he forgot about one.”
My dad’s face hardened as realization set in. “I’ve called the police.”
Half an hour passed, and before the police could arrive, another person showed up–Clarice Grange. She walked into the hospital room, her ten–inch heels clicking against the floor, a look of panic on her face.
“Honey, are you alright? Why’d you call the police?”
Immediately after, she spotted me and immediately frowned. “Shirley, don’t you know how busy your dad is? You shouldn’t bother him with trivial things like this.”
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 5
Clarice was my dad’s current wife–my stepmother. She rarely showed any concern when I was in trouble, which made her sudden panic all the more strange.
I raised an eyebrow. “Clarice, aren’t you misunderstanding something? Joel stole my million- dollar diamond ring, and Tim and his daughter illegally moved into our family’s mansion. Why shouldn’t we call the police?”
“No!” Clarice blurted out without hesitation.
Then, catching herself, she softened her tone. “What I mean is, Tim has been working for us for years. He’s been loyal and dedicated. We should give him a second chance.”
She paused for a moment before adding, “Besides, I’m the one who let them stay in the house. It wasn’t illegal at all! I just took pity on them, that’s all. I let them stay temporarily because they had nowhere else to go. How can you say such things?”
Her words puzzled me. Clarice had always treated Esther exceptionally well. Anything I had, she’d quietly make sure Esther had the same, claiming she was worried about Esther because Esther came from a poor background and suffered from depression. She didn’t want Esther to feel inferior.
It was only now that the other executives snapped out of their shock.
They started pointing at Tim and shouting, “Are you kidding me? Every time he came around, he acted like he was the boss! He had us completely fooled!”
Clarice’s face darkened as she turned on them, her voice harsh. “All of you, get out!”
Meanwhile, Tim remained kneeling on the floor, not daring to say a word.
Clarice grabbed my dad’s arm and spoke softly, “Honey, don’t get so worked up. I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal. Let’s just let this go, okay?”
