Chapter 5

Lavender returned downstairs after calling Sam and her sister. She sat in the living room to wait for them to have dinner.

"Aren't you coming to serve us?" Rael called out.

"Sis, have you forgotten how to serve yourself soup?" Little Sam said.

"What do you know kiddo, just shut up, okay!" Rael said.

"Yes, sis, why would cousin serve us? It's not like she is our servant!" Jane, her younger sister also chimed in. She was fourteen years old and in grade eight. At least for she and her younger brother, they got a chance to attend school.

"Can you fellas just shut up? You know nothing. I'm calling her to serve us so she should just do as I say. After all, she knows the consequences if she dares to defy." Rael said. She scoffed at her younger siblings for being young and understanding nothing.

Lavender did not say anything and went to serve them. All she cared about was how her grandfather will not be able to take his medicine on time.

Rael lifted her spoon smugly to taste the soup, but in the next second, her face immediately changed as she spat out the soup.

"Sis, what is the problem, is the soup too hot for you?" The cheeky Sam asked, looking all mischievous and ready to make fun of her sister.

Rael's eyes had already turned red and her mouth felt hot.

"Water... where is what?" She asked in a muffled voice.

"What is wrong?" Her mom asked, not understanding what was happening to her daughter.

"Water!" Before anyone knew it, Rael's face was covered with tears.

"Ooh sis, you look like you have swallowed a housefly." Sam continued to make fun of her sister. Rael on the other felt like her mouth was on fire, she did not even care about what her younger brother was saying.

Lavender felt like laughing at the ridiculous situation but she was in no mood. She looked on calmly as if what was happening had nothing to do with her.

"What is wrong with the soup? I think mine is just okay!" Jane said after tasting her soup.

"Mine too, I don't see anything weird with it," Sam commented.

Hearing them say that their soup was good without any abnormalities, Rael had a sudden realization.

'Could Lavender have placed chili in her dish as a form of revenge? How could she? Isn't she afraid that her grandfather will die if he is not given his medicine on time?'

Rael stood up at the realization that she had been tricked. Without thinking twice, she took her bowl which was still filled with soup, and flanged it at Lavender, who was not prepared for the sudden attack.

"Bitch, how dare you trick me? Don't you want your keys, I'm not giving them to you." Rael said angrily.

'How dare this bitch play such a prank on her?'

Feeling that pouring the soup on her was not enough, Rael immediately sent her a stinging slap.

Lavender who was disoriented due to the sudden chili in her eyes almost fell due to the slap.

"Today, I will teach you a lesson bi*ch," Rael said as she grabbed Lavender hair.

Lavender could not stand still and allow herself to be bullied and so she started to fight back.

They pulled each other's hair mercilessly. Lavender could not open her eyes due to the chili so she just slapped and pulled Rael at any place that her hands touched.

Sam was dying of laughter while Janet's expression had turned ugly.

Rael was having a hard time dealing with Lavender's blind attacks and now she had a few of her hair pulled out from her scalp.

That is the situation that Jeffrey stumbled upon when he entered the house. He was shocked at the dog fight between the two ladies.

"What is going on here?" He asked, his voice indicating that he was angry.

Hearing her dad's voice, Rael immediately let go of Lavender's hair. Her eyes rimmed red with tears, looking like a child who has been wronged.

"What is the matter?" Jeffrey did not spare her a glance and instead turned to look at his wife.

Janet felt unsettled at her husband's questioning gaze. He had warned them more than once not to bully Lavender because if not for her family, they would not have had a chance to lead such a life.

Janet just scoffed at his words, not taking them to heart. She actually felt that, if not for Lavender's family hindering their development, they would have been far in terms of their living standard. She was a narrow-minded and ungrateful woman who felt like everything should go according to her wishes.

"Do you want me to repeat myself?" Jeffrey asked, his voice turning a little colder.

"It's just a smaller matter, Lavender was told to prepare dinner by Rael, but it seems like she was offended thus she poured chili in Rael's soup so she can get back at her," Janet said vaguely.

"Is that so?" Jeffrey asked. Although in the past he seemed not to care about anything in this family and was always careful in his every action, he knew Lavender's character very well. She was a quiet girl who did not easily get into fights. He could not jump to conclusions so easily. He even felt slightly guilty about how they treated the old man.

"Yes, dad. I only asked her to prepare dinner, if she was unwilling, she would have said so. Why trick me like that? I felt my mouth burning the moment I took the soup. It is still hot even after taking a lot of water." Rael said, acting like a spoiled child. Her mom and her siblings got goosebumps from her acting. With her fake face and disheveled look, she looked very scary.

Jeffrey ignored her and turned to look at Lavender.

"What happened?"

"Uncle, I just came from work not long ago. I just wanted to take a shower and rest since I haven't slept for several nights, I also wanted to give grandfather his medicine, but I couldn't enter my room since the locks had been changed."

"The locks to your room have been changed? Why don't I know about this?" Jeffrey asked.

"Not only my room, but my grandfather’s too," Lavender said.

"And when I asked auntie and cousin what was going on, they told me that I should please them by making them dinner before they can give me the keys. I'm worried that grandfather won't be able to take his medicine on time thud his condition might worsen."

Jeffrey's expression turned even colder. His wife could not help but shiver. She had never forgotten those days when they were still in the village, how her husband will pounce on her and beat her whenever he was angry.

The memories came flooding her moment the moment she saw her husband's expression.

'Had they really gone far with their bullying? And what if her husband found out that they had been taking money from Lavender?' Her body shuddered at the thought, not daring to think about the consequences.

"Janet! Are you out of your mind? You know very well that uncle can't delay taking his medicine, how could you be heartless?" Jeffrey roared. Everyone knew that he was truly angry.

"Give her the keys now."

"But...!" Before Rael could finish her statement, a slap landed on her cheek.

She remained stunned as she never imagined that her father will slap her because of this bitch.

The hatred she had for Lavender intensified.

"Give her the keys right now!" Jeffrey let out another roar.

With her in shambles due to the slap, Rael fumbled to get the keys from where she had hidden them and gave them to Lavender.

Her gaze on her was murderous and she felt like choking her to death right there and then.