37

Nova's POV

If they thought I would always stay silent and accept their treatment, they were gravely mistaken. I would find my own way to survive in this place.

I tried to ignore Jimmy, who continued to watch me with a mischievous look. The boy clearly enjoyed how I couldn’t stand up to him in front of everyone.

I held my breath as he began tapping his spoon against my glass, creating a loud, annoying sound. I was still trying to remain patient, but when he purposely dropped crumbs onto my lap and giggled, my patience ran out.

"Jimmy!"

I called out firmly, glaring at him.

The room, once filled with light chatter, fell silent. Everyone turned to look at me with surprised expressions, as if they hadn’t expected me to speak up. Jimmy’s eyes widened, perhaps shocked that I would scold him so harshly.

But before I could say anything more, Jessica’s hand gripped my arm harshly.

"How dare you yell at my son?" her voice filled with anger, her eyes piercing into mine.

I was jolted by her strong grip. Jessica yanked me hard, as if she wanted to teach me a lesson in front of everyone. I lost my balance, my body nearly toppling backward. I could feel my heart racing as I struggled to regain my footing—

But before I could fall to the floor, a pair of strong arms caught me quickly.

"What are you doing?"

Diego's cold voice echoed in the room, freezing everyone in place. I looked up and saw his face filled with anger, his jaw clenched tightly as he glared at Jessica.

Jessica immediately released my hand, but her expression remained haughty.

"She yelled at Jimmy," she said, her tone defensive.

Diego didn’t respond right away. He helped me stand slowly, making sure I wouldn’t lose my balance before turning back to Jessica.

"So you think it’s appropriate to attack her just for that?"

Jessica looked shocked that Diego was defending me. Emily, sitting across the table, also appeared incredulous at what had just happened.

I took a deep breath, still feeling a slight tremor in my body from the earlier incident. I stared at Diego, a bit surprised that he chose to defend me this time.

Jimmy, sensing the tension in the room rising, quickly hid behind his mother. I could see Jessica clenching her fists, restraining herself from directly confronting Diego.

"I was just teaching her how to behave at the dinner table," Jessica finally said, her voice still filled with disdain.

Diego scoffed cynically.

"Then you should also teach your child how to be polite to others."

The room fell silent again. No one dared to interrupt. Even Emily seemed hesitant to get involved in this situation.

I shifted my gaze to Diego. He might not always defend me, but this time… I felt a bit safer with him around.

Diego's father, who had been observing quietly, finally spoke with a heavy and authoritative tone.

"Enough," he said, his voice resonating throughout the room.

Everyone fell silent, waiting to hear what he would say next.

He looked at Diego with a sharp expression before turning to me.

"This is just a minor issue, Diego. No need to overreact."

I clenched my fists under the table, holding back the feeling of injustice that was starting to burn in my chest.

I had almost fallen because of Jessica, and now she was blaming me as if I was the one causing trouble?

"She yelled at Jimmy, a little boy who doesn’t even know what he did wrong," he continued firmly.

"You can’t expect a child his age to understand everything like an adult."

Jessica smiled triumphantly, while Jimmy hid behind his mother, pretending to be the victim.

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. From the beginning, I was the one tormented by that boy. I was the one humiliated, I was the one bullied. But now, everything had shifted as if I were the wicked adult intimidating an innocent child.

"Dad," Diego finally spoke, his voice deep and resolute.

"No matter how young he is, if he isn’t taught boundaries from now on, he will grow up to be someone who doesn’t know how to respect others."

His father looked at Diego coldly.

"You speak as if you never were a child. Don’t forget, Diego, how you were when you were little—naughty and stubborn."

"I may have been naughty," Diego replied in a lower voice, almost like a growl, "but I never disrespected anyone older than me."

I could feel the tension in the room escalating. No one dared to speak. Jessica still wore her satisfied expression, while Emily looked more cautious, not wanting to get involved in this argument.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I knew that arguing wouldn’t get me anywhere.

"Enough," I finally said, my voice softer than I expected.

"I don’t want to prolong this issue."

Diego looked at me, his eyes filled with emotions that were hard to read. However, he didn’t say anything more.

His father nodded, feeling that he had won this argument.

"Good," he said before returning to his meal as if nothing had happened.

I lowered my head, staring at my food, which now felt bland. I had known from the start that living in this place would not be easy. But I didn’t expect that even in something so trivial, I would always be considered an outsider.

Marian, who had been quietly observing, finally set her spoon down gently on her plate. The soft clink echoed in the now silent room.

I felt the tension creep into the air as all eyes turned to her. Marian did not speak immediately. Instead, she swept her gaze across the room, looking at each person at the dinner table with a sharp and authoritative glare.

"I’ve seen enough," her voice was cold, but there was undeniable strength behind it.

"From the beginning, I have been silent and observing, thinking that you all were mature enough to understand boundaries. But I was wrong," she continued calmly.