Chapter 3 The Tibetan Mastiff

When Sherri recalled Lee's tone and expression, her eyes dimmed. She knew that Jackson wouldn't let her go easily. She also knew that he would definitely find more ways to torture her. She was ready for anything that he would throw her way. She already expected a prolonged struggle.

Jackson didn't see Sherri around the house after breakfast. He attributed it to her being busy with housework. Lee was standing beside him when Jackson ordered, "Go and see if Sherri is still working."

"Sure. I'll look for her now." The butler left the dining room without any more questions.

Just in time, Julie and Carol had just finished their breakfast. They were about to go back upstairs when they unexpectedly ran into the butler. They glanced at each other before smiling.

"Well, isn't Sherri with you?" Lee asked arrogantly.

Julie and Carol stared at each other in silence. Finally, Carol answered him, "We just finished cleaning a part of the attic. We haven't seen her anywhere."

Lee hummed and promptly went upstairs. Julie was afraid that he would see through their lie. She pulled Carol close and whispered, "Why did you say that we haven't seen her? Isn't she in the attic?"

"Don't be silly. If I told him that she was there, Lee would figure out that we were lazing around."

"You're right. I really don't know what will happen if Lee gets angry."

Sherri wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Surveying the newly cleaned attic, she felt accomplished. She was used to doing a lot of housework, so she didn't feel tired at all. Despite that, she still felt her growing hunger. In fact, her stomach hadn't stopped growling since earlier.

"Sherri, how long have you been wandering in the attic?" Lee walked up slowly and saw her in a daze. A duster cloth and a basin of dirty water were left at her feet.

Sherri was surprised at his words. She explained, "Lee, I've been cleaning the attic all this time."

At this moment, Jackson also went straight to the attic. When he saw Sherri's face covered with dust, he narrowed his eyes into a seam. He looked around. His voice hinted distrust when he asked, "Are you sure you weren't slacking off?"

Hearing Jackson's voice, Lee took two steps back and fell into silence.

Sherri pointed at the floor and the walls. "Can't you see? I cleaned all of this."

"Really? Do you mean to say that all of the Murong family's servants are paid even without working?" Jackson asked coldly.

Lee looked at Sherri and kept shaking his head. It was unbelievable how she always offended Jackson and annoyed him almost every single day. It was a usual occurrence for Jackson to show his dislike towards her. Lee belittled her more in his mind as Jackson continued the scolding.

Sherri was about to retort when her stomach started to growl again.

Jackson obscurely winked at Lee and whispered something in his ear.

Sherri then followed Lee and they left Jackson's line of sight. The butler took her to the kitchen. After looking for a long time, he couldn't find any food for her breakfast. It wasn't easy but he ultimately found a long piece of bread under the hood. Seeing the moldy spots on the bread, Lee sneered, "That's all I can give."

"Thank you, Lee," Sherri said, smiling with gratitude.

Lee strode out of the kitchen with a big grin on his face.

Hearing Lee's report, Jackson was satisfied with their scheme. "I'll go see if she will eat it."

"Hmm? This bread is from last month?"

As Sherri opened the bread's plastic bag, she unexpectedly saw the manufacturing date along with the molds. She felt wronged. She bit her lower lip and tightly gripped the bread in her hand. Anger slowly rose up in her chest.

The bread smelled strange but her stomach was still rumbling with hunger. Hesitantly, she tore a small piece and chewed it. There was still a faint sweet taste to the bread, but it was difficult to swallow.

Sanding at the kitchen door, Jackson saw what transpired and he smiled cruelly. He didn't expect that there would be times when she would have to give in.

"Sherri, is the moldy bread delicious?"

Sherri was stunned. She looked at Jackson blankly, who appeared as if he was watching a good show. Lee stood beside him, with a calm expression on his face. It suddenly dawned on her that they deliberately planned this.

'Sherri, it's okay. It's just a small blow. It's not a big deal.' She comforted herself. The most important thing right now was to fill her stomach. She needed to satiate her hunger first and foremost. It was not like bad food could kill people.

Glaring at Jackson, she purposefully took a big bite of the bread and chewed it.

Seeing that she still didn't break down at the scheme, the man's heart started to get filled with unspeakable rage. He glanced at Lee, huffed, and left discontentedly.

Jackson held his Tibetan mastiff by the leash and walked around the yard. He squatted down and patted its head. The dog stuck out its tongue, saliva dripping from its mouth. A wicked smile appeared on Jackson's face upon seeing that. A great idea came to his mind. It was like a light bulb lit up above his head. He shouted, "Lee, come here!"

Lee sprinted out of the living room and politely responded, "Sir, what's wrong?"

"See the Tibetan mastiff?"

"Yes."

Jackson beckoned to Lee to come closer and whispered a few words in his ears. Lee's eyes immediately brightened in surprise. He kept nodding and said, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Her punishments have just begun." Jackson's eyes looked unpredictable. Images of Sherri's stubborn face plagued his mind, making it more difficult for him to calm down.

Inside the villa, Carol and Julie had just finished cleaning the second floor with the exception of the hall on the first floor. When they saw Jackson coming in with his Tibetan mastiff, their faces turned pale with fear. They bowed submissively, "Mr. Murong."

Jackson, who was holding the Tibetan mastiff, asked, "Are you afraid of it?"

Carol and Julie nodded. Their pale faces clearly portraying terror that they felt.

"Good," Jackson said casually, raising his chin. This time, he must let her know what fear was. She pretended not to care about everything, except for her beloved. He was determined to change that.

He stared at the Tibetan mastiff with fierce and calculating eyes.

After all the work and encounters today, Sherri's body felt weak and sore. Her legs and arms were particularly worn out. She was about to sit on a chair when her stomach rumbled. Immediately, she ran to the bathroom for precaution. Her face was scrunched up in pain with beads of sweat falling down her cheeks. When she went out of the bathroom, her sickly state made her lean weakly against the corner of the wall. She spent a few minutes there, holder her knees in a daze.

This was all Jackson's fault. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have ended up like this. Her heart sank with that fact. She took out the phone she bought a few years ago and looked at every message saved in it. Her heart felt alive whenever she read those messages. Thoughts of Allen always soothed her frustration and sadness. At least there was someone who cared about her in this wretched world, albeit silently.

The early summer dusk was accompanied by clouds which seemed like they were on fire. It presented a perfect scenery in the sky as Jackson glanced upwards. He heard familiar light footsteps coming towards him. He already knew who it was even without looking back.

"Lee said you want to see me."

Sherri had been hiding from him for the whole day, but she still had to face him at some point. He was the real master of the Murong family. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't avoid it if the master summoned her. She lowered her head and entangled her fingers. She really wanted to get out of his sight as soon as possible. She wanted nothing more than to leave his presence.

"You're not afraid of me, right? What? Are you starting to be afraid now?" Jackson said nonchalantly. He inadvertently turned around and glanced at her. In just one look, he clearly saw the woman's embarrassed state.

"You're the master of the family. Is there anything that you need me to do?"

Sherri tried her best to straighten her posture. Her unassuming attitude made Jackson's originally calm heart uneasy. He scrutinized the woman's weak body with his sharp eyes and said, "It seems that you need some stimulation."

"What do you want me to do?"

"It's still early. You'll know it soon enough."

Seeing Jackson's pensive frown, Sherri felt like she knew what was going to happen. That look only meant one thing. The man in front of her had thought of another way to torture her. Her anxiety skyrocketed at that realization.

Since Jackson and Sherri were talking, Lee deliberately coughed and knocked on the door. He shouted, "Mr. Murong."

"What is it?"

Jackson turned around and listened to what Lee was about to say.

"Tina told me to ask what you would like to have for dinner."

Sherri walked out of the room. The topic did not concern her so she wasn't interested to listen and stay. As she was walking to the door, though, she was stunned to hear Jackson's words.

"Sherri failed to complete the cleaning task today, so she's forbidden to have dinner." Jackson raised his voice on purpose, afraid that she wouldn't hear him clearly.

Clenching her fingers into fists, Sherri bit her lower lip. She had cleaned the attic and the guest room alone. She cleanly wiped them by herself from start to finish. He was lying. She suddenly turned around to look at Jackson, meeting his rude and cold eyes. She couldn't help but stare back, as if she was unwilling to admit defeat.

Jackson didn't expect that she would keep on being stubborn. She still refused to yield despite his many tactics. He stared back at her coldly.

Catching sight of Jackson's darkening face, Lee knew that he was about to lose his temper. He hurriedly pushed Sherri out and said, "Since you're free, why don't you go to the kitchen and help Tina?"

Sherri had been busy doing housework all day long. Regardless, she still wasn't allowed to have dinner just because of Jackson's order. Tina smiled uncannily when she noticed Sherri staring pitifully at the leftovers. She wiped off the water droplets on her hands and took out the leftovers. "These are spoiled. Do you want to eat them?"

"Tina, even cats and dogs don't eat spoiled leftovers. How can you even ask if I want to eat those?" Sherri looked at her indignantly.

Tina looked at her and put the leftovers on the chopping board. "Sherri, don't forget that there's only one master and one lady in the Murong family. Look at yourself in the mirror. You're just a poor servant. I've been working in the Murong family for a long time, and I'm your senior. You should at least respect me."

Sherri remained silent and left the kitchen. She ignored Tina's words and trotted to the living room. Surprisingly, she was stopped by the Tibetan mastiff running towards her.

"The show is about to begin. Sherri, let's wait and see." Jackson pulled the leash arrogantly. He squatted down and touched the Tibetan mastiff's head. The smile at the corners of his mouth gradually became colder and more sinister.

Sherri took a few steps back. Fear was evident in her trembling voice and slowly retreating figure. "Jackson, what...what are you going to do?"