Chapter 128 Talk with Mom

"If I remember correctly, Kate also likes spicy food," Cassie smiled slyly.

Joseph almost choked on his water; it was as if his mother read his mind.

Cassie could see through his odd behavior. She looked at the menu and continued, "I know she likes spicy food because whenever Flora and I had dinner, she would joke that after Kate was married, she would have nothing but pepper in her house. Kate would always smile brightly and nod in agreement. However, after she married you, I reminded her not to eat spicy food if you two were going to try to have a baby. She obviously listened to me; I noticed when she come for dinner at the family reunion."

What Cassie didn't know is that Joseph had banned Kate from eating spicy food and not because they were trying to have a baby; it was to torture her. Joseph felt guilty, and apart from being distressed over his father's sudden death, the thing he regretted most was his attitude toward Kate when they were married.

While Joseph was thinking, Cassie ordered their meals and waved her hand in front of his face, "What are you thing about? You seem so absent-minded."

Joseph couldn't wait any longer; he begged his mother, "Mom, I need your help. Kate is in charge of the White Group, and I want to help her."

"Do you really want to genuinely help Kate?"

"During the two years that we were together, she was unhappy. Though we are no longer together, I hope I can do something to compensate for my mistakes. If I can, I will feel better."

Cassie didn't believe what she was hearing; it was the first time Joseph had shared a secret with her. She looked at him and asked, "Do you love Kate, or do you just feel guilty?"

He smiled bitterly, "There is no use in saying anything now. I only hope that Kate can live happily ever after and forget all of the unhappy memories. After all, most of her distress and sadness was caused by me."

"My dear, stupid son, if you love her, you need to fight for her. You should do whatever you can to let her know how you feel. If you are cold all of the time, she won't know you love her," Cassie encouraged. She prayed that they would get back together, but she also knew her son's personality and that he would not follow her advice. Cassie knew Kate was extremely disappointed in Joseph, so it would be a bit to convince her to try again. All she could do was pray that Flora would bless them, and fate would bring them together.

"Mom, I rarely ask you to help me. I hope you will conceal this for me. I hope you can care for her as if you are me," Joseph begged.

"Of course, I will. I'm your mother, If I don't help you, who would?" Cassie assured her son, "Don't worry; I will invite Kate out for lunch and to go shopping. If you want to see her, I will let you know, and you can meet us."

**

The next day, Joseph claimed the compensation from Dobby that was stipulated in their agreement. He was sure that Dobby would have an excuse to delay the payment or try to beg Joseph's forgiveness, but he agreed and paid without hesitation.

What made Joseph wonder the most was why he told Kate the truth even when he knew he would need to pay a large sum for violating the contract. If it were that Dobby didn't care about the money, he wouldn't have pleaded with Joseph to work with Wilson Group. The reparation he had to pay was twice the amount Joseph paid him, and Joseph knew that the new project was profitable, but they did not make that much.

When Joseph was back in his office, John delivered some documents and saw Joseph frowning, "What are you worrying about?"

Joseph looked up and asked, "Do you know Dobby Wilson?"

As Joseph's assistant, John knew that Dobby had broken a contract between the two companies and had to pay a hefty penalty.

"I don't know him very well. But I heard that he went to school with Lord Samuel," John replied. He didn't think much of it and never thought to inform Joseph.

A light flashed in Joseph's eyes as he exclaimed, "Now, I understand why he did it!"

A faint light flashed in Joseph's eyes. He said, "Then I understand why he did this."

John thought for a moment, "You think that Dobby is working for Lord Samuel?"

Joseph smiled scornfully, "I definitely believe he is putting on a show!"

**

At White Group, Max placed a stack of documents on Kate's desk. He was cautiously asked, "Ma'am, I thought our company and Wilson Group were working well together. Why has the collaboration ended?"

Kate understood that Max would be curious. She smiled at him and shook her head, "We did work well together, but… Well, I hope we can work with them again in the future. Don't worry; we will not fail if we don't collaborate with them."

"I believe that! After all, many companies have been wanting to work with us. And, since this is a newly developing tourist area, I have analyzed some…"

Kate's phone rang and interrupted Max's idea. He quickly said, "Go on and answer the phone. I will get a plan together, and then we can talk!"

With a smile and nod of her head, Kate picked up her phone, and Max shut the door behind him.

"Kate, do I disturb you?" Cassie asked.

"No, no, no, not at all. Is everything okay?"

Cassie paused for a moment, wondering how best to ask, "Are you available this evening? I would love to have dinner together. Noelle is still here, and she misses you so much."

"I……"

Before Kate could answer, Noelle grabbed the phone from her mother, "Dear sister-in-law, I miss you!"

Although Noelle knew that Kate and Joseph were divorced, she still thought of Kate as a family.

"Noelle, I..." Kate wanted to refuse the dinner invitation, but they were the two people who were always kind to her.

"You are like my sister and like a daughter to my mother! We will always be family! You need to come to dinner, please," Noelle begged as Cassie gave the thumbs up to continue, Noelle added, "So, don't distance yourself from us! We really want you to join us for dinner tonight!"