Chapter 5 Family Conflicts

Jane noticed this too. She frowned and picked the hair off the necklace. Before she could react, Ivy suddenly pulled her hand back and yanked Jane's head backward.

Caught off balance, Jane fell backward, crying out as she crashed into the cabinet at the back of the classroom. The impact left her seeing stars, her hair a mess - she looked nothing like a proper young lady anymore.

Her eyes burned with anger.

"Ivy, how dare you push me!!"

Ivy crossed her arms, completely ignoring Jane's words.

"You've been wearing this necklace close to your body the whole time. Not just anyone could get their hair caught on it - only someone who actually touched the gemstone would leave hair behind."

"And that's clearly not me, because I have short blonde hair."

"This hair is long, curly, and brown. So tell me, who around you could it be?"

Jane sat on the floor glaring angrily at Ivy, too furious to think it through. But one of her friends suddenly spoke up, "Long, curly, brown hair - that's Charlotte's hair, isn't it?!"

Ivy let out a proud, mocking laugh. "Finally, someone with a working brain."

Then she calmly walked out of the classroom.

Charlotte, who had just been enjoying the drama, immediately panicked. "It wasn't me! I didn't do it!"

Jane angrily got up from where she'd fallen by the cabinet and yelled at Charlotte, "If it wasn't you, then how did your hair get on my gemstone!?"

"Charlotte, you stole my sapphire to make me look bad, didn't you!?"

Though she really disliked Ivy, she wasn't stupid. Charlotte stumbled back a step in fear, frantically pleading, "No, Jane, you've got it wrong. This is all Ivy's doing. Don't let her..."

Before Charlotte could finish, Jane slapped her hard, and her face swelled up instantly—crying and begging didn't help.

After a day of boring and childish classes, Ivy walked home slowly with her backpack.

A shadow had been following her from a distance. Ivy suddenly stopped walking. "If you want to walk with me, come out. Stop following behind me - it's annoying."

Angela was surprised to be called out. She was so far from Ivy - how did she notice?

She jogged up, carefully studying Ivy.

"What do you want to say?"

"Ivy, I feel like you've become a different person. Your speech in the auditorium today was amazing!"

"And the way you dealt with Charlotte when you got back to the classroom - word spread to our class too. How did you suddenly become so brave?"

Both Angela and Ivy were treated very poorly by the Cooper family, which made their personalities very similar. Both at home and at school, they were the type who got bullied.

Ivy lazily carried her backpack, tilting her head back casually. "Before, I just couldn't be bothered to care. I didn't want to stoop to their level."

"Now I've figured it out - if you don't fight back, those people will just bully you more. Only when you make them afraid will they stop picking on you."

Angela, who was half a head shorter than Ivy, turned her head thoughtfully. "I guess that makes sense."

The two had just entered the Cooper family villa and hadn't even taken off their shoes when they heard an angry roar.

"Ivy, how dare you! You actually stole the gemstone from the Lee family's daughter, and after getting caught, you sneakily framed Lottie for it. I'm going to teach you a proper lesson today!"

Elizabeth stood furiously at the door, holding a long whip, with Charlotte standing behind her.

Charlotte had a clear red handprint on her left cheek, and she was sobbing.

"Mom, sister is so sneaky. She stole something and Jane found out, so she got scared and framed me instead."

"Jane wasn't firm enough - she heard Ivy's lies and believed her nonsense."

"Look what happened to me in the end."

"Mom, you have to stand up for me. How could sister treat me like this? I didn't do anything wrong."

Seeing her precious daughter's face so swollen, Elizabeth's anger burned hotter. She glared fiercely at Ivy in the doorway. "Ivy, get over here!! I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

Angela, standing behind Ivy, stepped forward to shield her, saying quietly, "Mrs. Cooper, it's not what you think. Ivy didn't steal anything. In the end, that thing..."

"Shut up! Something that crawled out of a lowly servant's belly - when I'm speaking, is it your place to butt in!?"

"Today, I'll teach you a lesson too."

With that thought, Elizabeth raised the whip and swung it hard at Angela, who stood in front. Angela's face went pale with fear.

In that instant, Ivy caught the whip with one hand, then twisted her wrist and yanked it forward. Elizabeth immediately lost her balance, stumbled forward several steps, and fell hard.

"Mrs. Cooper!! Are you alright!?"

The servants in the house immediately rushed forward to help Elizabeth up. As she stood, Elizabeth pointed angrily at Ivy. "Ivy, I see you're trying to rebel - you actually dare to hit me!!"

"Do you have any respect for me at all? This is the Cooper family - it's not your place to act wild!"

Ivy held the whip in one hand and swung it a couple of times. "Hit you? If I wanted to hit you, your body would be cold several times over by now."

She approached Elizabeth on the ground step by step. A servant tried to stop her, but a single look from Ivy made the servant back away two steps.

She was supposed to be just a stupid country girl - how did she suddenly become so intimidating?

Ivy looked down from above, saying with contempt.

"Why should I respect you?"

"Someone who, for the sake of reputation, abandoned her own biological daughter and let a bastard child..."

Ivy deliberately looked at Charlotte, pointedly emphasizing her words, "Let this bastard Charlotte take her biological daughter's place living in the Cooper family."

"Someone like you who would throw away all dignity for reputation doesn't deserve a second glance from me."

"What!?"

"Ivy, I think you've lost your mind. Do you know what you're saying?"

Having her ugly secret exposed in public, Elizabeth's chest hurt with rage. Suddenly she heard a sharp whistle as a whip cracked hard next to her hand, making her whole body tremble.

How did this timid country girl suddenly become so terrifying?!

Elizabeth's eyes were full of shock and she didn't dare make another sound, just stared trembling at the person before her, her eyes hiding unwilling anger.

Ivy straightened up, rubbing her sore wrist. This body still lacked training - that move just now would have been nothing in the past.

She issued a harsh warning: "Elizabeth, you're not fit to be my mother, Ivy Cooper's mother. From now on, show some respect around me."

"Ivy, do you know who you're talking to!! Mom is the mistress of the Cooper family."

Ivy shot her a sharp look.

"If you two do anything out of line again, watch out - I'll tell Grandpa about this bastard's true identity!"

At these words, both of them immediately shut their mouths.