Love’s Cruel Stroke Novel - Season 1 Episode 9

In a split second, a glass of boiling hot water was thrown in Tiana’s direction.

She immediately flinched when the hot water landed on her chest, and with that, whatever intention she had to slap Olivia was gone in that instant.

“Who did that?! Who threw that on me?!” she shrieked. Her eyes that searched for the perpetrator soon fell on Rachel, who was holding an empty cup in her hand.

Tiana was so enraged that she darted to Rachel without care. She then grabbed Rachel by the collar and raised her other hand again to slap her.

However, with great agility, Rachel managed to grab hold of Tiana’s hand. The grip Rachel had on Tiana was so tight that the latter felt like her wrist was breaking.

“Bullying my children while I’m not here? You are still the same old ill-bred Tiana after all these years, huh?”

After saying that, Rachel shoved Tiana away from her and proceeded to pull Casper and Olivia into an embrace.

“That good daughter of yours struck my son on his face. Someone will have to return Olive the slap. Take your pick—it is either you or me.” Tiana blurted out in anger while pointing at Olivia.

Upon hearing that, Rachel turned to look at Theodore, who indeed had a handprint mark on his face.

But Olive would never hurt anyone intentionally, Rachel thought.

Casper boldly spoke up at that moment in a slightly apologetic tone, “Mommy, it wasn’t Olive’s fault! Theodore was the one who said that Olive is a mute. He even spat on her!”

Casper had only left Olivia alone for less than five minutes to have a talk with his great-uncle John about the chip. Little did he expect Olivia to get herself into trouble in that short amount of time.

It is all my fault. I made Mommy worry again…

Rachel immediately burst out in anger at that.

There were two things that she absolutely couldn’t tolerate: her children being called bastards and Olivia being ridiculed for her illness.

And coincidentally, Tiana had hit exactly both of Rachel’s sore spots.

Slap!

The sharp sound of skin meeting skin instantly resonated throughout the living room.

Being on the receiving end of the slap, Tiana glared at Rachel with her saucer-like eyes and yelled, “You b*tch! You dare lay your hands on me?! I’m not gonna go easy on you!”

Her image was the last thing she cared about as she plunged forward with her hands reaching for Rachel’s throat.

Rachel easily evaded the oncoming assault, and just like that, Tiana missed her footing and fell head first on the floor.

Immediately, her face was covered in fresh blood upon impact.

Not one to have ever felt so embarrassed in her life, Tiana itched for the day she could tear Rachel into shreds.

“Tiana, that was the price for your son’s foul mouth. You were just taking it on his behalf,” Rachel condescendingly spewed before lowering her torso to pick Olivia up.

The young girl had been standing there wide-eyed the entire time the fight went on. The way her long lashes fluttered when she blinked made her look even more innocent.

Due to the commotion, Monica had just walked into the living room and saw the scene. In response, her hands began to tremble out of anger when she saw her daughter’s bloody face. “Rachel, you lowly woman. How dare you hurt my daughter?! Don’t you even dream of having a peaceful day as long as you are staying at our house!”

At that moment, Elizabeth walked forward and stood protectively in front of Rachel. “Are you planning to get rid of me at the same time?” she asked.

“Mom, that is not what I meant!” Monica timidly answered as she held her anger in. “You saw it with your own eyes how Rachel disrespected her elders. She even hurt her older cousin! I worry that she will disrupt the peace in our family with that wild personality of hers. I’m only doing this for the family…”

“It seems to me that you are the reason the peace within the family is disrupted! Go back to your parent’s house if you are not going to welcome Rachel with open arms,” John chided.

Even though Monica felt embarrassed being reprimanded by her mother-in-law and husband in front of everyone else, she decided to not say anything further.

Albeit reluctant, all she could do then was pick Tiana off the ground and bring her bleeding daughter and wailing grandson upstairs.

The fight came to an end at last, but still, Rachel found it hard to calm herself down.

Such a mess had already broken out on the first day she had returned home.

She couldn’t begin to imagine what the following days at the Sinclair Residence would be like for her and her children.

Truth be told, Monica and Tiana didn’t scare her that much. What she worried about more was aggravating Olivia’s illness––she was worried that her young daughter would fall victim to the Sinclairs’ constant teasing and bullying as Rachel couldn’t possibly keep watch of Olivia every second of the day.

Staying here probably isn’t the best thing to do, Rachel thought.

Looking at Rachel, Elizabeth could roughly guess the thoughts that were running through her brain at that moment. She then sighed as she offered, “Rae, you are a strong-minded person. I can’t change your mind to something you have already set your mind to. But would you allow me to arrange boarding for you? I’ll feel more reassured that way.”

After hearing Elizabeth’s words, Rachel pondered for a moment and finally nodded in agreement.

“I plan to hold a banquet in your honor, Rae. I want everyone to know that the Aphrodite of Seaview City has returned alive,” Elizabeth proudly said while rubbing the back of Rachel’s hand. “Why don’t you stay here until the end of the banquet?”

Casper quickly interrupted by tugging on Rachel’s sleeve too. “I promise to take good care of Olive! Don’t worry, Mommy!”

Rachel found it hard to be at ease after Tiana’s aggressive welcome, but considering the fact that she hadn’t seen Elizabeth for so many years, staying here for a few more weeks did seem like the right thing to do. She could always leave after the banquet had ended.

After the incident that had happened, Rachel didn’t feel safe leaving Casper and Olivia at home. On the following morning, she brought the two of them along when she went to Sinclair Group.