SLAP!
Josephine raised her hand and slapped Caleb across the face. "When I want my name on my own research results, it’s called ’selfishness,’ but your paper needs it for a promotion? What, graduates from third-rate universities aren’t allowed to be promoted or have research results of their own?"
Incompetent and selfish people tried to climb the ladder by any means necessary. He didn’t want to put in the effort himself, only wanting to take her results and give them away. What right did he have?
Caleb was an academic, always gentle and well-mannered. He had never been struck like this before. Utterly shocked, he stared at Josephine in disbelief. "You hit me?"
What exactly had Josephine experienced overnight? How could she have changed so drastically? She was clearly cowardly, timid, and stupid. As long as he coaxed her with a soft voice, she would obediently give him all her good things. For so many years, she had never complained once! But right now...
Caleb stared at her with a pained expression, looking extremely upset. "I’m your third brother. How could you bring yourself to hit me?"
"It’s exactly because you’re my third brother that I need to slap you awake," Josephine said, crossing her arms. Her eyes conveyed a mocking sense of ’look how good I am to you.’ "What kind of brother gives his own sister’s hard work to some irrelevant woman? You must have been bewitched by that vixen out there and lost your judgment. If you still can’t think straight, I don’t mind slapping some sense into you."
Josephine raised her hand as if to strike again, scaring Caleb into taking a step back. "Dad, come quickly! Josephine has gone mad! Not only is she refusing to go to the White family, but she also attacked me. You have to teach her a good lesson!"
How could she have forgotten? Her third brother was not only selfish but also an expert at tattling. Every time she refused to write papers, monitor experiments, or share her research achievements for him, he would complain to Howard, branding her as ’selfish.’ A light punishment would be a scolding; a heavy one would be a severe beating. More than half the beatings she had endured growing up were thanks to Caleb. Slapping him just once was letting him off too easily.
She rushed forward and kicked him. In the next instant, she plunged a needle right into Caleb’s shoulder. She had learned the Acupuncture Technique since childhood simply because Howard suffered from headaches. He had built up a resistance to painkillers, and after years of torment without improvement, she had heard that acupuncture could provide relief. In the end, it just became another skill used to serve Stella White... How ironic.
Caleb screamed in agony, soon losing the ability to speak.
"You little brat!" Howard rushed out and grabbed Josephine’s wrist. His grip was so strong it felt like he was going to snap her bones.
Breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain, Josephine sneered, "You’d better go easy, Dad. If my hand breaks, it’ll be even more impossible for me to go to the White family."
At the thought of Stella, Howard’s hand subconsciously loosened. Stella was his daughter, and she had inherited his headaches. He knew all too well how torturous the migraines could be, and he couldn’t bear to watch Stella suffer. Even though he didn’t care for Josephine, her Acupuncture Technique was flawless. He had to convince her to go to the White family.
"Look at you, how could you lay a hand on your third brother? How many times have I told you to respect your older brothers? We are a family; we must be united and loving. Look at yourself, you’re getting more and more outrageous."
Josephine burst into laughter. "You still don’t get it, Professor Sterling? I, Josephine Sterling, no longer want to be part of the Sterlings. I’m cutting ties with this family!"
In her previous life, they had used the threat of cutting ties to force her hand. Now, they didn’t even need to say it—she would do it herself!
"Cut ties?" The father and son exchanged a look, neither expecting Josephine to say such a thing. For a moment, they felt both angry and disdainful.
Howard’s brow furrowed deeply. "You’ve really grown up, haven’t you? Even daring to say you’ll cut ties.
"With your personality—failing at everything you do since you were a child—how will you survive without the Sterlings? I think you’ve been the Sterling family’s eldest miss for so long that you’re entirely ignorant of how the real world works and how sinister people can be. You take your family’s tolerance for granted. You’re far too immature!"
He intended to make Josephine a stepping stone for Stella; how could he let her leave so easily? The Sterling family had raised her for over twenty years. Until they squeezed her dry of her last drop of blood, she wasn’t going anywhere!
"Exactly! You have no academic credentials and no abilities. You’re just a useless young lady, and you still want to cut ties with the Sterlings? I think you have a death wish!" Caleb clutched his shoulder, his face full of contempt. He completely disbelieved that Josephine would dare leave the Sterling family. Even if the Sterlings weren’t a top-tier wealthy family, they still held some power in Aethelgard. Would Josephine really be willing to give up her status as the Sterling family’s daughter? He didn’t believe it for a second.
"Whether I live or die is none of your business. I said I’m cutting ties, otherwise, you can forget about me going to the White family!" Josephine’s attitude was forceful, entirely different from her previous cowardly and obedient self.
This made Howard burn with anger, intensifying his dislike for her. As expected, a child not of Sterling blood was just an ungrateful wretch that could never be tamed. To think she actually wanted to cut ties with the family. Who did she think she was? If he refused to agree, there was no way she could fly out of the Sterling family’s grasp.
However, Howard also knew that if he wanted her to go to the White family willingly right now, he couldn’t provoke her any further. The girl had always been obedient. Her sudden defiance was probably because they hadn’t minded their limits this time and pushed her too hard. After all, she had always desperately sought their approval. As long as he praised her a bit and doled out a little fatherly affection, she would revert to her old self!
"Stop saying things out of anger!" Howard’s expression softened, and he looked at her with a trace of gentleness. "Dad knows you feel wronged. You blame your third brother for putting Stella’s name on your research results. How about this? Dad will make the call. I’ll have the name changed back later, and make your third brother apologize to you.
"Caleb, hurry up and apologize to your sister. As the older brother, you should be more yielding toward her!"
"Dad!" Caleb looked completely unwilling. Why should he apologize to Josephine? Putting Stella’s name on the research was Dad’s idea in the first place! But seeing the look in his father’s eyes, he knew the apology was just a ploy to coax Josephine into going to the White family. No matter how reluctant he was, for Stella’s sake, he still spoke up. "I’m sorry, your third brother was wrong. You can go to the White family now, can’t you?"
Josephine let out a cold laugh. "The research was mine to begin with. What makes you think fixing that will make me compromise?"
Did they really think she was still the same Josephine from her previous life, desperately craving her father’s approval and her brother’s affection? She no longer gave a damn about their approval or affection!
"Josephine, don’t push it!" Howard was thoroughly enraged. "I’m putting my foot down. If you really cut ties with the Sterlings, don’t blame me for disregarding our father-daughter relationship. When that happens, I’m afraid there won’t be a place for you in all of Aethelgard!"
Seeing that soft tactics didn’t work, he was resorting to threats again. The Sterlings had countless competitors; Aethelgard wasn’t a place where they could wield absolute power.
Josephine completely dismissed the threat. "That’s my business. I won’t trouble Professor Sterling to worry about it! Are we cutting ties or what?"
How could Howard be threatened by her? "No! If you have the guts, walk out that door today and see if I don’t break your legs!"
He assumed she was just throwing a tantrum and wouldn’t actually dare to leave. Unexpectedly, Josephine turned around and walked straight toward the door.
Right at that moment, Mrs. Sterling rushed in hurriedly and grabbed Josephine. "Josie, stop making a fuss. Stella passed out from the pain. Consider it as Mom begging you, just go and give her a few acupuncture needles!"
Upon hearing this, the faces of all three Sterlings turned pale.