When Mia rushed in, Juliet was huddled in the corner of the sofa, her head drooping lifelessly.
Across from her sat Kyle, her face twisted with anger.
"Juliet!"
Without thinking, Mia dashed over and pulled the little girl into her arms. "Are you alright?"
Her voice trembled uncontrollably. "Are you alright?"
Juliet reached out her small hand and silently grasped Mia's arm. "I'm fine."
"Who are you?"
Kyle glanced at Mia with disdain in her eyes. "The new maid?"
"You look like a seductress. Who are you trying to lure?"
Kyle's words made Mia's lips tighten.
But she didn't want to argue with Kyle right now. She lowered her head and gently lifted Juliet's face. "Let me see."
"No."
The little girl stubbornly kept her head down, not daring to let Mia see.
A bad feeling surged in Mia's heart. She gritted her teeth and lifted Juliet's face despite her resistance.
Sure enough.
A deep, red handprint marred the little girl's fair, delicate face.
The mark was clear, showing the handprint's lines, indicating it was an adult's slap with significant force.
Mia's heart ached so much she almost cried.
"I'm fine."
Juliet whispered to comfort her. "Uncle butler gave me ice. It doesn't hurt anymore."
Juliet's maturity made Mia feel like her heart was being stabbed with sharp objects.
She lifted her head, clenching her fists tightly, and glared at Kyle.
"I hit her."
Kyle crossed her arms, her expression indifferent. "Want to vent your anger on this little brat?"
"Who are you calling a brat?"
Mia's teeth ground together audibly. She set Juliet down and stood up, advancing toward Kyle step by step. "She's just a little girl. How could you hit her?"
"As an adult, bullying a six-year-old girl, don't you have any conscience?"
Kyle snorted coldly, staring at Mia's face. "Being young doesn't mean you can't be hit."
"She deserves it for calling random men her daddy!"
As soon as Kyle finished speaking, Mia stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face.
"Smack!"
The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the living room.
Kyle was knocked onto the sofa, her head buzzing, unable to get up for a while.
Mia bit her lip, staring coldly at Kyle.
She used to care for Kyle the most.
Kyle was her sister, so she gave her everything she could.
Even after marriage, when Kyle struggled to find a good job, she recommended her to work at Michael's company.
As a result, Kyle became Michael's personal secretary and conspired with him to push Mia into a bottomless pit!
Now, Kyle had the nerve to hit her Juliet!
One slap wasn't enough to ease her hatred!
"You dare hit me!?"
Kyle climbed up from the sofa, furiously charging at Mia.
"Do you know I'm Michael's fiancée, the future mistress of this house!"
"Do you still want to stay in this house!?"
"Someone, throw her out!"
The servants watched from afar, not daring to approach.
Cursing under her breath, Kyle lunged at Mia, and the two started fighting.
"Don't fight..."
At that moment, Juliet's tearful voice came from behind.
The little girl got up from the sofa, trying to intervene, but in her haste, she fell onto the carpet.
"Juliet!"
The sound of her daughter falling made Mia panic. She instinctively turned to check on Juliet, giving Kyle the chance to grab her hand—
"Smack!"
Another slap landed, making Mia's head buzz, the taste of blood filling her mouth.
Kyle raised her hand for another slap.
But being pampered all her life, Kyle couldn't match Mia's agility and strength.
Mia quickly turned the tables, pinning Kyle to the ground.
She licked the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "Want another slap?"
Mia raised her hand to strike Kyle again.
Suddenly, her wrist was caught.
It was Michael.
His face was cold. "What are you doing?"
"Michael, your maid dared to hit me!"
Taking advantage of his grip on Mia's hand, Kyle got up and kicked Mia hard in the back. "How dare you touch me! Do you know who you are!"
The sharp toe of Kyle's shoe hit Mia's spine, making her wince in pain.
"Auntie!"
Juliet scrambled up and rushed over, pulling Michael's hand off Mia. "Auntie, are you alright?"
Michael turned, about to say something, but then he noticed Juliet's face.
The clear handprint on the little girl's face stunned him.
He pulled Juliet into his arms, his whole body radiating cold fury. "Who hit you?"
"It was her."
Kyle pouted. "As soon as she came in, she claimed Juliet offended me and slapped her. I couldn't stop her in time."
She crouched down, pretending to reach for Juliet's face. "Does it hurt?"
Juliet glared at her, slapping her hand away, and ran to Mia, clutching her fingers. "Are you alright?"
Mia straightened her aching back. "I'm fine."
Kyle had used all her strength in that kick. Mia had old injuries from a car accident five years ago, and that kick almost made her unable to stand.
Juliet knew this well. She anxiously led Mia to sit on the sofa. "Does it hurt?"
The little girl's concern made Michael frown slightly.
"Kyle, you said she hit Juliet?"
Kyle clenched her fists at her sides.
She hadn't expected this little brat to be so devoted to a maid.
"I'm also puzzled why Juliet would defend her after being hit."
Kyle pursed her lips. "Maybe Juliet thinks if she's nice to the maid and doesn't admit who hit her, she can blame it on me and make you dislike me."
Tears welled up in her eyes. "There were only three of us. Even if I explain, no one will believe me."
Juliet's eyes widened in shock.
"It was you who hit me!"
Having lived abroad, well-protected, she had never seen an adult lie so blatantly.
"You said it, so it must be."
Kyle turned her face away, "I'm not going to argue with a little girl."
Mia narrowed her eyes, coldly watching Kyle.
This woman was even more cunning than she had imagined.
Clearly, Kyle had hit Juliet, but now she was playing the victim, turning black into white!
"Juliet, I'm sorry."
Kyle sniffed, looking extremely aggrieved. "Even though I didn't hit you, if you want me to apologize, I will."
Juliet's big, watery eyes filled with disbelief. "You did hit me!"
"How about this?"
Kyle gently slapped her own face. "You say I hit you, now I've hit myself. We're even."
Wiping her tears, she continued, "Juliet, let's end this. Don't make things difficult for your daddy over such a small matter."
Juliet was so angry she started shaking.
This woman!
She had never encountered someone so deceitful before!
The little girl bit her lip, finally unable to hold back her tears.
"You're a bad person! You're the worst!"
"You hit me and blamed Auntie! You're the worst person!"
Juliet sobbed, her small body trembling.
Being only six years old, she couldn't outwit the cunning Kyle.
Mia bit her lip, hugging Juliet and gently soothing her. "Miss Lawrence, you say I hit Miss Juliet?"
Kyle turned her face away. "I said let's end this. I've apologized and won't pursue it."
"Don't bring it up again, so Juliet won't be sad."
Mia, holding Juliet, smiled faintly. "What if I insist on bringing it up?"
Michael, sitting on the sofa, gave Mia a cold, penetrating look.
Still smiling, Mia released Juliet and took a recorder from her pocket.
Kyle's face turned ashen!
Panic flickered in her eyes as she instinctively lunged to grab the recorder!
Mia calmly dodged, her fingers gripping the recorder as she coolly turned it off. She rewound the recording to just after she had entered the room.
"It was me who hit her."
"Want to vent your anger on this little brat?"
"Being young doesn't mean you can't be hit."
"She deserves it for calling random men her daddy!"
Kyle's cold and arrogant voice echoed clearly from the recorder.
Kyle stood there, her face a chaotic mix of colors—green, red, white, and black.
When the recording finished, Mia calmly put the recorder back in her pocket. "Miss Lawrence, with both witness and evidence, do you still insist that I hit Miss Juliet?"
Then she lowered her head to closely examine the handprint on Juliet's face, her heart aching.
She bit her lip. "This slap was not light; the outline of the hand is very clear."
"Would Miss Lawrence like to compare her hand with the print on Juliet's face?"
Kyle was utterly speechless.
She bit her lip, turning back in panic. "Michael, I..."
Behind her, the tall, cold man still sat elegantly on the sofa.
However, his aura was colder, more oppressive.
Like an ancient glacier, ready to avalanche and swallow everything in its path.
"Mr. Kingsley should now be clear who actually hit Juliet."
Mia took a deep breath, stood up, and hugged the tearful little girl. "Since I'm not responsible, I'll take Miss Juliet to apply some medicine."
With that, she carried Juliet and headed upstairs.
Michael squinted, watching the woman's retreating figure, his eyes deep and unreadable.
"Michael..."
Kyle gritted her teeth. "Actually, I..."
"Juliet is my daughter."
His deep, cold voice was indifferent. "I don't know how she has lived these past six years, but from now on, I will do everything I can to give her a better life."
His dark, unfathomable eyes glanced at Kyle's swollen, red face. "Since the maid hit you back on Juliet's behalf, I won't do anything to you."
Kyle's heart leapt with joy, and she hurriedly moved closer. Before she could speak, his icy voice sounded again:
"But from now on, you need not come to Blue Bay Villa anymore."
Her heart sank to the bottom.
She bit her lip, "But Michael, I'm still your fiancée on the surface. If you don't let me visit..."
"You also know it's just on the surface."
He stood up, his tall, imposing figure turning away from her. "I agreed to be your nominal fiancé out of respect for Mia."
"Now, you have harmed my and Mia's child."
"I think if Mia knew what happened today, she wouldn't allow you to see Juliet again."
With that, he coldly walked upstairs. "Escort her out!"
"Miss Lawrence, please."
Kyle bit her lip, glaring viciously in the direction Mia and Juliet had gone upstairs.