Taking care of him was just her way of honoring whatever was left of their old connection.

But clearly, Joseph didn’t see it that way. He sounded vaguely disgruntled. “This is your way of being good to me? Of course I’m going to take it to heart. How can you brush it off like it’s nothing?”

He didn’t get it. If this were the Judy from before, she’d probably be pouting and clinging to him by now.

Before he could say more, her tired and indifferent voice came through the line. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. You’re in the hospital. Take care of yourself. If you need anything, talk to the caretaker.”

With that, she ended the call. Joseph stared at the dark screen in silence, unable to settle his thoughts.

Since when did he lose his special place in her life? Sure, she’d arranged for food he liked, but that wasn’t the same as her showing up in person. That was what really mattered.

Frustrated, he slumped back onto the bed. Opening their chat history, he scrolled through past messages, trying to figure out where things had gone wrong. They used to be so close—what had changed?

Meanwhile, Judy sat in Kenneth’s villa, her expression full of disdain after hanging up the call. Joseph’s intentions had been painfully obvious. She finally understood that he saw her as a tool. Nothing more.

Kenneth rested his head gently against her shoulder, casting her a questioning glance.

Judy shook her head. “It’s nothing. Even if he’s changed… he’s still just as stupid.”

Judy set her phone down and wrapped her arms around Kenneth’s neck, the two of them resting close in quiet intimacy.

Kenneth could feel it. Ever since he’d pulled her out of the mess at the studio, something in her had shifted. She leaned on him more now. When he looked into her eyes, he saw mostly himself, not anyone else. Even Joseph’s name rarely came up anymore.

Kenneth liked this version of her. He had to admit, he was falling for her. And when he truly liked someone, it was natural to want to keep them close, especially when he knew he wasn’t the only one trying to win her over. He knew he had to play his cards right. Otherwise, how else could he make her stay?

Chapter 1030

A pleased smile tugged at his lips as he dipped his head, brushing his mouth against hers. Judy didn’t pull away. The kiss came easily, her lips trembling with soft, broken sounds. She was aware something between them had changed. But the safety Kenneth gave her made her want to loosen up a little. She didn’t need to be on edge all the time.

At the end of the day, she was still a woman. And even she needed someone to lean on once in a while. Staying strong all the time was exhausting.

Suddenly, Kenneth lifted her into his arms. She gasped, clinging to his neck in surprise.

“What are you doing…” she asked, voice laced with playful protest.

The exhaustion in her voice earlier had been from what they’d just finished. She had only stepped out to take Joseph’s call when she saw his name on the screen. Now here he was, pushing his luck again.

Kenneth leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Her face flushed crimson in an instant.

Chapter 141

‘No matter how you looked at it, it had nothing to do with Megan. Ashley felt something was strange. That was true, they were from completely different worlds, so why did Megan look toward room 316? Or was it that Megan had already discovered Jake and was deliberately guiding them to investigate room 316? That shouldn’t be the case. Jake was clean, and Megan didn’t seem like someone with so many hidden thoughts. Megan was probably just doing her job.

“Let’s keep an eye on it.”

Hurricane Media was an international company with many cross–border businesses. To compete with them, the entertainment department couldn’t be shabby, and since they were cooperating with FN, the celebrities they had contact with were all top–tier.

Chris went straight to the conference room at the Wilder Group. The meeting had ended an hour earlier, but a few core members remained.

“Today, Michael came to sign the contract. He heard we were starting an entertainment department, and his expression was terribly unpleasant. He waited for you outside for a long time, wanting to talk to you,”

Chris pushed the door open and just happened to hear Maggie say this. Maggie instinctively fell silent, but Chris and Jessica didn’t care. Jessica’s eyes brightened when she saw him and waved. Shannon moved to make space for Chris.

“Not finished yet?”

“There are still some details we need to discuss, and Nina too. I scheduled dinner tonight with Nina and Collin. Since we’re cooperating, everyone should get to know each other.”

Chris had no objections.

Seeing that the two showed no reaction, Maggie dared to continue. “I think Michael was so eager for you he lost patience. Didn’t expect you to just take a call and leave.”

Shannon smiled and said, “Guess whose call it was?”

“His daughter?”

“Not at all. Jordan had a car accident before, has been quiet recently, and was sent to school. It was the Hall family’s butler. Apparently, Luke was recently cheated in a collaboration and lost a million. Michael’s parents have been scolding him and called Michael back to watch the show.”

Indya had been dozing off but perked up and straightened.

“Is that so?”

“It’s no secret anymore. The project Luke thought was good was actually a trap set by Michael. Michael’s just using a shell company registered overseas. Michael needed money, so those 10 million ended up in his account. His parents don’t even know yet.”

It seemed the conflicts in the Hall family weren’t recent, family ties were unreliable.

Chapter 141

Michael didn’t fully trust his parents, let alone his cousin, Luke.

“Michael isn’t very smart, but Luke is truly foolish. How could any capable person in the Hall family let things get this bad?” In Indya’s view, Michael’s parents lacked business spirit and weren’t genuine businessmen.

“Because Michael’s grandfather left a very rich inheritance, and…although Michael wasn’t smart, the Hall family had a smart person.”

Michael had a younger uncle, the youngest son of his grandfather, who was born when the grandfather was already over 70 and had been pampered outside the family. He was also the favorite son of the grandfather’s last lover before he died. Originally, everything in the Hall family belonged to Michael’s parents, but after this child was born, the will was changed.

“You mean, someone else is competing with Michael for the inheritance?”

“I don’t know much about him. I heard it from Roy. He’s quite mysterious, rarely appearing in the country, but he has a private residence in Impelia near the Golden Mansion.”

Others couldn’t tell, but Chris immediately saw the cunning look hidden in Jessica’s eyes. All talk about “not knowing much” was just a lie.