Chapter 191 Bad Mother. Bad Wife.
THIRD PERSON’S POV
Downstairs, the tension that had been building all evening finally broke.
Tasha didn’t bother to hide her anger anymore. She paced back and forth in the living room.
The servants stood at a distance, unsure of what to do. Their eyes kept moving nervously between her and the staircase that led to Ashley’s room.
“This is unacceptable,” Tasha said loudly. “Who does she think she is, dragging a child away like that and making her cry herself to sleep?”
Her tone was filled with anger, but there was something else. She wasn’t just upset; she was making sure everyone knew she was upset.
Franca stood nearby. She tried to keep things from escalating further. She had already seen how fragile the situation upstairs was, and the last thing she wanted was for it to get worse.
“Madam, please lower your voice,” Franca said “The young miss is resting now. It would be better not to disturb her.”
Tasha stopped walking and turned to face Franca.
“Resting?” she repeated with disbelief. “After being treated like that, you call that resting?”
Franca took a small step forward “Miss Sophia was only trying to discipline her. It may have been strict, but it was not out of cruelty.”
Tasha frowned “Discipline? That’s what you call making a child cry until she falls asleep?” She crossed her arms “If that’s discipline, then I don’t want to imagine what you call punishment.”
“Madam, please,” Franca sighed. “This isn’t the time to argue. Let’s just keep things calm for now.”
But Tasha wasn’t interested in calming down. She moved toward the stairs, clearly intending to go up.
“I need to see her,” she said firmly. “I won’t let that woman bully her like this.”
Franca quickly moved in front of her, blocking her path. “You can’t go up right now. The child needs rest.”
Tasha glared at Franca.
Move,” she said.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Franca replied.
For a moment, the two women stared at each other. Neither of them was willing to back down. The servants nearby held their breath, afraid that things might get worse.
Before the situation could escalate further, the sound of a car pulling up outside broke the tension. The headlights lit up the windows, and everyone turned toward the entrance.
The front door opened shortly after, and Damien stepped inside.
He looked tired. His suit was slightly disheveled. He glanced around the room quickly. He sensed the atmosphere immediately.
The servants quickly bowed their heads as they greeted him.
“What’s going on?” he asked
Tasha wasted no time. “You should ask your wife. She just made your daughter cry herself to sleep.”
Damien’s expression changed instantly.
“What?” he said.
Franca stepped forward quickly, trying to explain. “It wasn’t like that, sir. Miss Sophia was only-”
“Where is Ashley?” Damien interrupted.
“She’s upstairs,” Franca replied.
Damien didn’t wait for anything else. He headed toward the stairs immediately.
“Damien, wait,” Sophia’s voice came from behind him.
She had just come down. She had heard everything, and she already knew what was coming.
Damien stopped halfway up the stairs and turned to look at her.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I disciplined her. She skipped school, disrespected others, and threw a tantrum. I couldn’t ignore it.”
Tasha let out a scoff from behind. “You hear that? She calls that discipline.”
Damien’s jaw tightened. He looked back at Sophia.
“We’ll talk about that later,” he said finally. “Right now, I need to take Ashley out.”
Sophia frowned “Take her out? Where?”
“To the hospital,” Damien replied. “Tiffany has a concussion. She’s asking for Ashley. I’m taking her there.”
Sophia stared at him with disbelief clear in her eyes.
“It’s the middle of the night,” she said. “Ashley is asleep. She needs rest.”
“She needs to see Tiffany,” Damien insisted. “Tiffany is injured and asking for her.”
“And Ashley is a child who needs sleep,” Sophia shot back immediately. “You can’t just wake her up and drag her to a hospital at this hour.”
Damien’s patience started to get thin.
“Sophia, this is not up for debate,” he said. “I’m taking her.”
“It is up for debate,” Sophia stepped closer. “Because she’s your daughter, not something you can move around whenever it suits someone else’s needs.”
The tension between them grew quickly.
Damien took a step forward.
“Move,” he said quietly.
“No,” Sophia replied without hesitation.
For a moment, everything seemed to stop. Then, suddenly, Damien reached out and pushed her aside.
It wasn’t a violent shove, but it was enough.
Sophia lost her balance instantly. Her foot slipped against the smooth floor, and before she could steady herself, she fell. Her body hit the ground, and her forehead hit the edge of a nearby table.
For a second, everything blurred.
Sophia felt a sudden wave of dizziness. Her vision started spinning as pain spread across her forehead. She tried to push herself up, but her body didn’t respond immediately.
She winced in pain.
“Sophia!” Damien’s voice changed instantly.
He rushed toward her, reaching out. “I didn’t mean...are you okay?”
Sophia blinked slowly, trying to steady her vision. The room felt tilted, and the light seemed too bright. She pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Don’t touch me,” she said weakly, pulling away from him.
Damien froze for a moment. “Sophia, I—”
“I said don’t touch me,” she repeated.
Damien lowered his hands slowly. His expression was conflicted. For a brief moment, he looked like he wanted to say something more, to fix what had just happened.
But he didn’t. Instead, he turned away.
Without another word, he went upstairs.
Sophia remained on the floor for a moment with her hand still pressed against her forehead. The pain was still there, but it wasn’t as strong as the pain in her chest.
Upstairs, Damien entered Ashley’s room.
She was still asleep. Her face was peaceful now. She was completely unaware of everything that had happened downstairs.
Damien stood there for a moment, watching her.
Then he walked closer.
“Ashley,” he said softly, gently shaking her shoulder. “Wake up.”
She stirred slightly. Her brows furrowed as she slowly opened her eyes. “Daddy...?” she murmured. Her voice sounded sleepy and confused.
“I’m here,” Damien said. “Come on, we’re going somewhere.”
She blinked slowly, still half asleep. “Where...?”
“To see Tiffany,” he replied. “She’s not feeling well. She wants to see you.”
Ashley’s expression turned to one of concern “Tiffany is sick?”
“Yes,” Damien said gently. “Let’s go see her.”
Ashley nodded slowly, still too tired to question it.
He helped her get out of bed and carried her in his arms.
Downstairs, Sophia watched silently as he walked past her without stopping. She didn’t try to stop him again.
The door closed behind them.
-
At the hospital, Tiffany lay in her bed. Her head was lightly bandaged. She looked pale.
When Ashley entered the room, her face lit up instantly.
“Ashley,” Tiffany said softly.
Ashley smiled.
“Aunt Tiffany!” Ashley squealed “Are you okay?”
“I’m better now that you’re here,” Tiffany replied gently.
She reached out, and Ashley moved closer, sitting beside her.
Damien stood at the side, watching them quietly.
“Can she stay with me tonight?” Tiffany asked him.
Damien hesitated for a brief moment, then he nodded.
“Okay,” he said.
And just like that, the decision was made.