"I didn't mean to strip her clothes off, I just took back what was already mine," Diana glanced at Olivia and said calmly. "But she refused to give it back, so I had to take matters into my own hands."
James looked at Olivia. "So, Diana gave you the clothes?"
"The clothes... yes, they were given to me by Diana. But once you give something away, you can't just take it back," Olivia replied before Diana could speak.
"I haven't said anything yet, and you're already arguing for yourself. When did a servant in the Thompson household have the right to ride on my head?" Diana's words made Olivia's face change. She used the word "servant "!
"I am the daughter of the Thompson family, and she is a servant. When I gave her something, it was my kindness. If I take it back, what's wrong with that? Besides, Olivia took many clothes without my permission. It was already gracious of me not to teach her a lesson, and yet she still wants to bite me!" Diana spoke up and everyone fell silent.
Watching Diana and Olivia play together every day, everyone had almost forgotten that Olivia was just a servant.
"Diana, you can't publicly strip her clothes off like that. It's really inappropriate. You are a member of Thompson family and if this gets out, it will reflect poorly on our family," Serena said gently but with disapproval in her tone.
Diana tilted her head, "But if she just gave me back my clothes, I wouldn't have had to resort to that. She's just a servant and she's dressed more extravagantly than me. She's also pointing fingers in the Thompson household. What would people think of our family if this got out?"
Serena was taken aback by Diana's retort, but quickly regained her composure and said, "Diana has a point. Olivia, if Diana asks for her clothes back, just give them to her. Don't make a big deal out of it."
Diana rolled her eyes at Serena's words. What did Sereba mean by not making a big deal out of it? If that was the case, then Diana was going to make a big deal out of it!
Diana let out a sigh and then looked at James with a pitiful expression. "Dad, you only agreed to let Olivia come to the Thompsons' as a servant because Ms. Stewart said that her niece was hardworking and reliable. But it seems like that's not the case at all... If Ms. Stewart thinks that I'm competing with Olivia and that she's being mistreated as a servant at the Thompsons', then it's better if we just send her back home."
Colin chimed in, "That's right. The Thompsons don't need this one servant. If it's unpleasant, there's no need to force it."
Ben nodded in agreement, "I agree too."
Olivia panicked at the sudden turn of events. She didn't want to go back to that godforsaken place. Even if she had to clean toilets here, it was still better than being back home. "No, no, no, I'm not going back..." Olivia shook her head repeatedly and then grabbed onto Serena. "Auntie, I don't want to go back! I want to stay here!"
Serena was filled with anger. This foolish girl, why is she so stupid? Even more so than Diana!
Serena had a smile on her face as she spoke, "Dear, Olivia is still young and sometimes lacks discretion, but it's not serious enough to kick her out, is it?"
James remained quiet, his gaze falling on Diana. "Diana, this is between you two. How do you want to handle it?"
He wasn't confused; Olivia had clearly forgotten her place as a servant, and while it was understandable to discipline her, it wasn't necessary. Since she had clashed with Diana, it was up to Diana to handle her.
Diana smiled wryly with her hands behind her back as she looked at Olivia on the ground. Olivia was taken aback and quickly knelt before her, panicking, "Diana, I was wrong. I shouldn't have acted without thinking. Please don't kick me out. I really know I was wrong! I'm sorry..."
Diana frowned, "See, you still lack respect. How should you address me?"
"Miss... Miss Thompson."
"That's better!" Diana smiled and then showed a magnanimous expression, "Since you have admitted your mistake, I am not an unreasonable person. From now on, you will be under Ms. Taylor's management. Learn the rules well and if there's a next time..."
Diana stopped speaking, but her gloomy gaze made Olivia unable to meet her eyes.
"Yes, yes, I'll be sure to listen carefully!" Olivia nodded repeatedly.
"Alright, you can go now. Change into your black servant uniform and do your job properly." Upon hearing this, not only Olivia but also Serena's expression changed.
The Thompson household's servants were divided into three levels. Mr. Cooper and Ms. Taylor, who had served for many years, had custom-made uniforms. The servants in charge of the villa wore dark blue uniforms. The black uniform was for the lowest-ranking servants who were usually responsible for the kitchen and toilets outside the main house. Diana meant that Olivia was now the lowest-ranking servant in the Thompson family!
Although Diana had dealt with Olivia, Serena felt as though she had been slapped in the face. Her fingers that had been placed in her sleeve gradually tightened, and a trace of unwillingness flashed in her eyes. She had been the mistress of the Thompson family for four years, but James had always been indifferent to her. And now, Diana's words seemed more useful for managing the affairs of the Thompson household than her own!
However... Serena's gaze fell on Diana's face, and a great sense of confusion swept over her. Ever since returning from the hospital, Diana seemed like a completely different person. She used to be the one who listened to Serena and Maddie the most.
After dealing with the matter, James spoke to Diana privately about the Matthews family situation. Once he was sure that she wasn't acting on impulse and truly wanted to marry John Matthews, he finally felt at ease. As Diana left, she was immediately stopped by Ben.
Ben and Colin were waiting anxiously for her outside the door. "Diana, are you okay? Did Dad scold you?" Ben asked worriedly. Colin furrowed his brow and added, "Don't be afraid of the Matthews family situation. We'll face it together with you."
Feeling both helpless and touched by her two brothers' concern, Diana reached out and took hold of their arms, one on each side. "Dad didn't scold me, don't worry. I'll resolve the Matthews family matter. I'm not a child anymore!" she reassured them.
"In our eyes, you will always be a child," Colin affectionately touched her nose.
"Hmph, you're only one year older than me, and that's just because you're my brother," Diana retorted. Colin rarely spoke so much. In her memories, it had been a long time since they had spoken so happily.
"By the way, I want to go buy some clothes tomorrow. I'll go ask Dad for some pocket money."
Tomorrow, she was planning to meet John and wanted to dress up nicely. Although Olivia had returned her clothes, she didn't want to wear anything that Olivia had worn before. She planned to donate them to a charity instead.
Diana was about to go and find her dad, but Ben grabbed her arm. "Dad is still angry, don't go looking for him," he said.
"But the money..." Diana frowned.
As a student, she had no source of income. She used to receive a substantial allowance every month, but James had started limiting her expenses due to her increasingly reckless behavior. Now she was completely broke.
Ben was a trainee at a film company, and Colin was also a student, so they didn't have much money either.
"Hey, girl, look what I've got!" Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny card, waving it in front of her.
"A gold card?! Ben, how did you get this!" Diana was shocked and delighted.
"Andrew gave it to me before he left today and said if you need money, just use this card," Diana explained to her two older brothers.
"Oh right, how could she forget. Andrew has his own company and he's quite wealthy," she thought to herself.
"If it's not enough, Ben and I have saved up some allowance money that we can give you," Colin added.
"It's enough, more than enough!" Diana exclaimed as she held the gold card in her hand and hugged her two brothers tightly.
She couldn't help but think about how much of a jerk she was in her past life, rejecting her loving family and accepting evil people as her own. Colin also suffered a terrible fate in his previous life because of her. He had to give up his dreams and marry a rich girl he didn't even like just to fulfill his promise to Serena.
Diana felt a deep sense of regret for ruining their lives.
Just as she was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly saw the person she least wanted to see.
Maddie stood in the hallway, wearing a light pink dress and looking elegant. The dress was a gift from Andrew to Diana on her birthday, but she had later given it to Maddie. When she saw Diana, a look of concern crossed Maddie's face. "Diana, are you okay? I'm worried you might have a conflict with Mr. Thompson."
She walked over, intending to take Diana's hand, but noticed that she was holding onto Ben and Colin with both hands. Maddie withdrew her own hand.
Ignoring Maddie's hesitation, Diana said, "I'm fine. My dad forgave me."
"Really? That's great!" Maddie put on a happy face before adding, "Diana, I need to talk to you about something. Can we talk in private?"
Ben didn't look pleased at the prospect of Diana being alone with Maddie. He worried she might come up with something bad again.
Diana had finally returned to her normal self, and Ben didn't want her to revert back to her rebellious and unruly ways. "You can say anything you want to say here," he said.
Maddie hesitated, "Ben, there are some things that are better left unsaid in front of everyone else, especially between girls." Ben was slightly annoyed by her words, but he held back his frustration, considering Diana's affectionate behavior towards Maddie.
Maddie waved towards Diana, "Come over here, Diana." In the past, every time Maddie beckoned, Diana would come running over like an excited puppy. This time, however, Diana pouted and looked at Ben and Colin, "I finally get to spend time with my brothers, and I have so much to catch up with you guys about!"
Maddie's actions froze as she heard Diana's words. She had sensed that something was off with Diana during the day, and now her suspicions had grown even stronger.
However, the next moment, Diana let go of Ben and Colin and said, "But Maddie is also important. I'll go find her first!"
"Okay, then we'll go back to our room and rest early," Colin nodded towards Ben and pulled him along.
Maddie happily took Diana's hand and felt relieved. It seemed that she was overthinking things. As she looked at the faint smile on Maddie's lips, Diana turned her head and a cold glare flashed in her eyes. In her past life, Maddie played both sides and made a fool out of her. This life, Diana will make her taste what it feels like to be manipulated!