Another family member jumped in, their tone accusatory, "Are you finding this situation amusing?"
Kiera's laughter faded, replaced by a sardonic smile. "Oh, it's just... the irony of it all. The drama, the accusations, the chaos."
Standing there, Kiera exuded superiority as she observed the child hugging Anna. What should have been a heartwarming scene turned bitter as Kiera felt a painful pang in her heart, masked by a smirk.
Her usually warm eyes now gleamed with a cold edge, reflecting her scornful tone.
With a calculated pause, Kiera let her words linger, emphasizing each syllable.
"Wow, someone really spoke the truth—the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," she remarked, her voice dripping with mockery and disdain.
Crossing her arms, she exuded control and amusement, a stark contrast to the genuine affection between Rihana and the child.
Caught off guard by Malia's biting remark, Rihana felt fury rising within her. Her expression shifted from joy to determination, her eyes blazing like wildfire as she turned to face Kiera.
"You..." Rihana began, her voice trembling with suppressed anger, but Kiera's interruption was swift and cutting, not giving Rihana a chance to finish her sentence.
The room buzzed with murmurs and whispered questions, everyone trying to make sense of the sudden shift in atmosphere.
Rihana, still holding onto her child, felt a mix of embarrassment and anger at Malia's reaction. "How dare you laugh at a moment like this?" she exclaimed, frustration and hurt evident in her voice.
Edward intervened, attempting to diffuse the escalating tension. "Let's not make this situation worse," he urged, his eyes flickering between Rihana and Kiera, silently pleading for understanding and calmness.
The family members exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of how to navigate the swirling emotions.
Kiera's voice rang out with defiance and bitterness, her words cutting through the tense air.
"Why shouldn't I laugh at this moment? It's exactly this kind of absurdity that I've endured for so long," she shouted, her gaze fixed on Rihana, her step-sister.
"And what did you say? I came between your marriage?" Kiera's tone was incredulous, a hint of anger creeping into her words. "Let me ask you, Rihana. I was the one who married him first. I was the one he promised to spend his whole life with."
Kiera's voice carried a bitter edge as she pressed on, "Oh, and also what you said about me stealing your father. Tell me, Rihana, did I ever ask him to accept me all these years? Have I ever gone to him or called him father?"
Rihana's anger flared as she stood up, fists clenched and eyes ablaze with rage.
"It was your mother who came between my pare—" she started, accusation and bitterness dripping from her words, but before she could finish, Kiera's voice sliced through the air.
"It was your father who married my mother! It was him who left my mother!" Kiera's voice overflowed with raw emotion, eyes blazing with years of suppressed pain and resentment.
"And maybe you have forgotten, but all these eighteen years, even till my mother's death, she never once asked your father for anything!"
Kiera's voice remained firm, eyes locked onto Anna's with unwavering intensity. "Then tell me, Rihana, what have I ever stolen from you?" Her tone was a challenge, a demand for clarity and truth amidst their heated exchange.
Rihana's expression hardened, jaw clenched as she met Malia's gaze head-on. "You stole my daughter! You stole my family!" Her words cut sharply, echoing the pain of years of feeling overlooked and overshadowed.
Kiera's shock quickly transformed into disbelief and bitter amusement at Rihana's accusations.
"Hah, I never thought the youngest professor, praised by everyone, could be this shameless," Kiera scoffed, sarcasm and incredulity evident in her tone.
"Do you want me to remind you who was the real coward? Who was the one who threw the child on the street to die? And now, suddenly, your motherly love is awakened?" Her words cut, exposing what she saw as hypocrisy and manipulation from Rihana.
Rihana's words sliced through the air like knives, each syllable dripping with bitterness and raw emotion.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Her voice carried the weight of years of hurt and betrayal, hidden beneath her outward disdain.
"After all, what would you say if you saw the child you raised and loved for five years, suddenly abandon you for another woman who claims to be her mother?" Her tone cracked slightly, revealing the deep pain she tried to conceal beneath her facade of indifference.
Unable to contain her rage any longer, Rihana stood up abruptly, eyes burning with a mixture of hatred and defiance.
"Don't go too far, Kiera," she warned, voice trembling with suppressed anger.
Kiera's laughter pierced the tense atmosphere like a jagged blade, harsh and mocking.
"Haha, am I the one going too far? How about looking in the mirror, my dear sister?" Her words dripped with sarcasm, reflecting her frustration and exhaustion with the facade of familial love.
As Kiera's words reverberated in the room, the guests around them couldn't help but turn their attention towards the escalating confrontation.
Among them, Edward felt a burning sensation on his face, a mix of embarrassment and helplessness.
Approaching Kiera with a calm yet commanding tone, he said, "Kiera, we can talk about this later. Let's go home first."
Kiera's expression twisted into a bitter smile at Edward's words.
She felt like laughing at herself, realizing how much she had sacrificed for a man seemingly oblivious to her pain.
"No thanks, Mr. Edward," she replied icily, her voice carrying newfound resolve. "Today will be the end of all this. I will not stay silent anymore."Turning her gaze to Rihana, Kiera's eyes held a mixture of exhaustion and defiance.
"Aren't you tired already, sister? Because I am," she spat out, frustration evident in her words. "You said this person loves me and left you because of me, huh?"
Taking a few steps back, Kiera found herself in front of an unattended gun.
With a swift movement, she picked it up, determination flashing in her eyes.
"Then let's see who he loves more and who he will save first," she declared, her voice chilling.
Her hand trembled slightly as she pointed the gun towards Rihana, anger and desperation in her eyes.
The room fell into stunned silence, tension thick as everyone held their breath, uncertain of what would happen next.
Reacting instinctively, Edward hurriedly positioned himself in front of Rihana, using his body as a shield.
"Kiera, stop this!" he pleaded, urgency and concern evident in his voice as he sought to protect Rihana.