"What did you say?" Rhea Vale asked through gritted teeth.
"Ah, I said that your parents wanted you to come and visit. Unfortunately, I scolded them and chased them away," Bella Evans said triumphantly. She was relishing what she was saying. Earlier, she had not been very polite, but she also had not actually chased them away.
Rhea Vale kicked Bella Evans in the stomach. Everyone was stunned. Bella fell to the ground. The servants quickly went forward—one held Rhea back, another helped Bella up, and another rushed to inform the men of the house.
Everyone in the Ashford family knew one thing—the two young ladies of the Ashford family were not on good terms. They would quarrel almost immediately when they met. However, no one expected that they would actually fight this time.
Rhea pushed away the servant blocking her and lunged at Bella. Bella clawed at Rhea like a madwoman, but Rhea's mind was only filled with what Bella had just said. The two of them fought fiercely.
Rhea thought she could endure being mistreated. For the sake of the family's business, she had married a man she did not even know. Not only was she living a miserable life, but now her parents were also suffering because of it.
Her eyes reddened, and she pinned Bella down on the ground once again.
Old Master Ashford was the first to hear the commotion. He immediately rushed over, and when he saw the two fighting, he ordered the servants to separate them. But the servants hesitated, not daring to get involved.
Just then, Riven Ashford and Travis Ashford walked in at the same time, having also heard the commotion. When they saw Rhea push Bella to the ground, they hurried over.
Riven was once again shocked by his little wife's explosive strength. He had known she had a sharp tongue, but she was clearly ruthless too. Without hesitation, he ran over and lifted his wife off Bella, who was still struggling to fight. Meanwhile, Travis Ashford quickly helped his wife up from the floor, his face full of worry. "Bella, are you okay?"
Riven felt the girl in his arms trembling, and soon, her boiling hot tears fell onto the back of his hand.
Old Master Ashford roared, "This is crazy! They're all f*cking crazy!" He was furious. Everyone knew that someone was going to suffer.
Bella's confidant immediately spoke up. "Master, it was the second young madam who hit the first young madam first. We all saw it. We can testify."
Rhea Vale broke free from Riven Ashford's grip and glared at him. "This is what you wanted to see, right?"
...
"Old Master Ashford, I won't let the matter of my parents being mistreated today go to waste," Rhea Vale said to Old Master Ashford. She did not even call him father anymore. Instead, she addressed him formally, which made him slightly unhappy.
Rhea walked toward the ruined gifts on the ground. Some of the boxes had been damaged by Bella. With tears in her eyes, she picked up a few and carried them upstairs to her bedroom. Seeing that something was wrong, Riven Ashford immediately followed her upstairs.
Although Old Master Ashford was furious, he could tell something wasn't right. He pointed at the scattered gifts and asked the butler, "What happened?"
The butler glanced at Bella Evans before replying, "Today, Mr. and Mrs. Vale missed the second young master's wife, so they came to visit. It was the first young master's wife who received them." The butler was a smart man. Although he could guess what had happened, he only stated what he knew for sure.
Old Master Ashford looked at Bella, who was still recovering from the fight. "What did you do?"
Bella saw the anger in her father-in-law's eyes and felt a little afraid. Ever since Rhea Vale entered the house, the Ashford family had not been peaceful.
Meanwhile, Rhea had returned to her bedroom. She carefully wiped the gifts her parents had brought and placed them in the corner. Riven Ashford followed her inside and asked, "What happened between you and Bella?"
Rhea ignored Riven and went into the bathroom to wash her face. She only came out ten minutes later. During this time, Riven sat quietly on the sofa, waiting for her. But when she continued ignoring him, he got up and left.
Downstairs, Riven called over the maid who had spoken first—the one who had immediately reported that Rhea had hit Bella the moment Old Master Ashford arrived.
Riven looked down at the nervous maid and asked in a cold voice, "Who attacked first?"
"It really was the second young madam who attacked first. Young master, many people saw it just now. It was indeed the second young madam who attacked the first young madam," the maid replied nervously.
The servants of the Ashford family feared Riven Ashford. Although he was not home most of the time, they all understood his temper well. He was cold and ruthless. He could even defy Old Master Ashford if he wanted to. No one dared to provoke him.