The stylish teahouse didn’t have private rooms; instead, folding screens separated the seating areas. The VIP area on the second floor wasn’t somewhere ordinary people could access. But Stella White could, and naturally, Yvonne Young, who was with her, had unrestricted access as well.
When a cup of boiling tea was splashed toward Josephine Sterling, Luke Coleman was absolutely dumbfounded.
"Go to hell, you bitch!" Yvonne’s face was twisted with fury. "What the hell do you think you are, daring to sue me? Without the Sterling Family, you’re nothing but street trash. What makes you think you can fight me?"
"Careful!" Ethan Sinclair reacted quickly, stepping sideways to shield her. The boiling hot tea splashed entirely across his back.
Josephine’s reflexes were just as fast. She immediately grabbed his jacket and yanked it off, then with a backhand flick, she flung the remaining scalding water right into Yvonne’s face.
Before Yvonne could even wipe her face, Josephine slapped her hard just as she started to scream.
"You think suing you requires some special status? Do you think your family owns the police station?
"If you’re so capable, why don’t you get the police to drop the case? What are you doing barking in front of me?"
Her resounding words were sharp and decisive, making Luke swallow hard. She was truly the big shot he admired; her commanding presence made her seem ten feet tall. How could a piece of trash like Yvonne ever compare to her?
After striking her, Josephine turned back to Ethan. "Are you alright? Did you get burned?"
"No," Ethan shook his head. "Thanks to your quick reflexes."
Before the water could soak through, the jacket was already off. It wasn’t just her speed; Ethan was truly lucky. The weather had been getting colder lately, so his jacket was relatively thick. Otherwise, a layer of his skin would have definitely been scalded off today.
Thinking about how that cup of water was originally aimed at her face, Josephine’s expression darkened further. "You’re done for, Yvonne. Enjoy your time behind bars!"
Yvonne was left dazed by Josephine’s slap. She thought, "Isn’t this woman just an unloved, disgraced heiress who can’t even return to her own home anymore? Where did she get the nerve to hit me?" She glanced at Luke and Ethan, and a sudden look of realization washed over her.
"Oh, no wonder you’re acting so bold. It turns out you’ve got men backing you up again.
"And you claim you aren’t a slut? It’s only been a few days and you’ve already swapped men. Are you that desperate?
"What, do you think these men can truly protect you? That’s only because they haven’t clashed with the White Family.
"With the White Family stepping in, which of them would dare stand up for you?
"Josephine, I’m not the one who’s done for. You are.
"Just you wait. I’ll make you pay sooner or later."
Stella had told her that as long as she firmly insisted Josephine was a slut, Josephine’s reputation would be ruined for good. As for everything else, she didn’t need to worry at all. Spreading rumors and defamation weren’t criminal offenses that led to jail time. When the time came, the White Family would step in, and she wouldn’t even be detained.
Hearing her words, both Luke and Ethan looked deeply displeased. With a loud SMACK, someone slammed their hand on the table, and the two men stood up almost simultaneously.
Josephine quickly reached out to stop them, speaking before they could.
"Thank you, Miss Young, for adding more evidence to your defamation charge. I’ll send the recording to the police shortly.
"I, Josephine Sterling, have never needed anyone to protect me.
"As for this White Family you speak of, do they know how incredibly stupid you are?"
She didn’t recognize Corvale, nor the eldest young master of the Sinclair Family from the Noble Houses of Aethelgard. Daring to spout nonsense here was simply courting death.
"You’re despicable, Josephine." Yvonne reached out to snatch Josephine’s recording phone.
Before she could even touch Josephine, Luke pinned her down. "We’ve been too polite to you. You really dare to spread rumors about anyone.
"It’s a good thing I don’t hit women. Otherwise, a piece of trash like you would have had your teeth knocked out all over the floor by now."
Hearing the commotion, the teahouse’s security guards rushed over. Ethan stood up to explain the situation and called the police. Yvonne was quickly taken away by the authorities on charges of attempted intentional assault. If that cup of boiling tea had actually splashed onto Josephine’s face, even if it didn’t completely disfigure her, it would have undoubtedly caused severe burns.
The group accompanied the police to the station to give their statements. After leaving, Josephine planned to find a lawyer. However, she needed to thank Ethan first.
"It’s getting late. Let me treat you both to a meal as a token of my gratitude," she offered.
"President Sinclair was the one who saved you, so I won’t freeload on this meal. I actually need to head back for a meeting anyway." For some unknown reason, Luke had suddenly become very tactful. He didn’t even give Josephine a chance to ask him to stay; he just left, deliberately taking Ethan’s driver with him.
Josephine looked at Ethan. "If you don’t mind, President Sinclair, we can take my car." Her bodyguard, Ken Moran, had driven here.
"I don’t mind." Ethan turned and got into the car. Since Josephine offered to treat him, he had no intention of politely declining; he had originally wanted to have a meal with her anyway.
Josephine chose the location—a very cozy traditional Chinese restaurant.
"This is a place my teacher loved when I was still in school. Their lemon fish is absolutely phenomenal. I highly recommend you try it, President Sinclair."
Ethan stepped inside. "What a coincidence. I happen to love fish."
Hearing this, Josephine’s expression relaxed slightly; she was just glad he liked it. She had been genuinely worried that the lofty and prestigious President Sinclair might look down on such a small, humble eatery.
While waiting for their food, the two of them chatted casually. They talked about Clara and Luke, then moved on to their collaboration and the launch of the new materials.
"What are your plans going forward?" Ethan asked, looking at Josephine. "Don’t misunderstand. You’re Clara’s friend, and she’s been very worried about you. Furthermore, given our partnership, if you ever need anything, you can ask at any time."
Naturally, Josephine wouldn’t misunderstand. Ethan was a businessman. Even if he helped her once or twice for Clara’s sake, it would only ever be once or twice. For him to protect her long-term, she would have to prove her value or offer him some profitable return. Just like Luke’s accommodating attitude, and just like their current collaboration. However, Josephine didn’t need that kind of protection, though she also didn’t want to dismiss Ethan’s good intentions.
"Thank you, but I don’t need anything for the time being."
Ethan felt somewhat disappointed. "Are you sure you won’t consider joining The Sinclair Group?"
Josephine shook her head. "My major isn’t in materials research. I need to find a job that actually aligns with my field of study."
"I won’t force the issue, then," Ethan said, not being the type to overstep boundaries. "But my offer still stands. Just let me know if you ever need anything."
He figured that given Josephine’s pride, she probably wouldn’t ever ask. Yes, Josephine was a proud woman. Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, he could clearly sense it. Those who claimed she was incompetent, vied for attention, or was jealous of Stella White were probably blind!
The lemon fish tasted just as amazing as she remembered, and Josephine couldn’t help but eat three bowls of rice.
"I’m sorry, did I eat too much?" She seemed to have forgotten that she was the one treating Ethan to this meal.
Ethan shook his head. "Not at all. Clara eats more than you do. Besides, I ate quite a bit myself. This fish is truly delicious. Miss Sterling, you certainly know how to pick a good spot."
"I’m just glad you don’t mind the place," Josephine smiled, still looking a bit embarrassed.
It had been so long since she last had a taste of this that she had momentarily lost control. Back in her school days, she used to come here often. But after joining The Sterling Group Research Lab, she never had the chance to visit again. Let alone coming out here for a meal, just eating a regular meal on time was difficult when she was constantly rushing to keep up with the research schedule every day.
As a result, she had starved herself into developing a stomach condition. Whenever it flared up, the pain made it impossible for her to eat anything at all. Fearing that her third brother and her father might end up the same way, she always went out of her way to prepare food for them in advance.
But in the end, while eating the meals she had carefully prepared, they would praise Stella for being considerate and sensible. They would even complain that Josephine wasn’t dedicated enough to her research and often wouldn’t allow her to eat.
The phrase Howard Sterling said to her the most was, "Missing one meal won’t kill you. Why are you being so dramatic? Hurry up and finish that report for me."
Yes, missing one meal wouldn’t kill her, but why should she be the one forced to skip it? She would never do that again. She would never mistreat herself again. From now on, she was going to enjoy every single meal properly.
"Is it too spicy?"