Bella and the triplets turned toward the door, staring at Livia as she casually held a plate of cake in her hand.
In the past, even though Livia cared about her children, she had never dared enter their room when Bella was there. Clearly, this was something new.
While Bella and the children stared at Livia in confusion, the woman stopped in her tracks. She looked hesitant when she realized that she had entered the room without thinking.
‘Why did I come in? I’ll only make myself miserable if I draw their attention. No, I can’t let those little demons cling to me. I have to leave now.’
“Oh, I’m sorry. I came into the wrong room. Please continue your conversation.” She turned to leave. However, something slammed hard into the side of her head.
A sharp pain spread from the back of her head. The next second, she realized that her vision had grown slightly blurry and the room around her was spinning.
Crack!
The plate in her hand slipped free and fell straight to the floor, shattering into sharp fragments. It took Livia a long time to steady herself as she reached for the wall. After a while, she held the back of her head and felt warm, sticky liquid on her fingers.
‘Blood?’ Livia furrowed her brows.
“Mom, are you all right? Can you hear me?” Sofia’s frightened, trembling voice brought Livia back to reality. Only then did she realize that all three children were anxiously hugging her legs.
“Move back. You could get hurt.” Ignoring the pain in her head, Livia ushered the children aside, preventing them from getting near the broken plate.
Then her gaze fell on the damaged metal music box on the floor. Seeing the bloodied corner of the music box, she was fairly certain that someone had deliberately thrown it at her head. The triplets couldn’t have done it. And the only person behind her was Bella.
Just as Livia raised her eyes to look at Bella, she met the woman’s malicious grin.
“That’s what happens when you defy me.” Bella looked confident as she approached Livia. Once she stood in front of Livia, she reached out and grabbed her chin. “If you defy me again or even dare open your mouth, I’ll make sure you can’t use your head anymore. Got it?” A vicious glint was clearly visible in her eyes.
Seeing Bella hurt Livia, Sofia immediately moved closer to pull her away from her mother. “Let go of my mom!” However, with her tiny body, she couldn’t even make Bella budge.
Bella roughly released Livia’s chin. Then she bent down and gently patted Sofia’s cheek. She made no attempt to hide her demonic nature as she grinned. The Quincy family residence was equipped with CCTV, but certain rooms and private bedrooms were not monitored. No one would know if she did something bad.
“This is a warning, little girl.” Bella slowly moved her hand, patting Sofia’s collar before yanking it roughly. “I’ll make sure you never see your mother again if you keep misbehaving.”
Sofia had difficulty breathing as her collar tightened around her neck. Seeing her sister struggle, Axel and Colton immediately rushed to help. But Bella shoved them away roughly, sending both of their small bodies crashing to the floor.
“Hahaha! You stupid children! I’m sick to death of you! If I didn’t need you to marry Ethan, I would have gotten rid of you and your useless mother long ago!”
Bella’s insane laughter rang out as she fearlessly lifted Sofia into the air, making the little girl’s face turn red.
“Look! Your mother can’t even take care of herself! Hahaha!”
Bella laughed again as she looked at Livia, who seemed to be struggling to focus her vision and took a step backward.
However, Bella failed to notice that Livia had clenched her fist tightly and was preparing herself.
Before Bella could realize what was happening, Livia lunged at her with incredible speed. Her tightly clenched fist struck Bella’s lower jaw with all her strength. Although her current body was thin and weak, Livia was still highly skilled in deadly striking techniques.
Bella never expected Livia to hit her so hard. As a result, she was caught off guard, lost her balance, and was knocked backward. When her body hit the floor, she felt a piercing pain in her lower jaw and tongue. A moment later, blood began flowing from the corner of her mouth. Livia’s sudden punch had made her bite her tongue.
Livia paid no attention to the shocked woman writhing in pain on the floor. She immediately turned around to help Sofia up. She thought the child might be traumatized by the violence she had witnessed, so she tried to comfort her. Even so, Livia had no idea how to be gentle with children. All she could do was awkwardly pat Sofia’s back.
Unexpectedly, Sofia looked at Livia with eyes full of admiration and said, “Mom, that was an amazing punch! Where did you learn to hit someone like that? Teach me!”
Livia furrowed her brows, thinking she must have misheard. But the excited expression on Sofia’s face didn’t disappear, even after Livia blinked several times.
‘What’s wrong with this child?’ Thinking that, Livia turned to look at the other two children.
Axel and Colton didn’t have fearful expressions on their faces either, even after Bella had shoved them so roughly. That fact led Livia to a conclusion.
‘They only look afraid when Bella threatens their mother’s life. When it comes to them personally, they seem much calmer. What have these children been through? Is that bastard man so blind and stupid that he allowed Bella to stay around his children until they no longer feared her cruelty toward them?’
When she had lived as Blood Shadow, she had been an orphan since the age of three. She knew what it felt like to be afraid when facing terrible things. But as time passed, that fear disappeared, and she became accustomed to them.
“That’s not something you should learn. Get out of here. I’ll clean up this room first.” Livia asked the children to leave.
Sofia still wanted to stay, but Axel and Colton pulled her outside.
After the children left, Livia walked over to Bella, who still looked shocked by what had happened to her.
Bending down, Livia reached out and grabbed Bella’s chin. With a threatening glint in her eyes, she said, “This is the price you pay for making my head bleed. Next time, I’ll break your arms and legs.”
Livia shoved Bella after finishing her sentence. Without waiting for the woman’s response, she turned and walked straight out of the room.
Bella felt pain around her jaw and tongue. What made her even angrier was the fact that Livia had intimidated her again. She didn’t know why, but Livia’s gaze as she spoke had made her entire body freeze.
‘That damn bitch! How dare she do this to me! I can’t accept this! I won’t accept this! Just wait—I’ll tear her to pieces and turn her into dog food!’
Livia went straight to her room after leaving Sofia’s bedroom. Her head was throbbing, and her vision was impaired. She held onto the wall along the way until she finally reached her room.
As soon as she entered, she sat down on the edge of the bed.
‘This body is too weak. I won’t be able to do anything properly with a body like this. I have to train it.’
As she thought this, Livia held the wrist she had used to punch Bella. Because her hand was too thin, it had sprained when she delivered that powerful punch. Besides that, she still had to clean the wound on her head.
Just as she decided to go out and look for a first-aid kit, the bedroom door was pushed open. Three small figures walked in.
Sofia rushed to the bed, pushing herself up before sitting beside Livia.
“Mom, we already asked Mrs. Beki to clean my room after the evil witch left. Don’t worry, no one will find out what happened just now. I don’t think that old witch will dare say anything either.”
At first, Livia had wanted to ask the middle-aged maid to clean Sofia’s room before anyone saw it. She wasn’t afraid; she simply didn’t want to deal with any pointless arguments. However, the little girl had been quicker than she expected. Sofia had even asked a trusted maid to clean the room—that middle-aged maid, Beki.
“We’ll help treat your wound.” As Sofia spoke, Axel had already approached with a first-aid kit in his hands. Behind him, Colton held a small towel.
“I… Mom… here… clean your wound first.” Colton looked shy as he held the small towel out to Livia.
Livia looked at the two boys. Although they were very quiet, she could see the deep concern for her in their eyes.
She took the small towel and said, “Thank you.” For the first time in her life, she smiled gently at someone else.
In an unknown location, an old man with white hair sat in a study. Darkness filled his face as he asked, “Are you sure?”
A man in a black suit answered respectfully, “Yes, Mr. The base was completely destroyed along with everyone inside. Blood Shadow and her team were in the deepest part of the base when it exploded. There’s no way they could have survived.”
The corners of the old man’s lips lifted into a satisfied smile. “Good.” His expression turned serious as he continued, “What about the people from that organization? Also, have you found X004?”
“The person in charge of the organization’s base agreed to cooperate without telling its leader. Since there were no surviving witnesses, the organization’s leader and senior executives considered the explosion an accident. Moreover, because the base’s existence has now been exposed to the world, the organization has made every effort to suppress the news and erase all traces of their connection to the base. I’m sure they won’t pursue the matter. We’ll be safe. However…” The man in the black suit hesitated to continue.
“What is it?”
The man in the black suit swallowed nervously and said, “We lost track of X004.”
The white-haired man narrowed his eyes. After pondering for a while, he said, “If he decides to hide, no one will be able to find him. Leave him be. Just expand your surveillance and remain vigilant. Report immediately once you find any sign of his whereabouts.”
“Yes, Mr.”