked, then instinctively reached out to grab the man’s shoulders. Due to the force, Ethan’s body tilted, but he managed to regain balance as he pulled Josephine into his embrace. In that instant, the two fell into a suggestive pose on the couch.

Josephine trapped Ethan under her, their faces almost touching. Whoa!

Josephine’s face immediately turned red. She wanted to get up as soon as possible, but when she positioned herself upright, she realized the boat was only halfway through the turn. Another force hit her, and Josephine could do nothing but lie on the man’s body as she hugged his waist.

Even though Ethan was angry at the helmsman for making such a sharp turn and causing Josephine to fall, he also felt that there was a silver lining to it. When her soft and fragrant body fell into his arms, he felt an electric current running through his entire body, extending to his limbs.

Ironically, Josephine was right up his alley, as if she was born with the ability to seduce him. Finally, when the boat positioned itself toward the pier, Josephine stiffly got off the man’s body. After seating herself securely, she gathered her messy hair. “Sorry for just now.”

“It’s fine.” Ethan looked at her, admiring the red tint of her cheeks in secret fascination.

They hadn’t gone very far, so they reached the pier in 15 minutes. As Ethan escorted Josephine out of the boat, a person suddenly rushed over to them. Startled, Josephine looked to see that it was Luke.

Oh! He’s patient enough to actually wait at the pier all this while.

“Luke?” Josephine said in surprise.

“Joey, did he bully you? Did he take advantage of you?” Luke feared that Ethan would take advantage of the situation and do something to Josephine on the boat.

Josephine’s face immediately turned red as she replied, “No. I’m going back.”

“I’ll send you back,” said Luke.

Ethan subconsciously frowned at the sight of this meddlesome man. “I was the one who invited her, so I should be the one to send her back.”

“Mr. Quarles, you have to wait for your turn if you want to pursue Joey. I’m actively pursuing her right now, so you’re not allowed to snatch her away.” Luke reached out and blocked Ethan’s path.

Ethan instantly clenched his fists, startling Luke. Ethan did look like the sort of person who could put up a fight and win it.

Luke immediately invited Josephine to walk toward a waiting car. “Joey, here. My car is this way.”

Josephine turned around and said to the man behind her, “Mr. Quarles, you don’t have to come with me. Goodbye.”

“Shall I send you back to the city tomorrow morning?” Ethan asked, halting her.

“No, thank you.” With that, Josephine turned again to glance at the man behind her. She didn’t know if she would have another chance to meet him after this farewell. She even thought that their encounter was but a brief intersection of parallel lines.

Josephine turned away in determination as she walked toward Luke’s car. Then, she opened the door to the backseat and got in. Luke got in as well, and when he closed the door, he noticed Josephine looking out the window.

Alarms were instantly set off in Luke’s mind. What’s this? Has Josephine already fallen for this b*stard?

If not, why does she look so reluctant to leave?

Since the windows at the back seat were private, one could only look outside from within, but people outside couldn’t see what was going on inside. Ethan thought Josephine would roll down the windows and wave goodbye, but even after the car had driven away, the glass window stayed up. He gazed in the direction of the car, mumbling, “Josephine, we’ll meet again.”

On a balcony of a villa, Jared watched the fireworks show with Ellen. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and it served as the perfect ending to their wedding day. Ellen was in a pretty red dress, and her long hair lay slightly curled in front of her chest. A diamond headband adorned her head, and her makeup was simple yet elegant. She exuded an alluring charm.

“All right, we should get some rest.” Ellen took his hand. Then, as if she had thought of something, she suggested, “I know you definitely won’t be able to sleep tonight. Why don’t you go have some fun with your friends, and I’ll go to bed first?”

“Are you tired?” Jared reached out and touched her face. As he gazed at her dainty collarbones, there was a dense look in his eyes, but he had to resist every thought that occurred to him.

Sometimes, he felt that the child was too good at tormenting people. Why would the baby come at this moment? He hadn’t even had enough of dating, but here he was, about to become a father soon.

I know what you’re thinking. Hold your horses, ” Ellen said, looking up. She blushed right after, then wrapped her arms around his waist as she touched his strong body. She herself found it difficult to endure.

Her husband was charming and handsome, but she could only look at him. The two were holding back with everything they had, for the baby was their utmost priority.

“I’m spending the night with you.” Jared decided not to go anywhere, and that he would stay with her in the room instead.

At the moment, Willow was sitting in her own villa, working earnestly on a paper. Even though the atmosphere outside was merry and festive, she was willing to resist the temptation and work hard for her career.

Meanwhile, Elliot and his wife chatted with their friends and relatives on the lawn. There was wine and champagne all around, and also countless stories of life. They felt as if they had gone back in time to their youths.

At around 9.30AM, Josephine and Heidi packed their bags and prepared to set out for the city. Luke had enthusiastically prepared a car for them early on, and he even helped load their bags into the car.

“Luke, thank you so much!” Heidi said gratefully.

“It’s nothing, Mrs. Jacobson. If there’s anything you need, just let me know and I’ll see to it,” Luke chimed. He truly liked Josephine, and he had liked her ever since he fell for her at first sight. He wasn’t just aiming to establish a connection with Josephine’s grandfather and his network; in reality, he admired Josephine’s outstanding qualities as well.

“Come on, Joey! Get in the car.” Heidi tugged at her daughter, who was zoning out. She didn’t know what Josephine was looking out for.

Josephine hastily returned to her senses, then sighed lightly. She didn’t know what she was expecting, either. Some people were only destined to meet for a short while, and their futures would no longer intersect after that.

It wasn’t until she boarded the cruise ship headed for the city that Josephine’s tiny sliver of hope finally disappeared. When she turned around, Luke was smiling at her in fascination.

“Joey, after going back to the city, let’s have a meal together. Which restaurant would you like to go to?

I can bring you there.”

“Let’s leave it for another time. I have to get to work as soon as I get back.” Josephine declined in a roundabout way.

“You still have to eat, don’t you?” Luke would never give up. Moreover, he also noticed that Ethan didn’t see her off, so he was even more relieved.

No one knew men better than men themselves. A man who was on the top of the food chain like Ethan would have no lack of women, so why would he stay for Josephine? He probably changed the women around him all the time.

Meanwhile, a man was in a villa attending an important video conference. He had checked his watch countless times in annoyance. This was an important meeting to elect members of the board, and his father was present as well. Hence, Ethan couldn’t leave from 9.00AM until now, which was already 10.30AM.

Finally, the election was over. Ethan slammed his laptop shut, then hastily rushed outside. He started his roadster and then sped onto the road outside the villa.

However, when his car arrived at the villa Josephine and Heidi had stayed at, only staff members were seen cleaning up the place. Ethan strode in and asked the steward, “Have the guests in this villa left?”

“Yes, sir. They left,” the steward replied.

Ethan could only sigh. He was late, after all. He took out his phone and dialed Josephine’s number.

Meanwhile, Josephine’s bag was with Heidi, and she herself was admiring the view on the deck. Heidi was chatting enthusiastically with her friend, so she didn’t hear the ringtone from her daughter’s phone.

Ethan dialed Josephine’s number twice in a row, and Heidi finally noticed the last call. When she took out her daughter’s phone, it had already stopped ringing. When she inputted the password and unlocked her daughter’s phone, she glanced at the number. Josephine had saved the number under some abbreviation.

Heidi couldn’t read it, so she put the phone back and swiped away the missed calls.

Meanwhile, as Ethan stood in front of the villa and saw that Josephine didn’t pick up, he was instantly a little worried. Was she mad because he didn’t see her off? Was she ignoring him?

Ethan then dialed his subordinate’s number and asked them to prepare a plane that would immediately take him back to the city airport in Averna. He wanted to meet Josephine and apologize to her.

When Josephine returned to her seat, Heidi also forgot to inform her that there was a phone call for her. Even when Josephine read the news on her phone, she didn’t notice the two missed calls from Ethan in the list of calls she hadn’t answered. Moreover, she always received a lot of calls, so she couldn’t be bothered to look through her missed calls.

It was quite fun to enjoy the 5-star treatment on the cruise ship, for there was food, drinks, and entertainment provided. Luke would drop by every so often to say hi as he tried to appeal to Josephine.

Also, he had contacted a driver who would send Josephine and Heidi home as soon as they arrived.

Meanwhile, a private plane had just taken to the skies as it left the island. Ethan was seated on the plane, checking the schedule of the cruise ship Josephine was on. He suddenly realized that after he disembarked from the plane, he would have another hour to rush to the pier to meet her.

He couldn’t help but curve his lips. At least he had a chance to present himself.

Josephine seemed to be occupied with new thoughts because she kept feeling the urge to look for Ethan. The kiss last night was especially memorable, and she could recall the sensation every time she closed her eyes. It was her first kiss, after all.

Yet she had given it to him so easily. She sort of felt bad for her future boyfriend.

Meanwhile, at the airport in Averna, a private plane had just touched down. After that, a black Rolls-

Royce was transported off the plane. Under the afternoon sun, the car shimmered and looked especially prestigious and brilliant.

Three security SUVs followed suit. When all the procedures were settled, the black car bound for the pier right away with the SUVs as escorts. Meanwhile, there were about 30 minutes left before the cruise ship arrived at the pier. A number of luxurious cars were already parked at the parking lot at the pier, turning it into a luxury vehicle exhibition.

Just then, at the entrance, four cars drove boldly in. When the vehicles were parked properly, the back door of the Rolls-Royce opened. Ethan strode out in his black suit. His long slender legs, paired with his handsome figure, had turned even the luxurious car into an accessory.

When Ethan caught sight of the cruise ship headed for the pier, the corners of his mouth turned up for a moment. He would have to behave as apologetically as possible later.

When the cruise ship arrived at the pier, quite a number of drivers and servants working for prestigious families came forward to welcome their masters. Most of them helped to carry the luggage, whereas some of them helped the old masters along.

Josephine and Heidi carried their bags. Josephine had to wrestle her own luggage out of Luke’s hands, but Heidi allowed Luke to carry hers.

“Luke, did you have a car ready?” Heidi asked.

“Yes, Mrs. Jacobson, it’s waiting for us at the parking lot.”

As Josephine dragged her luggage out on the pavement, one of the wheels of her suitcase was caught in a gap. She had to jerk her suitcase with more force to loosen it, but she didn’t succeed.

Josephine bent down to knock at it, but suddenly, a strong man’s hand reached out. A low male voice sounded as well. “Allow me.”

Josephine raised her head in shock, staring in disbelief at the man who had appeared out of nowhere.

Her heart skipped a few beats.

Gosh, why is he here?

Luke carried the luggage as he helped the seasick Heidi off the ship. When he looked up, he was stunned to see Ethan suddenly there in front of Josephine, helping Josephine with her luggage.

Luke was pissed. This b*stard doesn’t know when to quit.

Ethan kept snatching away his chances to appeal to Josephine.

“W-Why are you here?” Josephine suppressed the emotions in her heart as she asked him calmly.

“Do you not want to see me?” the man asked in a low voice.

“It’s not that. Were you on the cruise ship as well?” Josephine found it weird, for she hadn’t seen him at all.

“No, I came here by plane, then I rushed here from the airport to send you and your mother home,” the man replied.

Josephine couldn’t help but widen her beautiful eyes. What? He even made an effort to rush here from the airport.

“W-Why would you do that?” Josephine asked, puzzled.