Chaos Girl Rewrites the Script novel Chapter 20

“Mom!” Isabella was stunned, completely blindsided by this turn of events. “I…”

“You what?” Serena glanced casually at Isabella.

A shiver went down Isabella’s spine, and she didn’t dare to meet her mother's gaze. “N-nothing.”

Serena turned back to Vivienne. “Are you satisfied now?”

Vivienne nodded. “For the most part.”

Serena gave her a subtle, lingering look before standing up and feigning embarrassment. “My apologies for the scene, Cedric. When the children fight, it’s hard for a mother to take a side.”

Cedric smiled faintly and looked down at Vivienne. “Miss Lexton, shall we go? The dessert will melt if we wait too long.”

Vivienne’s mood suddenly brightened. One moment she was refusing to go, and the next she was looking curious. “Cedric, what flavor did Grandpa make?”

Cedric replied, “The one you favourite.”

They had barely left the garden when Serena’s smile froze once more. Her eyes were uncontrollably drawn to the shattered bowl on the ground, where the sweet, cloying scent of jasmine from the spilled dessert still lingered in the air.

“Mom.” Isabella, with red-rimmed eyes, gently tugged on Serena’s skirt. “I don’t want to move.”

Serena closed her eyes and stroked Isabella’s head. “When you’re the one calling the shots in the Ravenshire family, then you can come to me and say ‘I don’t want to.’”

Isabella’s face paled. A moment later, a hint of resentment appeared in her eyes. “Mom, Vivienne did it on purpose. She deliberately threatened you in front of Cedric. She’s learned to defy you.”

Serena lowered her gaze, her expression calm.

Of course, she knew Vivienne had done it on purpose. And it was precisely because she knew it was deliberate that she found the situation so strange.

For the past few years, Vivienne had been living right under her nose. To better control her, Serena had intentionally raised her to be foolish and dependent. But Vivienne’s reaction just now was completely different from her usual self. If she weren’t her own daughter, she would have suspected she’d been replaced by someone else.

“Isabella, has Vivienne made any new friends recently?”

Isabella was eager for a chance to badmouth Vivienne, but she was more afraid of lying to Serena. She thought for a moment and shook her head. “No. None of the students at school want to get close to her. She’s been listening to you and trying to suck up to that Julianne Whitmore, but… Julianne doesn’t take her seriously at all. She just makes her do all the dirty work.”

It was better if she wasn’t taken seriously. That way, she would desperately cling to anyone who showed her kindness.

Serena didn’t elaborate, her expression relaxing slightly. If no one was egging her on, then she must have been pushed too far by Bianca’s bullying. It was normal for a twelve-year-old to rebel a little.

“Mom?”

Serena gently patted Isabella’s head. “Alright. This time, you were too reckless. Consider it a lesson learned. Don’t worry, I have my ways of dealing with her.”

Isabella was still not resigned, her gaze lingering on the glass house in the distance…

*

“Ah?” Caspian raised a hand to stop him, then tilted his head back and finished the rest in one go before handing the empty cup over.

Vivienne put down her cup, still savoring the taste. After a moment of thought, she slowly began, “Grandpa, Bianca forgave me.”

Caspian’s eyes showed a hint of hesitation. “I heard that Bianca made you kneel to apologize.”

Vivienne had seen Cedric when she left Echostone House. Cedric was Caspian’s eyes and ears; she had already guessed the old master would ask this question.

Vivienne stated the facts. “Grandpa, Bianca was just talking tough. With Ms. Talia there, she didn’t really give me a hard time.”

This was the truth. She had deliberately shifted the blame to Serena because she knew Bianca all too well. She was even easier to fool as a child than as an adult. As long as you made her think you were an idiot, she couldn’t even be bothered to bully you.

Caspian was silent.

Vivienne was confused and cautiously probed, “Grandpa, did I do something wrong?”

Caspian shook his head. “No, you did nothing wrong. It is I who failed to teach you. I only told you to do whatever it takes to fix your mistakes, but I forgot to tell you the most important thing.”

Vivienne was puzzled. “What is it?”

Caspian bent down and gently tapped both of her knees. “Never bend your knees for anyone. A girl’s dignity is important too.”

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