Whispers Turn to Whimpers: Could He Ever Change?

"Don't bother packing what's left. You can buy whatever you need once you're abroad. After all, it's all on the Johnson family's dime. I have no time to waste here."

With those words and a suitcase, Gilbert was the first to descend the stairs.

Sherilyn bit her lip, feeling a tight, sharp pain in her heart as tears streamed down her face. She raised her hand, clumsily wiping them away.

It was time to go. What difference did it make, staying or moving abroad?

She was on her own then. It seemed no one cared about her grievances and very life.

At the airport, Gilbert didn’t see Sherilyn off inside. Instead, his assistant took care of her check-in and escorted her to the security gate.

"Mrs. Johnson, have a safe trip."

Charles handed her the passport and boarding pass. "Give Lady Sylvia a call when you get there. Your allowance will be sent to you monthly."

Sherilyn nodded quietly. "I understand, thank you."

She took a step forward, passing through the boarding gate.

...

A month later, in the heart of Crestwood, the night was deep in an apartment complex.

Sherilyn dared not turn on the lights, curling up on the bed and making as little noise as possible.

Knock. Knock. Knock. The sound of someone banging on the door echoed through the room.

A middle-aged, hefty landlord's gruff voice came from outside, "Foreign girl! Are you in there? It's time to pay your rent! I know you're in there! Say something, will you?"

Sherilyn covered her ears, shaking her head with closed eyes, silently praying for the landlord to leave.

After a long silence, the landlord finally backed down. "You think you can dodge the bill like this? Sweetheart, don't be naive!"

"Not in?" he muttered, "So late at night. Oh, God bless her."

The knocking stopped, and the footsteps faded away as the landlord left.

Sherilyn released her hands, taking a deep breath of relief. She had avoided confrontation for another day, but what about the next day? What was she to do? Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

After pulling out her phone underneath the pillow, she scrolled to Sylvia’s number.

It had been nearly a month since she arrived in Crestwood, yet she hadn’t received her living allowance. She had been trying to reach Sylvia for days without success.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the dial button once more.

Soon, a female voice responded, ‘Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service.’

It was just like before.

With no way to contact Sylvia, who else could she turn to but Gilbert?

After a struggle, Sherilyn took a deep breath, scrolled to his number, and pressed dial.

The call connected!

"Hello." The familiar, deep, slightly hoarse voice of Gilbert came through.

Nervously swallowing, Sherilyn said, "It’s... it’s me."

"What do you want?" An unmistakable impatience colored his tone.

Sherilyn hesitated, then bit the bullet. "I... I was trying to reach Sylvia. I called her, but it says her number doesn’t exist."

"Hmph," Gilbert’s voice was cold, "Why are you bothering Grandma? Just left and already trying to cling to her, hoping to get her to soften up and take you back?"

"No..." Sherilyn quickly denied, "Not like that..."

Gilbert didn’t want to hear it. "Stop calling Grandma. I changed her number specifically to stop you from bothering her."

Sherilyn was speechless, her eyes gradually moistening. She knew Gilbert despised her, but wasn’t her leaving the country enough? He even wanted to sever her connection with Sylvia.

She had no family left. Sylvia was the only person in the world who still showed her kindness.

"Do you need something?" Gilbert was losing patience. "We sent you abroad to get rid of your bad habits. You're not a child. It's time to stand on your own two feet, not leech off the Johnson family like a parasite! I’m hanging up."

"Wait, I do need something!" Sherilyn quickly interjected, mustering all her courage, "It’s about the living allowance. I, I haven’t received it yet."