Chapter 278

Chapter 278

In the Howard family, it was still Amelia who called the shots. When she decided to take Orion away, Victoria was completely helpless, forced to watch as Amelia left with Orion in tow.

What made it even harder for Victoria to accept was that Orion, the son she'd doted on for four years, never once looked back at her. He was completely absorbed in the excitement of going somewhere new to 'play' with Grandma.

In that moment, Victoria almost wanted to shout at Orion: Son, don't be a fool! Amelia won't let you play. Staying with her will only mean stricter treatment!

But she knew she couldn't say that. Those words would only prove Amelia's choice was right—that she wasn't a responsible mother.

Victoria collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by grief and despair. The remaining servants in the house didn't dare approach her, afraid of becoming her punching bag. She sat there in silence from afternoon until dusk, her tears nearly dried up.

A firework suddenly burst outside the window. Victoria stiffly turned her head. In the light reflected through the glass, she saw her own pupils tinged with red.

In that moment, Victoria couldn't help but wonder bitterly: How did she end up like this? Why could everyone push her around? Wasn't she the only daughter of the Brown family? Wasn't she the family's beloved princess? Shouldn't she be the powerful lady of the Howard family?

Lady?

Victoria suddenly understood. She knew who was blocking her path.

She roughly wiped away her tears and prepared to stand, but her legs had gone numb from kneeling too long. They'd lost all sensation and strength.

After two failed attempts to get up, Victoria said flatly, "Someone come help me up."

Outside, everything was silent, as if she were the only person left in the villa.

She let out two cold laughs. The Howard family servants never disappointed when it came to being fair-weather friends! Seeing her disciplined by Amelia, they were now ignoring her too.

Too bad for them—they'd misjudged her character. The last batch of servants who didn't treat her as their mistress were still rotting in prison!

Victoria stopped calling out. Enduring the pain, she struggled to her feet and limped back to her room, then dialed a number.

Soon, a trembling male voice came through, filled with disbelief. "Ms. Brown, is that you, Ms. Brown?"

Victoria took a deep breath and said softly, "It's me. How have you been?"

That one perfunctory greeting was enough to make the large man on the other end break down crying. "Ms. Brown, I really didn't betray you! I saw that woman's body with my own eyes! I don't know how she survived! Ms. Brown!"

After being banished by Victoria, Spike had clearly been dwelling on this day and night. Those defensive words came pouring out instantly.

Victoria wasn't planning to pursue the matter anymore. Just looking at how Sophia had climbed up to the Stuart Group, it was clear she'd planned everything. Victoria had walked right into that bitch's trap.

What mattered now was having people she could trust—people who could help her get revenge on her enemies, one by one!

"Spike, let's let that go. I owe you an apology too. You know, I've never taken such a huge fall because of anyone in my life—except this Sophia! I hated her so much that I lashed out at you without thinking. Can you forgive me?"

Most people would be angry about being wrongly accused. Even hearing such a casual, half-hearted apology wouldn't move them—it would only breed more resentment!

But Spike was different. Jagger had raised him from childhood to be Victoria's helper. His life belonged to Victoria. His entire existence revolved around living and dying for her.

So Victoria's apology felt like a tremendous gift. He immediately reassured her, "Ms. Brown, I never blamed you! I know it was all that woman's fault. Please give me another chance—this time I'll definitely kill her!"

Spike's loyalty gave Victoria, who'd been suffering so many indignities lately, immense satisfaction. She immediately issued an order: "Come to the Howard family estate right now with some men. Round up all the servants!"

Just half an hour later, a group of thugs stormed in.

They made quite a racket. The servants who wouldn't answer Victoria's calls earlier all rushed out to see what was happening, only to be knocked to the ground by Spike and his angry crew.

When Victoria came downstairs, she saw the servants pinned down, wailing and begging for mercy. She couldn't have felt more satisfied!

She walked up to a young maid, lifted the girl's chin with her foot, and studied her like livestock. After a moment, Victoria said disdainfully, "Not even as pretty as my bitch. What do you think, Spike?"

Spike affirmed everything Victoria said and did. Not only did he agree, he added several more degrading descriptions, making the pretty young woman cry harder.

The others were angry but didn't dare speak. They could only lower their heads desperately, hoping Victoria wouldn't see their furious expressions and use them as an excuse.

Even so, Victoria gave the servants a thorough scolding, finally venting her frustration.

Finally, she looked at them coldly and said, "Pack your things. Get out. All of you!"

That set everyone off.

The servants had endured Victoria's insults and Spike's beatings precisely to keep these good jobs. Now they were being told they'd been beaten and humiliated for nothing. Who could stand that?

Without anyone to lead or organize them, the servants naturally split into three factions. One was more aggressive, cursing Victoria and Spike outright: "Fucking bitch, what are you pretending to be? What century is this, playing master and slave? You think we won't kill you?"

Another faction was more moderate, crying and begging: "Madam, we know we were wrong! Please give us another chance!"

The third group was smaller. They just sat numbly on the ground, silent.

Victoria shot Spike a look. Spike grabbed the loudest curser and slapped him twice across the face, knocking out two teeth.

The slaps and the man's screams were the best deterrent. The noisy living room fell silent instantly.

Victoria surveyed them from above, speaking unhurriedly. "I know you're upset, but you can't blame me! Amelia took Orion to live elsewhere. She didn't take you with her, and I don't need this many servants. After thinking it over, I had no choice but to let you all go! I'm sure you're all top-tier service professionals who won't have trouble finding work. Worst case, you can always go find Amelia!"

Whether Amelia would take them was her own business.