Chapter 38: Punishment

Colin didn't reply, he just looked at him with a compassionate gaze as if he was dealing with someone who lacked intelligence.

"Alright, let's go home." Suddenly, Andrew stepped on the gas pedal, and the car zoomed out.

Ben banged his head against the front seat. "Damn it! Andrew, you did that on purpose!"

Andrew replied, "How did you figure that out with your intelligence?"

"What do you mean by that?!" Ben retorted.

When DIana and her three brothers returned home, James Thompson had already come back early with Stewart's mother and daughter. As soon as Diana stepped into the living room with her three brothers, she felt that something was unusual. James sat in the chair in the living room with a serious expression, and Serena stood beside him, rubbing her hands with worry. Maddie was standing in front of James, trembling and dared not speak.

Oh no, this is not the best timing. Looking at the scene in front of her, Diana smacked her lips, feeling unusually familiar. This scene used to happen frequently, but it was her who was being trained, and Maddie was the one watching for fun.

"Diana, you finally came back." Maddie turned around and saw Diana at the door, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief. She walked over and took Diana's hand. "Diana, Mr. Thompson is questioning me, please come and help me explain..."

Diana frowned. Every time something happened before, she would take the responsibility. Is Maddie using her as a scapegoat now?

"What should I say to help you?" Diana blinked her big eyes and looked confused.

"It's about Luke." Maddie looked at her with hopeful eyes, hoping that Diana could understand her.

"Oh, Luke, the one you invited in, right? Did you make an appointment with him, Maddie?" Diana hit the nail on the head, and Maddie was almost furious with her.

"Maddie, you're really disappointing me!" James was angry, "On such an important day, you actually hung out with Luke?!"

"No! Mr. Thompson, I didn't hang out with Luke... I... I drank too much, and he said he wanted to come in to congratulate you, Diana, and I agreed. I didn't expect..." Maddie gritted her teeth and could only admit it. If she didn't admit it, and if the Matthews and Thompson families investigated further and found something they shouldn't have found, it would be over.

"Don't you know how much John hates Luke? And you still let him in?" Andrew said coldly.

"That's right, do you want to ruin Diana's engagement party?" Ben crossed his arms and added a sentence casually, inadvertently revealing the truth.

Maddie was drenched in cold sweat. "Mr. Thompson, no, it's not like that! Luke wanted to come over himself. I thought... I thought he was the person Diana truly loved, and I wanted her to be with the person she liked..." she explained hastily.

"Yes, sir. Maddie had good intentions, but it ended up being a mistake. She was just trying to help Diana, but she ended up being taken advantage of by him," Serena chimed in, looking sad.

"Good intentions that went wrong? She's got some nerve saying that," Diana thought to herself.

"Thank goodness John believed me. It could have been a disaster. I told Maddie I didn't like Luke anymore, so why didn't she believe me?" Diana added, immediately.

Upon hearing this, James' face darkened. "Trying to help Diana? I bet she's been egging her on behind the scenes as well! She has an undeniable responsibility for Diana's previous obsession with Luke!" he exclaimed, his anger growing.

"Exactly, Dad, you're absolutely right!" Diana thought to herself and silently gave her father a mental thumbs up.

James' face was now filled with rage. He was relieved that tonight's engagement party wasn't completely ruined, but if anything had gone wrong, he shuddered to think of the consequences.

"Andrew, go get the mop and broom! Maddie, you must clean all the rooms in the villa today, or you won't be allowed to sleep!" James Thompson commanded.

Maddie was shocked. All the rooms? She had seen this scenario before, when Diana was being punished. Mr. Tompson forced Diana to clean all the rooms alone, and he would supervise her until the job was done. But Maddie was not like that Diana, she would be exhausted!

"I, I didn't do anything wrong! Diana, quickly explain it to Mr. Tompson!" Maddie panicked and looked at Diana for help.

Diana made a helpless expression. "Uh, Dad, why don't we just forget it? There are so many rooms in this villa, and Maddie definitely can't clean them all."

Before Diana could finish her sentence, Ben got angry. "Why did you have to be punished when you made mistakes before, but she can't be punished now? Dad, Maddie deserves to be punished!"

James also thought it was unfair, so he agreed with Ben. Andrew had already brought the mop and broom.

"Maddie..." Maddie subconsciously looked at Diana and begged her to help her, like she used to do before.

"Diana..." Diana squatted down and approached Maddie, showing a hint of concern on her face. "Cleaning all the rooms is very tiring, and you definitely can't handle it..."

Yes! Maddie's eyes lit up. Then she heard Diana say, "So, when you clean, you should hold your hands like this, it's more energy-efficient..."

What the hell!? Maddie was angry. She didn't want her to come up with some lame ideas! But at this moment, James had walked up to her. Maddie bit her lip and trembled, "Is it... is it true?"

"It's true!" Of course, it was a lie! Diana finished speaking and immediately stepped aside, holding her arms and preparing to watch the show.

"Take it!" James walked up to Maddie and said sternly. Maddie bit her lip, slightly trembling as she took the cleaning tools.

And so Maddie began cleaning the room, with the other members of the Thomson family trailing behind her. James was there to supervise her and ensure she didn't slack off, while Serena was simply worried about her daughter. However, she didn't dare plead for mercy, knowing that it would only make things worse. Diana and her three brothers were there just for the entertainment value.

After what seemed like an eternity, the sky had grown dark, and except for a short break that James had allowed Maddie after dinner, she had been cleaning under his watchful eye the whole time. Her hands had turned red and sore from gripping the broom and mop.

Diana stood by, pouting and craving for watermelon and a soda. Sore palms? Ha! Maddie, this is just the beginning!

Ben stood nearby and muttered, "Serves her right for not being honest."

Diana was confused. She didn't like Maddie because of the extra work she had created, but why did her three brothers hate her so much? She couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you guys like Maddie?"

"Um..." the three of them hesitated and looked at each other. Was Diana setting them up? Whenever they had said something negative about Maddie before, she had treated them like enemies. Although Diana was different now, who knows what she was thinking?

"I don't like the way she looks at people. She seems to be hiding too much behind her eyes," Colin whispered.

Andrew, seeing that his little sister wasn't getting angry, nodded in agreement. "I agree with Colin."

As expected, her brothers had a better understanding of Maddie than she did. Diana felt a bit regretful that she had been so blind before her rebirth.

Ben looked bewildered. "What are you guys talking about? What's hiding behind her eyes?"

Diana turned to Ben, puzzled. "Don't you agree?"

"I hate her because she stole you from me! I can't stand her!" Ben blurted out.

Diana sighed. Of course, it was Ben. This reason suited his personality perfectly.

A long time had passed, and it was already past bedtime. Maddie had cleaned several rooms and Serena approached Mr. Thompson, saying, "Husband, it's enough now. If Maddie keeps cleaning, her hands will be injured." Serena's eyes turned red as she saw the blood stains on Maddie's palms.

Maddie also sobbed and said, "Mr. Thompson, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time..." James hesitated for a moment as he watched Maddie's remorseful expression, and he couldn't bear to punish her any further.

"I'll let you off this time, but remember it. Since you know you're wrong, go back to your room and reflect on it. You're not allowed to leave until it's time to go to college."

"Yes," Maddie lowered her head, and from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Diana standing beside her, with a hint of resentment in her eyes. Maddie thought it was all her fault. This foolish girl didn't even come up to check on her. Could she have noticed something?

Maddie didn't have time to think much about it, as the pain in her palms was too much. With Serena's company, she slowly climbed the stairs, her face pale. Diana stood downstairs, watching the two figures disappear from view, with a satisfied smile on her face. "Maddie, today is just a small lesson for you. We still have a score to settle!"