Chapter 7

“Hello, this is your Stormchase driver. My car is blue with the car plate number A2219. I am in an alley right beside RK Bar. You can come out now.” Monique Xander could only hear background noises and other people talking from the other side of the call. She ended the call when she was certain that her passenger could hear her. A drunk woman with her hair hanging loose got into her car after a short while. “Retch.” She raised her head and retched twice after she sat down. Monique took a few tissues and turned around to hand them over. She was going to advise her that a young lady should not drink so much. Her words got stuck in her throat the moment she saw the person in the backseat, her hand paused mid-air, trembling. Her fair and delicate cheeks grew even paler. It had been five years since she saw that familiar face. It was no other than her cousin, Yvonne Xander. Yvonne stared at the pretty face in front of her in shock. She even sobered up a little. The dim rays from the streetlights shone through the car windows and fell on Monique’s fair and delicate face, making her features visibly gentle and mellow. Her thick dark short hair rested against her fair cheeks elegantly. Her thin and arched eyebrows were filled with astonishment as she stared at her with her clear sparkling eyes. It was only that morning when Zephyrus Xander excitedly told Yvonne that Monique was a white-collar worker in a huge company with great salary and benefits although she quit from H University. He even gave Yvonne a lecture that there was a lot to learn from her cousin. “Although you’re from not H University, you are still a graduate from a proper university. Stop fooling around all day, you should get a job.” He always liked to compare her with her cousin. He sided with Monique all the time although she was abandoned by her parents and stayed with them for free. Yvonne was extremely vexed. ‘Am I really your daughter? Why are you always taking her side? You’ve been favoring her from five years ago, and even now after she’s left.’ Zephyrus still favored Monique over her although she left home pregnant. Infuriated, Yvonne went to the bar to distract herself. “So, this is the fancy job in a huge company that you talked about?” Yvonne was a little dumbfounded before she started laughing hysterically. She laughed so much that her stomach was starting to hurt. She recalled that she hired a Stormchase driver so she immediately understood the situation when Monique came to pick her up. Her lips were curved, forming a sinister grin. ‘What a terrible liar. Is this some kind of joke?.’ A hint of hurt flashed in Monique’s cold eyes but she did not say anything. She politely handed tissues to Yvonne who was still laughing. She could not just dump Yvonne as she was her passenger and she might make a complaint against her. She turned back to the front silently and started the car. As Yvonne’s cousin sister, Monique was more than familiar with her teasing and tricks. No matter what, Yvonne was her uncle’s only daughter. He had been extremely kind to her and she genuinely appreciated him for giving her a home. Therefore, she chose not to voice out and kept everything to herself. However, she would have never expected her to drug her and ask others to destroy her reputation. How could she do something this evil? She pressed her nails deep into her palm when she thought of the pain and suffering she had with her Little Nomi. She was suffocating internally. Yvonne who was done laughing noticed the little girl sitting in the front seat. The little girl had pinkish cheeks and long curved eyebrows underneath her wavy fringe. She looked really adorable. She would have liked the girl if she was not Monique’s daughter. It was a shame that she was that b*tch’s daughter! “Is this the scum? You take her along while you drive your cab?” Her tone was filled with sinister and disdain. “...” Monique pretended not to hear anything by convincing herself that Yvonne was farting and continued steering the wheel. Waves of pain were rippling within her. Noticing that Monique was not replying, Yvonne became even angrier because she was trying to provoke her. “Why don’t you consider being a prostitute? You’re stained anyway! Your life will be a lot easier that way!” She was just a scum, a scum who was abandoned by her parents yet she enjoyed grandpa’s love and her father’s care. How could she? How could she snatch those from her? She loathed Monique, she hated her so much that she would feel disgusted whenever she saw her face. “It’s all your doing.” Monique spilled the words through her gritted teeth. She could not believe that those hurtful words were coming out from her cousin’s mouth. However, those hurtful words were nothing compared to all those evil things she did. Her heart was throbbing with pain and tears were welling in her eyes as memories of the night began flooding back. Little Nomi was still asleep. Monique did not intend to argue with Yvonne because she did not want to wake Nomi up to those awful words. She did not want Little Nomi to know. Little Nomi was already awake at the time. She had never seen her good-tempered mother get infuriated by someone else. Also, she never heard her mother mention any friends. ’Who is this drunken woman then?’ ‘Why are they fighting? Is daddy a married man?’ That woman was speaking poison. She hated it. At the same time, she was curious as to who her father was and why he abandoned them. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. “My doing? You asked for it! Did you forget how you were always tattling on me?” Yvonne had an early relationship during high school. There was once when she followed her boyfriend to a bar and Monique told everything to Zephyrus. He then caught her red-handed and slapped her as punishment. Monique explained many times that she only wanted to go to the bar to look for Yvonne because she was worried about her since her boyfriend seemed like a thug. Zephyrus then found out from an unknown source and rushed to the bar. Yvonne had blamed it on Monique ever since. “I have something to tell on too,” Yvonne said viciously. “Aside from being a wh*re, you also lied about your job. Instead of a white-collar worker with a good salary, you’re just a cab driver with an illegitimate child. No matter how good my dad treats you, he’s still not your father, you’re just scum which nobody wants. You are nothing to him.” Monique gritted her teeth as she forced her tears back. She wanted to throw her out of her car badly. Right when the humiliating scene appeared in her mind, she stepped on the car brake with force. Already weak from getting drunk, Yvonne almost knocked her head against the window. “Are you trying to kill me?” Yvonne roared. Monique took a deep breath to calm herself. She lost control and became impulsive. She had to remember that Little Nomi was still asleep in the car. “Can you not tell your father about me?” Monique softened her tone because she did not want her uncle to worry about her. After all, he provided her care and a home for 10 years. She already saw him as her father. His disappointed look from years ago had been imprinted on her like a permanent mark and she did not want to relive it all over again. “Why would I do that for you?” Yvonne was smug because she had the upper hand. “Because you drugged me!”