Chapter 4
Adeline clearly didn’t grasp the situation and still saw herself as the pampered lady.
On her first day, she started causing trouble. The butler cautiously observed my reaction: “Young Master Asher, Miss Adeline said you know she can’t live with others and wants us to arrange a single room for her. According to the rules, regular servants can only stay in four-person rooms, but since Miss Adeline is someone you brought, as long as you say…”
“Ignore her,” I said lightly. “She loves being difficult. Arrange her as you would any servant. If she doesn’t want to stay, let her leave.”
Since childhood, my parents and I have pampered Adeline.
When she first stayed in a school dormitory, she cried and fussed to go home, saying she couldn’t get along with her roommates.
She cried so prettily, and my parents and I were heartbroken.
Her vocational high school was far from home, and my comprehensive high school had heavy coursework, but I still got up an hour early every day to take her to school and picked her up at night.
Through scorching summers and freezing winters, I never complained.
Thinking of this, I called the butler again: “Also, give her the dirtiest and most tiring work. If it’s not done, she doesn’t eat.”
I let my disgust show. The butler, a shrewd old fox, naturally knew how to “take care” of Adeline.
That day, as I was about to leave, I saw Adeline ordering another maid to scrub the tiles.
“Mrs. Lee, make sure it’s clean, here, and there. Didn’t I say it needs to be scrubbed three times with clean water? Finish before lunch, and be quick!”
A younger girl couldn’t stand it: “Sister Adeline, this is your job. Why are you ordering Mrs. Lee?”
Adeline stood up from the lounge chair and slapped the young girl.
“Lowly servant, do you think you have the right to speak?! If I want your young master to go east, he wouldn’t dare go west. And you, a servant, dare to show me attitude? Fine, I’ll tell Asher, and you’ll pack your things and leave!”
The young girl’s cheek swelled instantly, tears streaming down.
Mrs. Lee tenderly touched the girl’s cheek, angry but not daring to speak out.
Adeline was still smug: “I’m someone Asher cherishes. If I get hurt doing such rough work, and he gets heartbroken and angry, none of you will have it easy!”
I watched coldly as she acted like the mistress, flaunting her power, and called the butler.
Hearing my voice, Adeline quickly changed her expression, showing her red fingers pitifully.
“Asher, they’re bullying me! They’re deliberately giving me the dirtiest and most tiring work! Look, my hands are red from the cold!”
She habitually whined to me, hinting for me to punish others for her.
Mrs. Lee and the young maid were visibly fearful.
I ignored Adeline and frowned at the butler: “Adeline is slacking off and bullying other servants. She won’t eat today, and from now on, let her do the work for both of them. Also, no hot water for her.”
Adeline was right in front of me, but I didn’t speak directly to her, nor did I even look at her. Instead, I issued her “punishment” through the butler, a blatant slap in the face.
Her face turned various shades of pale, unable to maintain her weak and innocent act, and she burst out: “Asher, what do you mean?! How dare you order me around? Do you really think you’re the young master?”
I glanced at her: “Talking back to the young master, slap her.”
She was stunned.
No one else reacted either.
I signaled the young maid Adeline had slapped to come over.
The girl was quick-witted, tears still on her face, and she slapped back hard.
Adeline clutched her face, disbelief and humiliation overflowing, screaming: “Asher! Are you crazy?! How dare you let someone hit me!”
I chuckled: “Because I’m now the young master of The Quinn Family, and you’re just a servant. Do I need to pick a day to hit you?”
“Adeline, you begged me to bring you to The Quinn Family, remember?”
Her lips trembled, unable to endure the humiliating and mocking gazes, and she ran off crying.