Side Chick Era... Over

Loving Mom 233

Chapter 233

Kelly flushed, her face shifting between red and pale under Uriah’s words. “You’ve misunderstood… I—I haven’t had lunch yet. I just wanted to grab a bite with Carter…”

Uriah didn’t bother softening his tone. “I’ll give you one hour. If you’re not back in an hour, you stay an extra hour tonight. Two hours late? You’ll stay four more. That’s the rule.”

Carter frowned. “Don’t you think that’s a bit too strict?”

“No rules, no order,” Uriah shot back. “You’re a CEO-do you let your employees clock in and out whenever they feel like it?”

Carter answered calmly, “But she’s not your employee.”

Uriah let out a cold chuckle. “I’m treating her so-called terminal illness for free. All I ask is for her to do a little grunt work for a few days, and even that’s too much? If she doesn’t even value her own life, why should anyone else try to save it?”

Carter had no reply.

Kelly felt the words lodge in her chest like a stone. She wanted to lash out, to call this old fraud what he was right to his face and expose him as a con artist to Carter.

But she couldn’t. If she tore off the mask now, her lies would unravel with it.

It had to be Sharon. She must’ve teamed up with this crusty old man just to make her look bad.

made her hate Sharon

“Kelly, are you coming with me

on her hand. Minor at best.

scabbed over.

leave,

left now and had to work an extra

“No, it’s fine.

checked the time. He had a meeting to get back to-there wasn’t time

he nodded lightly.

he

turned her head, just in time to see Sharon looking at her, lips curved in a mocking smile. That look said it all: So

bit her lip without realizing it.

she could only grit her teeth and

freshly picked from deep in the mountains.

soft gasp, pulling her hand

Matty had already sorted three full bundles. Kelly hadn’t even

12

Dusk fell quickly.