Chapter 12 Joshua’s Missing
+8 Pearls
David was at work when he received the call, and he couldn’t help but be surprised. “A phone? No, he didn’t ask for one. Why would I buy him a phone? What happened to his old one?”
“He lost his old phone last year. If I remember correctly, it happened right at the end of the year! Didn’t you get him a new one for New Year’s?”
“Who did? I didn’t even know he lost his!” David replied, clearly confused.
Maggie was fuming. Without a second thought, she hung up on him and immediately called her eldest daughter, Wendy Fraser.
Wendy was Maggie’s firstborn and the latter’s pride. She worked for the family business now, primarily overseeing the cosmetics division, and held the title of company president. She was always busy and rarely came home.
When she answered the call, Wendy sounded surprised. “Joshua’s phone? When did he lose it? Why don’t I know anything about this?”
“It happened at the end of last year!” Maggie gritted her teeth in frustration.
“Well, I never bought him a new one! I didn’t even know he lost his phone. Are you saying we can’t reach him now?” Wendy asked, bewildered.
“He lost the phone, changed his number, and even deleted his Snapchat. So, yeah, we have no way of contacting him!” Maggie spat angrily. “Also, he hasn’t been home for five days!”
“What? Joshua hasn’t been home for five days? What’s going on?” Wendy was stunned.
Already boiling over, Maggie explained what had happened five days ago. “If he comes back this time, I’m not letting him off easy. How dare he act like this! If I don’t put a stop to it, he’ll be completely out of control!”
Wendy was shocked.
She had been working non–stop these past few days, completely unaware of what was happening at home. Hearing about it now left her utterly floored.
Her relationship with Joshua was fine. In the past, he’d often bring her soup at the office, though she usually had security send him away because she didn’t want to deal with him.
With her hands tied up at work, Wendy hadn’t been able to visit home lately. Thus, she had no idea things had escalated so much.
“Have you found him ver?” she asked
now anvious
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6:20 pm
Chapter 12 Joshua’s Missing
+8 Pearls
“According to Mr. Locker, Joshua went to school yesterday. But with the storm these past few days, school’s been canceled, and even the teachers don’t know where he is!” Maggie snapped.
Wendy let out a sigh of relief. “At least he’s still going to school. Why is he acting like this, though?”
“He’s just being rebellious! He probably thinks he’s untouchable now and that he can do whatever he wants. He even ruined one of my dresses! Who knows what else he’s capable of?” Maggie fumed.
“What do we do now? I don’t have his new number or any way to get in touch with him.”
“I’ll ask around!” Maggie hung up the phone and started scrolling through her contacts, but after a while, she suddenly realized she didn’t know who to call.
All of Wendy’s other siblings said they didn’t have his number. Meanwhile, it was unlikely Frankie would have a way of contacting Joshua, too.
It seemed like no one knew Joshua’s number at all.
Maggie scrolled through her phone, growing more and more frustrated with each passing second.
That ungrateful boy! Despite losing his phone, he didn’t even think to replace it. Clearly, he doesn’t care about us at all!
She immediately got up and headed for the door.
“Mom! Where are you going?” called Maddy, her second eldest.
“To 27th Street High!” Maggie responded, waving for the driver to come and bring the car around.
“I’m coming with you!” Maddy hurried after her.
Maggie didn’t object.
The pair rushed to 27th Street High, where they quickly found the school’s administration.
“Joshua? Isn’t he an orphan? Does he even have parents?” the administrator asked, surprised.
“Well…” Maggie’s face darkened. After a brief pause, she replied, “We’re his relatives. We just wanted to get his contact information. Do you know where he’s staying?”
“We do have a phone number for him. I’ll check, but I’m not sure if it’s still in service,” the administrator said, handing over a phone number after a moment of searching.
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6:20 pm
Chapter 12 Joshua’s Missing
+8 Pearls
Maggie dialed the number eagerly, only to discover that the line had been cut due to his outstanding phone bill.
She checked the number against her own phone and realized it was the same one as the old number that Joshua had before losing his phone.
“How else can we contact him?” she asked, her frustration mounting.
“That’s all I have. If you don’t mind me asking, does Joshua have relatives? I always thought he was an orphan,” the middle–aged female administrator said, eyeing Maggie curiously. “You two are dressed quite well, and it seems like you’re pretty well–off.”
40
6:20 pm
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Promise to Punish My Ridiculous Family
