Chapter 133
On the other side, Joshua was still trying to figure out why Shermaine had refused to drink milk that night. Was it because he had kissed her without asking for her permission? Was she angry?
It wasn’t impossible.
She probably did mind.
If that was the case, did it mean she didn’t like him at all?
Joshua sat in silence for a long time. The haze in his eyes deepened. For once, the man who always had everything under control looked a little lost.
*****
20
After showering, Shermaine pulled out the toolkit she kept under the desk and began disassembling the watch. She hadn’t skipped the milk out of anger; she just didn’t want to get sleepy.
Shermaine planned to stay up late and finish repairing and modifying the watch so she could hand it to Joshua first thing in the morning.
Sitting at the desk, Shermaine studied the watch’s mechanical structure. It was incredibly complex. No wonder even the most famous horologists hadn’t managed to repair it. Tossing the towel aside, she got to work.
The next morning, Shermaine woke up late and hungry. After brushing her teeth, she opened the door and walked right into a pair of deep, wintry eyes.
Joshua looked like he hadn’t slept a wink–his eyes were faintly bloodshot, and his voice was a bit husky when he spoke.
Truth was, he’d spent the whole night tossing and turning restlessly, unable to fall asleep. The moment he woke up, he just kept waiting for Shermaine, hoping to see her.
Joshua gazed at her, his eyes profound. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Shermaine replied. She paused. “Didn’t sleep well?”
“Maybe I’m still jet–lagged,” Joshua made up an excuse, hesitating for a moment before finally asking, “About what happened at the airport yesterday afternoon… are you upset with me?”
Rather than spiral in his head, it was better to ask.
If she was upset, he’d apologize properly and make sure it never happened again.
Shermaine didn’t overthink it. “No,” she said. She had minded a little, but she hadn’t been angry.
Joshua exhaled in relief, his voice softening. “That’s good.”
Maybe what he did last night gave her the wrong impression. Shermaine lowered her gaze and said, “Wait here.”
She went back into her room, picked up the watch she had fixed and upgraded the night before, then came out and handed it to him. “A return gift for the car.”
The watch was cold in his hand. Joshua held it, then let out a short laugh. His eyes lit up. He’d thought she might give it to Ross, so he hadn’t expected it to be for him.
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Chapter 133
I modified it,” Shermaine said. “It has an Al chip linked to a satellite. If you’re ever in danger, you can activate it. It could save your life.”
Joshua slid it onto his wrist. His voice carried a rare ease. “Thank you. I really like it.”
Of course, he did. Men loved watches. Even someone as self–contained as Joshua couldn’t hide the genuine happiness in his expression.
What Shermaine didn’t know was that it wasn’t the watch that made him happy; it was the fact that it came from her.
With the crisis averted and a surprise gift in hand, Joshua was in high spirits.
Joshua was in an uncharacteristically good mood all morning.
The senior staff who came in to report were nervous at first, but to their surprise, Joshua didn’t lash out. He just pointed out a few issues and said, “Take it back and redo it. I want it this afternoon.”
“Yes, Mr. York.”
They left confused until someone checked the morning entertainment news: the heiress of the Jean family had dropped hundreds of millions at an auction last night on a single watch.
That very same watch was now sitting on Joshua’s wrist. No wonder he was so forgiving. Clearly, his future wife had worked her magic.
But soon, any trace of their names or appearances vanished from the internet. No doubt, someone had cleaned it all up behind the scenes.
With the final exam approaching, the seniors were about to start their winter break. Shermaine’s newly developed product had already gone into production in small quantities. She planned to distribute it to selected people as gifts and gather feedback.
Naturally, the task fell to her. There were fifty–two students in her class, and she gave a set to each one. “Let me know what you think after you use it. Send me feedback on WhatsApp.”
“Got it.”
“Consider it done.”
Winter break started a little later for seniors, and soon enough, another major holiday arrived.
This was Shermaine’s first celebration with her brother and grandmother.
The night before the holiday, Shermaine received a decent gift from Janice. Then her brother Ross gave her even more gifts, saying he was making up for all the missed years.
Finally, even Ruth and Jameson gave generously. Shermaine didn’t stand on ceremony. She happily pocketed them all.
On WhatsApp, Shermaine was flooded with so many greetings that she couldn’t keep up with them all.
After a fancy dinner, as Jameson was about to leave, Ruth confronted him in a heated argument that quickly spiraled out of control.
She refused to let him go spend the holiday with “that homewrecker and her bastard child.” Their shouting match turned physical, and they started shoving each other on the stairs.
Jameson, clearly fed up, pushed her hard. Ruth lost her balance. With a scream, she tumbled down the stairs. Her eyes rolled
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Chapter 133
back and she passed out from the pain.
Jameson frowned. “What a fucking buzzkill!”
”
20
Upstairs, Shermaine heard the scream and rushed out, only to see Ruth lying unconscious at the foot of the stairs. Seeing she was still alive, Jameson stepped over her body and walked out as if nothing had happened. Instantly, Shermaine’s expression went cold.
Even though the woman lying there was just a clone of her mother, Jameson’s response made one thing abundantly clear: even if it had been her real mother, he still would’ve treated her the same way.
With something on her mind, Shermaine went down to check Ruth’s condition.
Ruth suddenly came to. Her head was spinning, and she grabbed Shermaine’s hand with all her strength. “Sheary, help me. I don’t want to die yet.” She hadn’t enjoyed her wealth enough. But the dizziness overwhelmed her again, and she passed out.
The commotion quickly alerted Janice and Ross. By the time they arrived, Shermaine had already examined Ruth’s injuries. “It’s nothing serious,” she assured them. “A couple of days‘ rest, and she’ll be fine.”
Meanwhile, Joshua was back at the York’s. After dinner, he checked the calendar and asked, “How about we fly to Mysonna three days later? If that works for you, I’ll book the tickets now.”
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