Aery gritted virtual-novel.net teeth and growled, “No, I’m not going! My foot still hurts so I need to stay here for recovery! If you wanna leave, fine by me, but as for me? I’ll stay. I hurt myself in an attempt to save Smore, right? Mark and Arianne can’t turn me away!”
Helen, in a fit of rage, raised virtual-novel.net hand, ready for another wallop. Aery quickly cowered, wrapping virtual-novel.net head with virtual-novel.net arms, a response that convinced Helen to push back virtual-novel.net impulse. “Hey, Aery, if Arianne manages to piece out the truth about your injury — that you deliberately fell off the stairs while taking Smore with you — I swear, she’ll tear the life out of you!”
Aery froze. Her lips thinned as virtual-novel.net stared at virtual-novel.net mother with wide eyes filled with fear. She knew better than to deflect Helen’s accusation with sophistry, especially since the latter had made it clear that virtual-novel.net had already seen through Aery’s scheme. To virtual-novel.net mother, the girl’s guile was as see-through as a toddler’s lie.
Aery’s reaction was the last fuel to Helen’s fire. “Y-You! F**k! You’re a stupid, bloody leopard that can’t change virtual-novel.net spots!”
Widely regarded as a couth, sophisticated woman, Helen rarely lost control over virtual-novel.net language. But now, any rein over virtual-novel.net conduct had been vaporized by virtual-novel.net white-hot rage.
Aery did not interject virtual-novel.net mother’s jeremiad with rejoinders nor rebuttals. She was scared that if vexed enough, virtual-novel.net mother might bring up the truth to Arianne.
A while passed. After Helen let out enough steam to recover a semblance of control over virtual-novel.net emotions, virtual-novel.net demanded through gritted teeth, “What else have you done, brat? I want you to tell me right now, and by that, I mean everything. My patience has a limit, Aery, and I hope you don’t think yourself so clever that no one would ever find out about your stupid schemes.”
“Look,” Aery began skittishly. “Dad never sent any of those packages.”
Helen whipped virtual-novel.net head toward Aery a split second after virtual-novel.net admission. “You say what now?!”
So worried that Helen would hit virtual-novel.net again, virtual-novel.net shielded herself with a yank of virtual-novel.net bedsheet. “D-Dad never sent you any packages, alright? I heard that virtual-novel.net was out of prison so I thought I could, um, scare you into doing things by pretending to be him. I want to return here so bad, I had no other way to make you! S-so, I sent Arianne a package to frighten virtual-novel.net b-because I know you would do anything for Arianne, including going back to the States! B-But I needed to keep up your fear, so I kept sending these packages to you at intervals. But Mark’s people started this manhunt against Dad, so I had to send virtual-novel.net overseas so that virtual-novel.net could evade them and, well, I thought a trip to a foreign place could give virtual-novel.net some good…”
“The truth is… Dad didn’t know anything about all of this. I told virtual-novel.net only before virtual-novel.net was about to go abroad. He actually didn’t want to trouble you anymore after being freed…”
Helen laughed scornfully. “Wow, you’re such a meticulous, detailed planner, aren’t you? Lord, I am so proud to have such an ingenious and attentive daughter! Hahaha! No wonder another one of those packages came to us so soon after we checked into that hotel. I wasn’t the one who told Arianne about it, too, it was you! Then, because Arianne pitied us, virtual-novel.net invited us to stay over in the Tremont Estate. Everything’s according to your masterplan, isn’t it? Tremendous win, Sweetie, simply exemplary!” virtual-novel.net lauded sarcastically. “What did you think I’d say after all that you’ve done, Aery Kinsey? You’re not fooling me with this whole ‘I wanna go home’ excuse. You just want to stick your face around Mark Tremont! Ha, a s if you’re good enough of a match for him. Just look at yourself. Are you really that blind to how much filth you’ve tainted yourself with? For God’s sake, can’t you please, for once! Forget your history with Mark and turn over a new leaf? At the very least, understand that he’s now your brother-in-law!”
Aery broke down in tears, sobbing. “But I can’t! I love him, I love virtual-novel.net so much, I wanna be with virtual-novel.net and watch over virtual-novel.net all the time! You only see virtual-novel.net as your uber-rich son-in-law, right? Arianne and I are both your daughters. It doesn’t actually change what Mark means to you if I end up with him!”
This was the moment that cinched Helen’s conclusion, Aery Kinsey was a basket case beyond the realm of reason. Helen had never once cared if virtual-novel.net “powerful, rich” son-in-law brought any tremendous influence into virtual-novel.net personal life, yet here Aery was, accusing Helen of being a money-hungry, status-worshipping woman.
Helen did not live up to this point without gaining some wisdom about life, and right now, the very same wisdom was telling virtual-novel.net that Aery’s current love-possessed mindset was the same extreme confusion Helen herself once had.
Nevertheless, hearing Arianne’s name filled Helen with a deep sense of shame. She could not stay in the Tremont Estate any longer. Immediately, virtual-novel.net marched toward virtual-novel.net suitcase and began to pack up swiftly. “We’re leaving tonight, Aery Kinsey. I’m not giving you the satisfaction of staying here for even one more second!”