Chapter 15 Who Hurt Madelyn?
The cup almost knocked Bella out. She covered her bleeding nose, feeling both pain and rage. She couldn't believe how Alicia, who was always gentle and submissive, had suddenly turned vicious. Bella stared at her bloody fingers, feeling a mix of anger and embarrassment. She let out a frustrated scream and charged toward Alicia, but Doris quickly grabbed her around the waist to stop her.
The commotion caught the attention of the guards, who rushed in and pulled Bella away.
Louis walked in with his assistant, his face dark and brooding. He gave Bella a cold glance before turning to Alicia, who appeared unscathed. His expression softened slightly.
Bella held her bleeding nose and complained to Louis, "Look at her! This is your idea of a perfect woman? She may seem gentle and caring, but she's actually vicious! She threw a cup at me and almost killed me!"
Louis's voice was flat and emotionless as he replied, "Alicia has always been gentle, calm, and non-confrontational. If she hit you, you must have provoked her."
He turned to Alicia and asked in a gentle tone, "What did she do to provoke you?"
Alicia was surprised by Louis's support, considering that Bella was the mother of the woman he loved. She pursed her lips and looked at Doris, gesturing for her to speak.
Doris quickly explained, "Mrs. Martinez was quietly reading a book in bed when Mrs. Monroe barged in and started verbally abusing her. She even tried to physically attack her, but I stopped her. She insulted Mrs. Martinez for a long time, and it was hard to listen to. Mrs. Martinez finally lost her temper and struck back."
Louis's expression suddenly turned cold, and he demanded that Bella apologize to Alicia.
Bella couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Louis, I'm the one who's injured! If anyone should apologize, it's her to me. Look how viciously she attacked me. She must be the one who orchestrated Maddie's attack too."
Louis's tone became stern as he said, "Maddie was hurt, and I understand you're upset. But without any proof, you can't just slander Alicia. Physical harm is hurtful, but so is emotional harm. You insulted Alicia first, and you need to apologize."
Bella was intimidated but couldn't bring herself to apologize and lose face. She straightened her neck and said with a hard scalp, "Louis, your family and ours have been doing business together for years. I hope you'll consider the bigger picture and rethink who should apologize." Her words were full of threats.
Louis looked at her for a second, half-smiling, and picked up his phone to dial a number. "Morris, your stepmother is causing trouble in Alicia's hospital room. Can you send someone to handle it?"
Morris took a moment to think and then replied, "I'm heading to Maddie's hospital room, so I'll be there in a jiffy."
Louis made a noise and hung up on him.
Bella held her nose, which was bleeding like a stuck pig, and was shaking with fury. "Louis, you're not doing your job as Maddie's protector. You're just aiding and abetting Alicia!"
Louis didn't even give her a glance. He lifted his leg, walked over to Alicia's bedside, and sat down, smoothing out her wrinkled collar. He asked in a soft voice, "Are you alright?"
Alicia shook her head.
He touched her hand, "Does it still hurt?"
Alicia replied meekly, "It's OK."
Louis reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, staring into her eyes. In a hushed tone, he asked, "Are you still pissed off?"
Alicia didn't answer, but Louis knew that meant yes.
Louis went on, "You did the right thing today. If someone treats you unfairly, you gotta stand up for yourself."
Alicia raised her eyes and gazed at him with her big, watery eyes, as if to say, You're not being fair to me either. How do I stand up for myself? However, she held her tongue, as they needed to show a united front in front of others.
Watching the two of them exchanging sweet looks, Bella couldn't take it anymore. She really wanted to bolt, but if she did, she'd regret it.
Soon, Morris arrived with some people in tow. After saying hi to Louis, he looked at Bella, who was covered in blood, and then at Alicia. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and he said politely, "Mrs. Martinez, my stepmom was too distraught because of Maddie's hand injury. She lost it emotionally. Please forgive her if she offended you. I'm sorry on her behalf."
He leaned in a little, bowing his head, and said sincerely, "I apologize."
Alicia was a reasonable person, and seeing Morris apologizing so genuinely, she simply said, "It's OK."
Bella snapped, "You can forgive, but I can't! You hit me so hard that my nose is killing me, and I'm gonna have to go through a disability evaluation! And Maddie's hand was probably injured by someone you sent, and I'm gonna sue you for causing harm on purpose!"
Morris scowled and impatiently waved his guys over, "Quick, take her to get her wounds treated."
His men swiftly approached and took Bella away, one on each side.
Morris said to Alicia politely, "Once you're discharged, I'd like to take you and Louis out to for a formal dinner and apologize for my stepmom's behavior."
Alicia couldn't help but look at him longer and say, "Thank you."
She was angry at Madelyn, but for some reason, she couldn't be angry at Morris. She felt he was someone who was resolute, had a strong sense of right and wrong, and was quite cultured.
Louis asked Morris, "Have they caught the person who injured Maddie yet?"
Morris's face darkened a bit. "No. That person is slick, and they managed to evade almost all the security cameras along the way. There were no fingerprints left at the scene. Since it was an underground parking lot, there were too many footprints, and the cops couldn't collect them easily. The only lead they have is a blurry rear shot captured on the surveillance camera, which just so happens to match the time of the incident."
Louis raised an eyebrow. "You brought the photo, right? Lemme take a look."
Morris whipped out an envelope from his coat pocket and handed over a photo to Louis. He scrutinized it intently. The photo was pretty blurry, making it hard to distinguish the details. But Louis could make out a tall man wearing a black windbreaker, a black baseball cap, black gloves, and carrying a hammer. Even though it was just a fuzzy shot of the back, Louis could sense that the person was not some average Joe but had a special air.
Louis thought of someone and held onto the photo. He said to Morris, "Give me this picture. I'll send someone to help track him down."
After Morris took off, Louis requested Doris to leave the room first. When the door shut, an eerie hush fell.
Louis turned to Alicia and said, "Remember Karl? The guy who snatched you away to fix that painting?"
Alicia replied, "Yeah, how can I forget?"
"Well, it was his sister who busted your finger. She loathed you for putting her brother in the slammer and waited for the perfect chance to hit back. I've already evened the score and chopped off her left hand."
Alicia listened in shock, staring down at her own hand in a cast. She couldn't help but feel distressed and thought, what's the point of getting revenge? My finger's already busted, and the chance of recovery is slim.
Louis spoke purposefully, "This has nothing to do with Maddie. You took revenge on the wrong person."
Alicia's heart skipped a beat, and she glared at Louis, her voice quivering, "Are you suggesting that I got someone to ruin Madelyn's hand?"
Louis looked at her for a moment, holding her shoulder and said, "Don't be mad. I don't think it's you. What I mean is, someone's helping you seek revenge secretly, but they targeted the wrong person. Maddie's innocent."
Alicia composed herself and asked, "Then who do you think is helping me secretly?"
Louis handed over the photo and said, "This person."
Alicia examined the photo, trying to decipher who it could be based on just the back view.
Louis looked at her significantly, "Is the person in the photo Chuck?"
Alicia's eyes welled up with tears, and her nose tingled. She clutched the photo with all her might and cried out, "No, it's not him! It could be anyone but him!"