chapter 3

"Ivy, what are you doing?"

She snatched the painting from the little girl's hands. The exquisite oil painting had already been ruined by dark, thick strokes of paint.

Aurora's vision blurred, her hand trembling uncontrollably ...

This was the only one thing her mother had left behind!

This painting had accompanied her through countless days and nights, and now it was destroyed!

Aurora felt a storm of anger rise in her chest as she glared at Ivy.

But before she could question her, the little girl began crying loudly, "Waa ... Aurora, you're so mean!

"Mom, hurry up! Aurora's going to hit me! I'm scared!"

The next moment, Isabelle rushed in and quickly pulled her daughter into her arms, soothing her. "Oh, my baby girl, what happened?"

After calming Ivy, Isabelle seemed to finally notice Aurora standing behind them and said coldly, "Dr. Larson, Ivy is just a child. If she broke anything, I'll compensate and take responsibility. You're an adult, so you shouldn't be arguing with a child."

As a Crestwynian living in Libertana, Isabelle was used to dressing in the classic Libertanian style. She had golden waves of hair and a striking, seductive appearance.

She wasn't genuinely apologizing—her eyes held a challenging glint.

Aurora's temples throbbed, and she raised the painting, questioning harshly, "Who allowed you to enter my room and ruin my things? Compensate? What could you possibly compensate with?"

Ivy hid behind Isabelle, like a frightened puppy seeking protection from its owner, barking defiantly, "It's just a stupid painting! I'll have Zane compensate you. You stingy, mean woman!"

Aurora's eyes reddened, and she raised her hand, ready to personally teach Ivy a lesson.

Isabelle quickly noticed this. With a slight furrow of her brows, she shoved her daughter harshly, causing her to crash into the nightstand.

"Ah! Mommy, it hurts, I'm bleeding!"

Ivy's shrill scream echoed in the room as she sat on the floor, crying nonstop. There was a large gash on her forehead, and blood trickled down her cheek—it looked quite serious.

Isabelle immediately rushed to her daughter's side, holding her tightly. She looked at Aurora with a pained expression, saying, "Dr. Larson, even if Ivy made you angry, you didn't need to lay hands on such a young child. Can't you just accept my apology?"

Aurora had clearly seen Isabelle's actions earlier. Hearing her words, she instinctively frowned, not understanding what was going on.

But in the next moment, Aurora understood.

"Ivy!" Zane rushed into the room, quickly crouching beside Ivy to check on her. Then, he turned to glare at Aurora, his voice cold and sharp. "Aurora, Ivy is just a child. How could you bring yourself to hurt her?"

Hearing Zane's immediate accusation, Aurora stood frozen, gripping the painting tightly. Her entire body seemed to be weakened in an instant, and her throat dried up, trapping her words.

Through her tears, Isabelle quickly spoke up. "Zane, this isn't Dr. Larson's fault. It was our mistake. We mixed up the rooms and thought Dr. Larson's room was the guest room.

"When we were in Libertana, we always stayed in the basement. We saw this room had good lighting, so we couldn't resist choosing it. Ivy even touched Dr. Larson's painting, and that's why she got upset!"

Isabelle's words made Zane's heart ache, and he turned to look at Aurora, his anger growing. "It's just a painting! Is it really worth hitting someone over? Aurora, you really have a temper! Apologize to Isabelle and Ivy right now."

Just a painting?

It was the only keepsake her mother had left her!

Aurora could forgive Isabelle for not knowing about this, but Zane obviously knew.

She fixed her gaze on Zane, her fingers still gripping the painting tightly. "I won't apologize. I didn't push Ivy."

Zane's anger flared even more. His face hardened with rage as he snapped, "So you still won't admit it?"

Isabelle tugged at his sleeve, speaking softly. "It's okay, Zane. Dr. Larson doesn't have to apologize. We're the ones who disrupted her life, and it's understandable that she's upset."

But the more Isabelle spoke, the more Zane found Aurora's emotionless expression unbearable.

He furrowed his brows, his voice low with fury. "Anger is no excuse for violence. No outsider has the right to make decisions in my house!

"Isabelle, from now on, you and Ivy will stay in the primary bedroom. I'll have her move to the guest room!"