Chapter 39

Ling, drunk and heartbroken, began to cry, looking quite pitiful. “My money isn’t saved enough. Why did you have to stumble into me? Are you blind?” His voice assumed a tart tone. She had never taken care of her ect of her life. Clearly, he reserved that “Mi. Jout, bed lene. Vly looking where your H of her laughter, Jeshua turned around ing for face was chand and up of ide cted to witness ska ha scene. She couldn’t help but think, “Joshua realy in 13:54 Sun, 1 dun

Chapter 39

Wendelyn was beyond mortified. Her face burned crimson, not from shyness, but from humiliation. Right now, she couldn’t even bear to be in the same place as Joshua, let alone admire him.

And to make matters worse, Shermaine had seen everything. In an instant, whatever pride Wendelyn had left was utterly shattered.

“Interrupt? Not at all. You came at the perfect time,” Joshua said, his tone calm but cutting.

Just then, Jameson and the others walked out of the study. When he saw Wendelyn sprawled on the floor, which he thought was such a disgrace to the family, his face darkened with anger. “Wendy, what are you doing lying there?”

Wendelyn, her ankle throbbing, wobbled to her feet and explained, embarrassed, “Sorry, Dad, I drank too much and lost my balance.”

Jameson’s gaze shifted to Joshua. After years of navigating the business world, he had easily seen through Wendelyn’s intentions.

He bellowed inwardly. “This is ridiculous. She can seduce Joshua all she wants, as long as it stays hidden. But not here, not with my mother and brothers around. If Joshua decides to make an issue of it, who’s going to end up embarrassed?

Suppressing his fury, Jameson barked, “Why’d you drink so much tonight? Since you were drunk, you should have stayed in your room instead of wandering around here. Go back to your room, now.”

Hearing Jameson’s voice, Ruth came out of the room. “What’s going on? Why are you yelling at Wendy like that?”

Jameson couldn’t exactly tell her about Wendelyn’s behavior. “You came just in time. Take her back to her room so she doesn’t make a fool of herself.”

Ruth’s temper flared instantly. “Even if Wendy made a mistake, you can’t talk to her like that. Do you have any idea how much honor she’s been bringing to this family?”

“I told you to take her away, not to argue with me!” Jameson snapped.

Ruth was about to retort when Wendelyn quickly grabbed her arm. “Mom, I know I messed up tonight, Please don’t argue with Dad. Let’s not make things worse.”

After all, there were not only family members present but also outsiders. Wendelyn was wise enough to know that if things escalated, she’d be the one humiliated.

Besides, Janice would soon return from her walk. If she found out what had happened, she’d surely call Wendelyn a seductress for coveting Shermaine’s fiancé. Wendelyn couldn’t bear that kind of insult.

“No way. He’s got to explain why he said you made a fool of yourself” Ruth was determined to stand up for Wendelyn.

Jameson was consumed by anger as he thought, “When we first got married, she was sharp and capable. But ever since Shermaine went missing and she fell gravely ill, she has become so stubborn and clueless.”

Wendelyn’s face turned pale, “Mom, please. It was my fault for drinking too much and making a fool of myself. Don’t blame Dad.”

Hearing this, Ruth finally realized her daughter was in the wrong and managed to rein in her temper. But as she glanced around, she noticed several other people in the hallway and thought, ‘This is bad.”

Meanwhile, Clyde, who had been eating leftovers in the kitchen, heard the commotion upstairs. He rushed up to see Wendelyn, red eyed and pitiful, being scolded by Jameson.

When he saw Shermaine watching with interest, he, ever prone to filling in the blanks with his imagination, assumed she was the reason for Wendelyn’s scolding. He thought, “Just you wait, Shermaine’ll make you pay for causing trouble for Wendy.”

Shermaine was unbothered by his hateful gaze and couldn’t care less about whether he’d been eating leftovers. She exchanged a look with Joshua, and they both headed downstairs.

Leslie, an outsider, was curious about what had happened upstairs, but he knew better than to stick his nose into their business. Just then, he saw Joshua and Shermaine coming down the stairs.

Chapter 39

Sharmaine’s smile was captivating.

Joshua asked, “Is it really that funny?”

“It is,” Shermaine replied, still smiling.

Not long after, Janice returned from her walk. After saying their goodbyes, Shermaine and Joshua finally left.

The car was waiting outside. Joshua bent down and got into the luxurious Rolls Royce first, and Shermaine followed, her mind still on what had just happened, which she found amusing. As she took a step, her foot accidentally hit the car’s frame, and she stumbled forward, falling straight into Joshua’s arms.

Joshua remained perfectly still. His crisp, clean scent of cedarwood filled Shermaine’s senses, refreshing and intoxicating all at once.

Shermaine was usually agile, but in the cramped space, she only ended up crashing into Joshua’s solid chest. Her chin throbbed with pain, She let out a soft, muffled groan, complaining inwardly, ‘Is he made of iron? He is so rock solid.

For some reason, likely because of what Wendelyn had done, Shermaine felt a twinge of unease. She couldn’t help but wonder if Joshua would think she was also trying to seduce him.

Hearing her gasp of pain, Joshua tilted her chin, as if checking for injury. Their eyes met.

Shermaine stared at him, silent.