"Shut your mouth, you old hag!" Anthea cursed.


    For years, Gemma had been the one dishing out insults, targeting whoever she fancied without a


    hint of pushback. But today, the tables had turned.


    With a fire in her belly, Gemma leaped up, "You little tramp! Bastard child! Why don''t you just drop


    dead..." In her fury, she shoved Anthea hard.


    Anthea, however, didn''t dodge. She didn''t retaliate. She simply let Gemma''s push m her against


    the wall, careful to control the impact.


    It was neither too soft nor too hard, just enough to draw blood from her forehead.


    N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Anthea''s skin was pale, so any injury stood out starkly. Now, she looked positively ghastly.


    "Annie!" Carole rushed over and enveloped Anthea in her arms.


    "Mom! It hurts so much!" Anthea clung to Carole, unleashing her inner drama queen, as she started


    to whimper.


    Nobody had anticipated this chaotic turn of events.


    "It''s just a small cut! It''s not like she''s gonna die!" Gemma red at Anthea with contempt. "You little


    bastard! I bet you did this on purpose!"


    Just a moment ago, Anthea was swinging those feather dusters with such force; how was it that she


    had suddenly be so frail?


    "My daughter is not a bastard! She is not!" Carole couldn''t hold back any longer, and she roared,


    "Get out! All of you, get out of here now!"


    "Not without a hundred million bucks! We won''t leave!" Gemma rolled her eyes at Carole.


    Carole''s daughter was too soft, always caving in. For all her rage, Carole was probably already


    figuring out how to transfer them the money.


    Carole helped Anthea to the sofa and made a beeline for the kitchen.


    When she returned, a butcher knife was gripped firmly in her hand.


    Gemma, Felton, and Saul and Vanessa were taken aback in shock.


    "Carole! Stop this madness! Murder is a crime! I''m your brother, she''s your sister-inw, and they


    are your parents!" Saul tried to reason with her.


    Carole just stared at these four so-called family members, "You''re not my brother! I have no brother!


    And as for them, they don''t deserve to be my parents! They say that if you raise a child without


    care, you owe them nothing. Today, I''m cutting off all ties!"


    With that, Carole raised the knife and brought it down with a swift motion.


    A segment of her finger dropped to the floor.


    The room fell into a haunting silence.


    Even Anthea was taken aback by her mother''s action.


    She never thought Carole would harm herself.


    "Mom!" Anthea rushed to her side.


    "I''m okay, honey!" Carole, her face ashen, locked eyes with Gemma, Felton, Saul, and Vanessa,


    "From this day forward, I am Carole and nothing more to you people! If you dare disturb me and my


    daughter again, for every one of you thates, one will fall at my hand! Bring two, and I''ll take


    down a pair! Until there''s none of you left! If ites to it, we''ll all die together! I''m tired of living


    anyway!"


    With that, Carole mmed the knife into the wooden dining table, where the bloody fingery


    beside it, a chilling testament to her resolve.


    Gemma, Felton, and the others trembled with fear.


    They had onlye for some money. They never expected things to escte like this.


    And they certainly didn''t expect Carole to be so ruthless, even to the point of hurting herself. If she


    could do that to herself, what wouldn''t she do to them?


    Nobody doubted her words.


    What was moneypared to life?


    The intruders exchanged fearful nces before fleeing, scared that Carole might chase them down


    with the knife.


    Once they were gone, Carole exhaled in relief.


    After calling emergency services, Anthea grabbed a first aid kit and began tending to her mother''s


    wound, her vision blurred by tears. "Mom, are you okay? Does it hurt?"


    For the first time in her life, Anthea felt the full force of maternal love and understood the saying,


    "Though women are gentle, a mother is fierce."


    This was the first time Carole had seen Anthea cry, and sheforted her with a smile, "I''m fine,


    sweetheart, it doesn''t hurt at all! Stop crying, Annie. And how''s your head? Does it still hurt?"


    "I''m not in pain, not at all! I''m so sorry, Mom... I could have moved away, I shouldn''t have let it


    happen!" Anthea was filled with regret for not avoiding the confrontation.