Chapter 79
Chapter 79:
Janice halted, turned, and shot Delilah an icy glare. “What do you want?”
“Janice, why do you always treat me so coldly?” Delilah’s face fell into a look of wounded innocence. “Though the Edwards family kicked you out, you remain my sister.”
“Stop right there!” Janice interjected sharply, her hand shooting up to halt Delilah’s flow of less-than-sincere words. “It’s too early to be pressing my buttons.”
Delilah’s expression congealed into a mask of stunned silence, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly, clearly cowed by Janice’s stern rebuke.
“Hey, Delilah, is Janice your sister?” a curious female colleague chimed in as she approached them.
“Yes, she is,” Delilah replied. She quickly mustered a forced smile and instinctively reached for Janice’s arm. However, Janice smoothly sidestepped the gesture.
The colleague’s eyebrows rose, a puzzled look crossing her face as she noticed the subtle avoidance. It was clear to her that, despite being sisters, Delilah and Janice shared a complicated bond. “Why do you two look nothing alike?”
Delilah’s eyes sparkled with an opportunity to subtly undermine Janice. “Actually, we’re not biological sisters. But she’s always been the sister I hold in the highest regard. However, a few days ago, Janice had a falling-out with our family and decided to leave home. I think there might be some misunderstandings between us, which is why she seems a bit aloof.”
She paused, offering a smile that managed to look both hurt and hopeful. “But it’s alright. I’m sure once she cools down, we’ll sort everything out.”
Her narrative skillfully framed Janice as a spoiled brat, quick to take offense and storm off.
The colleagues, previously neutral, now observed her with amused expressions, their loyalties swaying towards Delilah, who had recently charmed them with a free breakfast. Their attitude towards Janice turned dismissive.
Janice’s lips curled into a knowing smirk as she caught on to Delilah’s subtle game of gaining favor while leaving her out. She was no stranger to Delilah’s tactics and had anticipated this move.
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“Janice, I got breakfast for everyone. Oh no, it’s gone,” Delilah exclaimed with a dramatic sigh, feigning disappointment as she reached for an empty spot where the breakfast was supposed to be. Turning to Janice with a look of contrived regret, she added, “I totally forgot about yours! But hey, you don’t usually eat breakfast anyway, so it’s fine, right?”
Unruffled, Janice reached out to snatch the last breakfast sandwich from Delilah’s bag, brandishing it triumphantly. “Look, there’s still one left.”
Delilah’s face flickered with annoyance before settling into a cunning smile, pleased internally that Janice had fallen for her ploy.
“Janice, how could you take Delilah’s breakfast? You don’t even like breakfast, do you?” a colleague chided, coming to Delilah’s defense—an outcome Delilah had anticipated and savored.
“No problem, as long as Janice is satisfied,” Delilah responded, her voice tinged with feigned martyrdom as she played the victim to Janice’s apparent cruelty.
Their colleagues began to show signs of sympathy towards Delilah, their looks towards Janice tinged with disapproval.
“Janice, how could you bully Delilah?”
Janice glanced at the colleague who had just spoken. This woman was always defending Delilah for some reason. Janice’s eyes darted to the woman’s name tag.
“Cheryl Juarez?”
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