Chapter 13 Asking Rhys To
Call Her Mom
Kristy burst out laughing, “Joanna, this is your moment to show some respect! Go ahead, call her mom!”
Joanna gave a cold smirk. “Sure, if you think you can handle what’s coming.”
Tatiana couldn’t contain her excitement. “What’s there to handle? I’m just afraid you won’t even dare to do it!” She quickly asked Kristy to grab her phone and start recording.
But then Joanna pulled out her own phone, and that made Tatiana uneasy.
Joanna hit a button, and soon Rhys‘ voice came through. “Joanna? What’s going on?”
“Well, I have a roommate here. She’s your dad’s girlfriend, and she wants you to call her—”
Tatiana lunged forward, covering Joanna’s mouth and quickly ending the call.
Once the call was over, Tatiana sighed with relief, then shot Joanna an angry glare. “How dare you trick me like that!”
Joanna pretended to be innocent.
a son to make that dream come
“Weren’t you the one who wanted to be called Mom? I was just helping you out, finding
wasn’t I?”
true,
Tatiana’s rage flared. Her teeth clenched. Asking Rhys to call her mom? Was she out of her mind?
She glared at Joanna with pure fury, kicked a chair, and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Kristy quickly followed her, not saying a word.
Darla, who had been quiet the whole time, hesitated for a second before following them out.
Joanna didn’t care one bit.
Tatiana’s schedule was all over the place. She stayed up late chatting with friends, sometimes until two in the morning. Without Tatiana causing any trouble that night, Joanna finally got a peaceful night’s sleep.
The next day, after finishing her paperwork, Joanna was told by her boss, Turner Ramirez, to start work right away.
During the interview, Turner had spoken about the company like it was some hidden treasure.
Joanna had a feeling he was stretching the truth, but when she actually started, she realized it wasn’t just stretching–it
was a full–on flood of lies.
The company was small, with just ten employees, and its systems were far from sorted.
Joanna’s title was “secretary,” but she was also stuck with admin, logistics, and even handling after–sales service.
Fearing she might quit, Turner quickly added after listing all her duties, “Joanna, you know I value you. The company’s new, but I swear, whatever I can offer, I will. And when we go public, I’ll make you a shareholder! You’ll get dividends like
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Chapter 13 Asking Rhys To Call Her Mom
you’ve never imagined!”
Joanna wasn’t naive. She didn’t buy into his dream.
But this was the only job she could find that offered any real chance for advancement.
Norene had messed up her reputation so badly that, no matter how much she tried to explain, the rumors were already deeply rooted in people’s minds.
Joanna forced a smile. “Mr. Ramirez, I’ll do my best to grow with the company.”
Turner gave her an enthusiastic pat on the arm. “That’s the spirit! Young people should be ambitious!”
Joanna could only smile bitterly to herself.
For the next two weeks, she was so overwhelmed with work that she barely had a clue what was going on, practically living at the office.
The only good thing was that it gave her a solid reason to reject Rhys‘ invitations.
One evening, she stayed late at work again, not finishing until ten.
Exhausted, she headed back to the dorm, just as Tatiana and the others were coming back from a day out.
Tatiana was holding at least ten designer shopping bags and looked like she was glowing.
“Oh, look, isn’t this our future Mrs. Harvey?” Tatiana teased. “Working late again? Your boyfriend’s really fine with that,
huh?”
Kristy joined in with a sneer, “She’s probably clinging to Mr. Harvey for dear life. He must be so tired of her by now. It’s only his kindness that keeps her around!”
Joanna was too drained to respond and just ignored them, grabbing her towel and heading to the bathroom.
“What a drama queen.” Tatiana clicked her tongue, unwrapping her gifts and purposely raising her voice. “Anyway, all the gifts Owen gave me tonight–you two can have them!”
Kristy and Darla gasped in excitement. “We could never afford anything like this! Thank you so much, Tatiana!”
Tatiana beamed, clearly pleased by their praise. “Take whatever you want. If there’s something you really like, I’ll have
Owen buy it again next time.”
In the bathroom, Joanna’s tired face briefly showed a hint of emotion.
It felt like forever since she’d last seen Owen.
The last time she had heard Owen’s name was when Tatiana had been bragging about how he had got her a job at the Harvey Group. Kristy and Darla had also landed jobs there thanks to Tatiana’s connections.
Their roles weren’t as great as Tatiana’s, but they were still decent.
Suddenly, Joanna’s phone buzzed on the shelf, breaking her thoughts.
It was a call from Turner.
Just seeing his name made Joanna’s head ache.
It was probably something work–related again.
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Chapter 13 Asking Rhys To Call Her Mom
As expected, Turner asked, “Joanna? Where are you? Can you come over for a bit?”
Joanna thought it was ridiculous and lied, “Mr. Ramirez, it’s almost ten–thirty. I just got back to campus and have a paper due tomorrow that I’m working on.”
Turner dismissed it. “Just wing the coursework,” he said. “I’ve finally set up a meeting with a big client. If we miss tonight, we won’t get another shot!”
Forbidden Lust: A Night With My Husband’s Father
