Joseph didn’t finish his sentence. He suddenly realized something and changed his tone, his voice turning overly sweet. “Dad, did your friend see Judy?”

On the other end of the line, Harold nodded.

“Yes, that’s why I set all this up.”

Harold said irritably, “You ungrateful brat, I’ve said so much just to confirm whether that woman is still around you. If she’s not by your side, then that means my friend wasn’t mistaken.”

Joseph didn’t care about the rest. He shot to his feet. “Dad, can you ask where he saw her? I’m in a hurry. I can’t find her, and I haven’t been able to get any news.”

Harold, who had seen his fair share of love and heartbreak, could hear it in his son’s tone—Joseph was already in too deep. At this point, if he tried to stop him, it would be pointless.

“Alright, I’ll ask him where he saw her.” Harold hesitated, then added, “But let me make this clear–no matter how capable that woman is, whether I accept her or not depends on you. Our relationship with her will be determined entirely by your attitude.”

Joseph understood the warning, the light in his eyes dimming slightly. But he still nodded with certainty. “Don’t worry, Dad, I’ve made up my mind. No matter what, I won’t let a woman interfere with my career.”

Only then did Harold send him the photo. “Take a look–this should be her, right? See that strange man standing next to her? Do you know him?”

Joseph enlarged the photo, studying it closely. In the end, his mind went completely blank. He could hardly recall anything about the man. But in the photo, a tall, broad shouldered man with deep, striking features had one arm wrapped around the woman’s slender waist. She was wearing a white, backless gown, her right hand holding a glass of red wine. Like a delicate bird, she leaned into the man’s shoulder, her smile bright and charming as she gazed at the guests at the banquet.

And that woman in the photo–who else could it be but Judy? She loved wearing white dresses, always carrying that composed, graceful smile. He’d seen this exact look before–only, back then, it had been for him. Now, it was all being shown to another man. The thought twisted in Joseph’s chest like a knife.

“Dad… where was this taken?” His voice was hoarse. Why didn’t he know about any such banquet in the country?

Hearing the strain in his son’s voice, Harold didn’t dare hold anything back. After all, he only had this one son, and this son was finally making something of himself, far better than before. There was no way Harold would let this go.

“It was at an overseas auction, according to my friend. I’ll send the exact location to your phone.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Joseph’s voice was already numb.

In that moment, Harold felt a rare twinge of conscience.