Chapter 248
The faint scent of mint lingered around her nose, making Zinnia’s eyes sting with tears. “Yannis…” she whispered.
“Zinnia!” Maelis gasped in pain as she struggled to sit up. When she saw the bloody scratches on her arm, her anger flared up and her voice became shrill.
Even though it was Yannis who had thrown her aside, she only dared to scream hoarsely at Zinnia. Deep down, she knew Zinnia was the only one she could lash out at, so she blamed everything on her.
Maelis’s cutting words pierced her heart, causing Zinnia’s chest to constrict. She clenched her teeth hard and swallowed the pain.
She shoved Yannis aside, revealing her slender frame. Her clear eyes burned with fury. “You hit me first; why shouldn’t I hit you back?”
Zinnia stood tall, her delicate frame showing no hint of fear. Her gaze was cold and detached as she looked at Maelis, who had fallen to the ground, eyes full of hatred and resentment.
A faint, mocking smile tugged at her lips. This woman, her so–called mother, truly hated her to the bone.
“Maelis, what are you doing?” Howard and Timothy rushed over and helped Maelis up from the ground.
Maelis didn’t respond to him. Her eyes were wild, filled with twisted hatred as she glared at Zinnia as if she could tear her apart piece by piece. “I’m your mother. Hitting you is my right. Who dares say otherwise?”
“Is it your right, Mrs. Shaw? And then isn’t it also my right to bankrupt the Shaw family?” Yannis’s eyes darkened menacingly, a cold, sharp smile playing on his lips.
“How dare you!” Maelis’s face twisted in fury, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
“Mom, stop it,” Timothy and Yosef said in unison.
Yannis’s gaze turned glacial. “Who says I wouldn’t dare?”
“You-” Maelis’s voice caught in her throat, rage twisting her features. Her eyes burned red as she stared at Yannis with venom. “She’s my daughter. What right do you have to step in?”
A stream of curses welled up in her throat. She knew Yannis wasn’t pluffing. True to her bullying nature, Maelis only targeted the weak and always backed down in the face of the strong.
“Don’t kid yourself, Mrs. Shaw,” Yvette snapped. “Zinnia is my daughter. Just because you claim to be her mother, you think you can discipline her? You don’t have that right.”
Yvette walked over in heels, poised and radiant, every step brimming with power. She looked down at Maelis, who sat crumpled in disgrace. One shone with composure, the other drowned in defeat–the gap between them, stark and unforgiving.
Maelis sneered, “Your daughter? Did you give birth to her? Did you raise her? And yet you dare call her your daughter? Yvette, have you no shame at all?”
Maelis stared at Yvette with a distorted and venomous look. Her pent–up rage was boiling over, and her sharp eyes seemed as if they cou‘ alive. Any trace of her former elegance had disappeared; now Maelis looked every inch a spiteful shrew.
Yvette
Yvette retorted, “Shameless? Not half as shameless as you. Acting like you ever raised Zinnia. The only one you raised is that ungrateful brat Betty, and now you keep hounding Zinnia like it’s your right.”
Yvette’s voice was ice–cold. “Don’t you ever dare use that so–called biological debt to control Zinnia. When she was born, your family’s negligence almost cost her life. If anything, that alone has repaid whatever you think she owes you.
“We, Zinnia, owe you nothing. It’s not her fault she was switched at birth. Betty’s mistakes weren’t directed by Zinnia. You can’t tell right from wrong and just make a mess. Are you even fit to be Zinnia’s mother?”
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MMON, BU Jun
Chapter 248
Maelis’s face turned deathly pale. Her eyes were bloodshot with fury as she raised her hand to strike Yvette.
Jackson intercepted her raised hand. His handsome face was tinged with frost. “Enough, Maelis. Haven’t the Shaws endured enough because of your
Maelis shivered as a chill ran down her spine. Her eyes were bloodshot with anger. She hissed at Jackson, “Jackson, I’m your aunt,”
“Maelis, you don’t need to be my aunt anymore. Our family has done more than enough for you,” Jackson said coldly and indifferently.
4
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