"Ah!"
The boiling tea splashed all over Sally's face, leaving painful red marks and breaking her fair skin. The teacup shattered on the floor, while the sharp edges cut into Nora's calf.
Mr. and Mrs. Riley rushed upstairs quickly. Sally covered her face and cried uncontrollably in their arms, hiding her right hand to keep them from seeing the wound.
"Mom and Dad, don’t blame Nora," Sally said, sobbing.
"She got angry when she saw what I posted on Instagram Live ... but I didn’t expect this … "
Hearing this, the usually gentle Mr. Riley frowned and pointed at Nora.
"What did Sally do wrong? Yes, you were wronged … but Sally kindly brought you warm tea, but you treated her like this!"
Mrs. Riley also looked distressed.
"Nora, we’ve always taught you to be sensible. But today you’ve really disappointed us."
Nora’s head felt heavy and her chest felt tight as if it were blocked by cotton. She was pale, struggling to defend herself.
"It wasn’t me who splashed the tea. It was her..."
"Did Sally splash it on herself? If she did, how culd her face be burned? She’s a lovely girl! How could you be so cruel, Nora?" Mr. Riley scolded, then told Mrs. Burnett to take Sally for a cold shower.
"Sir, Miss Sally shouldn’t have splashed the tea deliberately … " Mrs. Burnett tried to speak up for Nora, but Mrs. Riley shot her a fierce look.
Sally, with tears in her eyes, pulled off the necklace.
"This necklace was given to Nora by Grandpa. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have said I wanted to wear it just because it looked pretty..."
"Good girl," Mrs. Riley said with care.
"If you like the necklace, wear it. We’ll make the decision for you. Don’t be afraid of her."
With that, Mrs. Riley shoved the necklace back into Sally’s hands and helped her out the door to go to the hospital. Nora was exhausted, her calf wound still bleeding, but her parents turned a blind eye. She could only watch as the necklace was snatched away.
Before leaving, Sally gave Nora a mocking smile, covering her face as she left. Nora was left behind to be scolded by Mr. Riley.
"We’ve had a plan in mind for a while. We didn’t want to mention it before because we were afraid it would upset you. But today, you splashed tea on Sally. Let’s take it as your apology to her," Mr. Riley said in a firm tone.
He then told her the plan, "Your mother and I have decided to let Sally change her surname to Riley and give her half of the 10% of the shares that are under your name, so Sally can truly become part of the family."
Nora’s body swayed when she heard it. In fact, she almost collapsed. She looked at Mr. Riley in disbelief. It was her who had been hurt, but she was being forced to apologize to the person who had caused the harm.
Mr. Riley then continued, "Also, you have such a cruel tendency, Nora. You won’t be able to maintain a good relationship with the Hunt Family when you marry. The wedding ring will be handed over to me for safekeeping and I will give it to you when you are older!"
Finally, he added, "I’ve already decided on these two things! Don’t think about complaining to Grandpa!"
After that, Mr. Riley rushed to the hospital. Mrs. Burnett came in with a first aid kit and quickly bandaged Nora’s wound. Nora was faint with fever and pain. The physical pain from her calf and head was unbearable, but the pain in her heart felt like a sharp knife piercing her chest.
The whole mansion was empty. She could only call the number her grandfather had given her.
When the call connected, Nora apologized hoarsely, "I’m sorry, Mr. Hunt. I wasn’t able to keep the wedding ring you gave to me yesterday."
There was silence on the other end for a moment before a low voice responded, "Have you been crying?"
The long-lost concern, once offered by a stranger, now felt warm. Nora’s nose turned sour. Immediately, the tears she had just managed to stop came rushing back.
"Don’t worry too much about the wedding ring. I’ll take you to choose one you like when I have some free time. You can call me anytime at this number. By the way … " he then paused.
"Just call me Sebastian from now on."
"Okay," Nora agreed through her sobs.
At the end of the call, Sebastian gave her an address and invited her to come play golf to relax.
Nora had a fever for two days. But once she recovered, she went to the golf course. She wore a sun hat, radiating her quiet elegance.
Unfortunately, Nora was quickly stopped at the entrance of the golf course. She gave her membership number, but the staff said it had already been used.
"How could that be?" Nora asked, confused.
After all, she hadn’t played in five years. But such a high-end venue wasn’t supposed to allow anyone else to use her membership. The staff confirmed again that the membership number didn’t belong to Nora.
"There’s already a Miss Riley at the venue," the staff said apologetically.
Not far away, Nora saw the "Miss Riley" they were talking about. It was Sally.
