NovelEnglishChapter 83 Claire's slap was unrelenting.
From a young age, she had been accustomed to hard, grueling work, and the strength in her hands was incomparable to that of Vanessa, who had been pampered all her life.
The force of the slap split Vanessa's lip, causing blood to trickle down her chin and stain her carefully chosen white dress.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtVanessa stood there, her mind blank, eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Claire.
When she finally registered what had happened, a tidal wave of hatred threatened to drown her. She wanted nothing more than to make Claire pay.
"You wretch, how dare you hit me? I'll make sure you pay dearly for this," she screamed, running out of the storage room.
In the living room, Mrs. Linwood was sipping her tea leisurely when Vanessa's shriek startled her to her feet.
A moment later, she saw Vanessa rushing toward her, face in her hands, crying out, "Mom, help me!" Her cries were filled with helplessness, as if she had suffered a grave injustice.
Mrs. Linwood hurriedly went to her, holding the trembling Vanessa and inspecting her injuries with motherly concern.
When Vanessa uncovered her face, the bright red handprint was impossible to ignore. "Vanessa, what happened?" Mrs. Linwood's voice quivered with anger, her eyes blazing as she was certain Claire was responsible. Vanessa, tears streaming down her face, sniffled and complained, "Mom, it was Claire. I went to call her for dinner, and she hitwithout a word. What did I do wrong? Why is she targetinglike this?" Mrs. Linwood shook with fury. "Claire, cout here!" Claire wasn't surprised by Mrs. Linwood's angry shout. She had anticipated this reaction the moment she slapped Vanessa, but she felt no regret.
Calmly, she stepped out to face Mrs. Linwood's wrath.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Claire, how could you hit Vanessa? She's your sister!" The question was about how she could hit Vanessa, not why she did. It was clear Mrs. Linwood didn't care about Claire's reasons; she was only concerned that Vanessa had been hit.
This was typical of Mrs. Linwood-blaming Claire without understanding the situation.
Claire looked at her, a smile playing on her lips. "Mrs. Linwood, aren't you going to ask why I hit her?"
Mrs. Linwood was momentarily taken aback, but upon seeing Vanessa, a sobbing mess in her arms her arms, she m steeled herself. "No matter the reason, you shouldn't hit anyone. Look at what you've done to your sister's face. Claire, stop being so stubborn and apologize." No matter the reason.
Knowing Mrs. Linwood favored Vanessa, Claire felt it was pointless to ask. She was all too familiar with Mrs. Linwood's readiness to sacrifice her for Vanessa's sake. But Claire refused to back down. "What if I told you she hitfirst and I was just defending myself?"
"Impossible. Vanessa has always been sweet and well-behaved. Why would she hit you for no reason?n You've only been back a few days, and already you're causing chaos. I believe you're doing this deliberately..." Mrs. Linwood's accusations tumbled out, one after another, eager to convict Claire. Yet, under Claire's increasingly cold gaze, Mrs. Linwood's words faltered.
"Why aren't you continuing?" Claire clenched her fists tightly. "Do you have no basis for your words, or are you simply afraid to go on?"
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