She had only escaped her bitter life because she gave birth to a son.
Back when Anthony had no money, she went out of her way to flatter me—just so my family would give him the funds to start his business.
Later, when Anthony’s company went public and his business grew, my own family was framed and our company went bankrupt. My only brother fell from a cliff, his body was never found. I lost my worth to them overnight.
From then on, she decided my education was too high, my looks too eye-catching—women like me were hard to control, restless by nature. She could never stomach me.
Vanessa covered her mouth and laughed happily, then led Cooper over to me. She pulled a few crumpled bills from her bag.
“Ms. Brooks, although you falsely accused me, it was still our Cooper Jimenez being naughty. This money is my token of goodwill to you and Cherry. You must accept it.”
She deliberately stressed the word Jimenez.
I lowered my gaze. Not too much, not too little—666 dollars.
Go to hell.
“Ms. Brooks,” she went on with a faux-innocent smile, “don’t blame me for being blunt, but I do know a little about face-reading. Your daughter—well, she looked short-lived from the start. Even without our Cooper, she would have died sooner or later.”
So—she was saying my daughter’s death was deserved?
I shoved her hard.
“Shut your filthy mouth! You, a murderer, have no right to speak of my daughter. Take your bastard and get out!”
Vanessa stumbled backward, caught just in time by Anthony. He gave me a cold look.
“Diana, watch your mouth. You’ve already lost the lawsuit. Cherry’s death was an accident. What right do you have to speak to Nessa like that—let alone lay hands on her?! Apologize, now!”
Nessa? How affectionate.
“Anthony, have you forgotten who your wife is? Your mother deliberately invited Vanessa to this family gathering to disgust me. She and you both insulted me and Cherry, and you just stood there."
"Fine—I’ll treat it as you wanting to play the dutiful son. But Cherry died so miserably, and Vanessa still dares to mock me, bringing this money to provoke me. Don’t tell me you don’t know that 666 sounds like go to hell. Are you going to keep pretending you’re blind?”
A flicker of hesitation crossed Anthony’s face—he seemed to realize how inappropriate this was.
But before he could speak, Cooper, who had been standing between us, suddenly burst into loud sobs.
Rolling up his sleeve, he revealed bruises on his arm and pointed at me in accusation.
“Daddy, this bad woman pinched me on purpose! She must be taking revenge on Mommy. Cooper hurts so much...”
At once, Vanessa’s eyes shimmered with tears.
“Ms. Brooks, you’ve misunderstood me. I left the house in a rush today, so I only had this money with me. I sincerely wanted to compensate you. I’m a simple person—unlike you, I don’t have so many schemes."
"I know you dislike me, but if you have a problem, take it out on me. Why bully a child?”
My mother-in-law looked ready to faint from distress. She slapped the table and shouted at me to get out.
“Anthony, I didn’t—”
Anthony cut me off impatiently, his face dark as iron.
“Diana, Cooper is only five. You think a child that age can lie? He didn’t hurt Cherry on purpose—what would a kid know? Must you blow everything out of proportion?"
"Mom said Cooper is her grandson now—so that makes him my son. I have to stand up for him and Vanessa.”
He shoved Cooper toward me.
“Cooper, Daddy will teach you something today: if someone bullies you, you bully them back. Whatever this auntie did to you, you do it back to her.”
A sly smile flashed in Cooper’s eyes before he put on an innocent act.
“But Daddy, I’m just a kid. My strength isn’t as big as an adult’s. She definitely won’t hurt as much as I do. That wouldn’t be fair!”
