A piercing shriek echoed through the room, "Ah!" It was Rachel.
Natalie bit her lip, her fingers clenching around the platter she held. Most of the piping hot soup had spilled onto her wrist. She gasped in pain, her vision momentarily darkening.
Renee, quick to react, rushed towards Natalie, her voice a harsh reprimand, "Natalie! You're completely useless! Can you even fathom the consequences if you had scalded Ms. Howard?"
Rachel, however, was quick to reassure everyone, "I'm fine." She hadn't been burned, only her clothes bore the stain of the spilled soup. Her cry had been a reflex, nothing more. It was clear that Natalie was in more pain, a large red patch had formed on the back of her hand.
Seeing that Rachel wasn't angry, Renee seized the opportunity to further criticize Natalie, "Ms. Howard, you have no idea how often this maid slacks off and messes up. Just the other day, she nearly burned Mr. Howard!"
Alice gasped in shock at Renee's words. Natalie dared to be near Adrian behind her back? In a fit of anger, Alice slapped Natalie across the face, her voice a snarl, "Natalie, we kept you out of pity, and you're so thoughtless. If you had actually hurt Adrian and Rachel, you couldn't compensate us! It seems like you did it on purpose!"
A stunned silence fell over the room; no one had expected Alice to resort to violence.
Natalie felt the sting on her cheek but knew better than to retaliate. A tear slipped from her eye, landing on the burn on her hand, causing a sharp pain.
Just then, a figure stepped in front of Natalie. It was Daniel, his gaze icy as he addressed Alice, "That's enough. It was just an accident. Ms. Cullen, there's no need to be so aggressive."
Emmett quickly came to Alice's defense, "Mr. Murphy, Alice was worried about Rachel and acted out of haste." Alice nodded in agreement, "I was just anxious; I'm relieved Rachel is alright."
Rachel felt a sense of helplessness wash over her. She scoffed to herself, "Using me, does Alice think I'm an idiot?"
Emmett's tone shifted as she turned to Natalie, "Natalie, even if Rachel lets it go, your carelessness means you shouldn't stay here. Pack your things and leave the Cullen Villa with three months' pay."
Natalie was stunned. If she left the Cullen Villa, what would happen to Rosalie's illness? Ignoring the pain in her hand, she pleaded, "Mrs. Cullen, I know I was wrong. Please don't make me leave."
"Mrs. Cullen, about Natalie..." Daniel began, only to be cut off by Emmett, "Mr. Murphy, don't we even have the right to dismiss a servant?"
Alice found Natalie's presence uncomfortable, and Emmett shared the sentiment. She even suspected Natalie might be Curtis's illegitimate daughter. They had been looking for an opportunity to dismiss Natalie, and they weren't going to let it slip away. However, just as Emmett finished speaking, Adrian, who had been silent until then, stood up. "Rachel said she's fine. Let's leave it at that."
Adrian's gaze then fell on the back of Natalie's hand, his expression darkening slightly. With a polite detachment, he said, "Sorry for the disturbance. I should take Rachel home now."
As Adrian made to leave, Alice's face paled slightly. In her anxiousness, she hastily grasped his arm. "Adrian."
Adrian glanced at her hand. Alice felt a rush of nervousness and, almost reflexively, let go. Before she could gather her thoughts, Adrian spoke in a relaxed tone, "The details of the engagement, I'll have someone come by to discuss."
His words eased the anxiety in her heart. Knowing better than to cling to him at that moment, she smiled considerately at him. "Then, take care on your way home. Rachel, I'm truly sorry. Such an unpleasant thing happened during your first visit to my place."
Rachel could hardly stand to look at Alice, finding her just too phony.
Once they got into the car, Rachel could not hold back any longer and asked, "Adrian, you're not really going to marry Alice, are you?"