Chapter 96

Shermaine had a bowl of soup before finally having breakfast. The breakfast tasted different from what the housekeeper usually made. There could only be one reason: Owen had given her the day off.

To her surprise, Joshua’s breakfast tasted even better than the housekeeper’s—heck, even better than her own! Who would’ve thought that a perpetually busy businessman could actually cook this well?

After a satisfying meal, Shermaine felt her strength returning. As soon as she finished washing the dishes and stepped out of the kitchen, she noticed Joshua was no longer in the living room.

King Tiki was cleaning when it scooted over to Shermaine’s feet, waving its little arms excitedly. “Good morning, Princess Sheary!” it chirped. “I’m off to explore the cosmos. When I get back, I’ll bring you a galaxy of stardust!”

Shermaine lowered her gaze slightly. The robot’s language database seemed unnecessarily elaborate, yet on this rather dreary morning, it did add a touch of liveliness.

“Boing extra nice for no reason… just means I’m crazy about you!”

“Oh, the moment I first saw you, I knew I was a goner!”

“Let’s be a couple! Not even if they beat us to death would I break up with you, and if you ever tried to leave me, I’d hunt you down forever! I’m crazy for you, wild about you, I’d even smash through walls just for you!”

Shermaine crouched down and gave its forehead a playful flick. “Hey, play me a song, will you?”

“At your service, Princess Sheary!”

King Tiki activated the search function and played a romantic song.

“Adoring You Your smiling eyes Even sunsets look like lipstick kisses I love following you like this Take me Take me anywhere you please Your face Slowly drawing near Lighting up my future…”

Upstairs, Joshua, having watched the whole thing thought to himself, “Hmph. Your Princess Sheary, huh!” He hated to admit it, but that bothered him.

Though King Tiki had picked the song just to butter her up, the cheerful melody and the singer’s honeyed voice made it genuinely soothing to the ears.

Shermaine said, “Not bad! Once I have some free time, I’ll upgrade you again. She would turn it into the king of all robot vacuums, the undisputed champ that left everyone else in the dust.

“Princess Sheary, you’re the absolute best! Love you to bits!” said King Tiki.

A faint smile touched Shermaine’s lips. She lingered in the living room for a while before heading upstairs to her room.

While she was downstairs having breakfast, Ross called again. Noticing the missed call, Shermaine called him back.

Ross asked, “Hey, Sheary, are you up yet?”

“Yeah,” replied Shermaine.

“Did you have breakfast? How’s your head? Still hurting from last night?”

Shermaine replied, “Yeah, late. I feel fine.” Then she thought to herself, “If Joshua’s breakfast is already this good, his proper meals must be incredible.”

Ross cleared his throat, a bit hesitant. “Do you remember what happened last night?”

Shermaine paused briefly. “Yeah, I do.” While most people wake up after a hangover with no memory, she was different; her metabolism never let her forget what she’d done, no matter how much she drank.

With rare embarrassment and a sheepish tone, she said, “Sorry, Ross. I didn’t expect I’d act so out of character when I got drunk.”

Ross said considerately, “It’s okay, really.” Then he reminded her, “Next time, don’t overindulge in alcohol, okay? A little is fine, but too much isn’t good for your health.”

“And remember what I told you: don’t get too close to Joshua. As good as he may be, he’s not the right person for you.” In his eyes, anyone who didn’t genuinely love his sister wasn’t worthy of her.

It seemed Ross never stopped worrying about her. Shermaine reassured him, “Got it. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” She had a sharp memory, and Ross's words were always etched in her mind. Except for her slip-up last night, she was usually the model of self-discipline.

Ross said, “Alright, I need to get back to the office now. It’s chilly outside, so remember to dress warmly if you go out.”

“Alright, drive safe,” Shermaine said.

After hanging up, Shermaine settled into the chair and opened the laptop on the desk. Bradley had already brought her laptop and backpack over the night before.

Shermaine was lost in deep thought.

Actually, the real tricky part right now was Owen and Janice. Both of them were over the moon about this engagement and couldn’t wait for their relationship to move forward. Every time Shermaine saw their beaming faces, she just couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Owen’s health was gradually improving. He definitely wouldn’t die in a short time, even in the next few years, as long as he doesn’t develop any other health issues, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.

With this, the debt she owed Joshua from the very beginning was finally settled.

So Shermaine was thinking, maybe she should just call off next year’s wedding. She just needed to find the right time to come clean to both families. Joshua probably wouldn’t object, since he’d only agreed to this engagement in the first place for Owen’s sake.

As for her family, though Janice liked Joshua a lot, if Shermaine insisted on calling off the engagement, Janice would surely respect her. Ross would back her up, too. As for Jameson—he’d definitely object, but Shermaine couldn’t care less what he thought.

On the other end, Roy called to make amends. “Joshua, can you bring Shermaine out tonight? I want to apologize to her!” Since he’d already decided to apologize, he figured it was best to act quickly—no sense letting her opinion of him get any worse.