Chapter 41 Malnourished Joshua
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“Maggie, what’s going on? Why is Joshua malnourished?” David asked with a deep frown, his tone laced with concern.
“How would I know?” Maggie’s brows furrowed sharply. She turned her head and shouted, “Mrs. Locker! Mrs. Locker! Come here!”
“Yes, Mrs. Fraser? You called for me?” Katherine rushed over hurriedly, her steps quick and slightly unsteady.
“Mrs. Locker!” Maggie’s gaze locked onto Katherine like a hawk spotting its prey. “What’s going on with Joshua? Does he skip meals often? The doctor says he’s malnourished! Explain this to me.”
Katherine hesitated, her face stiffening as she searched for the right words. “Well…”
“Mrs. Locker, look at this report!” Maggie shoved a piece of paper toward Katherine, her voice sharp and accusatory. “It’s clearly written above that he’s anemic and malnourished! Has anyone not been giving him any food to help with his blood levels?”
Katherine took a look and hurriedly said, “Mrs. Fraser, you know how it is. During meals, no one usually calls for Mr. Joshua to come downstairs. Sometimes, they forget entirely. If he’s busy with his homework and doesn’t come down himself, he just… skips the meal altogether.”
“What did you just say?” Maggie’s eyes widened, her voice sharp with disbelief.
Katherine sighed. “For the past few months, Mr. Joshua hasn’t been allowed snacks either. He must’ve assumed he wasn’t allowed to have any, so he stopped eating them. Without pocket money, he doesn’t buy food outside, either. That’s probably why this has happened!”
“You mean he doesn’t even come down for meals?” Maggie’s voice faltered, and her gaze bore into Katherine as if she were trying to comprehend an alien language.
Katherine gave a strained smile. “Maddy and Judy rarely call for him to eat with them. In fact, when Mr. Joshua is around, they usually take their meals elsewhere. They don’t like sharing the table with him. Over time, he must’ve started avoiding meals altogether. For months now, he’s stopped coming down to eat. Most of the time, he makes do with instant noodles!”
“What?!” The shock in Maggie’s voice was visible. “He’s been surviving on instant noodles? Every day? That’s all he eats? But I could’ve sworn I’ve seen him come down for meals…”
Katherine shook her head lightly. “If I recall correctly, Mrs. Fraser, it started a few months ago. You punished him by forbidding him from eating. Since then, he hasn’t dared to come downstairs for meals. The times you think you’ve seen him eating with the family must’ve been from months ago.”
Maggie’s breathing grew unsteady, and she slowly turned to David.
He furrowed his brows, his expression heavy with concern.
“Call Leonard over! Have him pull up the security footage. I want to see exactly when he stopped coming down for meals!” she exclaimed, her voice sharp with anger.
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Chapter 41 Methourshed. Iehua
Yes, Mrs. Fraser”
Katherine hurried out to get hold of Leonard, who arrived promptly with a trace of confusion on his face as he entered the room
Mrs Fraser, you called for me?” he asked politely, his gaze flitting between Maggie and David
“Leonard. I need you to retrieve the dining room’s security footage. Maggie demanded, her tone brooking no argument. “I want to see from what day that boy, Joshua, stopped coming down to eat!
Leonard looked at the two of them, and though he was surprised by the unusual request, he nodded promptly. “Of course. Please wait just a moment, Mrs. Fraser!”
As he left to carry out the task, her breathing quickened, and her chest heaved with barely contained fury Her eyes burned with an intensity that spoke of deep frustration.
That insolent child! she spat inwardly. He dares to skip meals? Absolutely outrageous! This is what happens when a child grows up with no discipline.
She immediately stared at David, and her voice rose with each word. “And you. David, have completely failed as a father! He’s practically an adult, yet he can’t even manage something as basic as coming down for meals? Does he need someone to drag him to the table? David, he needs to be taught a proper lesson before he becomes a complete waste of space!”
David remained silent. His gaze lay fixed on the medical report in his hands, and he was lost in his thoughts.
Leonard quickly retrieved the security footage and brought it to their tablet.
Maggie and David quickly looked over.
“Mr. and Mrs. Fraser,” he said respectfully. “I reviewed the last three months of meal times. During this period, Mr. Joshua has not come down to the dining room even once. Instead, he’s been preparing simple meals in the kitchen, which are mostly noodles, or secretly eating leftovers from the refrigerator! He hasn’t joined anyone at the dining table at all.”
“What?” Maggie’s voice was sharp with surprise as her eyes widened in disbelief.
“This is a video of Mr. Joshua secretly eating some leftovers,” he explained. “It was probably taken around eleven at night. He must have been hungry and came downstairs to eat. He didn’t dare turn on the lights, so the footage is a bit blurry. And here,” he paused as he showed another clip, “this is him frying noodles in the kitchen. Those leftovers he ate? They were from other people’s plates!”
Maggie’s expression froze in astonishment. “Why would he do that?” she demanded.
Leonard hesitated, glancing at her cautiously before speaking. “Well, Mrs. Locker might know more about this. But from what I’ve gathered, it seems Maddy and Judy don’t like eating with him. They rarely invite Mr. Joshua to join them at the table. And when Mr. Frankie is home, it’s even worse. Mr. Joshua usually
eats alone.”
Maggie was silent. Her gaze locked onto the screen as anger flared in her eyes.
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Chapter 41 Malnourished Joshua
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Finished
doesn’t he come down to eat? So what if Maddy and Judy dislike him? He still has the right to eat! And what does this have to do with Frankie? Who told him he wasn’t allowed to eat at the table?”
His voice softened as if trying to calm her storm. “I think you might have told him once that he wasn’t allowed to eat with everyone else. Mr. Joshua must have taken your words to heart, assuming it was a permanent rule. Perhaps he thought he would never be welcome at the dining table again, so he just stopped coming down altogether.”
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Promise to Punish My Ridiculous Family
