Chapter 20

I nodded and glanced at the WhatsApp chat. As expected, Racquelle had bombarded me with dozens of insulting messages.

“Joshua. I’ve called you so many times! Why didn’t you answer? Are you deal?”

“If you don’t want your ears, just cut them off. If you can’t do it, I’ll help you.”

“It’s late, and I can’t get a cab. Are you seriously trying to keep me from going lime?”

“Pathetic scam! If you don’t pick up again, just leave the Smiths!”

One insult after another flooded my screen. If I received messages like these in the past, I would have rushed to pick her up. But now, I wasn’t going to indulge her anymore. Racquelle was an adult and needed to take responsibility for her actions. Soon, I wouldn’t be part of the Smith family. Did I really need to keep enduring her behavior?

Besides, every time she called me over, it was just to humiliate and belittle me. It was never about anything important. Didn’t she have Vernon? Why didn’t she call him to pick her up?

“Just ignore her. You’re your own person, not her subordinate,” Ariana said softly with a smile. “Come on. Let me send you home.”

“Home?” I was taken aback. “But I haven’t finished my work…”

She swept the shredded paper from the desk into a box before picking it up. “What kind of crappy job is this? Just leave it to me. I can help you finish it in less than three days.”

She took my hand without hesitation. “Let’s go. You’re not feeling well, so why put yourself through this? If Racquelle doesn’t care about you, others will.”

Adana’s words caught me off guard, and I stared at her in disbelief. However, she looked calm. It was as if she wasn’t aware she was flirting with me.

After dropping me off at home, she left with the box of shredded paper. I tried to unlock the door with my fingerprint, but it kept giving me an error message.

Just then, the door opened. Racquelle stepped out and dragged my suitcase behind her. She shoved it at me and pointed her finger at my face as she spat out her insults. “Pathetic scum! You remembered to return home!”

“Why didn’t you pick up the phone when I called you earlier? I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere!”

“If Vernon hadn’t given me a ride back, I’d be freezing on the streets tonight!”

“If you aren’t bothered to answer my calls and don’t want me to come home, neither do you get to come back! Take your stuff and leave!!!”

I calmly took my suitcase from the ground and noticed my belongings had been stuffed haphazardly inside.

“Racquelle, you’re an adult, and you have money. If you don’t have a car, can’t you just find a nearby hotel?” I looked at her calmly and asked.

She stared at me in shock and didn’t expect I had the nerve to talk back.

“Patheticum! Have you gotten so bold that you think you can speak to me like this?”

Her voice was so sharp that it made my eardrum ring, yet I continued to look at her calmly.

“If you’re going to snap, at least be mindful of the time. It’s already past midnight, so don’t disturb others.”

“Shut up!”

She gnashed her teeth in frustration. My defiance these past few days had left her simmering with resentment. She glared at me and pondered how to get back at me. But I was used to her usual tricks. I doubted she could come up with anything new.

“Reali, you’re right. It’s already past midnight.” Racquelle scoffed and rolled her eyes at me disdainfully. “I need to rest now. As for you, lapdog, go whenever you want, but don’t disturb anyone else’s sleep.”