Chapter 131
131
Aria’s cold gaze locked onto Austin . “ You’ve got one minute . Spill it , or I’ll slit your throat . Her tone was icy , and the murderous intent in has ayas made lë clear she wasn’t bluffing .
Terrified and trembling , Austin stammered , “ I , I’ll talk !
“ Pearl had a fever for too long . Even though it subsided , the doctor warned it might flare up again and suggested transferring her to the city hospital . But Mom and Dad refused . Then , a couple struggling with infertility happened to pass by . When they overheard Mom and Dad planning to give up on Pearl , they offered to adopt her and paid them some money . Pearl was sent to the city hospital that very day .
“ They were afraid you’d try to take Pearl back , so they lied and told you she had died . ”
Alice had only told him about this not long ago .
Austin begged , “ I’ve told you everything I know ! Please let me gol ”
Aria released him , and Austin collapsed to the floor , trembling . Alice rushed over , her eyes darting to the wound on her son’s neck . She immediately erupted in fury , shouting , “ Madelyn ! You monster ! You lunatic ! You’ll go to hell ! ”
“ hat ?
Aria chuckled as she calmly wiped the blood off her knife and tucked it away .
Threats were useless against her .
This isn’t the first time you’ve known.me , right ? ”
Alice regretted her outburst almost instantly . Clutching her son , she retreated to the corner , her eyes filled with fear and wariness as she stared at Aría .
Aria warned , “ If you dare cause trouble again , I won’t hesitate to send you both straight to hell .”
“ Please , Austin , let’s just go home ! ” Alice cried , her voice trembling as she watched Aria walk away .
Even though Dominic was abusive , Alice feared Aria the most .
When Dominic tried to burn her alive , Aria fought back by cooking a pot of poisonous mushrooms , nearly killing their entire family .
Whenever they hit her , she’d disappear for hours , only to return in the dead of night , prying open their door and staring at them , making sure no one got a good night’s sleep .
When they sold her to Henry , she stormed back home with a knife , slashing wildly and almost crippling Dominic’s hand .
If she could choose , Alice would rather have avoided the nightmare of the baby swap , even if it meant giving up the money .
Austin , having tasted the extravagant lifestyle of the big city , had no intention of going back to their old
life .
Gripping Alice’s hand tightly , his expression turned dark and resentful . “ Mom , both your daughters are living it up as heiresses . Why do we have to scrape by like this ?
“ We can livestream and make money . ”
Austin had been planning this for a while . He just wanted to squeeze more money out of Aria , but she wasn’t as easy to manipulate as Silvia .
Alice’s heart raced as she shook her head frantically . “ No way ! She’ll kill us
sure . ”
Austin’s mind was consumed by thoughts of money , his earlier fear completely forgotten . “ Mom , she’s just bluffing . She wouldn’t risk her ure for us . She’s got too much to lose in a lawful society .
“ Dad doesn’t care about us anymore . We have to rely on ourselves . Once we make a quick 30 thousand dollars , we’ll go back home . ”
Alice hesitated , her fear battling with the lure of money . Finally , she gave in . “ Alright , 30 thousand dollars , and then we’re done . ”
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10:59 Mon 2 Jun
131
“ Madelyn thinks we’re beneath her because we’re from the countryside . She wouldn’t even see us ! I missed Madelyn so much , tot went to watu bit . never imagined … ”
Alice sobbed into the camera , trembling all over as she recalled what Aria had done .
Austin tilted his head to show the wound on his neck . “ Madelyn’s got a violent streak . Fine ,
she hit me , but she even went after my mom !
Austin carefully rolled up Alice’s sleeves , revealing her arms covered in bruises and scars .
[ Oh my god , those injuries are terrible ! ]
[ I’ve been through domestic violence , too . That fear in her eyes is real . ]
[ Wait , did your sister do that to your neck ? ]
More and more people joined the live stream . Some , unfamiliar with the situation , asked , [ Who are they ? What’s going on ? ]
[ This mother and son were abused by the daughter . She beat them up pretty badly . ]
As the audience grew , Austin casually revealed the person behind their injuries was Aria , the heiress of the wealthy Saxon family in Mandino City .
Aria’s name had been trending online , and her notoriety only fueled the fire . Word spread quickly , and the live stream’s viewership shot up to over 30 thousand .
AD