Chapter 898 Beaten
Abella lifted her chin and gave Theo a reassuring nod, signaling him not to worry.
To outsiders, it might have seemed like she was telling Theo not to provoke Maria, but Theo, having been with Abella for a long time, understood her look immediately.
He let out a grunt and glared at the female assassin, looking defiant and cocky, but not as agitated as before.
"See how obedient he is. You tell him to shut up, and he quiets down right away." Maria let go of Abella's bun and paced back and forth in front of her. "What should I do? I finally caught you, and now I feel a bit reluctant to kill you."
Abella raised her clear eyes and said calmly, "I'll die by your hand sooner or later. Why not let me die knowing why? Is it because I came back to this family and threatened your daughter's status that you think I deserve to die?"
Maria's eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce light as she scrutinized Abella. "Are you recording this? Or do you have a hidden camera on you? I've been wondering since earlier. With your personality, you wouldn't surrender so quickly, and you've been trying to get me to talk. Search her! Not just her! Search her subordinate thoroughly, too!"
Abella scoffed, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "So you think I'm that capable?"
"Shut up!" Maria snapped, clearly irritated.
Two female subordinates took turns searching Abella. They squeezed her bun, finding only thick hair, nothing else. The hair tie was ordinary, adorned with a small diamond crown.
Her clothes were casual, with a hat, pockets, and pant pockets. There was nothing suspicious.
Theo was also searched thoroughly, but nothing suspicious was found.
Even his shoes were taken off, and the insoles were checked, revealing nothing.
Maria eyed Abella suspiciously. "What are you up to?"
"I'm tied up, my phone's been smashed, my only subordinate is captured, and you have over a hundred people here, all armed. What could I possibly do?"
Maria's suspicion eased a bit, replaced by a satisfied smile.
"If you had been this sensible from the start, you wouldn't be in this situation now." Maria's gaze turned vicious. "But you always act so self-righteous and superior."
"When have I ever been self-righteous or superior? Isn't that more fitting for Lola?" Abella chuckled. "Lola enjoyed eighteen years of luxury under my identity. When I came back, I didn't hold it against her. I let her stay in this family, living the same lavish life. Shouldn't you be grateful to me?"
"Grateful to you?" Maria laughed coldly, as if hearing something absurd. "If you had gotten along with Lola from the start, I wouldn't have wanted to kill you. But what did you do? You kept hurting her."
Abella was puzzled. When had she hurt Lola?
From the first day she returned to this family, it was Lola who hurt her!
Lola's words were always so irritating.
"Abella, why are you up so early? If you usually sleep in, you don't have to change that just because you're home."
"You probably haven't seen many big events, right? It's natural to be nervous. I know Mr. Bourbon's personality and temper well. If you accidentally say or do something wrong, I can help you. You should take me with you."
And there were plenty more like that.
Besides her annoying words, Lola's actions were just as infuriating.
For example, during family meals, Lola would show off her knowledge of their parents' dietary habits, pouring tea for Beckett and Kimberly. But when it came to Abella, she'd try to scald her, especially if Abella was wearing a white dress.
When Beckett asked about college plans, Lola would boast about her academic excellence, saying she planned to attend Innovation University.
She would act all cozy with the family, hugging them and acting spoiled, as if the family belonged solely to her. At eighteen, she was still so childish.
She would compete for the driver when Abella needed to go out, pretending to be considerate by offering to be the driver if Abella was in a hurry.
When Phillipe came to visit Abella, Lola would dress provocatively, trying to seduce him, even going to his company to stalk him after being rejected.
She would have Bia pretend to trip and spill water on herself, trying to seduce Phillipe by getting wet in front of him.
When Phillipe was devoted to Abella, Lola would disgustingly tell him not to spoil his girlfriend too much.
She even lied to friends, claiming Abella stole her fiancé.
There were countless such incidents.
From the first day Abella returned, Lola never intended to get along with her.
After being reprimanded by Steven and Ethan, Lola changed a bit, but soon Maria led her astray again.
Abella recounted these events, her gaze fixed on Maria. "And you, from the first day I returned, you never respected me."
In front of their parents, Maria would pretend, but privately, she wouldn't even greet Abella.
She would encourage Lola to get close to Phillipe when Abella wasn't around.
Lola's boldness was fueled by Maria's signals.
"And one night, my mom called me downstairs to eat, and you drugged the food."
Maria got angry at the mention of this. "I almost forgot. You bitch, you tricked me into eating it, and I had diarrhea all night!"
"That's called karma." Abella looked Maria in the eye, unafraid. "Just like when you tried to spill oil to make me fall, but ended up hurting yourself and your daughter."
"You..." Maria's mood worsened at the memory. "You really need a beating."
She took a whip from a subordinate and lashed it at Abella.
Theo struggled furiously. "Fuck, don't touch her! Come at me if you have the guts!"
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