“Thanks, Grandma. I’m feeling much better today. I’ll visit you at Pearlhall Residence once I fully recover,” Skylar said with a soft smile.
As she sat down at the table, she noticed that Joe had been watching her closely. She raised an eyebrow. “Do you need something?”
Joe shot her a sharp, sarcastic look. “Aren’t you surprisingly good at buttering up to Grandma?”
“I’m not buttering up to her. It’s called giving and receiving,” Skylar responded calmly. “Grandma’s been kind to me, sending over breakfast, so it’s only polite to thank her. Do you have a problem with genuine social interactions, Mr. Martin? Or do you think it’s Grandma’s duty to send me food, and I shouldn’t express any gratitude at all?”
Joe was momentarily silenced, his expression hardening. He wasn’t sure how to respond to her quick wit. In fact, Skylar’s sharp tongue was one of the reasons Gloria always seemed to forget Joe existed when she was around Skylar.
For the rest of the meal, neither of them said a word. When Skylar got up to clear the dishes, Joe’s voice broke the silence. “Leave them there. I’ll do it.”
“Okay, thanks.” Skylar didn’t hesitate to accept his offer. There was no need for pleasantries or feigned politeness in that moment.
She made a mental note to take on the household chores whenever Joe was sick during the next three years. Despite her irritation earlier, she couldn’t deny that Joe had been looking out for her—both at home and on the way back from the auction house last night. She decided it wasn’t worth arguing over minor things.
Skylar returned to her room and fell back into bed, hoping for some more rest. By the time she opened her eyes again, it was already 10:00 a.m. She felt much more refreshed after the nap.
As she got out of bed, her phone rang. It was Charles.
“Skye, I heard you weren’t feeling well. Are you better now? Do you need me to come over and keep you company?” Charles asked, his voice full of concern.
“I’m fine now, Charles,” Skylar assured him. “I took some medicine last night and woke up feeling much better. I also had another nap, so I’m completely okay. In fact, I’m thinking of visiting Mom at work.”
“Alright then. I wanted to show you that I’m just as competent as Steven is. Too bad you didn’t give me the chance to do it,” Charles teased.
A soft laugh came from Charles. “I don’t care much for other people’s praise, but I do love when you shower me with compliments.”
The siblings chatted for a little while longer before ending the call. Skylar quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes and put on light makeup before heading out to visit her mother.
The road was clear, and Skylar reached the Jubilance Hotel in no time. Janine, her mother, worked there as a housekeeper. Jubilance Hotel wasn’t just a five-star hotel; it also housed an award-winning restaurant.
Janine, despite being 48 years old and a mother of four, had always been naturally beautiful. She didn’t bother with makeup or fancy clothes, but she aged gracefully, with very few wrinkles. People often mistook her for Skylar’s sister when they were out together.
Unfortunately, Janine’s salary was modest. She earned around $4500 a month from her housekeeping job, and after working extra shifts, she could push it to $5000. But with her rental expenses, her monthly take-home was only about $3500. It was barely enough to cover her expenses. Luckily, Steven, Charles, and Harvey helped support the family, making sure they got by. Still, things were tough.
Skylar hadn’t had the chance to visit Janine since she switched to this job last month. But now that Janine had a half-hour lunch break at 11:30 a.m., Skylar decided to surprise her with some pizza from a nearby restaurant.
She arrived just before 11:30 a.m. and called Janine’s phone. But the call rang for ages, and no one picked up. Skylar waited a few more minutes, checking her watch, and tried calling again. Still no answer.
Concerned, Skylar walked into the hotel and approached the front desk. “Hi, my mother’s name is Janine Yancey. She works here as a housekeeper. I believe she’s on her lunch break now. Could you please use the internal line to ask her to come out?”
The receptionist nodded and was about to make the call when the front desk phone rang. She answered it, listened for a moment, and then hung up with a troubled expression. She turned to Skylar.
“Something’s wrong with your mother. Since you’re here, you can come with me to check on the situation.”
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