Maria was dressed in a pale pinkish gray dress, paired with white high heels and delicate makeup. Her curly hair cascaded in big waves over one shoulder.
It seemed like Maria had been waiting for Dolores for a while. Standing with her arms crossed over her chest, she stared fixedly at Dolores as she approached the entrance of the hotel.
Dolores had no desire to engage in any conflict with Maria. It wasn’t that she was afraid of her, but she simply wasn’t in the mood for a confrontation. So, Dolores gently tugged Theresa’s arm, leading her away from Maria’s path.
However, Maria had no intention of letting them off easily.
In her mind, if it weren’t for Dolores, Matthew wouldn’t have ended their engagement. No matter where Dolores was heading, Maria deliberately obstructed her way.
“What’s wrong with you?” Theresa grew increasingly annoyed after being stopped multiple times.
“What’s wrong with me? You have something wrong with yourself!” Maria retorted, glaring at Theresa. Her delicate face contorted with anger.
“If you’re in the right state of mind, why are you blocking our way?” Theresa shot back, returning Maria’s glare.
She knew how to express her anger through her piercing gaze.
Just as Abbott was driving past, he happened to notice the two arguing women in front of the hotel entrance. “Excuse me, Mr. Nelson, but it seems that Ms. Herbert and Ms. Flores are over there,” he informed the man sitting in the backseat, and he brought the car to a stop.
Matthew, engrossed in reading a document with several unread ones scattered on his lap, wore an unbuttoned white shirt and a loosely fitting suit jacket. Two buttons on his collar were fastened, revealing his slender neck and the faint outline of his collarbones. It seemed he was preoccupied with work, as he wouldn’t normally be reading documents in the car.
Hearing Abbott’s words, Matthew rolled down the car window and glanced in their direction.
Sure enough, he spotted the two women.
Matthew’s gaze darkened when he saw Maria. Closing the file in his hands, he didn’t have any intention of getting out of the car. His interest in reading had waned.
Abbott cautiously asked, “Shall we get off and take a look?”
Matthew shot him a cold glance, causing Abbott to purse his lips and refrain from saying anything further.
Meanwhile, Dolores pulled Theresa along, attempting to change their destination. “Let’s find another restaurant.”
“You want to leave? No way!” Maria stretched out her arms, continuing to block Dolores’ path. She was furious because Matthew had called off their engagement.
Now she had come face-to-face with the person responsible. There was no way she would let Dolores go so easily.
Dolores’ expression darkened. “Get out of my way!”
Maria sneered, her voice dripping with menace. “Get out of your way?” she spat out, her anger evident. “Dolores Flores, dream on! You’ve ruined my happiness and my future. How could I let you go? I wish I could tear you into pieces and feed your flesh to the dogs.”
“I doubt the dogs would even touch what you offer them!” Theresa retorted, unwilling to tolerate Maria’s arrogance.
In response, Maria slapped Theresa across the face. Pointing her finger at Theresa’s nose, she snapped, “Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me in such a manner?”
Theresa was taken aback by the sudden slap, feeling a burning sensation on her cheek.
Dolores clenched her fists, her blood boiling and rushing through her veins. Power surged into her right hand as she raised it and struck Maria across the left side of her face.
The resounding slap echoed louder than before.
Dolores had no intention of getting entangled with Maria, but that didn’t mean she was a pushover.
Maria couldn’t believe that Dolores had the audacity to hit her. “How dare you hit me?” she exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Dolores tightly clenched her fists. Her previous slap had been delivered with all her strength, leaving not only her hand but her entire arm feeling numb. Nevertheless, she maintained a calm demeanor. “If you hadn’t provoked me, I wouldn’t have retaliated. It was you who started this. Just because you’re the daughter of the Herbert family, do you think you’re superior? We are all human beings, and no one is inherently better than the other. Since you struck her, you should bear the consequences.”
Consequences?
“You’re the one who will face the consequences!” Maria lunged at Dolores as if she had gone completely insane. “Dolores Flores, I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you…”
All the pent-up hatred in Maria’s heart had found an outlet through Dolores. Maria had lost control.
She had lost her sanity.
“Are you sure you can take on both of us?” Dolores remained extraordinarily calm, standing firm and unmoving.
Out of nowhere, Theresa found a stick and held it in her hands, her gaze fixed on Maria with vigilance. If Maria dared to make a move, Theresa was prepared to strike her on the head.
Maria paused. Since returning to the Herbert family, no one had dared to provoke her in this manner.
She had grown accustomed to compliments and flattery from others, and she had never experienced such humiliation.
Her fury was overwhelming.
She couldn’t help but tremble with rage.
“What are you staring at? Aren’t you afraid your eyes will pop out?” Theresa taunted, brandishing the stick. She was ready to strike Maria if necessary.
Fear gripped Maria, and she instinctively clutched her head tightly.
It was a reflexive action, but it looked quite comical.
“Ha ha…” Theresa couldn’t help but laugh.
“Dolores Flores, I won’t let you go!” Maria seethed with anger, almost hysterically roaring.
Dolores sneered.
Let her go? Not a chance.
When had Maria ever let her go before?
“Maria Herbert, you caused harm to my mother, driving her to madness. You orchestrated my car accident and nearly killed me. Have you ever shown mercy or considered letting me go?” Dolores hesitated, torn between seeking revenge against Maria and her feelings for Sampson, Maria’s younger brother. If she took action against Maria, she would feel guilty towards Sampson, who genuinely cared for his sister.
After all, Sampson’s love for his younger sister was evident.
However, as Dolores realized that Maria held an unwavering hatred towards her and had no intention of letting her off the hook, she understood that Maria could continue to inflict harm upon her, just as she had done in the past.
But Dolores was different now. She had two children who were her vulnerabilities.
She couldn’t bear the thought of Maria potentially hurting her kids if she ever went completely unhinged.
In that moment, Dolores made a firm decision. She would work with Terry to gather evidence about her car accident and her brother’s past suicide.
Only when Maria faced legal consequences would Dolores find true peace in her world.
Maria was taken aback. Squinting, she asked, “Do you already know that I planned the car accident?”
After all, it had been many years since the incident. No one should have known the truth.
“No one would know if you hadn’t done it,” Dolores stressed each word.
“Did my brother tell you?” She had only confided in Sampson about this.
Suddenly, Maria felt as though the whole world had betrayed her. Matthew had abandoned her, and even her beloved older brother had shared her secret with this woman.
Dolores’ heart skipped a beat. ‘Does Sampson know that Maria planned the car accident?’ she wondered.
But he had explicitly told her it was an accident.
Dolores speculated whether he had intentionally misled her to protect his younger sister.
Suddenly, Dolores recalled Sampson’s unusual behavior that day. He had asked her, “If you were to discover that I’m not as kind as I seem, would you hate me?”
She wondered if his somber demeanor that day was related to this matter.
Dolores’ silence confirmed Maria’s suspicions.
“Ha ha… Ha ha ha…” Maria burst into manic laughter, tears streaming down her face. “What hypocritical love! It’s all a sham!”
She had genuinely believed that Sampson cared for her.
She never expected that she was not as important to him as this other woman.
What was so special about her?
Why did all the men favor her so much?
Theresa was alarmed by Maria’s demeanor. She asked in a hushed tone, “Lola, is she losing her mind?”
Dolores shook her head.
“Dolores Flores.”
Suddenly, Maria paused, her gaze fixated on Dolores with venomous intensity. Her eyes were filled with poison, capable of killing Dolores with just a glance. “Dolores Flores, let’s wait and see!”
Now that she was the daughter of the Herbert family, she had numerous opportunities to take Dolores down.
She had missed chances in the past.
But she would have more chances in the future.
“I’ll be waiting.” Dolores stood tall, her charisma overpowering Maria’s.
Realizing that she wouldn’t gain anything by prolonging this confrontation, Maria decided to leave and devise a new plan later.
She regretted underestimating Dolores and allowing herself to be so careless.
Descending the steps, as she was about to get into her car, Maria spotted a man approaching. Her eyes gleamed, and she immediately ran towards him. “Matthew…”