Paying the Price

I had severe allergies. So, on the doctor's advice, I moved to a villa halfway up the mountain to live alone. There was even a private family doctor living there with me.

A few days ago, my son, Shawn Ziegler, told me he had finally won over the woman of his dreams. I sent a message to my husband, Derek Ziegler, on WhatsApp. I expressed my desire to meet my future daughter-in-law.

Just then, I heard the sound of the door to the villa being smashed open by a heavy object. Immediately after that, there came the cacophony of noisy talking at the entrance.

A woman with a bossy and shrill voice declared loudly, "You'd better get out of here now! I'm the future lady of this house, and anyone who dares come up against me will be taught a lesson!"

"Celine, won't your boyfriend get angry if he finds out about this? Breaking in like this doesn't seem right," someone said apprehensively.

"What nonsense are you talking about? He's been courting me for so long. Even if he finds out, he'll still do his best to comfort me and soothe my feelings," Celine Svenson retorted smugly.

I heard the commotion and decided to check it out. Over the years, I rarely left the villa because of my allergies. One time, I missed Shawn and went out to see him, only to end up hospitalized after being exposed to his cologne.

After that incident, Derek forbade me from going out without permission and replaced all the villa's staff. Whenever they came to visit me, they were extremely cautious.

Knowing how protective Derek was of me, I was sure that things wouldn't end well for this noisy group of people who barged into my house.

I assumed the intruders had already been kicked out when I reached the entrance. To my surprise, they had shoved past the housekeeper and barged inside. The woman leading them waved her hand dismissively, ordering one of her lackeys to take my housekeeper away.

I was about to confront them when the woman suddenly turned to me with a sinister expression.

She pointed at me and started hurling insults. "So there really is a tramp staying here! No wonder he keeps coming here all the time!"

Her words left me confused. No one aside from my family ever came here.

The women standing behind her glared at me with disdain. Some even rolled their eyes at me in annoyance.

"As expected of a tart. I'm sure she seduces others' husbands or boyfriends with that innocent act!"

"You shameless woman. Why did you choose to mess around with a man who already has a girlfriend? Do you have a conscience, huh?"

They continued to mock me, leaving me utterly bewildered.

Tramp? Shameless woman? Whose husband or boyfriend were they even talking about? For a moment, I thought I was dreaming.

"Who are you people? Why are you in my house?" I demanded.

"Your house? This is going to be my territory!" Celine said with a sneer.

Then, she went on arrogantly, "Who do you think you are? Even if you are living here, you're still nothing but a shameless woman who comes between other people's relationships!"

With a wave of her hand, the group of women surrounded me.

"What on earth are you talking about? You've got the wrong person. You'd better leave now, or I'll call for help," I warned.

These people were unbelievable! They barged into my house and hurled insults at me. If Derek found out, they'd pay dearly.

I was already furious as I listened to their nonsense. But Derek would be even angrier if he found out because of how much he cared about me. However, I thought Celine might have been acting out after being emotionally hurt by a scoundrel, so I wasn't planning to hold them accountable.

I opened my mouth to urge them to leave again, but Celine had no intention of listening to me. She suddenly rushed forward and kicked me.