Clara remembered that Josephine had graduated from a third-rate university in the city, so she was worried Josephine wouldn’t be able to find a job. "How about you go work at my brother’s company? I heard they also have a research and development team. I’ll go talk to him and tell him to tell HR not to ask for your degree certificate."
"Even though it’s a third-rate university, I still graduated at the top of my class. Don’t worry, I can find a job," Josephine said, completely unconcerned.
In the years leading up to her college enrollment, Howard had suffered from severe headaches, requiring acupuncture treatments every couple of days. Worried about him, Josephine had only applied to a local, third-rate university. The sole reason was that it was close to the Sterlings’ home, allowing her to check in on him from time to time. However, the Sterlings just thought she was useless for failing to get into a good college. Over the years, they had constantly used her educational background to belittle her. In reality, if they had paid even a little bit of attention to her, they would have known that with her grades back then, she was more than qualified to attend a top-tier national university.
Clara felt a bit helpless. "I didn’t mean anything by it. You know how it is. A degree is a stepping stone. A lot of HR departments in big companies nowadays are total snobs. They don’t even give ordinary people a chance!"
"..."
This made Josephine laugh. "Right, right, you’re absolutely right. We just won’t play their game. Come on, come somewhere with me first."
Clara never would have expected that the very first thing Josephine would do after leaving the Sterling family wasn’t looking for a job, but going to a security firm to find men. And not just any men—these were elite, special forces-type guys with top-notch bodies, looks, and combat skills. Walking out of the security firm, Clara felt even more bewildered. "Spending two million to hire two guys to accompany you for a year? Are you out of your mind?"
"Probably!" Josephine laughed freely. Without explaining her reasoning, she dragged Clara off to go house hunting.
With three million left, buying a house was out of the question, but she could still rent a villa and have plenty left over. After leaving the Sterling family, Josephine had no intention of mistreating herself. Not only did she rent a villa, but she also hired a housekeeper who knew how to cook. The men she had hired from the security firm were stationed on the first floor of the villa, tasked with protecting her.
Three days later, Clara looked at the newly decorated villa, the men, and the housekeeper, clicking her tongue in awe. "You’re acting like you’re living every day as if it’s your last. Even if the Sterlings don’t love you, there’s no need to completely give up on life, right? With the little bit of money you have, spending it like this... it probably won’t even last a month. Josie, what are you going to do after this month is up?"
Seeing Clara’s worried frown—looking exactly like a concerned friend trying to talk some sense into someone who had snapped—Josephine found it quite amusing. "Yeah, what ever will I do? How about you introduce me to your brother, Clara? I’ll go beg President Sinclair to graciously offer me a job."
Clara immediately perked up and pulled out her phone. "You should have made this decision ages ago. Wait here, I’ll call my brother right now."
Before she could even dial the number, a violent BANG BANG BANG echoed from the villa’s front door.
Meanwhile.
After her headache subsided, Stella returned to the Sterling Group Research Lab. Out of habit, she called out, "Josephine, hurry up and hand over today’s experimental data. I need to analyze it and take it to the professor."
Just as she finished speaking, Caleb walked over. "Stop shouting. Josephine has already left the lab. Here is the data you need. Analyze it, and once you’re done, we’ll go see Dad together."
Looking at the raw experimental data logs Caleb handed her, Stella gave him a look that clearly said, "Is there something wrong with your brain?" What was she supposed to analyze from this piece of scrap paper that only had a few numbers scribbled on it?
In the past, the documents Josephine submitted were always packed with dense, meticulously written notes. All Stella had to do was lightly organize them, log them into the computer, and run them through the software to generate a perfect analysis report. It was only because Josephine hadn’t attended a prestigious university that she wasn’t qualified to enter the main office and could only work as a basic lab assistant. Otherwise, what use would Stella even be?
But it was precisely because of this arrangement that Stella could justifiably claim Josephine’s experimental achievements as her own, even slapping her own name on Josephine’s reports. And no one ever doubted it. After all, she had the academic credentials and the status, unlike Josephine, who was just dead stupid!
Caleb smiled at Stella. "Hurry up. Dad has a meeting later. If we’re late, we might miss him."
Caleb fully believed that Stella would complete the analysis report in record time, and that it would be a hundred times more perfect than the ones Josephine used to submit. After all, Stella had graduated from a renowned university and was a senior researcher hired by their institute at a premium salary. She was entirely out of the league of a basic lab assistant like Josephine.
The reports Stella had previously submitted were already flawless. That shameless Josephine had actually claimed that Stella was stealing her work, which was absolutely laughable. Why would a senior researcher from a top university need to steal anything from a basic lab assistant who graduated from a third-rate college? If she was going to lie, she should have at least used her brain! It was for the best that she was gone now. Stella would undoubtedly perform even better than before.
Caleb looked at her with a gentle expression, completely misreading the look in Stella’s eyes, still patiently waiting for her to produce the experimental analysis data.
The result, predictably, was a disaster.
Stella braced herself and handed the analysis report to Howard. "Dad, I’m sorry. When I saw Caleb bringing me the data today, all I could think about was my sister. I really wasn’t in the right state of mind to do the analysis. She’s been away from home for days now. I don’t know if she’s doing okay. Is anyone bullying her? Can she afford to eat? We are a family, after all. Please stop being mad at her and bring her back, okay? This whole thing started because of me. If she isn’t willing, I’ll go beg her. I’ll beg her until she agrees to come back."
"Why would you beg her?" Howard asked. Looking at the subpar report in his hands, he had felt a wave of disappointment and was just about to question it when he heard Stella’s words. Instantly, all his disappointment and dissatisfaction were redirected entirely toward Josephine.
That wretched girl really had some nerve! Even after leaving, she was still affecting Stella. She truly was Stella’s nemesis; her only purpose in this life was to serve as a stepping stone for Stella. A jinx like her didn’t even deserve to live!
Boiling with rage, Howard abruptly stood up. "It’s been three days. I think that’s long enough. Caleb, tell your oldest brother to go and bring that wretched girl back. Under no circumstances can she be allowed to die out there, or people will say the Sterlings are heartless."
Caleb had been a little disappointed earlier that he hadn’t gotten to see a completed analysis report from Stella. Hearing his father’s words, however, he suddenly grew excited. "I’ll go right now."
It had been three days, and he could finally get his revenge.
He thought maliciously, "Josephine, you slapped me twice, and I will make you pay it back with interest. Your life these past three days must have been miserable, hasn’t it? You probably ran out of money for food ages ago and couldn’t find a job. Are you already sleeping on the streets? Tsk, tsk... in such a pathetic state, I wonder if you even have the strength left to face our oldest brother’s fury? You’d better have the strength, because otherwise, I’ll make you wish you were dead!"