Chapter 25

Geralda's expression relaxed as he approached me and patted my shoulder. “Josh, I appreciate your hard work.”

I shook my head and replied politely. “Truly. I’m just doing my job. It’s not a big deal.”

In Gerald’s eyes, I was the dutiful son. Every word he spoke was etched in my mind, and I wouldn’t dare forget them. Whatever tasks he handed down, I committed myself fully to accomplishing them. I worked hard to be his ideal—respectful, responsible, obedient, and dutiful. I wanted to show him I appreciated everything he had done for me. If he was pleased with me, it might give me a chance to save my sister.

“Ugh, what a phom!” Racquella glared at me venomously and gnashed her teeth.

“Aren’t you going to shut up?” Gerald interjected.

Although she felt aggrieved, she dared not make a scene in front of him.

“Josh, take a seat.” He led me to the couch and gestured for me to sit. It took considerable patience from my brother to put up with her. Otherwise, she would have gotten into some serious trouble by now.

His eyes fell on the shredded paper on the floor, and he said earnestly, “I’ve spoiled Racquelle. I’m grateful you’ve been such a good son.”

“This isn’t her fault, Dad,” I replied calmly.

In response, she rolled her eyes repeatedly.

Gerald patted my shoulder and smiled. “As the general manager, you need to act like one. Let your subordinates handle tasks like this.”

His words left Racquelle seething. Her face turned crimson as she gritted her teeth. “Are you saying a general manager should make others clean up his mess?” Frustrated, she retorted sharply.

He slammed his hand hard on the table. His expression darkened as he glared at her and scolded, “How dare you accuse Josh? He’s the one who signed all these contracts. Is he really insane or stupid enough to ruin his own work by shredding them?”

“Racquelle, you’re our family’s blessing. Even your mischief should have its limits.”

After being scolded, she didn’t correct herself. All she could do was glare at me through gritted teeth, as if her stare could slice me to pieces.

“Vernon is indeed immature. If you let her handle such an important project, it’s bound to lead to unnecessary problems. Josh, you’ve got a sharp eye for business opportunities.”

Gerald turned to Racquelle, who looked displeased. He said solemnly, “As a senior executive, your priority should be to protect our company’s interests. You shouldn’t resort to underhanded tactics to manipulate or threaten others for personal gain.”

Seeing her father genuinely angry made her feel downcast. She lowered her head and avoided his gaze. Vernon was just a pretty face. With his smooth-talking charm, he had Racquelle completely under his spell and kicked a key partner out of her company. However, she was now trying to hand that opportunity to some unknown upstart. If it came out, Gerald would surely become a laughingstock in the industry.

Gerald went on lecturing Racquelle for quite a while. He also reminded me to avoid anything like that if it ever happened again. Then, he left the office.

After that incident, Racquelle’s resentment toward me only deepened. The look in her eyes was chilling, like she wished she could tear me apart.

With an icy glare, she hissed, “So, you managed to get Dad to put me in my place. Don’t think this is over, Joshua. We’ll see who wins in the end.” With that, she stormed off.