Bella smiled gently as she led Emma back to the dining table. In the process, Livia's arrogant expression and challenging gaze remained etched in her mind, distracting her so completely that she failed to watch where she was going and tripped over her own feet. As a result, she fell and landed with her entire weight on Emma.
The next second, a loud thud rang out, followed by a painful scream.
Emma was pinned beneath Bella, her face flushing as she tried to push Bella off her.
Startled by what had happened, Bella hurriedly braced herself to get up, but her palm accidentally pressed down on Emma's face.
"Bella! Watch where you're going!"
"A... Aunt Emma. I'm... I'm sorry."
While Bella and Emma were still struggling to get up from the floor, Livia smiled mockingly from the middle of the staircase.
'Useless.'
At Quinton Corporation, inside the CEO's office, Ethan looked serious as he used his fingers to turn through the documents spread out before him.
With his flawless features, any woman would be captivated just by watching him sit there in silence. On top of that, he was the primary heir to Quinton Corporation and the next head of the Quincy family, so countless women were willing to kneel at his feet. Even so, no woman had ever managed to break through the invisible wall of ice surrounding Ethan. The man was always cold and indifferent, even toward his own wife.
Right then, a knock on the door disrupted Ethan's concentration.
After receiving Ethan's permission, James opened the door and entered the room.
"Mr. Ethan, I've escorted Ms. Livia back to the Quincy family residence," James reported.
At first, Ethan merely responded with a slight nod, so James prepared to report something else. But he swallowed his words when Ethan suddenly looked away from the documents and spoke.
"Did you speak with Dr. Dale? Has Livia's condition really improved? Also, is her ability to speak permanent? She won't become mute again, will she?"
Seeing the curiosity on Ethan's face, a faint smile appeared on James's lips. He had worked for Ethan for years. Others might not know this, but as Ethan's personal assistant, who was always by his side, James knew that Ethan cared deeply about his wife, Livia.
It was just that the man was too proud to show it openly. In the end, people concluded that Ethan disliked Livia—or even hated her. That concern was also why Ethan had not immediately taken action against Livia, despite all the evidence implicating her as a traitor to the Quincy family.
"Ms. Livia's condition is much better. The doctor said he didn't find anything wrong during the second examination. He said Ms. Livia will most likely be able to keep speaking. That said, her body hasn't fully recovered yet, but Ms. Livia refused to continue treatment at the hospital and insisted on returning to the Quincy family residence."
Ethan nodded in response. Even so, he was still troubled by the change in Livia's attitude. He wanted to say something about it to James, but his assistant had already begun reporting something else.
"Mr. Ethan, we've found a digital trail in the confidential data file from Quinton Corporation. Our team of experts is investigating further to trace it. We may have good news tomorrow. Also..."
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"
"We noticed something unusual. The CCTV footage being used as evidence against Ms. Livia appears to have been tampered with. Approximately twenty seconds were cut from the recording. Not only that, but the team identified a gap that seems to have been deliberately left by the culprit. If our guess is correct, the person holding Quinton Corporation's confidential data will contact us to negotiate."
Ethan's eyes narrowed further as a dangerous glint flashed across them. He had always known that Livia would never betray the Quincy family. That was why he had not immediately punished her, even though everyone had pointed the finger at her.
"Once the team gets the results of their investigation, don't make a move yet. We'll play along with that person. That way, we'll find out everyone who's involved."
James understood what Ethan meant. If they could lure out the culprit, that person might lead them to all the other traitors involved. They were certain that whoever currently possessed Quinton Corporation's confidential data was an outsider without access to the president's office.
Only certain people could enter the president's office. Since the recording had been tampered with, it was possible that Livia wasn't the culprit. In other words, someone else with access to the president's office had betrayed them.
"Yes, Mr. Ethan."
James then turned to leave the room, but Ethan's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"What about the CCTV footage? Can you restore it?"
James turned back to face Ethan. Hesitation appeared on his face as he answered, "About that... It seems we'll need more time. The culprit appears to have advanced IT skills. There's a complicated sequence we need to solve before we can recover the footage in its entirety."
Ethan raised one eyebrow. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Send it to me. I'll give it a try."
That afternoon, at the Quincy family residence, Livia walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of cookies. She had just started toward the TV room when the sound of hurried footsteps came from the entrance.
She turned around and saw three children with blank expressions entering the house, followed by a servant. None of them appeared interested in anything. However, when the three of them saw Livia, she noticed their expressions change slightly. A faint trace of joy appeared in their eyes.
"Oh, children. You're back? Come here. Auntie will help you change your clothes." Bella's voice rang out from the staircase, and the joy in the children's eyes vanished in the blink of an eye.
Bella walked over to the three children and stood behind them before telling them to go upstairs to their rooms. As she did so, Bella glanced at Livia, a victorious expression plainly visible on her face.
Even so, Livia wasn't bothered. She figured she would let Bella deal with the children. Besides, she didn't want to get caught up in a troublesome situation with three little creatures.
With that, Livia walked straight toward the TV room, leaving Bella confused.
'What's wrong with her? Why doesn't she seem to care?'
Bella enjoyed seeing Livia suffer. Hurting Livia's feelings gave her a sense of satisfaction. She had always managed to make Livia feel even worse by showing her that the children were more obedient to and closer to Bella. But now, Livia seemed completely indifferent.
Chewing on a cookie, Livia reached the TV room. She had intended to relax that afternoon, but Emma's presence made that intention evaporate. She knew that if she stayed there, Emma would definitely cause another scene with her.
Just as Livia was about to turn around and go to her room, the news anchor's voice on the television stopped her.
"Breaking news! The cause of the rising sea levels that led to flooding in Aglandur has been discovered. It was caused by a massive ice island south of Aglandur exploding. The exact cause remains unknown. However, the investigative team found fragments of a building. Many people have begun spreading rumors that the ice island concealed a secret headquarters. Even so, there has been no clear confirmation of that..."
As the news anchor continued reporting the details, Livia stared at the TV screen, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
'I'll settle the score with all of you.'
"Is there nothing else they can show? Why is every channel reporting that story? Useless!" Emma grumbled as she pressed the remote to change the channel.
She finally laughed when she found a channel airing a gossip show. But then she sensed someone else nearby and turned around to look. Sure enough, she saw Livia standing not far from where she was sitting.
"No wonder the air in this room feels so stuffy. It turns out a useless traitor is standing here." Emma was about to chase Livia away when she noticed the plate of cookies in Livia's hands.
'Oh, I knew it. A useless girl like her wouldn't have the nerve to defy me. She must be here to apologize.'
"What are you doing standing there? Do you think I'll just forgive you? Hurry up, bring those cookies over here and massage my feet."
Although Emma was annoyed with Livia, she still intended to take advantage of the foolish girl for her own benefit.
Livia snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Emma's irritating voice. Without any intention of responding, she turned around to leave.
"Hey, stupid girl! Didn't you want to apologize? Where do you think you're go—" Emma couldn't finish her sentence because a large piece of cookie had already stuffed her mouth, stopping her from speaking.
"Next time, I'll make you eat my slippers." After accurately tossing the cookie into Emma's mouth, Livia hurried up the stairs.
She left Emma behind with a face flushed with rage.
Upstairs, Livia walked down the hallway toward her room. Her room was in the farthest corner, so she had to pass several others before reaching it. When she passed Sofia's room, she saw that the little girl's door was slightly ajar. Through the gap, she could also see Bella and the two little boys inside.
Livia didn't want anything to do with the children, but what she heard from inside still made her approach the door.
"Listen to me. Now that your mother has left the hospital and regained her ability to speak, I won't guarantee she'll stay healthy if you don't behave. Your mother is such a coward and an idiot. It won't be difficult to hurt her. Do you hear me?"
Bella stood in front of the three children. The threatening tone in her voice made all three of them nod helplessly.
Hearing and seeing this from outside, Livia felt something she couldn't explain. 'So that's how she keeps Livia away from her children? The children care deeply about their mother, so Bella is using Livia's safety to threaten them into obeying her. Livia is mute and extremely timid. She can't even protect herself, let alone protect her children. That's why the children have no choice but to distance themselves from their mother. Hah! What a cunning woman. She even crushes the children's minds to achieve her goal.'
Thinking this, Livia unconsciously gripped the doorknob and pushed the door open.