Chapter 2
I frowned, blood trickling down from my forehead.
I was completely pissed off now, shooting Chloe a frosty glare.
"I'm an honored guest of the Linwood family. Who do you think you are?" I snapped.
"Get out of here right now, and I'll forget this," I said coldly.
But this came with a price—a long streak of bad luck.
When I acted like she was nothing, Chloe finally lost it.
Her eyes bloodshot, she charged at me, jumped on top, and started beating the crap out of me.
I was pinned to the floor, totally powerless to fight back.
But as she got close, I bit down hard on her ear.
Chloe grabbed her ear, her eyes burning with murder as she glared at me.
Her crew stormed over, pinning me down so hard that I couldn't move, each taking a turn to slap me hard across the face.
Agonizing pain tore through my scalp as they yanked me back, tossing me onto the gravel. I hit the ground flat on my back, dazed and helpless.
I let out a muffled groan.
All I could see were pointed high heels closing in, forming a suffocating circle that boxed me in with no way out.
One heel came down, crushing the back of my hand. I heard my knuckles pop and crack in tiny, sickening bursts.
The first slap left my right ear ringing.
"Shameless homewrecker," one of them sneered.
The second slap had my left cheek burning and swelling up.
"Bitch, I hate girls like you, always sniffing after someone else's man. You're disgusting," another spat.
By the third slap, I could taste blood at the corner of my mouth.
"People like you don't even deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of us," one of them spat.
They took turns yanking my bangs back, strands of hair mixed with blood and stuck to my puffy cheeks.
Deliberately, they dragged their nails across the corner of my eye, sending warm blood trickling down into my collar.
Their attacks were vicious, and the two servants nearby looked scared out of their wits.
I glared at them. "Call Mr. Herman Linwood, now!"
Panting for breath, I shot Chloe a cold warning. "Let me go, now, or I swear you'll be banned from Linwood Manor for life."
Chloe let out a mocking laugh and kept kicking me, not holding back at all.
She said, "You really think I'm stupid?"
"You think that 'golden tongue' of yours means anything? You're just a nobody from the sticks." She scoffed.
"You think you could slither your way to Ryan behind my back? I see right through you," she spat.
She dug the tip of her heel into my side, and as I curled up, my forehead smashed against the sharp edge of the sharp edge of a concrete slab. Blood instantly covered my right eye, blinding me.
Finally, she grabbed the back of my neck and smashed my face into the edge of the table. A glinting shard of the broken cup split the skin of my chin. Blood fell in heavy drops.
She let out a cold laugh and slammed her foot into my stomach.
"Bitch," she spat.
I clutched my stomach, writhing on the floor.
"What the hell are you doing?" The housekeeper, May Cruz, finally burst out of the kitchen, fruit platter in hand.
When she caught sight of my battered state, her eyes went wide with shock.
She rushed over and quickly helped me to my feet.
"Ms. Summers is Mr. Herman Linwood's honored guest. He gave strict orders to treat her with the highest respect!" she snapped.
"Who dared to lay a finger on Ms. Summers?" she demanded.
She spun around and met Chloe's mocking gaze. "May."
"Ms. Carter, what brings you here?" May asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Chloe shot her a frosty glare. "An honored guest? Seriously? She's just some country bumpkin."
"Let me make this clear, I'll marry Ryan," Chloe said, her chin lifted in smug pride.
May looked back and forth between Chloe and me, clearly torn.
After a tense moment, May's grip on my arm loosened, then fell away entirely.
Too weak to stand, I crumpled back onto the floor.
Chloe let out a cold laugh, her face full of smug satisfaction.
"A golden tongue? More like a total phony," she sneered.
"Well, May? Does her 'magic' work, or is it all a lie?" Chloe demanded, looking straight at May.
May glanced around uneasily before stepping up to Chloe.
"Golden tongue? It's all a scam," May said, barely above a whisper.
My heart dropped.