Chapter 13 Come Home, Girls
+8 Pearls
“What do you mean?” Maggie narrowed her eyes at the school administrator.
“Oh, it’s nothing! It’s just good to know that Joshua has family. But with this storm, school’s been canceled for the next few days. He won’t be attending classes for at least three to four days. If you’re looking for him, you might have to wait until then,” said Agnes Quinton, Joshua’s homeroom teacher.
Hearing that there was no other way of contacting Joshua, Maggie’s expression darkened. She didn’t say anything further and stormed out of the school.
“When I find him, I’m going to give him the punishment of his life! Running away from home, huh? How dare he!” Maggie fumed as she dialed David’s number again.
“David, are you still at work? Your son is missing, and you’re not even trying to find him?”
David, already stressed from the storm raging outside, felt even more anxious after receiving Maggie’s call. He quickly made his way home.
“The school doesn’t know where he is, and we’ve checked everywhere else. He doesn’t have a phone, so there’s no way to contact him. None of our kids have his number either!” Maggie glared at David as he arrived home. Her anger was palpable. “What happened to his phone? Where the hell has he gone off to?”
Maddy, noticing the tension, spoke up. “Don’t sweat it, Mom. He’ll be back in a few days, probably with his tail between his legs. He’s just trying to gain some leverage.”
David looked grim. “Did you check with everyone?”
“We did! No one has his number! He lost his phone, and you didn’t even bother getting him a new one!” Maggie snapped, directing her anger at David instead.
“I thought you or someone else had already bought him one! Why would I buy another?” David replied defensively. “Call the others–Wendy, Shirley, Judy, Indy, and Cassidy. Tell them to come home right away.”
“Wait! Don’t call Frankie!” Maggie quickly intervened. “He’s about to take his SATs, and he’s already stressed enough. We can’t bother him with all this!”
Maggie was particularly protective of her adopted son, always mindful of how he might feel about Joshua. Over the years, they had largely ignored Joshua’s problems, partly because there were too many but mainly to avoid upsetting Frankie. They were always worried Frankie would feel like an outsider if Joshua got too much attention.
Before Joshua’s return the Frasers had doted on Frankie for a decade treating him like a
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Chapter 13 Come Home, Girls
+8 Pearls
precious gem. He was cherished, protected, and spoiled. Naturally, it had all become a habit.
Even until this point, everything remained the same.
Maggie rubbed her temples in frustration. “Give Wendy, Shirley, Judy, Indy, and Cassidy a call. Tell them to come home as soon as possible! Not Cassidy, though. If she’s too busy with school, she doesn’t need to come. Her studies are more important!”
“Yes, Mom,” Maddy responded. Though she was displeased, she still contacted her sisters.
Before long, a car pulled up at the garage outside Fraser Estate. A young woman in a tailored suit walked in.
She was stunningly beautiful, tall, and elegant, with delicate features that made her look almost like a living painting.
“When did Joshua disappear?” she asked curtly as she entered.
It was Wendy, David and Maggie’s eldest daughter. She was a higher–up in the family business, responsible for the cosmetics division and market expansion. Her demanding job kept her constantly busy.
“Five days ago,” Maddy replied. “Let’s wait until Shirley and the others are here. Cassidy said she’s too busy with school to come.”
Wendy cast a glance at her parents, frowning slightly. “Alright.”
Soon, the sound of a sports car could be heard, and three young women arrived.
One was dressed in a suit, another in a white lab coat, and the third in a casual yet chic dress that highlighted her natural beauty.
The one in the dress was the second eldest daughter of the Frasers, Shirley Fraser. She was a music lecturer at a college.
Meanwhile, Judy Fraser was dressed in a suit. The fourth eldest daughter of the Frasers was a sharp and meticulous lawyer with an impeccable fashion sense.
The one in a lab coat was Indy Fraser, the fifth eldest and a surgeon at a local hospital.
“Why don’t any of you have Joshua’s number? Did no one get him a phone?” Maggie asked, clearly irritated.
“No, I deleted his Snapchat and blocked his number last summer. He used to call me all the time, interrupting my work,” Indy, the surgeon, replied flatly.
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Chapter 13 Come Home, Girls
+8 Pearl:
“Same here,” answered Shirley, the music lecturer. “It was around the middle of last year. He showed up out of nowhere when I was out, and people at the university almost saw me with him. Thus, I had no choice but to block him. He used to call me during classes, and it got so bad that I had to cut him off.”
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Promise to Punish My Ridiculous Family
