Chapter 314 - 267 : Old Friend (1/2)
Stupefied, the middle-aged man stood there with an expression filled with total disbelief.
After some time has passed the man seemed to have calmed down. He took a few deep breaths and spoke again:
”Freaking hell! I knew it!”
He got closer to Arthur while closely inspecting him from head to toe. For some reason, he didn't even doubt for a second that it's a trick or some kind of hallucination.
”No corpse, no conclusive evidence about your death... I fucking knew it!”
After gazing at Arthur for who knows how long, he shifted his attention to the woman next to him. Average appearance and an expressionless face, her presence here is a complete mystery for him yet he tried to come up with some scenarios on his own.
”It's been a long time, Josef.”
Arthur smiled as he stepped ahead and extended his hand for a handshake. However, the man didn't follow with the courtesy and instead went it for a sudden hug.
”Man... I just knew it! You couldn't have died like that. A heart attack? Motherfuckers don't even know how to lie!”
He whispered those words excitedly as he hugged Arthur, who didn't push him away or show any displeasure.
The short-lived reunion ended quickly, the man held Arthur's shoulders tightly and said
”Come come! This is gonna be a long afternoon!”
He gestured for Arthur and Lucy to stand on the comfortable chairs that are facing his desk while indicating for his secretary to go away only to find out that she already read the mood and understood that it's going to be a private conversation.
When all three people were seated, the man curiously threw some glances at Arthur and said
”I know you as a lonely man, so who might this lady be? Wait wait! Let me guess!”
He assessed Lucyf or a bit more and resumed
”I say she was your savior! Some kind of dramatic encounter where two fates were bound together, right? There's no way you can find a girl by yourself, much less a proper partner, after all, you're a loser in romance hahahaha”
He banged the desk as he mocked Arthur, who had a weird grimace on his face. Josef seemed to have hit the nail in the head but he didn't need to say the last part, or so thought Arthur.
”Indeed, she's my savior. You're still good at coming up with random yet correct assumptions.”
Arthur tapped the table with his finger, a bit nervous that Josef would utter some embarrassing moments from the past.
”My name is Lucy MoonStar, his wife.”
Lucy calmly introduced herself but her words only made Josef stop mid-laughter and stare at Arthur dumbfoundedly. To avoid any unnecessary explanation, Arthur waved his hand and added:
”It's complicated. Let's change the subject, shall we?”
”A-ah yes yes, I want to hear the details!”
Josef changed into a serious look and listened to Arthur, who briefly explained what happened and the events that led to his death. Obviously, anything about Astria and the reincarnation were omitted.
Going back in time for a few years, Arthur and Josef were close friends. Josef was probably one of the few friends Arthur had. They weren't best friends, neither were they simple acquaintances, in a way, they are more like business partners than friends but their relationship deepened with the passing of years.
Although Arthur wasn't sure of all the people who helped Claudia, he was at least sure that Josef is definitely not amongst them. Actually, the reason is really simple, he didn't have any reason to kill him or steal his money.