Chapter 31

Racquelle tried to provoke me, continuing her tirade. “Joshua, since you’re so good at cleaning, why not make it your second job? From now on, you’ll be responsible for cleaning the entire building. If there’s even a speck of dust, you’ll lick it clean!”

I stood there silently, letting her outburst wash over me. Yet, even my lack of reaction seemed to anger her. In her eyes, my silence was a form of defiance. She was like a madwoman lost in her own world, obsessively wanting to see me suffer. However, I was done playing her games, so I simply nodded and said, “Okay.”

I turned to leave, but Racquelle’s pride turned to rage. She splashed more water on me and snapped, “Who said you could leave? The floor is still sticky, and there are watermarks!”

“Are you trying to make me slip? Do you know how many important clients we have, Joshua? Can you afford to take responsibility if something happens?”

The barrage of accusations hit me like a wave, each more humiliating than the last. I nodded silently, gripping my soiled jacket, and crouched to continue wiping each clean tile.

Seeing my complete submission seemed to appease Racquelle. She glared at me furiously and yelled, “Get out of my sight! Get out now!”

I nodded and replied, “Yes, Ms. Smith.” As soon as I turned to leave, a glass shattered near my feet, the fragments cutting into my ankle.

I silently fetched a broom, cleaned up the broken glass, and retreated to my storage room. Outside, several employees had witnessed the entire scene, and they whispered among themselves:

“Oh my God, did you see how Ms. Smith treated Mr. Smith? It was horrible!”

“What did he do to deserve that? Why would she go out of her way just to humiliate him like that?”

“Well, Ms. Smith has always had a terrible temper, you know…”

“There must be a reason she hates him so much. He probably did something wrong.”

Their gossip was laughable to me, especially the part where they believed I had done something wrong to deserve this treatment. Was it wrong to give her blood transfusions when she desperately needed them? Or to stay silent when she publicly humiliated and cursed at me? Was it my fault for being at her beck and call, even picking her up in the middle of the night from her secret rendezvous? Or perhaps it was wrong to eat seafood despite my allergies when she forced me to eat her leftover meals when commanded?

I had not once wronged Racquelle. Yet, these clueless people would believe anything they heard and automatically sided with Racquelle simply because she was always talking about me. It was both frustrating and amusing, but I didn’t even bother explaining myself. So, I tuned them out and continued with my tasks.

As quitting time approached, Racquelle summoned me to her office again. I walked there with heavy steps, dreading what was to come. Her mind seemed occupied with only two things: being with Vernon and tormenting me.

When I entered the office, Racquelle stood up from Vernon’s embrace, her cheeks flushed and hair disheveled. She tossed me her car keys and ordered, “Take Vernon home.”

“Yes, Ms. Smith,” I replied, taking the keys and leading Vernon out.

As soon as I started the car, Vernon looked at me with amusement and shook his head. He smiled and commented, “Well, well, I guess being a sugar baby isn’t as easy as…”