How could it have nothing to do with them?
Her mother’s illness was entirely the result of being slowly driven to the breaking point by Gregory Jefferson!
Bella stood under the bright, dazzling lights.
The illumination fell upon her face, highlighting her stunning beauty, but the icy aura in her eyes made her unapproachable.
Her chilling gaze swept over Mindy.
“So, the second Miss Jefferson is finally admitting she’s an illegitimate daughter?”
Realizing she had been played, Mindy let her true colors show.
Abandoning her ladylike facade, she spat out even uglier curses.
“I’m an illegitimate daughter?
Then what are you?
“If your shameless mother hadn’t climbed into Dad’s bed and gotten pregnant with a bastard like you, how could he have ever married her?
Why else would my mother have been forced to marry someone else and suffer in silence for so many years?
“My mother and I are simply taking back what rightfully belongs to us.
You and your shameless mother are the real homewreckers!
“Oh, right.
Do you think that just because you cut ties with the Jefferson family and married Mason, you’re set for life?
Let me tell you, Mason is actually—”
“Enough!” Mason barked, interrupting her.
Seeing Mindy’s eyes red with frenzy, he was terrified she would expose the truth about their sham marriage.
“Mason, why are you protecting this bitch?” Mindy turned to glance at Scarlett, indignant on her behalf.
“This bitch can’t even help you.
Why keep her around?
Do you want my sister to spend her whole life as a secret—”
Before she could finish the word “mistress,” a crisp slap struck her hard across the face.
SLAP.
The sheer force of the blow threw Mindy’s face to the side.
A burning red handprint surfaced on her cheek at a visible rate.
Everyone present froze, completely taken aback that Bella had actually dared to strike her.
Mindy clutched her cheek, taking a long time to process what had happened.
“You bitch, you…
you dared to hit me?” The memory of Bella slapping her on the day she severed ties with the Jefferson family came rushing back.
Old grudges and new hatred compounded, driving Mindy utterly insane.
She raised her hand to retaliate, but before she could even touch a single hair on Bella’s head, her wrist was seized.
SLAP.
Another heavy blow landed on her face.
Having been slapped twice in a row, Mindy’s face swelled up high.
Her hair fell into a disheveled mess, completely stripping her of her former glamour.
A dead silence fell over the surroundings.
Charlotte was the first to react.
She hurriedly supported Mindy and scolded, “Bella, no matter what, Mindy is still your younger sister.
With her face ruined like this, how could she present herself to anyone?
If it weren’t for the fact that so many people were watching, Charlotte would never have let this bitch off the hook.
She wanted nothing more than to vent her anger for her daughter.
Mason breathed a heavy sigh of relief inwardly.
Mindy had almost spilled the secret.
If she had, tonight would have been an unmitigated disaster.
Watching her sister suffer such humiliation, Scarlett was seething with intense hatred, yet she was forced to play the peacemaker and side with Bella.
“Bella, tonight is Madam Xavier’s birthday banquet.
Let’s not make too big of a scene.
Your dress is dirty.
Let me accompany you to freshen up.” As she spoke, she linked her arm through Bella’s, but turned her head to give Mindy a deeply meaningful look.
The next second, Mindy’s furious shriek rang out.
“You bitch!
I’m going to kill you!”
Disregarding her image entirely, Mindy charged at Bella with her hand raised high, aiming straight for her face.
At that exact moment, Scarlett tugged at Bella as if trying to pull her out of the way.
Bella didn’t have time to pull away before a sudden, heavy force shoved her violently.
She completely lost her balance.
Stumbling back several steps, she teetered before collapsing toward the ground.
Scarlett went down with her.
“Haven’t you embarrassed yourselves enough?” Mason bellowed in anger as he sprinted toward them in a panic.
Bella instinctively reached out her hand toward him.
However, he didn’t even spare her a glance as he quickly brushed past her.
She only felt a hard bump against her shoulder, which completely destroyed her remaining balance and hastened her fall.
The moment she crashed heavily onto the floor, she clearly saw Mason anxiously pull Scarlett into his arms, his eyes brimming with worry and heartache.
Meanwhile, after sliding a few steps away, Bella’s hip bone struck the unforgiving floor.
The sharp pain caused reflexive tears to well up in her eyes.
She scoffed, thinking, “How pathetic!
I knew this would be the outcome.
What on earth am I still hoping for?”
Not far away, Adrian, who had been walking over briskly, witnessed the scene and halted his steps about five meters away.
Assistant Monroe looked confused.
“Mr.
Xavier, aren’t you going to help Miss Jefferson?”
“Do you think she wants my help?” Remembering her unappreciative and aloof demeanor at the bar that night, Adrian let out a cold scoff.
Assistant Monroe grumbled inwardly, wondering if it was really okay for him to just stand by and do nothing when Miss Jefferson was in trouble, especially since she had just helped him out of a tight spot.
Ahead of them, Mindy took advantage of Bella’s fall and inability to fight back through the pain.
She raised her hand, ready to slap her. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Assistant Monroe grew anxious and reminded him, “Weren’t you planning to take Miss Jefferson to meet Dr.
Lane and the others?
If Miss Jefferson gets disfigured, it will be…”
“Her husband is right there.
It’s not your place to meddle,” Adrian replied coldly.
“But President Sinclair doesn’t seem to care about her at all.”
Just as those words fell, Mindy’s fingernails were about to slash across Bella’s face.
“Go,” Adrian commanded in a frosty tone.
“Throw the Jefferson family out!”
“Understood.
I’ll get on it right away.”
Assistant Monroe was more proactive than ever.
He took a few large strides forward and shouted angrily, “Stop!”
Mindy’s hand halted in midair.
Turning around and seeing Assistant Monroe approaching, she assumed Adrian was right behind him.
Abandoning her assault on Bella, she hastily straightened her clothes to maintain her ladylike image.
“President Jefferson, is this the fine daughter you so carefully raised?” Assistant Monroe demanded.
Having been by Adrian’s side for years, even a mere assistant like him was not someone ordinary people could afford to offend.
A single glare from him immediately made Gregory turn pale with fright.
Gregory quickly offered an apologetic smile.
“My daughter is just fooling around.
I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you, Assistant Monroe.
I will definitely discipline her strictly when we get back.”
“No need to wait,” Assistant Monroe said without leaving any room for negotiation.
“Mr.
Xavier said that since the Jefferson family has no intention of celebrating the birthday, you are not welcome here.
President Jefferson, please take your family and leave this instant.” Assistant Monroe had originally wanted to tell them to get lost, but felt it would be too ungentlemanly, so he elegantly swapped the word.
Gregory’s face turned deathly pale as he frantically apologized.
“Assistant Monroe, this is all a misunderstanding!
We truly didn’t mean to ruin the birthday banquet.
Please ask Mr.
Xavier to give us another chance.”
He had waited so long for Madam Xavier’s birthday banquet, hoping to find an opportunity to secure a partnership with the Xavier Group.
Moreover, Scarlett had promised to help Mindy get close to Adrian tonight.
If they were forced to leave now, all their plans would go down the drain.
Assistant Monroe’s gaze swept over the tall, slender figure standing in the distance.
Mixing a little truth with a lot of fabrication, he declared, “Mr.
Xavier said that Miss Jefferson is his personally invited VIP guest.
By bullying her, you are showing blatant disrespect to him.
“That being said, will you leave on your own, President Jefferson, or should I have someone escort you out?”
With that, he raised a hand to signal.
Four burly bodyguards in black suits immediately rushed over.
Their imposing stance made it perfectly clear that if the Jefferson family didn’t scramble away on their own, they would physically throw every last one of them out the door.