Girl Get Rid Of That Jerk by Melissa Johns

Chapter 357

He shot a glance at Joshua, his eyes seemingly teasing, "So, you've picked up the trick of using kids as a way in too, huh? Taking after me, are we?"

Joshua's eyes danced with amusement as he met the gaze. "What's the matter? Feeling a bit competitive?"

Seeing how much Lizzy adored the gifts, Linda decided to accept them, her demeanor towards Joshua warming up a notch. Joshua chatted with Linda for a bit, showing no signs of heading out. Linda asked the staff to move the gifts upstairs so Lizzy could dive right into playtime.

Lizzy, bubbling with excitement, pulled Julia upstairs to join her in the fun. Down in the living room, Joshua and Watson sat like two stoic statues on the couch. The air between them was thick with tension.

Linda offered some light conversation before heading upstairs to be with her daughter. Allison found herself in a tricky spot; she didn't want to seem rude by leaving, especially since Watson had brought Julia to play with Lizzy and Joshua had come bearing gifts. So, she plopped down on the couch, half-heartedly watching TV.

was at rock bottom, and her responses were lukewarm at best. It wasn't until Watson shifted the topic to professional matters that

blend of extensive hands-on experience and solid theoretical knowledge was impressive, and he was always up

Watson noticed Joshua hanging back and, picking up on Allison's unease, offered to

noticed Allison's continued indifference and said, "Allie, there's going to be a shake-up in Washington. Chris's support is about

She understood the implications-once Chris's allies in Washington fell he'd lose his powerful backing making it easier to handle him. Joshua's intentions were clear: once Chris was dealt with, they could finally be

that had gone down, getting back together wasn't that simple. Besides, Grandma Emily was still around, and she definitely wouldn't be on board

her mind

thought, and murmured a soft,

hadn't quite grasped his point, spelled it out,

and your family won't have to