Chapter 95

Jameson didn’t seem to worry at all. “Don’t worry about my mom. She’s already fed up with Ruth. If I divorce her, the court can’t deny Shermaine. They’ll have to accept it; Jason is their brother.”

With that, Natalie didn’t press further. Since Jameson had promised to make her his wife, she would surely ascend to that position in due time. By then, Jason would officially become the third son of the Jean family. His humiliating past would be erased.

Still, Ross and Shermaine were not to be underestimated. Though Natalie wasn’t at the party tonight, she knew every detail about Shermaine’s engagement party.

Now that Shermaine had totally outmaneuvered Wendelyn, she was not just Joshua’s future wife; she had also become a real favorite in the Jean family.

Janice might favor her, but she also got a highly capable brother watching her back. If Natalie ever joined the Jiang family, she knew she had to tread very carefully around Shermaine.

Meanwhile, a car pulled up at Riverswood Villa.

Joshua carefully lifted the sleeping Shermaine from the car, carried her through the quiet courtyard, and brought her straight upstairs. Gently settling her onto the bed, he tucked the covers around her.

It was late, and the housekeeper wasn’t around, so there was no way to change Shermaine’s dress. ‘But would sleeping with makeup on be bad for her skin?’ he wondered.

After a moment’s thought, Joshua went to the dressing table. Among the assorted bottles and jars, he found the makeup remover and cotton pads. Sitting by the bed, he gently removed her makeup. With that done, he quietly closed the door and left.

The next morning, Shermaine slept in until 9 a.m. Her head was pounding from last night’s hangover.

Shermaine got up and drew the curtains. Across the street, rooftops were blanketed in glistening white snow, and the trees too, their branches bent under the heavy weight.

This winter scene should’ve lifted her spirits. But with her annoyingly sharp memory replaying every embarrassing thing she’d done last night, she just couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it.

God, she had no idea she’d act like that when she was drunk. If she had known, she never would have indulged so much.

And to make things worse, Ross was clearly trying to take her home last night, but she actually turned him down and insisted on having Joshua instead.

Shermaine knew she was looks-obsessed, but she never realized it was this bad. Worse yet, she actually lifted her dress right in front of him—and as if that wasn’t enough, she even ‘generously’ forced Joshua to drink her half-finished yogurt.

Thinking back, the whole ordeal was so cringeworthy that she was starting to question her own sanity.

Last night’s scenes kept replaying in her mind like a movie on repeat. Shermaine’s headache intensified. Rubbing her throbbing temples, she grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom.

She was still in the same clothes, but her makeup was completely gone.

“Must’ve been Joshua’s doing,” she thought.

After freshening up and changing her clothes, Shermaine headed downstairs, hoping to find some breakfast. To her surprise, she saw Joshua lounging on the sofa in casual clothes. He hadn’t gone to work today.

Hearing the noise as she came down, Joshua turned around and saw Shermaine standing there with a face full of regret. He figured she was remembering the night before, but, being the gentleman he was, he didn’t bring it up.

Instead, he asked, “I made some soup; it’s warming in the kitchen. Do you want some now?”

After taking a shower, Shermaine felt a lot better, though she still had a slight headache. So she nodded in response.

“Breakfast is also warming up in the kitchen,” he added.

Shermaine grunted, looked up at Joshua, and after a moment’s hesitation, said, “Sorry about last night. I must’ve made a fool of myself in front of you.”

With a faint smile, Joshua replied casually, “No harm done.” Looking at her, he added, “You were a bit of a handful, but nothing I couldn’t handle."

Shermaine paused, then forced a smile. That certainly wouldn’t happen again because she would never allow herself to drink that much. Then, she quickly changed the subject. “You’re not going to work today?”

Joshua said slowly, “Grandpa ordered me to take a break and stay with you.” It happened to be the weekend. He then added with a hint of teasing, “And after you wake up, I’ll take you out on a date.”

‘Mr. York certainly thought of everything,’ Shermaine mused wryly.

But that was seriously unnecessary. The last thing she wanted right now was to be stuck with Joshua.

Noticing the subtle resistance in Shermaine’s expression, Joshua said gently, “If you’re not up for it, we can cancel this afternoon’s hot spring trip."

“Let’s just cancel it,” she said without a second thought.

Joshua pressed his lips together. “Hmm.”

This was Shermaine’s true self.

She was always perfectly measured, neither impolite nor intimate.

Her complete openness with him last night felt like a fleeting dream, gone in the blink of an eye.

“Alright, then,” Joshua said with a slight frown.