I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away

After leaving Meredith's place, Chloe called Bianca, only to find out that Joy Chaucer was at the villa in the northern district, having arrived there earlier. Harvey Fieldmouse, keen on preventing further discord between the two families, had carefully moved Joy Chaucer onto the sofa after Terrence Sterling left. He fetched a first aid kit to clean the wounds and blood on her hands.

By the time he was done, Joy looked less terrifying, which was a relief; otherwise, the sight of her bloodied hands would have immediately enraged Bianca and Chloe upon their arrival. Harvey also thoughtfully changed her into a clean jacket since her previous one was stained with blood, making for a ghastly sight.

After Harvey's careful ministrations, Joy appeared significantly less dreadful. Her hands were neatly wrapped in bandages, hiding the missing fingers. Throughout, Joy stared blankly at Harvey, utterly unresisting and in shock, barely holding herself together.

"Joy." "Joy."

Bianca and Chloe rushed in and were gripped by a wrenching pain at the sight of Joy's vacant expression on the sofa, though relieved she was otherwise unharmed. Chloe noticed Joy's bandaged hands and asked anxiously, "What happened to your hands, Joy? Tell me, what happened?"

Bianca, slightly more composed, seeing that Joy was unable to speak, turned to Harvey and queried, "Her hands?"

Standing up, Harvey responded, "She lost two fingers. I suppose you wouldn't find this punishment too severe, considering it's much lighter than decades in prison or losing a life. When we err, we must face the consequences."

It was better for Bianca and Chloe to hear about the severed fingers from him now rather than be shocked later. Chloe erupted in anger upon hearing it, "Was it Terrence Sterling? How could he be so cruel to destroy Joy like this? He doesn't regard the Chaucer family at all, he's too arrogant, it's criminal..."

"Chloe," Bianca cut in sharply, "Take Joy home, and let's never speak of this again. This matter ends here."

"How can it end like this? Joy lost two fingers..." Chloe protested, unable to accept that her own daughter was now maimed, her perfect daughter reduced to a cripple.

"I said take Joy home," Bianca raised her voice again, "And that's the end of it. Her wounds need more attention."

That finally quelled Chloe's fury a bit, and she helped Joy into the car, rushing to get her to a hospital.

Bianca then asked Harvey, "Did Terry say anything when he left?"

Harvey shook his head, "A knife doesn't hurt until it cuts you. In fact, losing two fingers is a light punishment compared to what could have been. Joy wanted the life of the unborn child of the family head. It was only her failure that spared her own life. Had she succeeded, who could have pleaded for her?"

Bianca knew this, and upon reflection, losing two fingers indeed seemed a minor price to pay, especially since she had intervened with Grandma Sterling, saving Joy's life for today.

If Joy had succeeded, no matter how influential the intercessor, Terrence would have retaliated with equal ferocity, a life for a life.

Bianca, noting the dried blood on the floor, felt a residual fear, "Thank you for your advice, Harvey, and for all your trouble."

Harvey smiled, "No problem."

He had more to say about Joy's background, but Terrence knew and had chosen to stay silent, so Harvey did the same. After all, it was fortunate he had not agreed to the engagement when the Chaucer family proposed it; he had strongly refused.

At the hospital, as the bandages were removed and Chloe saw the severed fingers, tears erupted, and her anger reached a peak.

Turning to Bianca, Chloe accused, "Look, Bianca, this is your daughter. Are you really going to let this go?"

Despite being shocked herself, Bianca kept a composed face and said, "Let the doctors take care of Joy first. We'll wait outside."