Chapter 28

Laura then bent down to squat beside the little boy - she cupped his face and sobbed, “I’m so, so sorry that I let this happen to you, Evan - I should’ve done better to protect and defend you! Does your face hurt? I’m so, so sorry, it’s all my fault - it’s my fault for making your aunt mad such that she’d taken it out on you. I’m so, so sorry…” Megan clicked her teeth as she added, “Exactly, Eliana - how could you be so wicked and vicious that you wouldn’t even spare a poor and innocent little boy? Just look at how red the handprint on his face is - how could you attack a small child just like this? It’s no wonder that Aidan sent you off to prison - people as malicious and evil as you deserve to be locked up.” Eliana turned a deaf ear to Laura’s sobs and Megan’s remarks - instead, she insisted firmly, “Aidan, I didn’t beat this child.” “You didn’t beat the child? How could you say that after what you’ve done?” Megan gasped as she wedged herself in between Eliana and Aidan, “Aidan - don’t be fooled by this good-for-nothing and wicked woman. I saw her very clearly beating Evan.” She then pointed out Laura’s cheeks and exclaimed, “Just take a look at that, Aidan - Laura has Eliana’s handprint on her face as well!” Aidan glanced at Laura briefly before glaring at Eliana - he growled, “Don’t think that you can mess around just because I want your liver. You’d better apologize immediately - or else.” Eliana frowned, “It really wasn’t me - I’ve done nothing wrong. It was Laura who’d…” Before she could complete her sentence, Aidan lurched forward and grabbed Eliana roughly by the throat - he scowled, “I told you to apologize - you’d better not make me say it twice. I don’t like repeating myself.” Laura immediately released Evan to stand in between Aidan and Eliana - she coaxed in a gentle voice, “Aidan - it’s alright, I don’t need an apology. It’s not completely Ellie’s fault - Evan had run into her room without warning. Ellie...must’ve thought that he was here to bother her and got mad.” Megan scoffed as she walked over to Laura - “Why are you still trying to defend her, Laura? Both you and your child have been beaten up so badly and you’re still trying to stick up for someone as revolting and repulsive as her - what’s the point of doing so for a person who’s clearly undeserving and horrid?” “Megan, please don’t talk about Ellie like that,” Laura replied in a soft voice, “I just want everything to be set out straight such that no one gets misunderstood or wrongly accused of something that they hadn’t done.” “Did you really attack an innocent child just because you couldn’t control your rage?” Aidan growled as he narrowed his eyes at Eliana. Just then, Eliana couldn’t help but be reminded of how Laura had told her that there was no way that Aidan would believe her words - as much as it hurt, the former knew that it was the truth. Aidan detested, despited, and hated her to the core...there was no way that he would ever believe her. And so, Eliana retorted, “Aidan - you’re really blind, don’t you know that? You’re clearly being fooled, and yet you have no clue...you truly deserve…” Before she could finish her sentence, however, Aidan stepped forward and roughly pushed Eliana to the ground - he glanced down at her contemptuously as he spat, “Eliana, oh, Eliana - you asked for it.” He then whipped out his mobile phone from his pocket to make a call - he ordered, “It’s me - I want you to make the necessary arrangements for Richard Harvey to resume his work at the club immediately.” Eliana paled when she heard her father’s name - she tugged at Aidan’s pants desperately as she begged, “No, Aidan, please, don’t - please, leave my father out of this, he has nothing to do with this matter!” Instead of listening to her, Aidan haughtily kicked Eliana’s hand away and scowled, “Don’t you dare touch me - you’d better get out of my sight this instant. I gave you a chance to apologize, but you didn’t take it...and so, you suffer the consequences.” Eliana bit the corner of her lip - as much as she wanted to cling onto her pride and dignity, she knew that her father’s safety and wellbeing were much more important than them. And so, the former closed her eyes in agony as she relented, “Please, don’t hurt my father...I...I’ll apologize.” She then slowly got up from where she’d been laying on the ground to walk over to Laura - she clenched her fists as she muttered, “I...I’m sorry.” Megan chided, “What’s the point of apologizing? The damage has been done.” Instead of responding to her, Eliana raised her hands and gave herself two tight slaps across the face before turning to Laura - “Will you please forgive me?” Megan scoffed, “Those two slaps are nothing compared to what you’d put poor Laura and Evan through - here, if you’re really sorry, why don’t you let me help?” As soon as she finished her words, Megan raised her hand and slapped Eliana so hard that her ears started to ring - the latter staggered forward slightly before managing to regain her balance. She then slowly looked up at Laura as she murmured, “So...will you forgive me? Can we let the matter rest now?”