Chapter 6

Shermaine hadn’t expected a simple massage to turn into a setup. She thought, “Ruth really nailed it as a mother—doing everything she can to ruin my image and sabotage my engagement to Joshua, just to shove Wendelyn into my place.”

She’d assumed that after Joshua made his stance clear, Ruth would finally back off. But clearly, she’d overestimated Ruth’s intelligence. Either that, or Ruth’s bias had clouded all judgment.

Shermaine wondered, “How could someone like Ruth possibly be my mother? I just don’t get it.”

Her blank expression didn’t change as she stared at the esthetician flailing in the water.

Ruth’s voice came sharp with reproach. “Look what you’ve done!” She reached out and hauled the esthetician out of the pool.

The esthetician was soaked head to toe, coughing from all the water she’d swallowed, looking completely pathetic.

Ruth kept going. “She was just giving you a normal massage. What could she possibly have done to offend you? With a temper like yours, who can stand being around you?"

“Honestly, I should hire you an etiquette coach to teach you some proper manners before people start thinking I failed as a mother.”

Shermaine stood there taking it as Ruth kept rattling on.

Sadie Sutton remarked, “Shermaine, don’t take this the wrong way, but you really need to dial that temper back. Even if her technique sucked, you could’ve just said so. Did you really have to shove her into the pool?”

Lottie Marshall chimed in too, “Why do you have to make things difficult for that poor girl?”

Maria Burton joined the chorus. “And you’re the Jean family’s heiress. You need to think about your family’s reputation before you act like this. Don’t give people something to gossip about.”

The three ladies started babbling on with Ruth, going off on all kinds of nonsense.

With their voices buzzing in her ears, Shermaine felt her head throb. Her face stayed stony as she snapped, “Shut up.”

The three ladies instantly froze, stunned by the force of her presence.

Ruth stayed perfectly composed and said, “Wendy, go upstairs and bring a change of clothes for this lady.”

“Okay, Mom.” Wendelyn had just stepped back into the living room when she saw Jameson and Joshua coming down the stairs. She walked up to them and greeted, “Dad, Mr. York.”

Jameson nodded in response, but Joshua didn’t even acknowledge her.

Wendelyn lowered her gaze slightly and bit her lip. ‘Everyone says Joshua’s always the perfect gentleman with women, so why is he acting the exact opposite with me?’ she wondered.

But the answer was obvious. The only reason he treated her this coldly was because of Shermaine.

Jameson asked, “Where’s Shermaine?”

“She’s in the backyard,” Wendelyn replied.

Jameson said, “Go call her over to see Mr. York off.”

Wendelyn hesitated, looking conflicted. “Dad, I don’t think she’ll come. Shermaine just pushed an esthetician who came to give her a facial massage into the pool. Mom’s out there lecturing her right now.”

Jameson’s expression shifted slightly. Another mess? he thought. He glanced at Joshua’s face, but Joshua gave nothing away, unreadable as ever.

Jameson pondered for a moment, then said, “In that case, you go see Mr. York off for her.”

“Alright,” Wendelyn answered.

She was, after all, the dutiful adopted daughter who’d stayed by Jameson’s side for years. He knew exactly what Wendelyn was thinking. Jameson figured that giving her a moment alone with Joshua was the least he could do.

Jameson thought, ‘If she really has what it takes to win Joshua over and marry into the York family, then good for her. That’d be a much more respectable match than Shermaine ending up with him.’

But in the next second, that hope was crushed. Joshua didn’t give Wendelyn the slightest chance.

“No need,” Joshua replied coolly. “If Shermaine can’t come to me, I’ll go to her.”

Jameson felt the awkwardness sink in. “Alright,” he said, finally letting go of the idea.

“Which way’s the backyard?” Joshua asked.

“I’ll take you,” Jameson said.

Wendelyn stood there all alone, a quiet ache pressing in her chest. She thought, ‘Just because I’m adopted, Joshua won’t even give me a chance.’

Meanwhile, out in the backyard, Shermaine pressed her red lips together.

The esthetician sobbed as she complained to Ruth, insisting that her technique had always been the best at the spa, that no client had ever left a bad review, and there was no way she could’ve been too rough.

She insisted she was just an ordinary person who wouldn’t dare offend the Jean family or their heiress.

It was clear what the esthetician meant – Shermaine was the one with the bad temper, unreasonable and impossible to deal with, picking on someone like the esthetician herself who had no power to fight back.

Under the sunlight, Joshua approached at a steady pace. The scenery wasn’t anything special, but with him in the frame, it suddenly looked like something straight out of an oil painting – rich and vivid.

His eyes fell on Shermaine. She looked stunning. There was a chill in her expression, the hint of a smile playing at her lips, calm and aloof. To Joshua, it was like watching a black rose slowly bloom, its scent intoxicating but lethal.

The three ladies were the first to notice Joshua walking beside Jameson. Their expressions shifted, surprise flashing across their faces, followed by envy that the Jean family could actually form a connection with the Yorks.

Ruth’s eyes flicked over as she quickly assumed her usual air of moral superiority. “Shermaine, I’m really disappointed in you. When will you stop making me worry?”

“Mom, why don’t you believe me?” Shermaine’s eyes shimmered like they were glazed with tears, her voice full of hurt. She looked heartbreakingly vulnerable and beautiful, every edge and thorn suddenly tucked away. That softness made her almost impossible not to pity.

Ruth faltered. Shermaine had always been sharp and defiant, but now, this sudden shift caught Ruth completely off guard, leaving her at a loss for how to respond.

“Is it that no matter what I say or do, you’ll never believe me?” Shermaine’s eyes welled up, her voice thick with sadness. “Who’s really your daughter, her or me?”

“Last night was like this. Today’s the same. You never ask what really happened. You just jump straight to blaming me. The first thing you do is raise your hand to hit me."

“If I really annoy you that much, I’ll leave the Jean family. I won’t be your daughter anymore. There’s no need to be so mean to me."

“You’re right. I didn’t grow up with the guidance of you and Dad all those years. So how could I possibly become the picture perfect debutante you’ve always wanted me to be?”

Shermaine’s voice was full of sorrow as tears rolled down her cheeks. That last line hit Ruth like a punch straight to the chest.

Shermaine stood upright after, pressing her hand to her temple, her face pale with discomfort, her body swaying unsteadily.

Jameson, who had clearly heard everything and now saw Shermaine barely able to stay on her feet, called out, “Shermaine.”

In the next moment, she fell into the warm, faintly fragrant embrace of Joshua. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her gently into his chest.

Shermaine’s lashes fluttered slightly. She didn’t open her eyes, just buried her face in the crook of his neck and murmured, “Mr. York, do me a favor…”

There was a cunning edge to her voice. She was like a fox – sharp, sly, and quietly ruthless.