Chapter 32
Billy slumped against the couch, totally wiped out. “You think Oliver never shooped around our family before? Never Inquired about you? Never laid eyes on your photo?”
Ruby was fuming. She wasn’t that ugly, okay? Oliver would fall for her once he saw her!
Lauren scoffed with disdain, “How’s our little Ruby any worse, huh? Think about that fake princess Josefina. Isn’t Ruby way cooler and more lovable? Ruby’s also ace at school, and the final exam results is coming out soon. She’s bound to nail a spot in a top uni! Oliver hasn’t seen our Ruby, so of course, he’s clueless about how awesome she is.”
Billy said, “Cut the chatter. What’s the point now? Better to brainstorm on how to reel in some investors!”
Ruby felt a pang in her heart, thinking that kicking Josefina out would’ve been the end of it, but now the wedding was off too.
Seeing Billy’s face clouded with worry, Ruby bit her lip. “Dad, mom, I should just take off. If I’m not here, you can bring sister back, and that might save the company from this mess. Maybe Oliver’s got a thing for her, not me.” Ruby looked down. Her voice was choked with emotion.
Lauren grabbed Ruby’s arm, pulling her into a hug. Her affection was overflowing. “Ruby, you’re my daughter. How could I ever send you away!”
I
Billy added, “Well, I’ll figure something out. I’ll hit up some of my old buddies tomorrow, try to drum up some investment!”
Lauren said, “It’s all that bad luck Josefina’s fault! If it weren’t for her, would we be in this mess?!”
“If only we hadn’t let Josefina go.” Billy sighed with regret.
Ruby was taken aback. What was dad getting at?
Lauren demanded angrily, “Billy, what do you mean by that?”
Billy revealed a sly grin, “If Josefina hadn’t left, I could’ve just sold her off for some quick cash, right? Or find her some marriage deal and cash in on a hefty bride price. Wouldn’t that tide the company over?”
Lauren and Ruby felt a bit better after hearing this. Lauren said viciously, “Tomorrow I’ll go find Josefina. We’ve raised her for so many years. It’s about time their family coughed up some support money!”
The Harrison household.
Lena sat on the couch, restless. “Mom, dad, I’ve got a headache, gonna skip dinner and hit
12:36
the sack.”
Hattie pressed her hand to Lena’s forehead. “Lena, you feeling alright? Maybe you should get checked out at the hospital. You’re a doc, but you can’t treat yourself. Better to get it looked at.”
“Mom, it’s just jet lag. I’ll be fine after some sleep.”
Hattie figured that made sense. Jet lag can really knock you out. “You go rest up in your room, and if you’re still feeling off, head to the hospital ASAP.”
Lena nodded, took the elevator to her room to sleep. Once in her room, she locked the door, whipped out a second phone, and shot off a text. Soon enough, a reply came back, [I’m on it.]
Reading the message, Lena heaved a sigh of relief.
Fresh out of the shower and in her PJs, Josefina sat on the couch and got a message. from Luke. [Boss, the hospital’s a hive of activity. Tough to dig up anything on the old lady’s poisoning. Lena was the docter in charge of her, but she’s out learning and another doc’s handling it now. I’ve checked out this doc’s accounts, zilch.]
Josefina frowned, not buying that a deed done left no trace. She sent back a message, [Did you dig into Lena?]
