Chapter 3 My Shameless Sister

The door flew open, and Janice jumped in shock.

Upon seeing me, she regained her composure and even carried an air of superiority. "Your timing's perfect. Dad's not thinking straight anymore. You know what's best for yourself. Give him a piece of your mind. I've got to go. There's something else I need to take care of."

I had seen Janice act cold and selfish before, but this was a whole new level of nerve.

I scoffed and pressed the money she left on the table back into her hand. "Keep your money. Don't assume the Spencer family are the only rich ones around, and that everyone must worship you."

Janice's expression soured, she pushed the money back at me while rambling about sisterly affection and how there had been reasons for not helping me before. I didn't even give her the satisfaction of listening.

We were at an impasse for some time, but I stood my ground. Finally, she snapped. She threw the money on the floor and lashed out, "Sarah Wheeler, cut the act. You're turning down my money because you've got someone else paying your bills, huh? Have you grown fond of playing the other woman all these years? After all, it's easy money when you're on your back..."

Smack! I hit her face to shut her up before she could spit out another nasty word.

In front of my dad, who had just opened his eyes, she dared to say those things. She had it coming with this slap!

Janice froze for a second, stunned by the hit. Then she reached for my hair.

I dodged to avoid her grasp and went straight for the call button by the bed.

Janice came at me, but I thought of my dad and stood my ground, ready to face her.

The nurse walked in to find both of us with bruises. I ignored Janice as she hurled insults like "bitch" and "shameless."

Once security escorted her out, I slipped into the bathroom to fix my hair and straighten my clothes.

Cleaned up, I sat down next to dad and began peeling an apple for him.

My heart was racing the whole time.

I wasn't sure if dad had caught what Janice had just blurted out.

I guessed he overheard it. Otherwise, why would he keep quiet instead of stopping our quarrel? Maybe he kept his questions to himself to avoid making me feel awkward.

Lost in these thoughts, I accidentally snapped the apple peel.

Still, dad remained silent. He simply stroked my hair and drifted off to sleep.

Later on, dad decided not to file a lawsuit. It wasn't out of residual affection, but because Janice had called, threatening to reveal my secret relationship with my sugar daddy if he pursued legal action against Maren. Janice warned she'd take the scandal to our school, which would humiliate me.

At that time, I was a senior at the university, juggling an internship. Though I wasn't attending classes, my diploma was still in the school's hands. A scandal erupting could jeopardize my graduation.

Dad wept uncontrollably in his hospital bed, clutching my hand and pleading repeatedly, "We won't sue them. Let's just leave it be."

After that, he seemed worried I'd feel aggrieved, so he never spoke of his injuries. He wanted me to move on as if it were merely an accident.

Deep down, it was tough to watch him sacrifice his pride for me.

What did it matter if I was called a mistress?

I wasn't scared of what people might say.

Ever since I agreed to be a mistress, I braced myself for the rumors.

I even tried to spin it positively. After all, my benefactor wasn't just any rotten old man. It was Robert.

Had it not been for my confidentiality agreement with Robert, I'd have loved to face Janice and reveal who my sugar daddy really was. He was the very man she longed for. I wondered how she would react then!

But these were mere daydreams for my own entertainment.

Ever since our unhappy parting, Robert hadn't reached out.

I wasn't sure if it was because I posed a question that upset him or if his engagement had him too tied up to bother with me.

I guessed it was probably the latter.

In the grand scheme of things, what was I to him? Was I significant enough to make him mad and ignore me?

I kept telling myself this, trying to fight off the urge to call him.

Rather than getting lost in romance, I decided to pour myself into my work and save up for my dad's future.

But despite my attempts to calm the bitterness inside, it only stayed quiet for a month until a single phone call stirred it all up again.