Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Joshua didn't mind the little things . He just thought back to the last time he wrapped his arms around Shermaine's waist - it was soft and comfortable . Now , holding her hand , he noticed it was just as soft , delicate even . He mused , ' Even her hand feels so soft , the other parts of her must be the same . Despite being so soft , this woman can cause a lot of trouble when she gets mad .' After they left the hospital , Shermaine said , " I'm hungry . " She bought soup for Lily but hadn't gotten anything for herself . She hadn't had time to eat , so she decided to wait until everything was handled before eating . " What do you want to eat ? " Joshua asked . She replied , " Beef stew . " Twenty minutes later , they were at the restaurant . Joshua sat across from Shermaine , watching as she spooned a mix of meat and veggies into her mouth , one bite at a time . Joshua didn't usually eat with women , except for family dinners . And even then , the women in his family were always poised , delicate eaters . The younger ones either dieted or were picky , never really tucking in for a big meal . But watching Shermaine eat , he felt there was something oddly satisfying about it , like it made him hungry just by watching . Maybe it was the spice , but her lips were flushed , as if coated in some glossy lip balm , tempting and appetizing . Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction , and her smile radiated a genuine joy . She glanced up and asked , " You want some ? " Joshua called over the waiter . " One more orange juice , please . " It was for Shermaine - her glass was almost empty . He wasn't a fan of drinks , and water was more than enough for him . The waiter replied , " Sure thing , sir . " Joshua slipped off his coat and casually draped it over the back of his chair . Even though the AC was on , the warmth from the hot dishes on the table made him loosen his tie and unbutton two buttons on his shirt . He looked relaxed but still had that effortless elegance . Good thing they were in a private room . The screen blocked the view from the rest of the restauránt , or else they'd probably be the center of attention . With Joshua now joining her , Shermaine ate with more gusto . It was a lot more fun to eat with someone else . By 10 PM , they were back home . Joshua said to her , " When you shower , don't let your right hand get wet . " Shermaine nodded . " Got it . Goodnight . " He said , " Goodnight ." After her shower , Shermaine came out in a slip dress , looking a little seductive . Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders , framing her delicate collarbones . Her legs were slender and straight . The soft glow of the room made her seem almost like a fairy , especially with that mix of purity and allure on her face . Though it was autumn , the room had a built - in climate control system , and despite the persistent rain , the air inside felt warm and cozy . 1/4 147 Sat 31 May BGÜ Chapter 34 Shermaine sat on the chair , one leg propped up , a thin blanket draped over her legs . The laptop was booting up , and she slowly sipped on the stron liquor Joshua had given her . Once she finished her drink , she got back to work . After all , this was a three - million - dollar job , and she wanted to get it done as quickly as possible to pers the money . With her classes during the day , she couldn't work on it while at school , so it had to be done at night . But if every day was as busy as today , this task wouldn't be finished in ten days . If Shermaine had checked out the International Tech Forum , she'd have seen that just today , one platinum - level expert had also taken on the same task , and she was already being talked about by everyone . Becoming a platinum - level expert required continuously completing tasks and accumulating points . Once one's points reached the standard , they'd be upgraded to platinum - level . In this forum , platinum - level experts were extremely rare . Jaden was ecstatic because this platinum - level expert was always a mystery , but when she took on a task , it was always an S - level , and she had never failed . This time , they were all sure their project would make a breakthrough . That expert's ID was Dolcie Chapman , a woman from the Republic of Wallington , but her real identity was hidden . No one knew who she was in real life , but she had a huge fan base on the forum . When she took the task , it sparked an immediate buzz . A : [ Since my goddess takes the task , no one else gets a chance . ] B : [ Exactly , the three million dollars is definitely Dolcie's . The other day , some clueless person took it on , and I thought they were a big deal . Turns out , they've only done D - level tasks . LMAO . ] C : [ I know the person you're talking about . She's Boa Hanks . At first , I was going to diss her , but then I saw she used the name of the Empress , so I held back . Who can argue with the Empress's fans ? ] D : [ The task is so difficult . I wonder how long Dolcie will take . ] Dolcie responded to the comment , saying she would need a month to finish the task . D : [ A month ? That's amazing . ] E : [ The gold - level expert who took this task before would finish it in three months . Goddess is so impressive . ] Shermaine wouldn't waste time in the forum after taking a task . She kept working until 1 a.m. and decided to go to bed . As she was about to turn off her laptop , the firewall turned red , which meant someone was trying to contact her . Of course , they wouldn't be able to break in . A message popped up : [ Milady , why don't you respond to my messages ? ] Shermaine ignored the person . She simply shut down the laptop and went to bed . Seeing the signal cut off , Roy , feeling rejected , called Henry . " What do I need to do to get Milady's attention ? " Henry was irritated to be woken up , and he snapped , " Aren't you the so - called heartthrob ? Figure it out yourself . Don't bother me again . " Roy shot back , " Come on , do you have no conscience ? This is important to me , and you're acting like you couldn't care less . " Without a second thought , Henry hung up on him , offering no mercy . The next day , as the first light of dawn broke , Shermaine stepped onto the balcony , taking in a deep breath . She only wore a slip dress , and she felt it was colder than yesterday . 2/4 14 Sat , 31 May b Chapter 34 The internet was buzzing about Ronnie and his group's crimes . Shermaine didn't bother to check the news . She thought getting them locked up was just the start . According to Joshua , these people had to be completely eliminated , or they'd just pop back up As soon as she entered the classroom , Summer asked , " Shermaine , did Sheila find you yesterday afternoon ? " Shermaine nodded . " She did . " " Really ? Did she hurt you ? " Summer then noticed the bandage on Shermaine's hand and immediately imagined Sheila picking on her . " Sheila's way out of line . I thought she never picked on girls . " Shermaine explained , " You've got it wrong . She didn't hurt me . " In fact , it was a bit of a fight , and Sheila ended up in the hospital . She wouldn't be out for at least a month or two . " Good to hear , " Summer said , relieved . She held up her test papers and looked at Shermaine with hopeful eyes . " Shermaine , I had a lot of problems when I did homework last night . Can you help me out ? " Shermaine said , " Sure . " " She had tutored plenty of students before - mostly PhDs and master's students , so high school was a breeze for her . " Thank you , Shermaine . I'll bring you snacks every day , " Summer said , glancing at the questions like they were her worst nightmare . But with Shermaine around , she started to feel hopeful again . The entire day passed with Shermaine tutoring the entire class , answering every question . She felt it was tiring , and keeping this routine wasn't a good thing . However , she still tried her best to tutor everyone and won their hearts . She was so thorough , even the students who brought in extra - level questions were blown away by how easily she solved them . Everyone thought in shock , " Why on earth did the teacher assign her to the lowest - level class ? ' Summer said , " Shermaine , we've got exams next week . You're definitely going to ace them . " Shermaine sipped her water and flashed a grin . " Sure , first place is in my pocket . " Summer's eyes went wide . She gave Shermaine a thumbs - up , clearly in awe . She screamed in her mind , ' She's so damn smart . I just can't get enough of Shermaine . ' Time flew by during class , and as soon as the bell rang , Shermaine headed straight to the hospital . Lily was drinking the medicine prescribed by Shermaine . Lily suffered a lot in her life , so even the nastiest medicine didn't faze her . When she saw Shermaine , she asked , " Sheary , the police didn't give you a hard time last night , did they ? " Shermaine shook her head while checking Lily's pulse. She could tell Lily was much better than the day before . She said to Lily , " You can leave the hospital in a couple of days . After that , just give up the rental house . " Lily sighed , " But I don't have enough money to rent a new place . I regret not taking the compensation from those rich wives . " Shermaine replied , " Relax , the money's already in your account . " Lily had spent the entire day sleeping , unaware the money had already been transferred . She grabbed her phone to check and found over three million in her account . She took a deep breath and asked , " If I take the money , will the police think I forgive them and let them off the hook ? " " The people who gave you the money weren't the ones who did the worst , so feel free to accept it , " Shermaine said while peeling an orange . " By the way , what are you planning to do once you leave the hospital ? " " Well , I was thinking of getting a job . " Lily hesitated for a second and then added , " But now that I see the money in my account , I'm thinking of starting a business . Sheary , do you want to join me ? " 3/4 14:47 Sat , 31 May GO Chapter 34 Shermaine raised her eyebrows and asked , " What kind of business ? " " What about a cosmetics company ? " Lily said . She'd been working in the beauty industry since high school and had built up quite a bit of experience . She'd always dreamed of owning her own beauty brand once she had the money to do so . " Sounds good , " Shermaine replied . Lily's face lit up with excitement , but then she got serious . " But if the products aren't good , we probably won't get far . " Experience alone wasn't enough to succeed in this industry. The market competition was fierce . For a small cosmetics company , survival was extremely difficult without either unique products or heavy investment to build brand recognition . This wasn't a problem to Shermaine , and she replied with a smile , " Don't worry about that . I'll handle the R & D . I'm a little busy lately , so I'll push it back a bit . Once you're discharged , you can register the company and start looking for a place . " 20 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!