Julie took the slap for her daughter.
The slap carried one hundred percent of Jessica's strength, and it left a mark on Julie's face, burning her skin.
"Mom! Mom, are you okay? Does it hurt?" Vivian rushed to her mother, tears streaming down her cheeks. She reached out to her with trembling hands but pulled back at the last second, afraid that she would hurt her more. "Why did you do that, Mom?"
"I can't just stand by and watch you get hurt." Enduring the pain, Julie grabbed her daughter's hand and pulled her behind her. She looked up at Jessica and said, "My daughter's telling the truth. She didn't do any of this. I did."
"Mom..." Vivian's voice trembled.
Jessica sneered, "You?"
"Yes, it's me." Julie shifted the blame on herself. She had to protect her daughter no matter what.
Howard was an unreliable man. She had to take responsibility, or Jessica would not let them go.
Vivian was almost married to John. She could not fail now.
"Vivi has been kind since she was a child. She would never invade other people's privacy. This is all my fault. I secretly took the necklace and planted the bug in it. Vivi had nothing to do with it." Half of Julie's face was now swollen, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked Jessica in the eye.
Vivian lowered her head and gritted her teeth. She wept quietly and bitterly. She felt touched and guilty at the same time.
She did not expect that her mother would be the one to take the blame to protect her while her father stepped aside, choosing his company over his own daughter.
She clenched her fists as a burning hatred for Howard consumed her from the inside out.
From now on, she would never let her mother down.
And she would not count on her father anymore.
"How dare you spy on me? Do you have a death wish?" Jessica was so angry that she was out of breath.
As soon as she finished speaking, she slapped Julie again and harder this time.
The suddenness of the second slap startled Julie, and she lost her footing. As she hit the floor, blood trickled down the side of her mouth.
"Mom! Oh, my God!" Vivian's face turned bone white in panic and fear. She hurried to help her mother up and asked, "Are you okay? Oh, my, you're bleeding. Let's go to the hospital."
Julie's ears buzzed so much with the impact of Jessica's slap that she did not hear what her daughter just said. She struggled to get back on her feet, desperately holding onto Vivian for support.
"No one's going anywhere." Jessica folded her arms across her chest. She had no intention of letting them go.
They had spied on her. Why should she let them go?
"Jessica, please let go of my mother. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." With tearful eyes, Vivian bowed to Jessica. "I'm sorry for what my mother has done. Please forgive her. She knows she's wrong."
"It's not that easy." How could Jessica let go of those who had offended her so easily? "She's not going anywhere."
"Jessica, please. She's bleeding. She must see a doctor immediately." Vivian was so anxious that she stomped her feet and begged Jessica. "You've already slapped her twice. Isn't that enough? What more do you want?"
"What more do I want?" Jessica's angry stare bored into Vivian's skin, forcing Vivian to step back in fear. "I want to know what she did with those recordings."
Jessica's words landed like throwing knives in Vivian's heart. "She didn't do anything with the recordings," she breathed.
"And I should just trust you?" Jessica looked into Vivian's eyes. "Vivian, I'm asking you whether you know it or not. Tell me.
And you better not lie. I'll know if you do, and I will ruin your reputation for it. Do you understand?" She pointed a finger at Vivian.
Vivian's heart skipped a beat.
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