Miss Josefina: Nobody's Princess novel Chapter 235

The ringtone sliced through the silence, halting Oliver in his tracks. He snatched up his cell from the table, ready to dismiss the call, but perked up at the sight of the caller ID.

Josefina, wiping drool from her lips, lounged on the couch farthest from Oliver, poised to make her exit.

Oliver's face was a mask of stormy steel, his voice glacial, "Pass the phone to him."

Soon enough, Rowan's irate grumbling bled through the line, "Day after tomorrow's my birthday, Oliver, you ungrateful bastard. Are you still trying to cage me? If the corporate world hears how you're treating me, aren't you afraid it'll tarnish the company's image?"

Oliver's scoff was tinged with amusement, "If you're not scared, why should I be?"

Caught off-guard, Rowan spat out a string of curses, "Oliver, you curse! I'm telling you, if you don't let me out, I'll bring us both down."

Sydney tried to mediate from the other end, "Oliver, we're still family at the end of the day. We can't be the town's laughing stock, right?"

Oliver's lips curled in a faint sneer, the irony not lost on him, "Afraid of being laughed at? You're already the punchline."

Josefina nearly burst into laughter. Oliver sure knew how to hit where it hurt.

The silence was so profound, Josefina could even hear Rowan's roar from the phone. "The nerve! You bastard! Should've left you in the woods for the wolves!"

Oliver's laughter was light and mocking, "You seem to fancy that idea. Maybe tomorrow I'll have you taste the wilderness for yourself."

Rowan was exasperated. He wanted to throttle Oliver, but lacked the means.

Oliver simply hung up, unwilling to let Rowan's rant ruin his mood. Tossing the phone aside on the sofa carelessly, he then turned to Josefina, who was standing now, her eyes wary, "I need to head home."