Julie furrowed her brows. She seemed afraid of Queenie, and even though she disagreed, she dared not stop her friend. Queenie grunted and stared at Sherry, who was still chewing on meat. “Sherry, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?!” Sherry ignored her. She tugged Sylvia’s sleeve and said, “Sylvia, let’s eat. Ignore her.” Sylvia awkwardly tightened her lips. Queenie strode forward to the table. “Sherry, what’s with that attitude? Don’t forget you’re just a stripper from a club!” She went up to Sherry and tried to slap her face. Sylvia frowned coldly. Julie screamed out of shock. “Queenie, calm down!” Slap! A loud slap sounded, but it was not Sherry that was slapped. It was Queenie. Before Queenie could land her slap, Sherry got up and slapped her first. The strong slap turned her face and almost knocked her off her balance. Everything plunged into silence for a moment. Julie nervously went up to Queenie. “Queenie, are you alright?” With her hand covering her fac
“I rarely see her around. Her brother usually keeps her away. This is probably the third time I see her since I came here.” Sherry served a bowl of soup for Sylvia. “Don’t you worry about me. I’ve seen a lot of girls like her and I won’t let her climb on top of my head and do whatever she wants!” Sylvia sighed when she thought about Sherry slapping Queenie earlier. She was still worried. “You just slapped her. What if she tells Madam Stockton about it? Will she do anything to you?” “Don’t worry.” Sherry shoved a piece of shrimp into her mouth. “Madam Stockton might call me things behind my back but she won’t do anything to me. The best she could do is tell John about it and let him deal with me.” Sherry knew the Stockon family well. Sylvia sighed and let the concerns slip. …Maybe because Queenie snitched on Sherry, John came back before it was dark. Sylvia was in the yard with Sherry, watching her sew. Sherry had a glance at the man approaching and continued sewing. S
Maybe because of the tightening clutch over her face or the skip of a beat in her heart, Sherry frowned. She gasped and gulped before she looked into that frosty gaze. She forced a smile and said, “It’s been so many years, and you’re still clinging on to that? Do you hate me that much, or are you still thinking about me?” John tightened his clutch the moment her words subsided. There was only grimness on his handsome face. “Sherry, am I being too lenient to the point that you misunderstood your place?” The intense pain made Sherry feel like her cheekbone was breaking. She said with gnashing teeth, “Strangle me to death or let me out of here. If you can’t do both of them, you miss me.” John pursed his lips. His glasses no longer concealed his terrible mood. He said, “Strangling you to death will only stain my hand with your blood. Don’t even try to agitate or provoke me to release you. I’ll keep you here for life and make sure you don’t eat or sleep well. I want you to suf
Sherry gulped as she watched. John ignored her scorching gaze and continued eating and drinking. Half of the wine in the decanter was gone before dinner even finished. Sherry clenched her fists and glared at the man. John finally looked at her with an evil smile. “You want some?” “Yes!” She had yearned for the taste of wine for a while now. John smiled. “Then watch me drink.” He poured himself another glass and drained it to the last drop. “You prick,” Sherry said. The last drop of wine in the decanter was soon poured into his glass. He leaned back and swirled the wine while looking at her in delight. Sherry’s patience was at her limit. She bolted up and dashed toward him like the wind. John grinned and put the glass near his mouth. Sherry widened her eyes. “Leave some for me!” She strode faster to his side and tried to snatch the glass. However, she was one step too late. The last drop had fallen into his mouth when she touched the glass. All she got wa
It was already late when Sylvia finished the call. She put her phone down and went to the bathroom for a shower. After she came out from her shower, she saw her phone blinking. Someone texted her. She picked up the phone and saw the messages from Odell. The first message was a picture of Flint drinking a bottle of milk. “The kids are doing fine today. Isabel didn’t cause any trouble at school. Everything is fine at home.” It was followed by another text another minute later. “How about you? Are you doing well at the Stockton family’s place?” Sylvia frowned. She had the urge to text back but her fingers froze before they typed. She struggled for a moment before ultimately tossing her phone away. …The next morning, Sylvia snuck several buns from breakfast for Sherry again. John had gone to work. When Sylvia arrived at the living hall, Sherry was sewing on the couch but she looked weak. “Sherry?” Sylvia called her. Sherry’s eyes gleamed. “Syl! Did you bring a
The call lasted for quite a while as Sylvia had to cheer her kids up. When the call finally ended, she got up and prepared for bed. After cleaning herself up, she picked up her phone again to check on the message, but she got nothing. From when she left Westchester City, Odell had been texting her, updating her about the kids’ situation. ‘Is he busy? Or is he mad that I didn’t reply to him every time he texted me?’ Sylvia grunted and tossed the phone aside. She tried to sleep but for some reason, her mind was thinking about the text messages and her eyes were staring at her phone. She lay awake until midnight and still did not receive any messages on her phone. He should have texted her no matter how busy he was. Sylvia’s expression turned cold. Frustrated and annoyed, she covered herself with the blanket and slept. …On the next morning, Sylvia woke up around 9 o’clock. Maybe because she slept late last night, she woke up later than usual. It was way past breakfas
Odell nodded and then looked at Sylvia. Sylvia carried Flint into the cart. There were four seats behind the driver’s seat. Sylvia sat in the first row. Isabel immediately sat beside her. Liam calmly sat in the second row, just behind Sylvia. Odell was the last to get in. Instead of sitting beside Liam in the second row, he carried Isabel and put her beside her brother. He then took Isabel’s seat and sat beside Sylvia. Isabel pouted after her father snatched her seat. “Stupid Daddy!” The cart drove off. Odell looked at Sylvia, who refused to look at him. He shook the bag in his hand. “What’s this? Is it food?” Sylvia hummed a reply coldly. Odell furrowed his brows. “You didn’t have breakfast?” “I ate.” “Then what’s with the bag of food?” Sylvia ignored him. Odell stroked her hair. “Why aren’t you talking?” Sylvia answered angrily, “Why are you talking so much?” “I haven’t seen you for a week. I have a lot to talk to you about,” he stared at her with his
The ember of hope in the girl’s eyes died off. She put her hands on her hips and raised a brow at John. “So, you’re the jerk who has been bullying Aunt Sherry? Do you know you should love your girlfriend instead of bullying her?” John’s expression froze. Odell sternly said, “Izzy, stop it. Don’t be rude.” Sylvia immediately pulled the little girl behind her back. The girl pouted and sulked in silence. Madam Stockton, Queenie, and Julie’s expressions turned cold. Things got awkward until John chuckled. He looked at the girl with her puffy face. “I didn’t expect the girl to know so much about relationships at this age.” Isabel pouted. “Of course. I’ve seen almost all the romance dramas out there!” Sylvia was rendered speechless, and even Odell felt embarrassed. “Hmph. A girl her age calls a man a jerk because of romance drama? I think she’s learning all the bad things instead of the good ones,” Queenie voiced her grievance behind John. John turned around and glared