Chapter 67

It was the first time a man had wiped the corner of her mouth, and it made her feel off. She couldn’t quite explain what felt wrong, but everything about it just didn’t sit right. And she couldn’t believe she hadn’t pulled away immediately. She could have, but she hadn’t, which wasn’t good.

She might not have been in a relationship before, but she knew well enough that wiping the corner of someone’s mouth was something only a boyfriend would do. But they were an engaged couple in name.

Shermaine subtly shifted to the side, her expression neutral. “Thanks.”

Joshua withdrew his hand, and perhaps realizing she was uncomfortable with his subconscious move, he paused for a moment and said in a low voice, “Sorry, that was inappropriate.”

Shermaine pouted slightly and said, “It’s okay.” Then, remembering that Joshua was a wealthy, generous businessman, she smiled and added, “I’m pretty versatile. If you have any professional problems later, feel free to come to me. I’ll give you a discount.”

Joshua chuckled. “Are you really that strapped for cash?”

“Yeah, I am,” Shermaine replied. She had been financially strapped even before he gave her that ridiculously expensive car, but now that she needed to give him a gift in return, her situation was even worse.

She couldn’t help but regret her past indifference toward money now, and not having saved up a little nest egg. The good thing was, it wasn’t too late to start.

Joshua had more than enough money. But he knew that she’d never accept even if he offered some to Shermaine. Without dwelling on it, he said, “Alright, I’ll come to you if I need help.”

Shermaine smiled.

Joshua probably never imagined he’d wipe a girl’s mouth, let alone do it so naturally. He saw his constant attention to Shermaine, both in private and in public, as merely fulfilling his duty–after all, they were engaged.

When his fingertip brushed against her lips, they felt soft and smooth, like jelly–surprisingly pleasant to the touch.

Shermaine’s eyes landed on the smear of cream on his long, slender finger with well-defined joints. The fact that the cream came from the corner of her mouth made her ears burn a little. She handed him a tissue, saying, “Wipe your hand.”

Joshua took the tissue and asked, “Does this bother you?”

Shermaine replied, “Not really. I get why we have to put on a show for others, but when it’s just us, it’s unnecessary.”

Joshua looked at her closely, his gaze deep. “I told you, we don’t have to keep our distance like this.”

Shermaine picked up her dessert and sat back on the floor. “If I wanted to keep my distance, I wouldn’t let you stay in my room. Besides, this isn’t about being distant or not.”

To put it bluntly, she didn’t want to have much to do with her fiancé, in name only. But Joshua, who was known for keeping his distance from women, seemed unusually familiar with her. It looked like he was seeing her in a whole new light.

Since Shermaine had made her stance clear, Joshua naturally respected her wishes. “It won’t happen again.”

Shermaine nodded.

Joshua was a man of principle. He always kept his word. If he said it wouldn’t happen again, then it wouldn’t.

But Shermaine never expected that Joshua, with his strong sense of principle, would later break his promise and try to get more intimate with her, completely losing all sense of boundaries.

After finishing her dessert, Shermaine picked up King Tiki and started taking it apart again. As expected, after it fell into the fish pond, many parts were damaged, and some still had water inside. But the chip wasn’t completely ruined–it could be repaired, though it wouldn’t be quick.

She carefully disassembled the robot vacuum, laying the parts out on the table. Then she wiped off the water with tissues and used a hairdryer to dry them thoroughly. “You can come pick it up tomorrow night.”

Joshua glanced at his watch and nodded. “Alright.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Shermaine offered.

“No need,” Joshua replied. Then, as if remembering something, he pulled out his phone. “I need to take a picture.”

Shermaine raised an eyebrow, immediately guessing the reason. ‘Mr. Owen York is really pulling out all the stops, but whatever,’ she thought.

Shermaine looked stunning, even just sitting there. Joshua casually snapped a photo, but with the perfect angle and lighting, the shot turned out incredibly artistic. Afterward, he packed up the dessert box and said, “I’m heading out.”

Shermaine stood up and started looking for her shoes.

Even though Joshua had said not to bother, Shermaine thought it would be better to see him off. After all, she considered herself a polite person.

Just as Joshua opened the door, he saw the gentle and refined Ross standing outside, staring at him with sharp eyes.

‘What’s with that look? Does he think I’m here to steal Shermaine or something?’ Joshua thought. ‘Do I look like the type who would do that?’

Ross seemed to realize his overly defensive gaze and quickly adjusted his expression. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Joshua, it’s so late. What are you doing here with my sister?”

Joshua replied calmly, “My grandfather asked me to deliver some dessert to Shermaine.”

“How thoughtful of you,” Ross said.

Joshua remained indifferent. “Let’s skip the formalities.”

Ross chuckled lightly. After years of knowing each other, they didn’t need to be that formal. Still, the thought of Joshua as his sister’s fiancé left him feeling annoyed.

The marriage arrangement with the York family had been set by Ross’s grandfather, so the Jeans had no choice but to go along with it. But if Shermaine wanted to break it off, Ross would support her.

Unfortunately, too much had happened while Ross was away on business. Shermaine and Joshua had crossed paths and struck some sort of deal, and now their relationship was too complicated to untangle easily.

Just then, Shermaine stepped out after finding her shoes and putting them on. When she saw Ross, she greeted him.

Ross immediately ruffled her hair lovingly. ‘My sister is so sweet and adorable,’ he thought.

Ross and Shermaine were close and affectionate, despite having been separated for over a decade. In contrast, Shermaine was always distant with Joshua, who felt a faint sense of frustration about it.

‘Her brother can ruffle her hair all he wants, but I wipe her mouth once and get treated like a stranger. How’s that fair?’ Joshua thought, swallowing hard and looking away.

The night was heavy and still.

After seeing Joshua off, Shermaine made her way back to her room. As she was heading upstairs, she ran into Wendelyn coming down.

Wendelyn immediately clenched her fist, her eyes flashing with hatred.

Shermaine raised an eyebrow but wasn’t planning on acknowledging her. Just as she was about to walk past, Wendelyn grabbed her wrist, her nails digging in, causing a sharp pain. “Shermaine, you’re so annoying,” she spat.

Shermaine shot her a cold, commanding look. “Let go.”