Love My Friends with Benefits

I knew that Grandma had been in poor health in recent years and was staying at the Jones family's home. I parked the car outside the villa and rang the doorbell.

Mary, the maid, opened the door for me. She was surprised to see me and chattered on about how Grandma kept bringing me up recently.

I could feel myself starting to tear up as I listened to her chatter. I took the snacks I had bought for Grandma from the boot of my car and followed Mary into the villa.

It was both familiar and strange to me. After all, I had stayed here for a few years, but it had never provided me with a sliver of warmth.

I was just about to head upstairs when a shrill voice stopped me.

"You little b*tch, who allowed you to come here?"

I did not need to look back to know that it was coming from my stepmother, Gail Sampson, a caustic woman with a heart of malice.

To this day, I did not understand how my father, Bell Jones, had fallen for her. In fact, Gail used to be my mother's best friend, but that had not stopped her from stealing my mother's husband.

giving me a beating when she was pregnant with her second child and had accidentally fallen down the stairs. It had

regarded me as the murderer of her son, as did my father. It was

out of the Jones family and fend for myself when

and hardship to make ends meet while

...

glanced at Gail disdainfully. "Do I need your permission to come back to my own home to visit my

of here if you ever let rubbish like that

fear her and would not hold back if things got physical, so she turned

so terrified that she immediately bowed her head obsequiously. It

asked Queena to come because Mum wants to see

we quarreled, the door to one of the rooms upstairs suddenly swung open. My aunt,

a domineering woman and Gail did not dare take things too far under

b*tch, I'll let you off the hook for now since Phoebe's fiancé is coming. I'll