Chapter 118
"Who are you calling a little demon? That's nonsense!"
Faced with Irene's shrieking denial, Harper found it amusing. "His words, his actions—which part of it isn't the behavior of a demon? He even keeps saying I'm seducing Rupert. I wasn't aware you had become a legally recognized family."
"You... Jared just lacks a father figure, he's a little insecure, that's why he said that!" Irene retorted shrilly, her eyes instantly welling up. She turned to Rupert, crying. "Rupert, look at her! How can she say that about Jared? He was just... just acting on impulse. Harper, let him go! You're hurting him!"
Rupert finally snapped out of his shock. He looked at the carving tool on the floor, then at Jared, who was pinned by Harper, his face a mask of anger and pain. His brow furrowed deeply.
"Harper, let go of Jared first." he commanded. "He's just a child. Even if he did something wrong, you shouldn't be using so much force."
"A child?" Harper looked as if she'd heard the world's greatest joke. She met Rupert's gaze, the ridicule in her eyes unmistakable. "He just tried to slash my face with a knife. If I hadn't dodged, I'd be the one lying here covered in blood. Would you still be saying 'he's just a child' then?"
Rupert was momentarily silenced by her question.
Harper ignored him, turning her cold gaze back to Jared. "Tell me, who taught you this? Who told you to do this?"
Jared was intimidated by her icy stare, a flicker of fear in his eyes, but the arrogance bred from years of being spoiled wouldn't let him back down. He stuck out his neck and yelled, "Nobody taught me! I just hate you! You're a bad woman who stole my uncle! If it weren't for you, we would be together forever! We're the real family!"
"Jared, stop it!" Irene hastily covered his mouth, her face as pale as a sheet.
But Harper laughed, a smile devoid of any warmth. She released Jared's wrist. It wasn't a gentle release, but a forceful shove. Jared landed on the floor with a thud, stunned for a second before bursting into loud sobs.
"Jared!" Irene cried, rushing to embrace him. She checked his wrist and found a red mark encircling it. She shot up, her eyes blazing with genuine fury. "How dare you!" She set Jared aside, stood up, and lunged at Harper, her hand raised to strike. "I'll kill you!"
Harper was prepared. Instead of dodging, she took a step forward, her left hand precisely blocking Irene's swinging arm, her right hand unhesitatingly delivering a sharp slap across Irene's face.
The crisp, loud sound echoed through the living room.
Irene's head snapped to the side, a clear five-fingered print quickly appearing on her cheek. She clutched her face, staring at Harper in disbelief, completely stunned. She had never seen Harper this furious, let alone capable of hitting her.
Rupert was also shocked. He never imagined Harper would dare to lay a hand on anyone.
"This slap is for the past five years of me swallowing my anger." Harper said, shaking her slightly numb hand, her voice terrifyingly calm. "Irene, I've had enough of you and your son." She scanned the nauseating pair, enunciating each word. "From this day on, don't ever appear in front of me again. Don't even try to provoke me. Otherwise, I don't mind showing you, in my own way, what regret feels like."
She looked down at Jared, who was still wailing on the floor, her eyes glacial. "As for your son, Irene, you'd better keep him in line. If he dares to lay so much as a finger on me again, I guarantee I will call the police immediately and press charges for assault. Six years old, while not criminally liable, is old enough for a Juvenile Detention Center. Do you want his permanent record to start with that?" In Terracentra, there were specific laws for young children, and Jared's actions had already crossed the line into illegality.
"You wouldn't dare!" Irene shrieked.
"Watch me." Harper said with conviction, pulling out her phone. "Shall I call my acquaintance at the Juvenile Detention Center right now and have them pre-register him?"
Rupert finally exploded. "Harper, are you insane? Arguing with a child and threatening to send him to a detention center? Do you have any conscience left!"
Harper turned to him, the last trace of warmth vanishing from her eyes. "Rupert, if you have a problem with your brain, go to a hospital. Trying to reason with people like you was my biggest mistake."
She put her phone away, no longer looking at their disgusting faces, and strode towards the door.
"Harper! You stop right there!" Rupert started to chase after her but was held back by Irene.
"Rupert, my face hurts so much... and Jared is hurt... please, look at us!" Irene sobbed pitifully, clinging to him tightly.
Jared, on cue, wailed even louder, clutching his backside and crying that it hurt.
Trapped, Rupert could only watch as Harper's back disappeared through the doorway. He trembled with rage and kicked over a nearby antique vase. With a loud crash, porcelain shards scattered across the floor.
Stepping out of the Getty Villa, Harper took a deep breath of the fresh air outside, feeling the tightness in her chest begin to ease. She looked down at her right hand. She had used all her strength in that slap. Her palm was still slightly red. But she felt it wasn't enough. With people like them, tolerance only emboldened them. Only by being more ruthless could you make them feel fear. It was laughable that she was only now understanding this. In the past, she had only known how to dodge and endure, subjecting herself to years of undeserved misery.
Sitting in her car, Harper didn't leave immediately. She leaned back in the driver's seat, closing her eyes to calm her emotions. Today's trip, though unsuccessful in finalizing the divorce, had at least made one thing clear to Rupert and Irene. She was no longer the Harper they could easily manipulate.
A moment later, she opened her eyes, started the car, and drove away from that sickening place.
She didn't know that after she left, inside the Getty Villa, Irene was holding a sleeping, tear-exhausted Jared, her eyes filled with a terrifyingly venomous hatred.
"Rupert, look at what she did. She bruised Jared's wrist and pushed him down. If something happens to him, how could I go on living?" she sobbed, then added as if it were an afterthought, "And she was so fierce. What if she really hurts Jared next time?"
Rupert yanked at his tie in frustration. "She wouldn't dare!"
"What wouldn't she dare? She has Alaric backing her now; she doesn't care about us at all." Irene said darkly. "Rupert, do you think she'll really go to the police and report Jared for assault? Even though he's a minor, if he gets a record..."