Chapter 44 The Big Sister He Once Loved I didnt ! I didnt dare to look ! Wendy , about Joshua , he … Shirley hesitated , her voice trailing off . Take a look for yourself , then tell me ! Wendy replied firmly , her tone brooking no argument . Finished Wait ! Dont hang up yet ! Shirley quickly interjected , her words rushed and anxious . Mom wants you to come home right away . I got it . Without another word , Wendy ended the call . Joshua was still missing . No one had any idea where he had run off to . The uncertainty pressed heavily on Wendy , leaving her feeling utterly adrift . She sniffled , took out her phone , and checked the records again . A post appeared on it , with many albums and photos . It was from Joshuas Facebook account . The post read : Wendy took me on a trip ! The words struck her as unfamiliar . She didnt remember him sharing anything like this before . Each photo had its own caption , like an earnest record of his joy . Wendy took me to the park ! Wendy said shes too scared to ride the roller coaster ! Wendy bought me ice cream ! Wendy … Wendy … Wendy vividly remembered that one moment with the ice cream . At the time , she had been trying to be fair , striving to keep the balance between Frankie and Joshua . She worried that favoritism , no matter how unintentional , might sow resentment in Frankies heart . So , she had planned an outing for all three of them . Initially , the ice cream was meant for Frankie . Wendy had bought it for him specifically , but just as she handed it over , he declined with a sudden disinterest . Without thinking much of it , she passed it to Joshua instead . She remembered that before he took the ice cream , he even wiped the sweat from his palms onto his shirt in a hurried gesture of anticipation . At that time , she had wrinkled her nose at the sight and felt that he was unhygienic and a little gross . And yet , none of that mattered to him . He held the ice cream as though it was the most precious gift he had ever received . Most of those images either featured her or places tied to her . She could still recall how the trip had ended 3:20 am Chapter 44 The Big Sister He Once Loved Finished abruptly . Frankic , appearing bored and uninterested , had decided to leave halfway through . Claiming work as her excuse , she had also left , leaving Joshua to take a cab back by himself . At the time , she had thought little of it . But looking back now , something tightened painfully in her chest . The weight of guilt and regret pressed down , constricting her breath . Young entrepreneur representative speaking soon . Wendy will be taking the stage ! Ill be watching . As she continued scrolling , she stumbled upon another post , one that was also about her . Beautiful and intelligent ! A woman of unmatched elegance , always exceptional and always stunning ! The sister I admire most in my heart ! Wendys eyes reddened again . She squatted on the ground , hands clasped tightly over her mouth . and tried desperately to stifle the sobs that shook her chest . She remembered that day , standing on a stage at a small town meeting . It was an open air gathering , welcoming anyone interested to attend . The speakers were a group of young entrepreneurs . Because of the Fraser Family and their family business , Wendy was invited to attend , where she shook hands with some business owners and officials before delivering a speech about her entrepreneurial experiences and management stories . Logically speaking , such an event should have been inaccessible to someone like Joshua . Yet , somehow . inexplicably , he had been there . She had no idea how he managed it , but he had attended that meeting and , more astonishingly , had captured numerous photos of her during her speech . He had never mentioned it , not a word . She had once been the source of his pride , the person he admired and looked up to the most . Just one trip together had been enough to fill him with uncontainable joy . She used to be the brightest light in his life , the sister he chased after with every ounce of his being , the person he idolized and held in the highest regard . And yet , what had she done in return ? Wendy , youll face the consequences of your actions ! The words rang in her ears like a curse , relentless and unforgiving . Her control broke . A muffled sob escaped her lips , quickly growing louder as she crumpled under the weight of her emotions . She wept , unable to hold back the flood of tears that streamed down her face . The price hikes for bananas and longans had become strikingly apparent . The investigation report was 2/3 3:20 am Chapter 44 The Big Sister He Once Loved Finished In the Pasasi coastal regions , vast banana plantations had completely fallen . The extent of the destruction was staggering , and the subsequent rise in banana prices became a stark reality . Fear of theft weighed heavily on their minds . The four of them , Joshua , Tom , and their two companions , decided to take no chances . Each took a day off from work to guard the warehouse , unwilling to leave it unattended even for a moment . As orphans , they were all too familiar with the risks of theft. Experience had taught them hard lessons , and they were determined not to make such a basic mistake . 98 3/3 W 3:20 am Promise to Punish My Ridiculous Family