Chapter 76
"Kaida doesn't know any better, but don't you?"
Freya looked even more aggrieved: "Mom, I just didn't think it through! Besides, they're just some paintings. If they're ruined, we can buy new ones. Is it really worth getting this angry over?"
"Buy new ones?" Phoenix felt her chest tighten with anger. "These are antiques - you can't necessarily buy them even with money! You have no idea what they're worth!"
She saw Kaida still holding the paintbrush with bright paint on it. Unable to contain her anger any longer, she reached out and knocked the brush out of Kaida's hand.
The brush fell to the ground and broke, splattering paint on Kaida's clothes.
Kaida immediately burst into tears, crying nonstop.
"What are you doing!" Freya exploded, pulling Kaida into her arms and glaring at Phoenix. "Mom, how can you hit a child! They're just some old paintings! Do you really need to take it out on a kid?"
"I think you're deliberately targeting us!" Freya's voice rose several notches, drawing looks from the household staff. "You think I'm not good enough for Jeffrey, so you can't stand Kaida either, right?"
Phoenix was left speechless by this accusation, her blood pressure spiking as dizziness hit her hard: "I'm not targeting you - you've gone too far!"
"Too far?" Freya let out a cold laugh, pulling out her phone as if to make a call. "Fine, you won't admit it? I'll call Jeffrey right now, and Dad too. Let them judge whether you're mistreating Kaida!"
"I'll let everyone know how the Adams family elders treat the younger generation - hitting and scolding a child just for painting!"
Phoenix's vision went dark with rage. She steadied herself against a nearby table, feeling both angry and anxious but not knowing how to respond.
Just then, Hermione's voice came from the doorway: "What's all this noise about?"
Hermione walked over slowly with her cane. Seeing the messy courtyard, the vandalized paintings on the ground, the crying Kaida, and the distressed faces of Phoenix and Freya, she immediately frowned.
"Grandma, perfect timing!" Freya said as if she'd found her savior. "Kaida was just painting at home, and Mom got so angry she knocked the brush out of Kaida's hand and scared her into tears!"
Phoenix gasped for breath, quickly explaining: "Mom, that's not what happened. She let Kaida paint on Dad's treasured paintings - they're all ruined!"
Hermione looked at the paintings, her expression darkening with obvious distress, but she still spoke up: "Alright, is this really worth such a big fuss?"
"Freya, you should have asked if you could use things in the house." Hermione criticized Freya first, though her tone was mild.
Then she turned to Phoenix: "And you - the child doesn't know better, why are you arguing with him? Knocking things out of her hand - what would people think if word got out? Elders should act like elders. How can you stoop to a child's level?"
Phoenix looked at Hermione in disbelief: "Mom, those paintings were Dad's treasures!"
"Treasures or not, what's done is done. No amount of arguing will restore those paintings." Hermione waved her hand. "Kaida is still young and doesn't know better. Don't take it to heart. In front of Kaida, apologize to Freya and Kaida, and let's move past this."
"Apologize?" Phoenix's eyes widened. "Why should I apologize? They're the ones in the wrong!"
"When I tell you to apologize, you apologize!" Hermione's tone became stern. "In a family, there's no such thing as absolute right or wrong. As the elder, you bow your head first, and everyone can get along better going forward. Don't give outsiders something to laugh about."
Phoenix looked at Hermione's unyielding expression, then at Freya's smug face beside her. A mix of grievance and anger swirled in her chest, making it feel tight.
She knew Hermione always protected her own, especially after Freya gave birth to Kaida - she'd become even more indulgent toward them.
But to apologize to Freya, who had ruined the paintings and twisted the truth - she couldn't swallow that bitter pill.
"Mom, I won't apologize!" Phoenix's voice carried a hint of stubbornness.
Hermione's face darkened. "Are you defying me?"
The servants around them kept their heads down, not daring to speak. The atmosphere was at a standstill.
Phoenix looked at Hermione's serious face, then thought about her high blood pressure. If they kept arguing, who knew what might happen.
She bit her lip and finally gave in, turning to Freya and Kaida with a stiff voice: "I'm sorry. I was too impulsive earlier and shouldn't have knocked the brush out of Kaida's hand."
After saying this, Phoenix felt a surge of anger rush to her head. Her vision went black, and she fainted.
"Mom!"
The servants rushed forward to support her. Freya was also stunned, not expecting Phoenix to suddenly collapse.
Hermione panicked too, quickly ordering: "Quick, help her back to her room and call the doctor!"
The household immediately fell into chaos. Servants frantically helped Phoenix back to her room. Hermione looked at Phoenix's pale face, feeling some regret for pushing too hard.
Freya held Kaida, standing to the side with flickering eyes. She didn't step forward to help, but felt secretly pleased, thinking she'd won this round.
The doctor arrived quickly. After examining Phoenix, he said she'd had a high blood pressure episode triggered by emotional distress and an old condition, and needed bed rest without further stress.
Phoenix lay in bed, her face pale and too weak to speak. She stared at the ceiling, her heart full of grievance and disappointment.
Hermione sat by the bed and sighed: "Don't be too upset. Freya is just straightforward - she doesn't mean any harm."
Phoenix closed her eyes without speaking, but thought to herself that it would be so much better if Ophelia were still in this family.
When Ophelia was home, everything was always well-organized. Whether it was Wesley's painting collection or other valuables, everything was properly maintained.
And Ophelia had such a gentle temperament and knew proper boundaries. She would never cause trouble like Freya, and the house was never this chaotic.
Hermione seemed to read her thoughts and said softly, "Speaking of which, Ophelia really was sensible. It's a shame..."
A shame the connection ended. There was no use talking about it now.
Hermione also felt some nostalgia for the days when Ophelia was around - at least the house was more peaceful then.
In the evening, Jeffrey came home.
As soon as he walked in, he heard that Phoenix had fainted and rushed to her room.
Seeing Phoenix lying weakly in bed, Jeffrey's heart tightened: "Mom, how are you? Why did you suddenly faint?"
Phoenix saw Jeffrey and couldn't hold back her tears. Choking up, she told him everything that happened during the day, including how Freya let Kaida ruin the paintings and how Hermione forced her to apologize.