Chapter 189 Respect Goes Both Ways
THIRD PERSON’S POV
The night at Stone Villa didn’t end quietly. What had started as a simple nightmare had turned into something much heavier.
Ashley had woken up fully now. Her small face was red from crying. Her eyes were still wet with tears that refused to stop falling.
Franca stood beside her bed, trying to comfort her, but Ashley’s mood had already shifted into something harder to control.
“I don’t need her!” Ashley suddenly shouted. She pushed the blanket away angrily. “I said I don’t want her! Why did you call her?”
Franca froze for a moment, clearly surprised by the sudden outburst. She didn’t expect this kind of anger from a child who had just been crying for her mother minutes ago.
“Ashley, calm down,” she said gently “You were crying and calling for her. I thought-”
“I wasn’t!” Ashley interrupted quickly. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand “You’re lying! I don’t need her at all!”
Her words were harsh, especially for someone her age. Franca’s expression was filled with concern. She felt helpless. She didn’t know how to respond without making things worse.
Ashley’s breathing grew heavier.
“She’s not my mom!” she added “Why should I care about her?”
Franca was shocked. She knew children could say things out of anger, but hearing it spoken so clearly still felt wrong.
Before Franca could respond, the door suddenly opened.
Tasha walked in. Her expression was calm but observant, as if she had already heard everything from outside. She took in the scene quickly.
Without hesitation, she moved toward Ashley.
“Oh, my poor baby,” Tasha said softly. She sat down beside Ashley and pulled her into a hug. “Why are you so upset like this?”
Ashley didn’t resist. Instead, she leaned into Tasha.
“They’re forcing her on me,” she muttered “I don’t want her.”
Tasha gently stroked Ashley’s hair, soothing her
“Alright, alright,” she said in a low voice. “No one is going to force you to do anything you don’t want.”
Franca frowned. She felt the situation slipping out of her control.
“That’s not what’s happening,” she said carefully. “Ashley was crying for her. I only thought it would help-”
Tasha looked up at her with dark eyes.
“And when she says she doesn’t want her, that should be respected too,” she said firmly.
Franca straightened “I’m only doing what’s best for her. She’s just a child. She doesn’t always understand her own feelings.”
“Exactly,” Tasha snapped. “She’s a child. That means we should be even more careful about how we treat her choices.”
The room fell quiet for a moment. Ashley held on to Tasha slightly, clearly finding comfort in her presence. Franca felt frustrated.
Tasha leaned closer to Ashley again.
“You don’t have to worry,” she whispered. “I’m here, okay?”
Ashley nodded.
Then, without looking away from the child, Tasha spoke again. Her voice was directed at Franca this time.
“And I think it would be better if everyone in this house remembered their place,” she added calmly. “Respect goes both ways.”
The message was clear, even though she didn’t say it directly. Franca understood it immediately, and it didn’t sit well with her. Still, she didn’t argue further.
-
The next morning was filled with tension.
Ashley was quieter now, but she was still upset.
Meanwhile, Sophia was into her morning routine when her phone rang. She frowned when she looked at her screen and saw Damien’s name. For a brief moment, she considered ignoring it, but then she answered.
“Hello?” she said.
“Sophia,” Damien’s voice came through. “I need you to do something.”
She didn’t respond, waiting for him to continue.
“Tiffany is still at the hospital,” he explained. “Her condition needs monitoring, and I’ll be staying with her for a while. I need you to take care of Ashley and handle her school pickups.”
The words were simple, but the meaning behind them made something inside Sophia snap. Her grip on the phone tightened.
“Excuse me?” she said.
Damien paused, as if he hadn’t expected that reaction. “I said I need you to-”
“I heard you,” Sophia cut him off. “I just can’t believe what you’re asking.”
There was silence on the other end.
“She’s your daughter,” Sophia continued “And you’re asking me to take care of her while you stay with another woman?”
“It’s not like that,” Damien said quickly. “Tiffany was injured. She needs someone there.”
“And your daughter doesn’t?” Sophia shot back immediately. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”
Damien let out a quiet breath. “Sophia, don’t make this complicated.”
“I’m not making anything complicated,” she replied firmly. “You are. You’re choosing her over your own child and you expect me to just step in like it’s nothing.”
“That’s not what I’m doing,” Damien insisted.
“It is exactly what you’re doing,” Sophia said coldly. “And I’m not going to be part of it. Find someone else because I’m not doing it.”
Before Damien could respond, she ended the call.
Sophia stood there for a moment. Her hand still gripped the phone tightly. Her chest felt heavy.
She closed her eye, taking a slow breath, but the feeling didn’t go away.
The day passed slowly after that. Sophia tried to focus on her work, but her mind kept drifting back to the conversation. The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her.
By the time work ended, she felt restless.
Without thinking too much, she decided to go to Ashley’s kindergarten.
When she got there, she walked toward the front desk.
“Hello,” she said politely to the teacher. “I’m here for Ashley.”
The teacher looked at her with confusion.
“Ashley?” she repeated.
“Yes,” Sophia nodded.
The teacher hesitated for a moment before speaking. “She didn’t come to school today.”
Sophia blinked. “What do you mean?”
“She was absent,” the teacher explained gently. “We didn’t see her at all today.”
A small knot formed in Sophia’s chest.
“I see...” she said slowly.
The teacher seemed to hesitate again, then added, “If you don’t mind me saying... Ashley has been having some difficulties lately.”
Sophia’s heart started racing with fear. “What kind of difficulties?”
“She tends to be... a bit domineering with the other children,” the teacher sighed. “She doesn’t interact well, and the other kids have started keeping their distance.”
The words hit Sophia harder than she expected. What?
“She doesn’t have any close friends,” the teacher continued softly. “We’ve been trying to help her adjust, but it hasn’t been easy.”
Sophia felt her chest tighten. She hadn’t known. She hadn’t seen this side of Ashley, or maybe she had ignored it.
“Thank you for telling me,” she said quietly.
After leaving the school, Sophia didn’t hesitate. She got into her car and drove straight to Stone Villa.
Her mind was filled with questions, with worry, with something that felt like guilt.
By the time she arrived, her heart was already heavy.
And she knew this conversation would not be easy.
.