Return Of The Real Heiress: Secrets And Masks

Seeing Cherise run oll, Morris immediately followed.

Truman and Xenia exchanged glances before standing to leave as well.

"What's going on? Why are they suddenly rushing off?" Mrs. Sirupson asked, clearly puzzled.

The next second, a sharp scream echoed from the Walton residence, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass.

Mary shot up from her seat. "That's Jean's voice!" she exclaimed, alarmed.

The commotion quickly drew the

ention of the guests.

Cherise followed the noise to the bath frantically trying the door handle, only to find it locked.

Morris arrived just behind her, "Let me!" he said quickly.

Cherise stepped aside, and Morris delivered a swift kick, breaking the door open with ease.

Cherise strode into the bathroom.

Inside, an enraged Lydia stood clutching an empty glass bottle. A glass partition in the bathroom lay completely shattered, shards scattered across the floor.

The breaking sound must have come from that partition.

Jean was huddled in the farthest corner of the bathroom, shielding her face with her arm.

Lydia turned her glare on Cherise. "Mind your own business and get out!" she spat.

Before Lydia could say another word, Cherise struck a pressure point, freezing her in place, glass bottle still in hand.

Truman hurried in and addressed Morris. "What's going on?"

Morris gave him a sharp look. "Your trouble," he said curtly, then turned his gaze toward Jean.

Cherise knelt by Jean to assess her injuri

"It's me. It's okay," Cherise said softly.

She noticed Jean's arm was badly damaged, the flesh raw and mangled.

Jean slowly lowered her arm upon hearing Cherise's voice. Shaking her head, her face pale, she muttered, "I'm fine." Thankfully, her face was unscathed, but her arm was in dire need of attention. Truman crouched down, regret evident on his face. "Jean, I'm so sorry. This is my fault," he said heavily.

Cherise sniffed the liquid clinging to Jean's injured arm. Her eyes widened. "Sulfuric acid," she muttered, "and a highly corrosive blend at that."

Turning to Truman and Xenia, she spoke quickly, "Truman, Xenia, I need you to take Jean to Globalision Group immediately. Crow will meet you there.

.

"Her wounds need to be cleaned with a special solution right away. If we don't act fast, the corrosion will spread, and the

consequences

will be severe."

She stood, her tone resolute. "Morris and I will stay here to deal with the Walton family."

She turned back to Jean and said firmly, "Don't worry. We won't let this slide."

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Truman nodded, lifting Jean into his arms. As he passed Lydia, paused, his gaze hard and filled with disdain. "You're the first woman who's ever disgusted me," he said coldly.

"The Simpson family doesn't match the Walton family, and I've always said I don't bully women, but since you've done this, Lydia, I'll make sure you regret it."

With that, he carried Jean out of the bathroom.

The earlier noise had already attracted a growing crowd outside.

As Truman exited, Mrs. Simpson and Mary rushed forward, the faces etched with concern. "Oh my, what happened to Jean?" Mary asked, alarmed at the sight of Jean in Truman's arms. Truman looked at her guiltily. "Mrs. Jarrett, I'm sorry. I'll explain later. Right now, I need to get her wounds treated."

Mary saw Jean's mangled arm and urged him. "Hurry! Don't delay!"

Though she didn't know what had happened, Mary noticed Lydia standing stiffly in the bathroom. A hunch told her it had something to do with the Walton family.

Once Truman and Jean left, the Walton family arrived. Stella looked around uneasily. "What's everyone doing in the bathroom?" she asked. Turning to Lydia, she added, "Weren't you resting? Why are you here?"

She moved toward Lydia and said, "Come on, let me take you to rest. This must have disrupted Morris and Cherise, hasn't it?"

Cora, following closely, barked, "Get her out of there!"

But no matter how much Stella pulled, Lydia remained rooted to the spot.

Her immobility struck Stella as odd. Turning to Cherise, she demanded, "Ms. Leach, was it you? Did you do something to Lydia?"

She then looked at Morris. "Morris, can you tell us what happened?"novelbin

Cora's expression darkened as she entered the bathroom. "Ms. Leach," she said, her voice heavy with displeasure, "did you d something to Lydia? Why would you?" Morris's face was grim, his expression like a storm.

Cherise crossed her arms, leaning against the sink with a casual air. Her voice, however, carried an edge. "What happened? That's something you should ask Ms. Walton." Turning to Lydia, she added coolly, "Ms. Walton, I only pressed a point on your body, not one that affects your speech. You can still talk, so why don't you explain yourself?"

Lydia hesitated, her face contorted with discomfort. Finally, she spoke, "Grandma, Aunt Stella, with all these people here, please help me. I was just chatting with Ms. Jarrett, and then Ms. Leach barged in and did something to me without warnin Now I can't move." She looked at the gathered crowd and continued pitifully, "If I've offended her, please help me explain and smooth things

over."

Her words caused an uproar among the onlookers.

"How could she do that? Is she abusing her connection to Morris and Arthur?"

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"I've heard she's always been arrogant. Guess she finally messed with the wrong people!"

"Wait, I saw Ms. Jarrett run out injured earlier. Maybe there's more to this. Let's see how it unfolds."

The murmurs of the crowd swirled as the tension in the room thickened.