Diana descended the stairs and pushed past Ben and Colin, who were standing in front of her, to reach James. "Dad, I need to talk to you," she said.
James looked at her with electric eyes. She was his little daughter, whom he had cherished since she was a child. But she was getting more and more unruly. If she didn't understand her mistake today, he would have to teach her a lesson. However, Diana surprised him. She walked up to him, spoke softly, and said, "Dad, it's all my fault. I'm sorry."
James widened his eyes in disbelief. She didn't argue and even apologized? This unexpected development made him swallow his anger. "Do you really understand your mistake?" he asked.
"Yes, I will personally apologize to the Matthews family," Diana replied. She looked up at James, who had a somewhat weathered face, and couldn't help but shed tears when she thought of her past sins. "Dad, don't worry. I won't make you angry again."
Her eyes turned red, and James, who had been rigid, immediately softened. Diana was his precious baby since childhood, how could he bear to let her be wronged?
"Hmph, at least you understand and know you are wrong!" James's tone was still hard, but his expression was much softer.
Maddie stood aside, looking at the scene of fatherly love and daughterly devotion, feeling extremely jealous. She had been fighting for so many years, but James didn't even let her call him "Dad." Yet, when Diana made a big mistake, a few tears and apologies were enough for James to forgive her. It was unfair!
Maddie walked over and hugged Diana's shoulder. "Diana, stop crying. I feel sorry for you," she said.
As Diana basked in the long-lost love from her father, she suddenly felt repulsed when Maddie approached her. What a performance Maddie was putting on! She silently mocked herself for being deceived in her past life by Maddie and Serena, which had worsened her relationship with her family.
"Mr. Thompson, Diana is young and makes mistakes. Although John's leg might be permanently injured, as long as Diana sincerely apologizes, I believe the Matthews family will forgive her," Maddie said softly.
As soon as John's leg was mentioned, James's face fell. Diana sneered inwardly. These two women were really good at provoking people. In her past life, she had fallen into this trap, and her relationship with her family had deteriorated while she had begun to trust Maddie and Serena more. However, after being reborn, she had become much smarter.
"I will definitely apologize," Diana said, moving her body to avoid Maddie's hand. "And as for the engagement, I will keep my promise."
"What?!" Maddie was even more surprised than James. "Diana, apologizing is one thing, but the engagement is not a joke. You have to think it through!"
James looked at her in confusion. "Are you serious?"
"Of course! I'm very serious!" Diana nodded firmly. "Dad, I've decided. I'm going to marry John Matthews!"
Maddie saw this and her heart sank. John, that towering man, had caught her attention from the very first moment she saw him. That noble man was too good for anyone but her. Especially not Diana, who was foolish.
Maddie grabbed her hand, looking worried. "Diana, what are you talking about? Weren't you afraid of John? Didn't you say you'd rather die than be with him? Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
"Did you really say that?" James was stunned.
"That was just a moment of anger. Why did you take it seriously?" Diana pulled her hand away and looked confused. "Maddie, why do I feel like you don't want me to marry John?"
As Diana spoke, James's gaze shifted to Maddie. She realized that she had lost her composure.
"I didn't mean it that way. I just want you to be happy. After all, you've always liked Luke..." Maddie trailed off, putting her hand over her mouth, looking guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Although she looked remorseful on her face, there was a hint of a cold smile in her heart. She knew that James hated the name Luke. Diana had done many absurd things for Luke, causing a rift between them.
As expected, James's face changed instantly. He sternly said, "Luke? Haven't you caused enough trouble for that useless guy?"
Diana looked at Maddie, her forehead scrunched up in anger. How dare she set her up like this! She turned her gaze and put on a pitiful expression. "Dad, don't be angry. Although Maddie encouraged me to pursue Luke, since he has been ignoring me, I've thought it through, and I don't like him anymore."
Ben couldn't hold back his anger. He rolled up his sleeves and shouted, "Maddie, I knew it! You're the one who encouraged Diana to pursue Luke!"
Maddie was stunned. Diana never used to throw her under the bus, even when things went wrong. Why was she blaming her now?
"I didn't expect Luke to be so ungrateful!" Maddie cried out in panic.
Serena quickly stepped forward and said, "Sir, Diana likes Luke. How can feelings be controlled? Just because Maddie wants Diana to like someone, does that mean she will?"
Maddie was crying, "Yes, Mr. Thompson. I just want Diana to be happy."
Diana, with her big eyes wide open, spoke earnestly, "Yes, Maddie is genuinely trying to help me. She wants me to catch up with Luke, so she taught me how to be a rock girl, dress uniquely, and gave me a lot of advice. Dad, don't misunderstand her!"
Upon hearing this, the three Thompson brothers couldn't help but twitch their eyes. It turns out that Diana's outrageous outfit was actually Maddie's suggestion!
Maddie was in a state of panic. Was Diana really standing up for her or trying to trick her?
"Mr. Thompson, please let me explain, I..."
"That's enough!" James impatiently interrupted her. He turned to Maddie, with a hint of disapproval in his eyes. "You are always so close with Diana, and her ridiculous behavior is partly your fault! You will be grounded for three days, and your allowance for the next three months will be withheld."
Maddie grimaced and felt extremely dissatisfied, but she knew better than to argue. In the Thompson household, she and Serena were still considered outsiders.
"Yes, Mr. Thompson," she muttered under her breath.
Diana smirked at Maddie's misery. Although the punishment was light, it didn't matter. This was just the beginning. Seeing James' anger, Serena had originally planned to speak up for Maddie, but now she wisely kept quiet.
Just then, someone rushed out from the side and grabbed her arm, bursting into tears. "Auntie, you have to help me!" Serena was startled and looked closer. It was her niece, Olivia. What was she doing here?
"Why are you crying? If someone didn't know any better, they would think something terrible had happened to the Thompson family!" James was already annoyed and his temper flared up even more when Olivia rushed over. Olivia was taken aback by his outburst and immediately stopped crying.
"What's going on? Speak properly, why are you crying?"Serena pushed Olivia away, sounding a bit annoyed.
Upon hearing this, Olivia sniffled and said, "Auntie, today Diana... she made someone, made someone..."
"What did she do?"
"She... publicly stripped off my clothes."
James felt a headache coming on when he heard that Diana was causing trouble again. He didn't even need to think before getting angry and saying, "Diana! Do you feel uncomfortable if you don't cause trouble for even one day? You just came back and you're already up to no good again?"
He knew that Diana's attitude just now was so unusual because she had done something wrong again.
"Dad, please calm down. There must be some misunderstanding in the middle!" Ben quickly interjected.
"Enough! I don't know why you're always protecting her no matter what!" James snapped.
Diana was a bit frightened to learn that her father had such a poor impression of her. It seemed that over the years, other than focusing on herself, Serena and Maddie had also brainwashed her father.
"Colin, move aside. I'm going to teach her a lesson today!" James shouted at Colin.
Colin's gaze flickered but he did not move. He said in a deep voice, "Dad, if you must slap someone, then slap me instead. I'll take the punishment for Diana."
"Have you all gone against me?! Do you all think I won't lay a hand on you?!" James glared at his sons, who were standing in front of Diana, and was so angry that his hands were shaking.
Upon seeing the situation, Maddie grabbed Diana's hand and asked insincerely, "Diana, look, Ben and Colin are going to be punished because of you. Say something!" Diana's gaze flickered slightly.
In the past, upon hearing Maddie say something like this, she would have been so angry that she would have argued with her father and made things even more tense between them. But now, she was very clear-headed.
She took a step forward and faced James' angry gaze, saying calmly, "Dad, I can explain this..."
"What is there to explain? Did you or did you not do this?!" James interrupted.
"I did, but..."
"Oh my god, Diana, how could you do something like this? Olivia is a girl, and you've made it difficult for her to live with this in the future!" Diana was cut off mid-sentence by Serena, who suddenly spoke up. Her exaggerated expression and incredulous look were so convincing that she deserved an Oscar.
"You all get out of here! Today, I'm going to teach her a lesson!" James pushed Ben and Colin aside, walked up to Diana, gritted his teeth, and was about to slap her when he saw Diana take a step back.
"How dare you hide from me?!"
"Dad, you haven't even asked me about it. That's not fair!" Diana protested.
"You look like a troublemaker! What else is there to ask?" James replied, his anger rising.
Diana gazed at him, a tinge of sadness on her face. "Dad, you weren't like this before. When Mom was still alive, you would always listen to me and not resort to violence like you just did..."
James's emotions stirred as she mentioned his deceased wife. He paused in his steps and slowly retracted his hand. He sat back down on his chair and spoke in a low voice, "Then explain it to me."
Upon hearing this, Olivia, who was kneeling on the ground, became uneasy. Her gaze flickered and she felt that something was amiss. Wasn't she always irrational and prone to throwing tantrums?