Howard took the breakup letter from Caleb Sterling’s hands.
Intertwined anger and hatred made him detest Josephine even more. "Since this is what you want, I’ll grant your wish," he said. "But the Sterling family will always be your home. If you ever want to return, you can come back anytime."
He wasn’t kindly giving Josephine a way out; rather, he was certain she would eventually come crawling back. When that time came, he would make her kneel and beg to be let inside. From then on, he would dictate everything in her life. This wretched girl had always felt they were biased toward Stella White. Soon, he would show her what true favoritism looked like.
As he signed his name, Howard formulated exactly how he would punish his disobedient daughter. He had no idea that Josephine had already seen right through his schemes.
Receiving the breakup letter, Josephine waved it in the air with immense satisfaction. "It’s just missing Liam and Brian’s signatures. I’ll have to get them later!"
She sounded as though she were muttering to herself, yet deliberately speaking loudly enough for the Sterlings to hear. Her joy was palpable and entirely genuine.
Mrs. Sterling’s heart skipped a beat. She wondered why the girl was suddenly acting so out of character. Could she be planning something?
"Hurry up and head to the White family’s villa. We can’t keep Stella waiting any longer." Mrs. Sterling’s thoughts were interrupted by Caleb’s urgent prompting.
She reasoned that a frail little girl with no degree or work experience couldn’t possibly make any waves after leaving the Sterlings. Stella’s well-being was much more important. Reining in her thoughts, Mrs. Sterling immediately urged Josephine along. "Yes, yes, yes! Let’s go to the White family’s villa right now!"
Josephine carefully tucked the breakup letter away. "There’s no rush." Her expression was flat, devoid of the slightest trace of emotion. "First, let’s talk about my consultation fee."
She maintained a strictly professional demeanor, as if she were facing a group of complete strangers.
"What do you mean by that, Josephine?" Caleb demanded, thoroughly exasperated. He pointed a finger right at her face. "The breakup letter is already signed! Don’t push your luck!"
Josephine shot him a look as if she were staring at an idiot. "You said it yourself—the breakup letter is signed. Since we’re no longer family, why on earth should I go treat Stella for free?"
The Sterlings nearly had a heart attack from sheer rage.
"How much do you want for the consultation fee?" Howard asked. Unlike the younger Caleb, he could still hold his temper. Forcing down his boiling anger, he patiently questioned her.
He told himself that a little money was nothing. If she wanted to cause a scene, he would play along to the bitter end. Since this little brat didn’t know when to quit while she was ahead, he wouldn’t mind teaching her a harsh lesson in reality. He was keeping a mental tally of every single transgression!
At this moment, Stella was the top priority. It was just a consultation fee—he would pay it! He just doubted Josephine would live long enough to spend it.
Josephine saw right through Howard’s suppressed fury. She thought, "This old man really knows how to endure!" Clearly, the allure of his biological daughter was too strong. Well then, she wouldn’t hold back. Since they had legally severed their ties, she no longer needed to spare any consideration for the Sterlings.
"Five million for one visit. Once the money hits my account, I’ll head to the White family’s villa immediately," Josephine declared, holding up her hand to emphasize the number.
Caleb blew his top once again. "Five million? You actually have the nerve to ask for that much? Do you take us for suckers?"
"Forget it if you don’t want to pay. She’ll just suffer in pain for a few more days, but it won’t kill her!" Josephine retorted, turning to leave once more.
"Fine." Howard held his son back. "I’ll transfer the money to you right now."
Fuming with indignation, Caleb shouted, "Dad!"
"She is your sister, after all. Even if our ties are severed, she still needs to make a living. It’s just five million; I can afford it," Howard replied, his face a mask of gentle composure, showing not a hint of anger.
Josephine thought, "This old man is such a hypocrite. He probably hates my guts and is already scheming how to keep me from spending a single cent of this five million!" He was the most ruthless person in the Sterling family—a beast in human clothing, a total fraud.
But Josephine was fully on her guard! The second the money landed in her account, she immediately transferred it to a friend, completely depriving Howard of the chance to freeze her bank card.
Watching her happily climb into the car headed for the White family’s villa, Howard’s aged face immediately darkened, turning as cold as ice.
"You little bitch. How dare you threaten me? I’ll make you come back crying and begging," he muttered. He turned and instructed his subordinates, "Cancel every single bank card under Josephine’s name. Furthermore, put the word out: anyone who dares to hire Josephine is declaring war against the Sterling family!"
Only after arranging this did he and Mrs. Sterling depart for the White family’s villa. They wouldn’t be able to rest easy until they saw Stella’s condition with their own eyes.
The White family was one of the five great aristocratic families of Aethelgard. They possessed profound heritage and assets spanning the globe.
Back in the day, when Grace Hayes married into the newly affluent Sterling family of Aethelgard, she fancied she had climbed the social ladder. However, upon discovering that her best friend, Melissa Summers, had married into the prestigious White family, Grace had harbored bitter jealousy for years.
That envy festered until she and Melissa gave birth to their daughters at the exact same time. It was then that Grace’s malice took root, giving rise to her despicable scheme to swap the babies.
As expected of a top-tier affluent family, this estate was even more magnificent than Josephine remembered. The realization that this place was originally meant to be her true home left Josephine with somewhat complicated feelings. She had heard that Stella had been immensely pampered since childhood, doted on endlessly by her parents and older brothers. If the baby swap had never happened, would all that affection have belonged to her instead?
Knowing she would see Mrs. White soon filled Josephine with an inexplicable sense of apprehension.
The butler led them through the front doors, taking them straight to Stella’s bedroom.
An elegant, luxuriously dressed middle-aged woman walked out of the room. Her face was dark and exceedingly displeased. "What took you so long? Do you have any idea how much Stella has suffered? Hurry up! What are you staring at?"
Josephine’s heart full of apprehension and nervousness vanished into thin air. She realized she had been incredibly foolish. The Sterlings, whom she had lived with for over two decades, didn’t hold a shred of affection for her. How could she possibly expect Mrs. White—a complete stranger—to treat her any differently?
Josephine tucked away those unrealistic delusions and completely dismissed any thought of formally acknowledging her blood ties with the White family.
Anyplace that housed Stella seemed to have a foul stench. Josephine just wanted to quickly wake the girl up and get out of there.
She applied the silver needles rapidly, her focus sharp and earnest. However, she didn’t hold back her strength at all, and she slyly tweaked her technique just a bit. The consultation fee was what the Sterlings owed her. When it came to treating her enemies, she simply wasn’t that magnanimous.
Stella’s headaches used to flare up once a month. Honestly, that was far too long of an interval. Once every half a month sounded much better.
By the time Josephine retrieved the silver needles, Stella had already woken up. Looking exceptionally weak, the girl leaned against the edge of the bed and sat up. "It’s all my fault for having such a frail body. I’m so sorry for troubling you to make this trip, Josephine!"
Stella thought bitterly, "Those useless trash from the Sterling family actually let me suffer in pain all night before finally dragging Josephine here. What a bunch of incompetents!"
"It’s no trouble at all. I took money to treat an illness; it’s just a business transaction." Josephine packed up her silver needles, preparing to take her leave.
Stella feigned absolute shock. "You asked Professor Sterling for money? But he’s your father! How could you ask him for money? Josephine, you’re really in the wrong here. Professor Sterling usually dotes on you so much, yet you actually..."
"You’re right. I wasn’t treating him, so how could I ask him for money? So, does that mean you’ll be paying the bill?" Josephine extended her hand toward Stella.
Stella froze in sudden bewilderment. In the past, whenever Stella made such remarks, Josephine would immediately apologize out of guilt. Not only would she refuse to ask Stella for money, but she would also refund whatever she had received from Howard.
Stella wondered what was wrong with her now.
"Are you out of your mind, Josephine?! Who gave you the right to ask Stella for money? Do you have no shame?" Caleb charged forward, fiercely swatting her hand away.