"It wasn't us, Miss Ritz ordered us to do this."

Hearing Malva's name, Hailey gritted her teeth. "I heard she's been causing trouble lately. I didn’t expect her to resort to such lowly tactics!"

Malva had intended to mock Livia, but when she overheard their conversation at the door, she was startled. Before she could leave, the sharp-eyed butler spotted her.

"Miss Ritz is over there!"

Upon hearing this, Hailey quickly ordered for her to be brought in.

"Kneel down!"

Malva kept her expression grim as they ordered her to kneel in front of everyone. She simply couldn’t bring herself to lower her face especially in front of the doctors she had once bossed around.

She didn’t know who kicked her, but her knee buckled and with a thud, she fell to her knees in front of the hospital bed, locking eyes with Livia’s calm gaze.

A surge of hatred rose within her. "Apologize to Livia now!"

Malva’s eyes flickered with coldness. Her hands, once supporting her on the ground, clenched tightly together until her freshly done nails dug into her skin, causing pain.

"Mom..."

Just as Malva was about to speak, a sharp, ear-piercing slap echoed through the room as Hailey slapped her across the face.

She sneered coldly. "I'm not your mother! You're just a poor student we've supported. Your mother is still working in the fields in the mountains! If it weren't for Livia's kindness, wanting to sponsor you when you couldn't afford school, you would have already been sold to some village as a bride. How could you be living comfortably like this now?"

A murmur spread through the room and the gazes directed at Malva were filled with contempt.

Malva gritted her teeth and swallowed her pride. “Mrs. West, I didn’t cause all her injuries…"

Before she could finish her sentence, another sharp slap landed on her face, leaving five distinct fingerprints.

"Isn't it clear to you? If it weren't for you meddling with Mitchel, how could he possibly let Livia wear that mermaid costume and soak in cold water for the entire night? If it weren’t for you, how would Livia have ended up covered in injuries? And if it weren’t for you bribing these ungrateful doctors, how could they dare treat Livia like this? You designed this scheme to frame Livia and you deliberately delayed her treatment! What exactly are you plotting?”

The butler raised his hand again, but after a few attempts, his hand couldn’t move.

He turned around and found himself blocked by Mitchel, who was holding a thermos in his hand.

“Have you lost your mind? How dare you hit Malva! "

At that moment, tears welled up in Malva's eyes as she threw herself at Mitchel's feet, sobbing.

"Mitchel, my biggest wish before I die was to see you again. Now you've finally come!"

Die?

Mitchel supported Malva with one hand and upon seeing her flushed cheeks, his expression froze.

"Don't be mad at your mom. It's Livia who hates me. She can't accept me. But even if I die, I don't want to leave you..."

Mitchel quickly walked to Livia's bedside and placed the thermos down.

After that, he slapped her hard across her face.

The crisp sound of a slap echoed, stunning everyone in the room and interrupting Malva, who hadn't finished speaking.

Livia’s head jerked to the side, her frail body collapsing onto the hospital bed.

Hailey never expected that her own son would actually slap Livia.

Fury surged through her as she clenched her teeth and swung her hand with all her might.

With a loud slap, Mitchel stumbled back. "Mitchel, you dare to slap Livia in front of me? I'll fight you to the end!"

Mitchel pointed at Livia and shouted, "You and your mother teamed up to bully Malva and now I'm asking for justice on her behalf. What's wrong with that?"

"You! Unworthy son! You don't deserve Livia!"

"Alright, since you say I don't deserve her, then we won’t get married!"

Mitchel's eyes reddened and the veins on his forehead bulged. He suddenly pulled Malva into his arms and kissed her.

In front of everyone's shocked gaze, he smirked and looked provocatively at Livia on the hospital bed. "Are you satisfied now?"

Malva, feeling bashful, placed her delicate hand softly on his chest. "Mitchel, how could you kiss me..."

"I kiss whoever I want!"

"Take them out!” Hailey couldn't bear the shock. She called security to drag Mitchel and Malva out.

Once the chaotic scene was over, she patted her chest to calm herself, only to notice Livia’s face was swollen on one side, with tears silently gathering and dripping down from her delicate chin.

Her heart immediately tightened with pain.

"I'm sorry, Livia, I failed to protect you. Your mother entrusted you to me and I swore I would make sure you lived a carefree life forever..."

She had once thought her son could take care of Livia for a lifetime, but now it seemed that her son was so foolish.

He couldn’t even see through Malva’s schemes and treated Livia so cruelly.

"Mom..."

Even though they were never truly family by blood, she had always called Hailey "Mom" out of gratitude for raising her.

"I just don’t have fate with him."

"Good girl, don't cry. When you cry, I want to cry too..." Hailey wept, not just for Livia, but for the years of sincere love she had wasted.

She wiped away her tears, her voice choking as she continued, "Your mother was my best friend. You actually have a twin sister, but she passed away young, leaving you all alone..."

Livia blinked her wet eyes in surprise, slightly stunned.

Before she had nearly drowned in the pool, she had seen a woman who looked exactly like her. It turned out that it was her twin sister.

People said twins have a telepathic connection.

She pressed her hand to her chest, her heart pounding fiercely.

Not only had her sister saved her, but she had also arranged for her to marry another man in her place.

On the other side…

"This marriage must be called off!" Mitchel's grandmother shouted as she noticed the slap on her beloved grandson's face, her eyes filled with deep concern.

She was furious, leaning on her cane, determined to seek justice for him. "Your mother spoiled that girl too much! She's not even a relative, yet just because of a little bit of friendship from her younger years, she raised someone else's child and ruined the future of the West Family! Now, she's even hitting her own son for her. This is going too far!"

Malva hurriedly knelt down. "Grandma, it's all my fault! If it weren't for me, Mitchel wouldn't have punished Livia and Livia wouldn't have gotten angry and caused trouble with his mother. So, everything is my fault. Family harmony leads to prosperity, please don't be angry..."

Mitchel’s grandmother, Carmen, squinted her eyes, studying Malva. Seeing her small face bruised and swollen, her tone softened. "Out of everyone in the West Family, you are the most pitiful. Malva, you're so well-behaved and sensible, much better than that arrogant and spoiled Livia!”

Upon hearing this, Malva lowered her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. But Carmen's next sentence caused her smile to instantly freeze.

"Unfortunately, your background is a bit lacking. Otherwise, I would definitely try to match you with Mitchel."

Malva was stunned for a moment, then quickly changed the topic. "But what about Livia? Her birthday is in a few days..."

Carmen's face darkened. "What birthday! Hurry up, have those people take down the decorations now! If we keep spoiling her like this, soon, the entire West Family will be at the mercy of that girl!"

Although Mitchel was angry, upon hearing about canceling the birthday party, he couldn't help but plead with his grandmother. "It can't be canceled!"

"Grandma, the West Family naturally listens to you, but Livia’s birthday still needs to be celebrated. She has been looking forward to it for so long..."

"Since I have the final say, then listen to me. It's just a birthday, so what? Is she going to die without it?" Carmen was furious, exasperated at their failure to meet her expectations. She struck her cane against the floor with a loud bang.

"Mitchel, just look at yourself. You’re completely distracted! I think your very soul has been hooked by that girl! From today on, you are not allowed to see her again without my permission "

At some point, Malva had knelt by Carmen's feet, gently massaging her legs.

"Grandma, it's all my fault. You can lock me up, but you can't keep Mitchel locked up all the time. This is the West Family, after all. If Mitchel, a dignified CEO, feels constrained in his own home, people would laugh at us if they heard about it..."

Carmen frowned and Malva continued offering suggestions.

"Why not just send Livia back to the Mayer Family first? I heard although her mother is no longer around, her father is still alive. They haven’t seen each other for so many years. He must miss her dearly."

As soon as he heard they wanted to send Livia away, Mitchel was the first to object. "No way!"

"Why not? I think this is a great idea! Let's do it!"

Carmen seemed to have made up her mind. "Mitchel, just look at yourself. You're completely devoted to that girl. But what about her? You and your mother have spoiled her to the point of being unruly. In the past, I turned a blind eye when she fought for attention, but this time, she nearly cost Malva her life! Between emotions and human life, which do you think weighs more? You decide for yourself!"

With that, she had someone help her to her room to rest.

Mitchel still wanted to argue, but Malva stopped him. "Mitchel, don’t make your grandma angry. Her legs aren’t in good condition and she had a stroke last time. The doctor specifically warned that she mustn’t get angry..."

Mitchel clenched his teeth, let out a cold hum and looked at Malva with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"Why do you want to send Livia back?"

"I'm doing this for you," Malva’s eyes instantly reddened. "Otherwise, your grandma would never let Livia go. Sending her home is just to help her avoid trouble for now. Once some time passes and your grandma calms down, you can bring her back whenever you want... By then, you can do whatever you please..."

"Sorry, I misunderstood you." Mitchel let out a sigh of relief.

Feeling a bit guilty, he reached out to touch Malva’s swollen face. "Does it still hurt? I’ll have someone bring you some ice to reduce the swelling."

***

The phone buzzed and a photo popped up on Livia’s phone screen.

In the image, Mitchel was lowering his head, cradling a woman’s face in his hands, his eyes filled with distress and tenderness.

[You see that? Mitchel loves me the most! Even if you die, he wouldn’t spare you a second glance!]

Fifteen minutes earlier, Hailey had received a call. She hurriedly left after offering Livia a few comforting words, telling her to rest well.

But Livia had heard it. On the other end of the call, Carmen’s voice was dripping with sarcasm and scorn.

Carmen had always been dissatisfied with Hailey. Back then, when Hailey lost her child and decided to adopt her, Carmen was firmly against it.

She had said, "Even if you raise her, she will still return to the Mayer Family in the end. You might as well have your own child—only biological children will truly be devoted to you!"

Obediently, Hailey got pregnant and gave birth, but her daughter died young.

Carmen insisted that adopting a child had disrupted her fate to bear her own children and blamed her for the misfortune. She even tried to send Hailey away, but Hailey refused to leave.

From then on, Carmen directed all her resentment over the West Family’s failure to produce heirs onto Hailey and Livia.

***

Malva glanced at the man sleeping beside her.

Mitchel had just drunk the tea she prepared and was now in a deep sleep.