Chapter 81 Isabella's Call and Warning Ignited My Anger

Elena Garcia's POV:

After that wild night, I woke up the next day feeling a bit dazed.

Marco had my teeth marks on his chest, and my chest was covered in his kiss marks. Once I unlocked his handcuffs, he immediately pounced on me, pinning me to the bed.

We made love for what felt like forever, and I ended up falling asleep earlier than usual. The last thing I remember was Marco carrying me into the bathroom before I drifted off.

When I woke up, I realized my body had already been cleaned.

I stretched lazily and planted a kiss on Marco's lips while he was still asleep.

The morning sunlight was streaming in, and I didn't feel like getting out of bed. Since it was the weekend, I decided to relax and stay in bed a bit longer.

I was planning to wait until Hanna knocked on the door to wake Marco, but the vibration of my phone on the bedside table woke him up.

"What's going on?" Marco mumbled, still half-asleep, but he kissed the corner of my mouth first. "Elena?"

It took me a moment to realize Marco was calling me. After responding, I saw his sleepy but worried eyes.

"I'm fine! Don't worry, Marco." I took a deep breath and smiled. "Sorry, I need to answer my mom's call. I'll be back soon."

Marco kissed the corner of my mouth again.

I reassured him, signaling for him to let go of my waist. Then, to avoid disturbing him, I put on a robe and walked out into the hallway.

I had a feeling this call from my mom, Isabella, wouldn't be as smooth as the one from Sofia last night.

Because ever since I started school, neither of my parents had called to inquire about my situation.

To alleviate the tension, I made efforts such as sharing interesting stories from school, expressing concern for their well-being, and even sending gifts.

But none of my actions received any response. It was as if they had forgotten they had a daughter.

I felt a headache coming on. Sofia seemed to have thought of turning to Isabella for help after she couldn't reach me.

I felt ridiculous, gripping my phone tightly.

I could maintain a composed attitude and mock Sofia for everything she had done to me, but I found it hard to react the same way when it came to my parents.

I had to admit, I had always been overly lenient with my family's attitude toward me.

My longing for family was ingrained in my bones, especially after my foster mother passed away and my foster father turned out to be a gambling addict who didn't hesitate to sell his daughter.

People always craved what they lacked the most. That was how I felt about the Garcia family.

So when my family chose to side with Sofia, I felt both pain and injustice.

Despite my pain and sense of injustice, my yearning for family led me to defend my parents, convinced that they were simply unaware of Sofia's true nature.

I answered the call from Isabella.

As soon as the call connected, Isabella started yelling at me, "Get back to the Garcia Manor! You disgraceful, shameful wretch! I can't believe we sent you to school to get an education, and you and those despicable people did this to your sister! You accused your sister of being a seductress and made her friends misunderstand her!"

Isabella was furious, breathing heavily and speaking rapidly, giving me no chance to speak. "Seeing you dressed like a prostitute in that chaotic place in Chicago, I should have known what kind of lowlife you'd become growing up in that environment! It's all my fault for being too soft-hearted, making innocent Sofia suffer the consequences of bringing you back!"

"If I had known your true nature, I wouldn't have softened and taken you back!" Isabella scolded me, her voice trembling as if on the verge of tears.

I heard something shatter, and it was probably my heart breaking into pieces.

"Mom, I..." I took a deep breath, trying to explain.

But Isabella became even more hysterical when she heard me call her that. "Don't call me that! You're not my daughter!"

I bit my lip, my strength crumbling at that moment. I felt a great pain enveloping me, making my head spin and my whole body ache. I had to lean against the hallway wall for support, pushing my hair back and holding my forehead.

After taking a moment to calm myself, I began to explain, "Mom, please listen to me first. I don't know what Sofia told you, but I think it's all lies. I didn't intentionally target Sofia, or rather, if I could, I wouldn't want to do anything to her. She was the one who..."

"You want to say your sister targeted you first? Elena, I'm so ashamed of you! You're a liar!" Isabella didn't give me a chance to defend myself. "Get back here, Elena! Come home before your father's birthday party next week, or we won't pay another cent for your tuition! You won't be allowed to stay on campus unless you apologize to Sofia, and make amends!"

Isabella's words started to really get under my skin. The mother I had hoped for didn't match my expectations at all. Maybe she did, but her motherly tenderness wasn't for me. It was like she saw me as an enemy.

I gritted my teeth and made a decision in the face of Isabella's threat. She couldn't threaten me like this. College was important to me, but she couldn't use such despicable means to force me to apologize to someone who bullied me! Especially when I did nothing wrong!

If I was at fault, my only mistake was being too soft-hearted with my family!

I said firmly, "No, I won't apologize to her."

This was the one thing I wouldn't compromise on. If I really apologized to Sofia, all my struggles and efforts would be in vain.

Sofia would still be the glamorous princess, and I would be blamed by everyone.

"You're acting crazy, not listening to me at all, so why should I listen to you?" I asked her in a cold tone. "What did Sofia tell you? Let me guess. She probably said I took out my breakup anger on her and that I caused a rift between her and her friends."

Isabella seemed shocked by my sudden change in attitude, and I finally had time to finish what I was saying.

I questioned her, "Why not ask her if she intentionally misled me by saying that William was the one who saved me? She knew that William deceived me and ended up with me because he liked her and wanted to protect her."

I continued, "While Sofia was making Laura's confession letter public and stirring up drama, I was in the neighborhood you disdain, struggling to survive."

My tears had already fallen, but my tone remained steady. My body and soul felt like they were split into two parts. "Why not fact-check before asking me? If you can't reach Laura, I can help you track down her contact info."

Hanna happened to pass by, and I thought she heard my voice. Her brows furrowed with concern. I shook my head at her, signaling that I was fine, and she thoughtfully left.

Isabella was still arguing stubbornly, "Sofia wouldn't do such things! You're lying! If she did, there must be a reason. Laura misunderstood Sofia because of your instigation!"

Isabella's reaction made me feel ridiculous. It was like she convinced herself and resumed her tough stance.

"Do you think I'll believe you? Elena, you disappoint me! You must be jealous of Sofia because your boyfriend thinks she's better than you!" Isabella sneered, "If you think you can win back your boyfriend with such tactics, you've made the wrong choice."

"Jealous of her?" I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Why would I want to win back a jerk?"

I had enough of talking to Isabella. Her stubbornness made me feel foolish. Before hanging up, I remembered one more thing and said, "Anyway, I will never apologize to Sofia. But I'm touched by your concern for her, and I want to give you a piece of advice."

I spoke sarcastically, "Maybe you should call Albert and confirm his relationship with Sofia and show more concern for her love life. After all, Sofia has never publicly acknowledged having a boyfriend, which could lead to many guys misunderstanding."

"Albert and Sofia? What are you talking about?" Isabella screamed.

"I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to accept that. If she's dating Albert but still flirting with other guys, it shows she's deceiving both Albert and those boys. I don't think you'd be okay with either situation, would you?"

"After all, in your eyes, she's as pure as snow. But who knows how much dirt and grime is hidden in that snow!" I finished my last sentence sarcastically and hung up.