Upon seeing Matthew, Maria almost sprinted towards him, arms outstretched for an embrace.
Matthew sidestepped and evaded her. Due to her momentum, Maria couldn’t stop herself and stumbled forward, twisting her ankle in the process.
“Ouch…” she exclaimed, her legs giving way as she fell to the ground.
Abbott stood by, having the opportunity to help her up, but he refrained from reaching out.
Before becoming a member of the Herbert family, Maria would sometimes flatter Abbott. After all, he was a man whom Matthew trusted, so she was willing to make an effort with him.
However, since her return to the Herbert family and her new position as their daughter, she had become arrogant and acted superior whenever she encountered Abbott again.
This had caused Abbott to grow increasingly displeased with her. He no longer liked her as he once did.
Now Maria was a girl from a wealthy family, while Abbott was just an assistant. They were not from the same world.
On the ground, Maria had scraped knees, and her carefully styled hair was disheveled, leaving her in a state of embarrassment.
Raising her head, she looked at Matthew. “Matthew…”
She couldn’t accept the coldness and indifference from him.
He used to treat her with love.
His current attitude filled her with frustration, as if she had fallen from heaven to hell.
She couldn’t accept it at all.
Trembling, she gazed at the man standing before her. “Matthew…”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke with a tone filled with grievance and pleading.
Matthew approached her, squatting down. He reached out to brush aside the disarrayed strands of hair covering her cheeks.
Studying her face intently, Matthew seemed to be searching for her true colors beneath her features.
“Matthew…”
“Stop calling me,” he interrupted Maria.
Maria was startled, still unable to accept the reality.
“How many things have you kept from me?” he asked in an extremely low voice, as if suppressing something within his heart.
A flood of thoughts rushed through Maria’s mind as scenes played out like a movie. She contemplated the hidden meaning behind Matthew’s question.
Suddenly, her pupils contracted sharply. It seemed that he had overheard her conversation with Dolores.
“Nothing,” she denied.
“Nothing?” Matthew sneered.
He had previously trusted her because she had once saved him. Even though he had suspected her charades before, he didn’t delve into them. He wasn’t willing to seek retribution.
After all, he cherished their relationship.
However, she continually shattered his perception of her.
She deceived him with her self-acted and self-directed scripts. And it was she who had orchestrated the car accident that had befallen Dolores in the past.
Matthew had underestimated Maria in the past, thinking she was merely playing small tricks. To his surprise, she turned out to be so malicious.
“I didn’t… I didn’t set up Dolores Flores. She, she fabricated it,” Maria’s tear-stained face pleaded. She reached out, attempting to grab Matthew’s arm. “Matthew, you have to believe me.”
Matthew stared at her face for a few seconds, his lips forming a cold, straight line. Without saying a word, he pried her hand open.
Maria resisted, unwilling to let go, but Matthew’s strength was overpowering. Unable to resist, her hand was effortlessly removed.
“Matthew.” Maria clung to his legs. “I truly didn’t do it. Believe me. If I was wrong, it was because I love you so much. Is it wrong to love you?”
“Heh heh.”
Matthew sneered, as if mocking himself. He whispered softly, his voice laced with suppressed emotions. “You’re not wrong. I was wrong. It’s my fault.”
He shouldn’t have mistaken responsibility for love.
“No. It’s not like that.” Maria shook her head desperately. “It’s neither your fault nor mine. It’s all her fault.”
Turning around, she pointed at Dolores, who stood on the steps. “It’s all because of her. She’s just a bitch!”
“You bitch…” Theresa was about to retort but was stopped by Dolores. Engaging in a verbal battle with Maria was unnecessary.
Dolores knew that Maria’s greatest fear was losing Matthew.
In return, she decided to target Maria’s sore spot, which was Matthew.
In her high heels, Dolores descended the steps, gradually approaching Matthew. She raised her hand, gently tossing her hair behind her ear, her eyes filled with seduction. Then she placed her hand on Matthew’s shoulder and called him softly, “Honey.”
Dolores cringed inwardly. She couldn’t get used to addressing him this way.
Nevertheless, their divorce had not been finalized, so she still had the right to use that term.
Her main objective was to infuriate Maria.
Maria’s face flushed with anger, resembling a well-cooked shrimp.
Matthew glanced down at Dolores’ arm resting on his shoulder. It was slender with fair skin. She stood so close to him that he could even see the fine hairs on her arm.
It was the first time Dolores had taken the initiative to approach him.
And she called him in such an intimate manner.
He couldn’t help but feel pleased.
He didn’t mind Dolores calling him that way.
He knew she did it intentionally but chose not to push her away.
He allowed her to lean on him.
“Stop flattering yourself!” Maria was completely irritated by Dolores calling him “honey.”
She got up from the ground and swung her fists, aiming to punch Dolores. “You bitch! Don’t touch Matthew!”
Just as her fist was about to land, Matthew grabbed her wrist.
Locking eyes with him, Maria was startled by the coldness in his gaze.
She had never seen such coldness in Matthew’s eyes before.
“I…”
“Abbott.” Matthew shook off her hand.
Abbott understood. He stepped forward and pulled Maria away.
Maria couldn’t bear to let Abbott separate her from witnessing the intimacy between Matthew and Dolores.
“Abbott, let go of me!” Maria cared about nothing else. All she wanted was to escape from Abbott’s grip and pull Dolores away.
She would never allow Dolores to touch Matthew.
Matthew belonged to her alone.
She didn’t allow anyone else to touch him.
“Ms. Herbert, please maintain your dignity,” Abbott frowned.
“Abbott Baron, who do you think you are? How dare you interfere in my affairs?” she growled.
Matthew wasn’t in the mood to argue with her. He simply instructed Abbott in a calm tone, “I’ll leave this to you.” Then he led Dolores away.
“Matthew…” Maria panicked completely upon seeing Matthew leaving.
She started hitting and kicking Abbott. “Let go of me! Now! Let go!”
Abbott held her firmly, refusing to release her. “Ms. Herbert, please calm down. Mr. Nelson has already called off the engagement with you…”
“You know nothing about the love between Matthew and me. Even if our engagement was canceled, he still loves me.”
Abbott found it quite absurd.
She claimed that Matthew loved her.
Although he was an outsider, Abbott could clearly see that Matthew had never loved her throughout the years.
All Matthew felt towards her was a sense of responsibility for that one night and gratitude for saving his life during their childhood.
Love?
Nonsense.
“You’re delusional.”
“You’re the crazy one. You’re like a dog, a barking watchdog raised by Matthew!”
Abbott’s expression darkened. He sneered, emphasizing her identity. “That’s right. I’m not as noble as you, the daughter of the Herbert family!”
Abbott emphasized her social status.
He couldn’t comprehend how someone’s personality could change based on their identity.
Now he realized that she had always been this way. She had merely concealed her true colors in the past.
Now her true nature was exposed.
It proved the old saying, “A leopard cannot change its spots.”
Seeing Matthew pulling Dolores into the car, Abbott released his grip on Maria.
He gave her a cold glance.
“Mr. Nelson will never be interested in a woman like you.”
Maria was so furious that she couldn’t help but shake. As Abbott walked away, she rushed towards him and bit his hand.
Abbott groaned in pain.
It hurt tremendously.
Lifting his foot, he kicked the crazed woman away. “You’re nothing but a biting dog,” he said disdainfully.
Examining his hand, which had almost been bitten and started bleeding, Abbott spat on the woman lying on the ground after his kick.
Then he turned around and left.
Lying face down on the ground, Maria clenched her fists. She swore to seek revenge for all the humiliation she had endured that day.
“Let go of me.” Dolores panicked as she was being pulled away. She had only wanted to provoke Maria on purpose moments ago.
Matthew remained silent, forcefully guiding her towards the car.
Dolores continued to struggle.
Matthew tightly grasped her restless hands. “Stay quiet.”
Dolores squirmed, attempting to free herself from his grip. “Where are you taking me?”