The sound of footsteps came from the corridor.
Marissa walked in and couldn’t help but to tell Jenna off when she saw her. “Jenna, you guys really are too much. How could both of you not be at home when Jerry was sick. Do you know how much Jerry wanted to see you yesterday? It was so heart-wrenching to see.”
The rims of Jenna’s eyes turned red. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“Forget it.” Marissa shook her head. “I know that you’re in a bad mood, but I heard that you have arranged for Liya to move in. Is that true?”
Jenna lowered her head and said nothing.
At that moment, Jerry understood what was going on. He burst into tears and cried out, “Mom, why didn’t you defend me and even let her move in? I don’t want to see that wicked woman at all. She hurt me. I’m scared of her.”
Jerry’s cries and shouts made Jenna’s heart shrink into a ball.
Marissa became nervous when she heard Jerry’s cries, and she asked anxiously, “Jenna, what’s going on? I’ve heard from the servants that Liya had deliberately pushed Jerry into the pool. Is that true?”
“This…” Jenna didn’t know what to do. Richards Manor was indeed too crowded, which made it hard for her to hide the truth. Furthermore, the victim was Jerry, Hansen’s child. Those who wanted to be on Marissa’s good side would, of course, rat Liya out to Marissa, and it meant that Jenna couldn’t hide the matter, no matter what. She could only nod her head before adding, “Mom, perhaps she did it by accident. I saw that she looked lost and dazed yesterday, and she didn’t seem to be in a great mental state.”
Marissa was furious when she heard that, and she shouted at once. “This is too much. Since she harmed my grandson before she even got married into the family, wouldn’t she act more terribly once she married Hansen? As an elder, I can’t ignore such a thing. Look at how sick Jerry is because of this. That woman really is too vicious.”
As she spoke, she coaxed Jerry gently. “Baby, don’t be afraid. Grandma will help you take revenge.”
After saying that, Marissa went downstairs. Jenna, who was still in Jerry’s bedroom, heard her shouted, “Larry, call Maud and ask him to bring Liya over.”
“Yes.” As soon as Larry heard that, he understood what was going on and immediately agreed happily.
Nonetheless, Jenna only remained silent.
For the sake of Vivian’s regret, she had already forgiven Liya the day before.
Then, was the reason that Marissa had asked Liya to come over, was to hold her accountable for that matter, or to punish her according to the family rules?
She really couldn’t tell.
Richards Manor, like all the other prestigious families, had a lot of rules and regulations, some of which could be considered to be very harsh.
She could still recall when she had just married Hansen. Marissa and Trevor didn’t like her, and Hansen also treated her very coldly. At that time, she was the wife of Richards Manor’s eldest grandson. Logically speaking, her position was not something that could be compared to an ordinary person, but in reality, her situation was worse than that of a servant.
All of the Richards Group’s jewelry, finances, and belongings were all supervised by one person. The financial system was the same as that of a large company. Everyone had their own wages, and every item had its origin. For example, for a granddaughter-in-law like her, except for the fact that she didn’t need to pay for food, she only obtained a meagre amount of wages.
If a married woman had no private property or dowry, it would still be acceptable if her parents-in-law and her husband cared for her. At the very least, they would give her jewelry for special occasions and allowances. These would not belong to her in-laws but they would be her very own instead, or if her own family had power and money, she would have felt more at ease and had the right to speak up in the family.
However, at that time, Javon was a clean and honest official. So, their family didn’t have much savings. In addition to that, she didn’t like things like jewelry either. Except for her wedding ring, she had nothing valuable. At that time, she was despised and ignored by Hansen. Being in that situation, she was even more unwilling to wear the wedding ring and could only dress plainly. She was more like their neighbour, because the servants were even better dressed than her, and as a result, they looked down on her.
Recalling those past events, she sighed. After Hansen had fallen in love with her, he and Vivian gave her a lot of jewelry. Thus, she was no longer who she used to be and could be considered a wealthy woman right then.
Nevertheless, she was naturally not fond of dressing up and did not like how tiring it was to wear them around. However, in order to uphold Richards Manor’s reputation, she now wore more expensive clothes but only wore a few pieces of jewelry that she really liked.
While she was still lost in her thoughts, she heard Larry’s voice coming from below. “Madam Marissa, Liya is here.”
Shocked, Jenna walked to the stairs and looked down.
Soon after, Liya’s thin figure came into view, as she reached the living room and approached Marissa, who was sitting on the couch.
After thinking for a while, Jenna put Jerry back in his room and ordered a servant to take care of him before heading downstairs.
“Mom, why were you looking for me?” Liya wore a long-sleeved silk dress. The outfit and her short hair made her look weak and pitiful.
She had her head lowered, and her temperament was outstanding, which could really attract men to pity her.
Even though they were both women wearing dresses, Jenna admitted that she couldn’t emit the same aura as Liya.
Jenna didn’t know why, but she felt uncomfortable whenever she saw Liya, as she would feel an unpleasant pain in her heart. Sometimes, when she thought of Liya, she would not even have the appetite to eat. She knew that the emotions she was feeling were negative and that she shouldn’t let those emotions run wild in such a situation, but she couldn’t suppress it no matter what.
“Liya, let me ask you. Why did you push Jerry into the swimming pool yesterday?” Marissa sat up straight and had a serious expression on her face as she asked in a strict tone.
Liya seemed to have long known the reason Marissa called her over. Her eyes reddened as she defended herself in a guilty manner. “Mom, I really didn’t do it on purpose yesterday. Jerry was playing by the pool. It seemed that he really wanted to go for a swim, and he accidentally fell into the pool later on. I know that it’s my fault for not saving him, even though I was just standing by the pool. But right now, it’s summer and Jerry was wearing swimwear. So, I thought that he really wanted to go for a swim, but I didn’t know that he couldn’t swim. Please forgive me. Of course, if there’s a next time, I’ll be sure to pay more attention to it.”
“Lies. You’re the one who pushed him down.” Marissa lifted her eyebrows and glared at Liya. “Everyone here can prove that you pushed him and they even saw it with their own eyes. So, what’s the point of quibbling? It seems that you really are an immoral and unruly woman. And the fact that you wouldn’t spare a three-year-old child, even when you’re not married into the family yet proves that. If no one was there yesterday, then Jerry would be in real trouble. I’ll let you know that he’s the current heir to Richards Manor.”
When Marissa mentioned Jerry, she became even more furious. She didn’t like Liya to begin with, but right then, she was even more disgusted with her, after knowing that she even dared to harm Jerry.
If she didn’t teach Liya a lesson that time, or use that opportunity to drive her out, Marissa was sure that Liya would harm Richards Manor and Jerry in the future. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Liya also sensed her future mother-in-law’s hatred towards her. She bit her lips, held back her tears, and defended herself. “Mom, I really didn’t mean to push Jerry into the pool yesterday. It really was a misunderstanding. I’m going to marry Hansen soon. So, how can I do such a thing?”
“So, you’re still not willing to admit it, huh?” When Marissa heard that, her mind burned with anger. “Even Jerry said that you were the one who pushed him into the water. He’s so young, yet you did such a thing to him and frightened him. He even had a high fever last night from the trauma. Yet, you keep on spouting nonsense and shaking off your blame. It’s evident that you don’t even feel the slightest bit of guilt. Your behavior and actions are intolerable. In fact, a person like you who says empty words and has a vicious heart is the type of person I hate the most. You’ll definitely be held accountable for this matter. Since you’re still not married into our family yet, I can’t punish you with Richards Manor’s house rules, but I can still send you to the police and let the law punish you. What you did was an attempted murder. I’ll definitely send you to jail.”
Marissa was emitting the aura of a dignified elder. She felt extreme anger at the thought of her grandson being harmed. The descendants of Richards Manor had always been high above the masses. Therefore, how could she bear to see Jerry being harmed by Liya like that?
“Please don’t, Mom. Please let me go.” When Liya heard that she was going to be sent to jail, her legs went weak in an instant. She immediately knelt down and pleaded.
“Don’t address me as Mom. I’m not your Mom. It’s fine if you don’t want to go to jail. I’ll give you another chance. If you leave Richards Manor and my son right now, then I’ll be willing to let you go,” Marissa shouted in a low voice. After thinking for a while, she gave her another choice.
Of course, Liya wasn’t willing to make such a choice!
She knew that Marissa was very strong-willed and hated people who lied. Nevertheless, she couldn’t admit it. If she really admitted it, Marissa might use that reason to drive her out. The day before, she was so jealous that she lost her mind, and she pushed Jerry. She also regretted it a lot after coming back to her senses.
Liya was a smart person. Hansen had clearly promised to marry her in a week’s time. So, how could she do such a silly thing at that time?
That was why she cried and insisted that she didn’t push Jerry, and refused to leave Richards Manor, no matter what.
Jenna stood by the side. When she heard Liya’s pretentious cry and that she refused to admit it was her who had pushed Jerry, her heart froze. If Liya took the initiative to admit her mistake, even if Marissa wasn’t willing to forgive her, she would still come forward and speak up for her. After all, for the sake of Vivian’s wish, she had already personally promised to host a wedding for her.
However, Liya’s personality and character made her feel a chill in her heart.
Did it mean that she had to live with such a woman in the future?
Jenna could imagine how bad that kind of a life would be.
Her face turned even paler.
“Aunt Marissa, she was the one who pushed Jerry. Yesterday, I took Jerry to the pool, and this woman actually pushed Jerry into the swimming pool from behind. I saw it with my own eyes. But right now, she doesn’t even want to admit it and shows no signs of repentance. Aunt Marissa, you can’t let such a woman marry into the family.” Sabrina had just returned. When she saw that scene, she immediately stepped forward and accused loudly.
Marissa was completely certain that Liya was indeed the one who pushed Jerry into the pool the day before, after hearing her words. She trembled upon thinking how terrible Liya’s action was.
“Liya, how dare you hurt my grandson and still refuse to admit it? Your character is too terrible. Richards Manor won’t tolerate such an evil woman. How about this? Considering that you have followed my son for quite some time, I won’t force you to take responsibility, but Richards Manor can no longer accommodate you, and you don’t have a say in it. Hurry up and leave this place. The further you distance yourself from us, the better. We don’t want to see you again.” Marissa pointed at the door with her finger and bellowed.