Chapter 7

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Hector asked. Nadia's laughter sent chills down his spine and somehow made him even angrier than before. Nadia looked up at him, her eyes as cold as ice. She shot daggers at Celia, who was still pretending to be frail on the ground. "Don't you just love acting, Celia Young? Alright, let me give you a proper reason to continue acting, then!" The next instant, Nadia grabbed a metal pen from the dressing table and immediately stabbed it right into the back of Celia's hand, driving it all the way in. "Ahh!" Celia screamed even louder than before. The tip of the pen had gone straight through her palm, pinning her to the ground at once. Blood spilled everywhere. "You! You're out of your mind!" Hector roared as he shuddered hard. "Get out of here! Leave! You're no longer welcome in this house!" He then got the maids to forcefully drag Nadia out of the house, along with the suitcase she'd brought back with her. She was soon locked out of the gate. Nadia stumbled for a bit before finally finding her footing. She stretched out her arm that was hurting because of the forceful dragging without any expression on her face. Then, she crouched over and retrieved the sapphire necklace she'd snatched back earlier from the suitcase and held it tightly in her hand. She cast one final glance at the grand yet heartless mansion behind her and left without any hesitation. A short while later, the rain started pouring. Raindrops the size of saucers kept splashing down on her, immediately soaking Nadia to the bones. Since it was still early spring, the cold rain seeped into her body and made her shiver. She could only run over to the shops on the other side of the road to seek shelter from the rain. The rain slid down her wet hair and dripped down onto the floor. Nadia hugged her arms and shivered harder as she stared at the pouring rain, feeling the last of her hopes fizzling out in her heart. Just then, a familiar black Rolls-Royce slowed to a stop before her. The window was wound down, and Clive's side profile appeared before Nadia's eyes. He saw that Nadia was drenched and shivering under the shop gutters, looking a disheveled mess, and frowned. He opened the door and got down, walking up to her. "Get in." "It's none of your business," Nadia said, turning away. Clive didn't waste another second and grabbed her by the wrist with such strength that Nadia couldn't shake her off even if she tried. Then, she was forcefully dragged into the front passenger seat. The car's air-conditioning was turned up to the max, and it quickly warmed up her shivering body. Clive handed her a clean towel before driving off and bringing her back to his own mansion. He then brought out his clean shirt and long pants for her to change into. Then, he even got a first-aid kit and applied some ointment to the bruise on her face. "What happened?" Clive asked, his gaze resting on her swollen cheek and her drenched hair, noting that she looked particularly weak. Nadia pressed her lips together, refusing to say anything. Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang. Clive got up to answer the door. As it turned out, Celia was the one standing outside the door, her hand wrapped up in thick bandages, and she looked as pale as a sheet. "Clive…" Celia's eyes reddened as soon as she saw him. "Dad chased Nadia out of the house, and I got really worried about her. I know she nearly killed me last time, and she even used a pen to… stab right through my palm this time, but we're still sisters by blood. "I felt so worried about her, so I came here to find her and bring her home…" Nadia nearly threw up listening to Celia in the living room. She went up to Celia at the door and shot her a cold glare. "Celia, if you dare to act so disgustingly in front of me again, I'm going to tear your mouth off. Wanna bet?" "Nadia!" Clive exclaimed angrily as his face fell. "When will you stop it with your nonsense? You hit her, shoved her, and even stabbed a pen through her hand! None of these is what a proper lady should do! "Celia is forgiving and doesn't hold it against you. She's even come here to bring you home! Is this how you should be treating her?" Celia stepped forward and tugged at Clive's sleeve. She then said in a gentle voice, "It's fine, Clive. It'll be alright as long as she comes home with me." "Apologize to her," Clive demanded, looking at Nadia. "No way," Nadia shot back determinedly. They started arguing at the door. Clive tried to grab Nadia, and Nadia shoved him off with all her might. During the fight, Clive's elbow accidentally bumped against the cupboard next to the door, and a thermal flask of hot, scalding water suddenly toppled and fell to the ground. The flask exploded upon impact, and boiling water immediately exploded everywhere. Within a split second, Clive immediately turned to the side and grabbed Celia, who was the closest to him, and pulled her into his embrace, shielding her from the boiling water that mostly splashed onto his back. Meanwhile, Nadia, who had been standing on the other side, couldn't react in time. The hot water splashed all over her body, scalding her from her arms to her legs. At once, she could feel her skin burning as if her skin was melting into her flesh. She was in so much pain that she immediately crouched to the ground, her face as pale as a sheet. Clive quickly checked on Celia, who was in his arms, and saw that she had only been scalded by a few drops of water on the back of her hand, and it had turned slightly red now. He immediately released her before noticing Nadia curling up in pain next to him. Her bare skin had turned painfully red and swollen, and it was quite a dreadful sight. His pupils narrowed at once as he instinctively went to her. "Clive!" Celia tugged at his sleeve, choking up as she said, "I'm fine. It just hurts a little. But Nadia… Nadia looks like she's been hurt quite terribly. Do you think you should take a look at her injuries first?" Clive immediately stopped walking toward Nadia. His gaze flitted between Nadia's face, all scrunched up in pain, and Celia's face, full of kindness and understanding. He was quickly reminded of Nadia's "crimes", and his gaze turned cold at once. He averted his gaze, crouched over, and scooped Celia up in his arms. Then, he said coldly, "There's no need to care about her. She deserves to suffer a little. Otherwise, she will only continue hurting you in the future." Then, Clive turned and left without sparing a glance at Nadia.