Chapter 37

The moment Joshua arrived, the atmosphere shifted. And every time he showed up, Wendelyn would stare at him, completely captivated. If it weren’t for the engagement, the Jean family probably would have had few chances to meet Joshua in person.

At thirty, Joshua was the definition of a man in his prime; his refined charm and impossibly flawless face were enough to make anyone’s heart race. Shermaine wasn’t one to obsess over looks, but she was a little interested in having some physical contact with him. Too bad, though, this man was only for admiring.

Ruth straightened her back abruptly, forcing a sheepish smile as she explained. “This is Leslie. He is in the same school as Shermaine. Shermaine’s really bad at school, so I asked Leslie to tutor her when he had time to help improve her scores.”

Behind Joshua, Bradley carried a bunch of gifts. Upon hearing this, Joshua shot an indifferent look at Leslie before looking away.

Under Joshua’s gaze, Leslie instinctively clenched his fists. It was his first time meeting Joshua, the talk of Basterel. Given Joshua’s position of power, his presence was undeniably overwhelming, so much so that Leslie instinctively felt a bit intimidated.

“Shermaine’s bad at school?” Joshua asked.

Ruth responded, “Yeah. When Mianmian started school, the teacher gave her a test, and she couldn’t even answer a single question. She’ll be taking the SAT next year, and while I’m not expecting her to score too high, she can’t afford to do poorly, right? After all, she is the heiress of our family, and your fiancée. So many eyes are on her. If her grades are too bad, a lot of people will laugh at her behind her back.” She spoke with conviction, though she had other intentions.

Joshua chuckled softly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He knew Shermaine was proficient in AI and capable of writing credible medical prescriptions. Given this, he was certain that she was doing well in school. Relying solely on others’ shallow judgments wouldn’t help truly understand Shermaine’s abilities.

Since Ruth thought that way, Joshua certainly wouldn’t correct her. He turned his gaze to Shermaine and said, “Sheary, aren’t you going to introduce…”

A flicker of emotion stirred in Shermaine’s chest as she heard Joshua address her by her nickname. She smiled brightly, stood up, walked over to him, and linked arms with him. Then she began introducing her family. “This is my grandmother, Janice.”

“Mrs. Jean, I heard you weren’t feeling well before. How are you now?” Joshua asked with genuine concern.

Janice, satisfied with Joshua, her future grandson-in-law, smiled and replied, “Much better.”

“If you still feel unwell, I can have Dr. Newman come by to check on you,” Joshua offered.

Darius was a renowned traditional medicine doctor in Basterel, and his services couldn’t be secured with money alone. Janice’s smile deepened. “That’s so thoughtful of you. How’s your grandfather doing these days?”

“Same as always. Just dealing with those old aches and pains,” Joshua replied casually.

“Ah, getting old really is no fun,” Janice sighed.

After their brief exchange, Shermaine continued the introductions. “This is my uncle, Brandon. And my little cousin, Leon.”

Leon, young and straightforward, was immediately charmed by Joshua’s good looks. He grinned and said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. York.”

“Hello,” Joshua responded with a slight nod.

Brandon stepped forward and extended his hand. “I’ve heard so much about you, Mr. York.”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you,” Joshua replied.

Brandon chuckled, thinking, “Despite being from an influential family, he’s gentle and polite, unlike some men who act all high and mighty and look down on their fiancées’ family just because they’re richer and more powerful.”

“The York family truly lives up to its reputation—they are more well-mannered and magnanimous than most people!”

Then Shermaine turned her gaze to Andrew and his family, speaking a bit faster. “This is my other uncle, Andrew, and my cousin, Clyde.”

Andrew beamed with a smile. “Joshua, you truly are a fine young man. Sheary is lucky to have you.” But he was cursing. “How dare she skip over me and introduce Brandon first? How could she do that? What will Joshua think of me now?”

Joshua simply smiled faintly and said nothing.

Clyde was equally displeased, thinking, “Why was Leon introduced first? And why am I the last one? This is so unfair!”

At that moment, Bradley began unloading the gifts, stacking them high on the table until there was barely any space left. Most of the gifts were for Janice, including expensive herbs and health products. Jamison asked the housekeeper to put the rest—coffee beans, cigarettes, and fine liquor—into the storage room.

Joshua’s presence brought Shermaine plenty of prestige, and Jameson couldn’t help but puff up with pride. Once Joshua was seated, Jameson adopted the air of a dignified patriarch and struck up a conversation. However, the topic of conversation felt out of place for this occasion—this wasn’t a business dinner, after all. Sitting beside Joshua, Shermaine was in a cheerful mood because it was the first time she had received such lavish gifts from her family.

She messaged Ross, but he didn’t reply, probably busy with something. Unable to hide her excitement, she tugged at Joshua’s sleeve. When he lowered his gaze, she pointed at the full set of luxury lipsticks on the table and said with a hint of pride, “My cousin Leon gave these to me.”

Joshua raised an eyebrow and replied in a low voice, “He is quite thoughtful.”

Shermaine then shook her wrist. Her slender wrist was adorned with a diamond bracelet that looked perfect on her. “This one’s from my grandma.”

Joshua chuckled, thinking, “She is just a young girl, after all. No matter how composed she appears, she still has that youthful innocence and charm.”

Joshua’s eyes darkened slightly as he teased her with a soft laugh, “Ms. Shue, are you reminding me that I haven’t given you a gift for your return?”

Shermaine froze for a moment, thinking, ‘I didn’t mean that. Stop twisting my words!’ She placed her hand back down, took a sip of coffee, and said casually, “If you want to give me one, Josh, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Got it,” replied Joshua, deciding it was only right for him to prepare a proper gift for his fiancée.

Janice watched them whispering to each other, and the sight of the handsome man and beautiful woman was truly eye-catching.

But not everyone could stand it. Wendelyn’s face turned pale, and she felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if someone had stabbed her there. She stood up with a pitiable look on her face. “Mom, I’m going to check if Peyton needs help in the kitchen.” As she walked away, she stole a glance at Joshua, but he didn’t even spare her a look.

Clyde, feeling angry for her, said, “Leslie, let’s go upstairs. There’s a game room on the second floor. You probably haven’t had a chance to unwind in a while. Let’s play a game.”

Leslie thought he could use a break, so he followed Clyde upstairs. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Shermaine, who had smiled so beautifully earlier.

Despite her being Joshua’s fiancée, and despite the rumors about her bad temper, cold demeanor, and evil nature, she had a maddening allure that captivated Leslie completely.

Not really in the mood for gaming, Leslie began to fish for some information from Clyde. “Hey, does your cousin Wendelyn also like Mr. York?”

Clyde, ever loyal to Wendelyn, responded angrily. “You noticed, huh? Wendy has liked Mr. York for a long time. But as soon as Shermaine came back…”

“And just now, she had the nerve to show off her affection right in front of Wendy. She knows Wendy likes Mr. York, but she still did that—it’s nothing but a show-off. Honestly, it’s disgusting.”