Chapter 8
“Since you recognize them, then that means you know full well who these paintings belong to. Yet you still have the nerve to show your face here?” I said, my tone calm but carrying a little bit of a snark.
May’s expression immediately darkened as she gritted her teeth and roared, “Julia, you bitch!”
She came closer and closer. Her gaze dripped with resentment, as if she wanted nothing more than to tear me into shreds. “Do you think you’ll be able to turn things around just by winning this competition? Keep dreaming!”
I ignored her frenzied shouts and simply focused on shielding the children behind me.
“If you have more things to say, we can discuss them elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere? You wish!” she said, sneering.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this. My paintings were removed from the exhibition, my awards revoked, and my parents want nothing more than to kick me out. Even Randy…”
Her voice faltered when she mentioned “Randy”, and her hate-filled eyes stayed fixed on me as she said, ” Do you really think you’ve won?”
Her outburst scared the children so much that they cowered behind me.
I extended my arms to shield them as I said, “May, if you’re only here to cause a scene, then I suggest you
stop now. Don’t scare the children.”
“Me? Causing a scene?” She scoffed, then pointed right at me and yelled, “You faked your death to frame me, and you pretended to be all wronged and aggrieved to garner sympathy! Have you no shame, you bitch?”
“I only took back what belonged to me. You did something wrong, so you should face the consequences,” I countered as I looked at her calmly.
It was as if my words struck a nerve, and she suddenly flew into a rage. “It’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this!”
The words had barely left her mouth when she suddenly lunged toward me.
I instinctively protected the children behind me, so I didn’t have time to dodge. She forcefully grabbed onto my clothes, and her nails dug into my arms and left a bloody path.
“Stop it!” I yelled.
But it was like she had lost her mind and was no longer in control of her emotions. She roughly shoved me to the floor, and a few of the kids screamed in fright.
With tear-filled eyes, Finley darted over quietly and hit her once with that tiny fist of his. “Don’t hurt Ms. Rivera!”
May was momentarily stunned, but when she snapped out of it, her rage and madness grew almost instantaneously. “You little brat! How dare you touch me?”
She raised her hand to strike him, but I hurriedly scrambled to my feet to protect him, taking the full force of the blow for him.
A fiery pain shot through my shoulder, but I focused on protecting the children. “Enough! May, if you keep this up, you’ll have to answer to the law!”
She sneered, her eyes filled with scorn. “Julia, you might have gotten away with it once, but your time’s up now! I’m going to make you pay today!”
Right then, urgent footsteps could be heard approaching the door.
