Chapter 330
Once a seed of doubt is planted, no amount of explanation from Lyman could make it go away.
“Put him on the phone,” Effie demanded through gritted teeth.
“I told you, he’s busy!” Isabel snapped back. Before Effie could react, Isabel hung up.
Effie listened to the steady beep of the disconnected line, her eyes falling on the receptionist who was now dumping the noodles she’d brought into the trash. Fury flared inside her.
She prided herself on her manners, but she saw no reason to be civil to someone so blatantly rude.
Storming over, Effie slapped the receptionist hard across the face. “Pick those noodles out of the trash and eat them,” she ordered coldly.
The receptionist stood frozen, clearly not expecting this outburst.
A moment passed before she recovered, clutching her cheek and shrieking, “You crazy bitch! How dare you hit me? I’ll make you pay for that!”
She’d seen plenty of shameless women try to catch Mr. Etheridge’s attention, but never someone like Effie-audacious enough to actually lay hands on her.
Effie didn’t back down, lifting her foot as the receptionist lunged at her.
Just then, Luther appeared. The moment he saw the receptionist raise a hand against Effie, his eyes widened in shock. He rushed over and yanked the receptionist away.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
The receptionist, thinking Luther was on her side, blurted, “Luther, you’re just in time! This lunatic claims she knows you all, told me to call Mr. Etheridge because she wants to meet him. I told her to make the call herself, but she wouldn’t, and then-“
“Enough!” Luther barked. He had no idea who the real lunatic was here, but this woman clearly had no idea she’d stepped way out of line.
“You’re fired.”
The receptionist stared at him in disbelief, eyes wide and brimming with tears. “Why? I haven’t done anything wrong!”
Luther thought, For your own good, you’d better leave now before things get even uglier.
“Do you even know who she is?” Luther gestured at Effie. He almost revealed her identity, but remembered Lyman’s warning and bit back the words.
“Get out.”
The receptionist shot Effie and Luther a venomous glare. “You pair of degenerates!”
Luther turned to Effie, lowering his voice apologetically. “Ma’am, I’m sorry. I was on my lunch break, so-“
Effie waved him off. “This has nothing to do with you.”
She paused, then looked at the receptionist again. “I told you-pick those noodles
out of the trash and eat them before you leave.”
The receptionist gritted her teeth. “Why should I? I’ve already been fired!”
Luther wondered if Effie had some strange fetish, making someone eat food out of the garbage. But then, he realized the noodles in Effie’s hand were gone.
Just a moment ago, Luther had texted Lyman to say he’d seen Effie bring food for him, and Lyman had told him not to bother bringing any lunch back. Now, seeing the empty hands, he understood. The receptionist had brought this on herself.
“She told you to eat, so eat. Otherwise, don’t blame anyone if you end up blacklisted in the whole industry,” Luther warned.
Effie wasn’t usually like this, but the receptionist’s inexplicable rudeness had pushed her too far.
At that moment, Isabel emerged from the back, stopping short when she saw Effie.
The receptionist, voice quivering with indignation, rushed to Isabel. “Mrs. Etheridge, you have to help me! Luther and some crazy woman are bullying me. I was just following your orders, keeping all those tacky women outside, not letting them see Mr. Etheridge…”