I suppressed the overwhelming urge to strangle her and demanded through gritted teeth,
“Before my mother signed the contract, you already knew who she was, didn’t you? You deliberately assigned her to the most dangerous job, didn’t you?”
Shakira smiled sweetly and shook her head with feigned innocence.
“Sister, what are you talking about? I have no idea. Customer information is confidential, you know. If I had known Auntie was struggling financially, I would’ve just given her the money myself.”
She tilted her head and sighed dramatically.
“But I doubt she would’ve taken it, right? You both… have so much pride.”
My nails dug so deep into my palms that I could feel warm blood rising to the surface. The pain nearly made me faint.
Shakira stepped closer in her designer heels, her voice soft and deliberate.
“No, if we’re talking about pride, you’re definitely worse. The last time I saw Auntie, she was washing dishes in the kitchen. I accidentally broke more than ten plates. The manager was going to deduct a month’s wages from her and do you know what she did?”
“She knelt in front of me—on the filthy kitchen floor—and begged. You should’ve seen your mother like that. It was almost pathetic.”
“I even told her to lick the soup off my shoes and she did it. Without hesitation. Later I found out she was doing all that to save money for your wedding.”
But Mom never told me any of this. Not a single word.
A white-hot fury scorched through my veins, burning away all sense of reason. Something inside me snapped.
I lunged at her, yanking her hair with both hands and slapping her across the face with everything I had.
Shakira stumbled, landing hard on the marble floor. She turned back with wide, tearful eyes, as if she were the victim.
“Sister, why would you hit me?” she whimpered. “I’ve already apologized. Isn’t it enough that I offered to compensate you with money?”
“Please… Dad misses you so much. He’s been hoping you’d come home…”
Before I could even respond, a powerful force struck me from behind.
My body slammed into the wall and a sharp pain shot through my head as warm blood trickled down my forehead.
Nathan’s voice rang out cold and sharp behind me.
“Kristine, have you gone insane?”
“Apologize to Shakira. Now!”
Shakira clutched his sleeve, tears falling as she trembled in mock sympathy.
“Forget it, Nathan. I don’t blame Sister. After all, this was my company’s mistake… I understand why she hit me.”
But his expression only grew colder.
“No, it’s her mother’s fault for not reading the contract carefully. This has nothing to do with you.”
“You want to make money and stay safe? The world doesn’t work like that. You can’t have both.”
“Greed has no limits. Kristine, are you here to extort money from Shakira? I’ve already paid you!”
I clutched the wound on my forehead, staring up at him in disbelief.
“Extort?” I whispered. “Do you really think I would trade my mother’s life for money?”
“If that’s how you see me, then why did you marry me?”
His face twitched, stunned by my question. An odd flicker passed through his eyes.
“I only believe what I see,” he said coldly. “And from what I saw today, this was entirely your fault.”
“Apologize, Kristine. This is your last chance.”
The warmth he once had for me was gone. Completely gone.
All that remained was bitter indifference.
A wave of despair swept over me. I let out a broken laugh.
“What if I refuse?”
“A murderer’s daughter. The child of a mistress. Do you think you deserve anything more?”
“You’re ungrateful. You don’t know when you’re being blessed.”
Before Shakira could say another word, Nathan’s voice cut through the room like a blade.
“Someone, make her kneel. Keep her there until she knocks her head ten times!”
“To be the wife of the Cole Family, you clearly need to be taught some manners.”
My knees refused to bend.
So the bodyguard kicked me hard.
Pain exploded through my body as an old injury flared up again.
But still, my neck stiffened in defiance. I would not bow.
“Nathan,” Shakira said softly, “maybe we should let it go. Sister didn’t mean to humiliate me...”
“Don’t speak for her!” he snapped.
“Keep going. Do I have to teach you how to punish someone properly?”
