Frederick sped all the way back to the Guzman residence, barely slowing down until the car screeched into the driveway. Mr. and Mrs. Guzman were already there, waiting with tense expressions.
When they saw us walking in together, their faces shifted into something a bit more complicated.
Mrs. Guzman stepped forward to greet me, trying to remain polite. “Ms. Sawyer, what brings you here?”
“I just happened to be nearby,” I replied calmly.
“What exactly happened?” Frederick asked as he came to stand beside me, facing the two of them. “Is it really that serious? You had to get the whole family involved?”
Mr. Guzman let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. “You tell me. Your sister stormed into someone’s house and scratched up Alicia’s face. You think that’s not serious?”
Mrs. Guzman looked about ready to cry. “I told her already! If she wanted that Verdant Bloom so badly, I’d buy her another one. But no–she had to go fight Alicia over that one. Now look at what’s happened. I don’t even know how we’re going to clean this up…‘
While she was clearly focused on how this would affect Aria, Mr. Guzman was far more pragmatic.
He scowled. “We’d finally ironed out the cooperation deal with the Fords, and now this happens. Aria only knows how to stir up trouble.”
“Dad, come on.” Frederick interrupted, his voice tight. “She’s still young. She doesn’t know how to hide her emotions. Maybe Alicia provoked her and showed off on purpose.”
“That still doesn’t justify what she did,” Mr. Guzman snapped. “She needs to be disciplined. She’s out of control, and it’s because we’ve spoiled her too much!”
Mrs. Guzman tugged at his arm, her eyes red. “Alright, enough. Let’s just get her out of there
first.”
After all, punishing Aria at home was one thing, but being publicly shamed in another family’s house? That was a whole different matter.
We headed straight to the Zimmer residence.
C
The moment we walked in, we saw Aria kneeling stiffly on a floor cushion, while Alicia sat nearby, clutching her cheek and sobbing.
The Zimmers had all gathered around her, acting like she was the victim of s One person after another took turns fawning over her.
e tragic crime.
“Her fave is so beautiful. What if there’s a scart
“Exactly! She already had that accident with her forehead—now this? Are they targeting her on purpose?”
“This is all because of Elise!”
“Ever since she married Jonathan, our poor Alicia hasn’t had a single peaceful day!”
…What? I stood there, stunned. How was I suddenly getting dragged into this mess? This had absolutely nothing to do with me, and they still found a way to pin it on me?
Alicia sniffled. “It’s not Elise’s fault… I mean, yes Aria was standing up for her…”
Excuse me what? Standing up for me?
Aria snapped her head up from where she was kneeling and glared daggers at her. “Don’t you dare twist this! I lost it because my mom gave you the Verdant Bloom meant for r hell does Elise have to do with this?”
- me. What the
Alicia wiped her eyes and suddenly put on a wistful look. “I really envy Elise… Not only does Jonathan adore her, but even her friends are willing to fight for her. She has people who’d go to war for her…”
What the hell? That was the most backhanded compliment I’d ever heard. It sounded like she was praising me, but every word dripped with implication, as if I were some manipulative queen bee pulling strings behind the scenes.
Aria clenched her fists and started shouting again, ready to lunge at her.
Of course, everyone from the Zimmer family rushed to shield Alicia. Aria didn’t stand a chance
I shook my head and moved forward, ready to step in and at least help her out.
She couldn’t see that Alicia was baiting her–deliberately trying to provoke her into another outburst so she’d look even worse.
But just as I reached her, a stern, commanding voice echoed through the hall. “That’s enough! What is all this about?”
