He Chose the So-Called Sister Chapter 199: Hidden Intentions

Just the two of them left.

Sherry rolled her eyes quietly, then finally broke the weird silence. "Aren't you even mad?"

"It's not a big deal. If they wanna fool around, let 'em. Besides, it works out—it keeps people off my back."

Then he grinned, all secretive-like. "And y'know what? Not everything they rambled about was a lie."

"Huh?" Sherry looked totally lost.

The part that wasn't a lie? Sherry didn't dare overthink it. What if she got it wrong, just like everyone else?

Lucas sliced Sherry a few pieces of meat and popped one right into her mouth. Sherry was still in a fog—she couldn't wrap her head around it being real.

Sherry had been in this spot for so long, and she never once tried to take more than her fair share. That was seriously rare.

Most people, once they got a taste of money, power, and all the good stuff that came with it, started craving more and more. The richer they got, the greedier they became—human desire was never ending.

Even some rich guys' wives, if they got to call the shots with the family money, spent half their time comparing themselves to other wives.

Fighting over who got the newest designer gear and who had the one-and-only piece in the whole country—or even the whole world.

Or bragging about how perfect their lives were.

Bragging about where they lived and how doting their husbands were. If you got nothing to flaunt, you got pushed out or made fun of.

Kinda like Sherry used to be. Her status was so low she might as well not have been in that circle to begin with.

But none of that would've happened if it weren't for Gilbert. Problem was, he had no clue. Didn't he get it? A woman's grace, all the things she'd learned—what he called "ability"—it all cost money.

He wouldn't spend a single penny on Sherry, wouldn't let her learn anything new, made her do all the housework, and still griped that she was useless. He wanted everything, but gave nothing back.

He was just a spoiled rich kid who'd always had people waiting on him hand and foot. He had no idea how to give to anyone else.

He never even had to give anything to get what he wanted.

He thought everyone else's kindness was just their job. He'd even compare her to other people, but he never stopped to think about what he'd done—only what everyone else was doing wrong!

Why? Because Gilbert's success came way too easy.

If what those guys said was true—

When the Bode family had trouble, Julia fixed it. All he had to do after that was drink some wine and schmooze with business partners. Any regular Joe could do that—it's just part of the job in this line of work.

So yeah, he never really went through any hard times.

All those "hardships" he thought he endured? They were nothing. Total nothing.

If Gilbert ever sobered up and realized what an amazing relationship he threw away, he'd regret it so bad.

After all, someone like Sherry was a diamond in the rough.

That's why, when he saw the news Tyrone sent over, he kept replaying those parts again and again. Everyone else just saw a woman begging to hold onto the Mrs. Bode title, acting like a total suck-up.

But what did Sherry actually get out of it?

A useless Mrs. Bode title?

They actually thought she got so much from just that.

Could one lousy title give her all those perks? It's like those guys who brag about "supporting their family" but only give their wives three or four hundred bucks a month—then demand three dishes and a soup every day, fresh and hot.

Total morons.

Lucas walked Sherry to her room and waited until she fell asleep before heading out.

Max, who'd stumbled out drunk with the others earlier that night, was now standing somewhere in the villa. "Boss, what's up? You got an order?"

"Look into Julia for me."

"Uh, didn't you tell me to dig up her info before?" Max's eyes lighting up with gossip. "Boss, you're not actually into that woman, are you?

"I get it, though. A hot chick with her personality's hard to find—kinda like Sherry. But they're total opposites. If we're talking about who fits with the Harrison family...

"Sherry's way better."

Lucas was used to their rambling gossip—even when they talked about him like he was some kind of ghost.

He usually didn't bother answering them.

But this time, Max's words piqued his interest. After all, there weren't many things that caught his eye anymore.

"So you're saying Julia's tougher. Then why do you think Sherry fits the Harrison family better?"

Max licked his lips, his plain face turning dead serious. "You know the drill. No two top dogs can rule the same roost!"

"You don't really think Sherry's just a harmless woman, do you?"

Even though Lucas never told him to look into Sherry, Max knew why. For people who mattered, Lucas liked to get to know them on his own.

That way, he'd see the real them. Besides, he'd seen bits and pieces of Sherry already. And as for Sherry's real thoughts and more of her past? Lucas respected her enough to let her talk about it when she was ready.