Chapter 3

I was furious. I grabbed Isabella by her hair and shouted, "You'd better pay for my flowers!"

Lucas frowned and forcibly pulled us apart instead.

"Can't you be more magnanimous with her? Isabella has been spoiled rotten ever since young. This is just her temper."

"Magnanimous?" I laughed coldly. "You brought your mistress into my home, let her stomp and ruin my flowers, and now, you're asking me to be magnanimous?"

Lucas' face darkened as he looked at me in frustration. "It's just a bunch of flowers. Why are you being so dramatic about it?

"Stop throwing a fuss. I'll buy you another one tomorrow. Now go and make dinner. We're all hungry."

I blurted, "Why? Am I your maid now?"

He looked at me in confusion. "Weren't you the one who always liked cooking for me? You just have to cook two extra portions this time. Is it something you can't do?

"You're behaving very poorly tonight. See how much you've upset everyone? I'm giving you a chance to mend your behavior by having you cook dinner for us. Don't you dare push your luck anymore."

"Me? Mend my behavior?" I laughed angrily. "So, you think that it's all my fault for everything that happened today?"

Lucas' voice died in his throat. He averted his gaze in frustration and said, "Fine, whatever. It's my fault. I'll give you three months' worth of bonus next month. Happy now?"

I couldn't hold back any longer. "You think that I'm just after that bit of money? I am the true—Ouch!"

There was a sudden pain in my thigh.

Toby had actually stabbed me in the thigh with a sharp steak knife!

"You bad woman! You can't bully Mommy!" he screamed, about to stab me again.

Lucas' eyes widened as he instinctively made to rush toward me.

"Get lost!"

The pain had ignited my fury, and I shoved Toby heavily to the ground. He fell to the floor and began screaming loudly.

Isabella immediately pulled him up and slapped me so hard that I fell to the floor instead.

"How could you be so vicious? He's just a child! How much strength did you think he could put into that attack!"

I was sprawled on the ground, my head dizzy and my vision blurry. I could also hear a ringing in my ears.

Lucas pulled Isabella back, his voice stern. "That's enough, Isabella. She's still bleeding."

Yet, Isabella wouldn't let up and kept struggling in his arms. She kicked out at me and screamed, "She deserves to die! How dare she hit my son! Let go of me, Lucas! You don't want to work with my mom anymore, do you?"

Lucas went silent for a few seconds. Then, he grabbed some gauze and threw it at me.

"Get out. Stop being an eyesore around here."

I slowly got up to my feet and looked him straight in the eyes.

"This is my mansion. If anyone is to leave, it would be the rest of you."

This was a luxury property in the heart of the city, and I had been prepared to move in with Lucas after our wedding. I even grew worried he would grow suspicious of the extravagance and deliberately hired a real estate agent, claiming it was a last-minute sale and that I'd snagged it at a bargain.

But now, Lucas had clearly forgotten about it and even thought of making it a nest for himself and his other woman.

Isabella burst out laughing and said, "At least think of a better excuse the next time you try to lie about something like that! You wouldn't even be able to afford a single square foot of this mansion even if you sold off your entire family!

"Now get lost! Or else, I'm calling the police on you!"

My thigh was throbbing in pain. I didn't want to argue with her anymore, so I staggered my way into the master bedroom to grab my documents.

I was going to sue them in court the next day to get my mansion back!

When I pushed the door to the master bedroom open, however, a strong, pungent odor immediately assaulted my nostrils.

The sheets were crumpled, with torn pajamas and stockings strewn across the floor. Several used condoms also lay scattered on the rug.

To think that they'd already done it in my bed, too!

I forced down the urge to throw up and went to the safe to retrieve the documents before leaving without another backward glance.

"Remember that you're not welcome to ever step back in through that front door forever!" Isabella screamed behind me.

I went straight to the hospital to get my wounds bandaged up. Then, I went to a hotel and fell asleep at once.

While I was half asleep, my phone suddenly lit up with a bank transfer notification.

"You have received 5,000 dollars from Lucas Hunter."

He'd even added a note, saying, "Bandage yourself up so you don't get any scars. Then go out and clear your head."

I accepted the bank transfer and then blocked his number.

Early the next morning, I headed for the law firm.

"We can get the full title deed back," the attorney, Avril Carpenter, said. "Or, we can also have him compensate you at market price. This house is worth at least 80 million dollars now."

"I want the money," I said without hesitation. "And compensation for damage to the property."

"That requires on-site evidence, preferably photos or videos."

Now that I knew what to do, I immediately rushed back to the mansion with a miniature camera.

When I opened the door, however, I froze at once. The living room was full of people.

Lucas' parents and relatives were all having a welcoming banquet at home. When they saw that it was me at the door, their eyes were filled with hostility at once.

The entire mansion had been rearranged, and the situation was even worse than it had been yesterday.

My oil paintings were slashed and thrown into the trash. My antiques were being used as ashtrays, and the silk scarf that Mom had given me was being used as a rag.

"Get out of my mansion," I said coldly.

"Your mansion?" Lucas' mother, Michelle Padilla, scoffed loudly before bursting into laughter. "Lucas told me that he was the one who bought this place. Did you really think it was yours just because he let you spend a couple of nights here?

"If it weren't for you interfering in Lucas' and Bella's relationship, he would have already been a billionaire's son-in-law by now! How dare you still show your face to interfere with his life again!

"Get lost, you shameless bitch of a homewrecker! You have no right to attend this welcoming banquet we're all hosting for Isabella!"