âMm?â Mekhi frowned and fixed a stern gaze on him.
âIs that all?
Just a simple âyesâ?â
âI understand.
Iâll do my best to help you and help our family thrive!â Ryder struggled to speak, enduring the pain in his injured knees.
Mekhiâs gaze caught sight of the bleeding on Ryderâs legs.
Seeing the blood on the floor, he seemed to be delighted.
âGet up.
And donât blame me for being too stern.
Spare the rod and spoil the child.
If I keep indulging you like this, youâll make nothing of yourself.
â
Ryder inwardly scoffed at these lofty remarks but reluctantly acquiesced.
âI get it.
Youâre doing it for my own good.
â
Struggling to stand, Ryder was assisted back into his seat by the butler.
âLetâs proceed with our meal,â Mekhi said coldly.
He then put a spoonful of porridge into his mouth.
Under Mekhiâs oppressive presence, Ryder and Sally found it difficult to eat.
Only Mekhi enjoyed a full meal in a pleasant mood.
After breakfast, Ryder and Sally set out to fulfill the tasks assigned by Mekhi.
On the way to the Paynesâ house, Sally kept on crying.
She felt so wronged.
Her phone rang.
It was Lucinda calling.
As soon as Sally picked up the phone, tears streamed down her face.
âLucinda, Mekhi scolded me.
Thirty minutes later, Sally clung to Lucinda, weeping as if she had finally found someone to lean on.
Lucinda comforted her and cleaned her tears.
She was relieved that Nathan was at work.
Else, he would have been furious seeing Sally in her arms.
âLucinda⦠Mekhi called me useless because I couldnât meet you yesterday.
He threatened to kick me out if I donât see you today.
â
âDonât worry.
Iâm here and youâve seen me.
â Contemplating, Lucindaâs expression grew serious.
âThe two bodyguards who came with you were arranged by Mekhi, right?â
âYes, is that a problem?â
Lucinda stated frankly, âThey misbehaved.
While we spoke, they tried entering the villa with ill intentions.
I had Abel and Rickey tie them up and lock them in the basement to prevent them from eavesdropping.
I punished them for you.
â
Sally grinned.
âWell done!â
After shedding tears for a while, Sally composed herself.
Concerned about Mekhiâs directive, she inquired, âWhereâs Noelle? How is she?â
Lucinda said with sincerity, âI need to share something about her with you.
Sheâs emotionally unstable.
We suspect someone injected her with a nerve-stimulating drug.
â
Sally was taken aback.
âHow is that possible? She was at the Shawsâ house the entire time.
Who could have her? Mekhi insisted injected she was just sick.
â
âThatâs not the truth.
â
Holding Sallyâs hands, Lucinda sighed.
She resolved to disclose everything to her and seek her help.
âSally, besides imprisoning Noelle and injecting drugs into her, Mekhi also subjected your mother to the same treatment.
â