Chapter 26

I returned to the storage room and continued to work. I could vaguely hear my subordinates laughing at me outside.

“Wasn’t Mr. Gerald here today to support Mr. Saith? Why did he leave so soon!”

“Yeah. Why hasn’t Mr. Smith moved back into his office?”

“I think Mr. Gerald isn’t really backing him. It seems like he just showed up to support his daughter.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t Mr. Joshua and Ms. Smith both his children?”

“Are you kidding? Didn’t you hear? Ms. Smith said before that her father adopted Joshua just to serve as her personal blood bank.”

“What? Seriously? Oh my God.”

Why else would they treat him like that? He’s not even her real brother. I heard he agreed to it just for the money and didn’t mind being her lapdog.

“He’s a grown man, so why the hell would he choose to do something like that? Ugh…”

I tuned out the outside chatter. I kept my head down and focused on my work because I didn’t want to disappoint Gerald. It wasn’t until 9:30 pm, when almost everyone had left the office, that I finally stepped outside.

After a long day of hard work, I hadn’t even had time to eat. I thought I might grab a quick bite at a restaurant on my way home. Yet, as I exited the building, I received a call from Raquel. Even though I was about to leave the Smith family, I still had one month to go. Out of respect for Gerald, I had to be available for her whenever she called during this period.

I suppressed my irritation and answered the call, “What’s going on?”

“I’m at the Royal Lounge. I demand you get here within ten minutes. You’ll have to drink a shot if you’re even a minute late.”

She nearly yelled into the phone. Her voice was slurred as if she had been drinking. In the background, I could hear several people laughing, and someone shouted, “Raquel, are you calling your obedient lapdog?”

She giggled and replied, “Yes. He’ll be here soon. I’ll let him entertain you when he gets here.”

The call ended, and the busy signal rang in my ears. I knew she called me over just to humiliate me, but I couldn’t ignore her. What if something happened to her, and Dad was angry enough to cut off my sister’s medical support? I could endure a little hardship, but my sister was still young, and I had to ensure her safety.

I put my phone away and hailed a cab to the club Raquel had mentioned. As I pushed through the door, the overwhelming stench of alcohol and the blaring music made me feel uncomfortable. I forced myself through the haze of smoke and alcohol and found the table where she was seated. The table was cluttered with various glasses; colorful cocktails shimmered under the dim lights.

Raquel’s cheeks were flushed as she downed one drink after another. The men kept smiling at her and signaling her as they sent over the drinks they had ordered. Without a hint of caution, she raised her glass and toasted the man who sent her the drink; at that instant, she seemed completely intoxicated.

Once the alcohol on the table was finished, she waved me over. “Take me to my room.” She shoved a card into my hand and leaned against me like a rag doll.

I didn’t say anything. I simply scooped her up and carried her upstairs.