Chapter 22
Andrew said angrily. “Rachel, don’t go too far! Tracy’s just a kid. Why are you saying these things to her?”
“Didn’t you say we should teach kids the right values and behavior early on? Or did you forget your own words? Rachel replied, and Andrew was left speechless.
You witch, you’re the homewrecker. Mommy and Daddy are the real couple here With newfound confidence from Andrew’s backing, Tracy lunged at Rachel, pounding on her over and over. Yedda, standing off to the side, pretended not to notice, clearly waiting to enjoy Rachel’s embarrassment.
Rachel was never one to be patient, especially not with Tracy’s unreasonable behavior. She grabbed Tracy’s hands firmly and said, “Hitting people won’t make you a good kid”
“Let go of me, you wicked woman. I’ll beat you up,” Tracy shouted, and suddenly, she lowered her head and bit Rachel’s hand.
Rachel reacted quickly and pulled Tracy away. The little girl, as light as a feather, tumbled softly to the ground.
Yedda yelled, “Rachel, this is too
too much. If you have a problem with me, take it out on me. Why are you picking on a kid?
Rachel retorted “Are you blind? She bit me first. You’re such a terrible mother, twisting the truth like this. Like mother, like daughter. Don’t blame others for stepping in when you failed as a parent.”
“Who do you think you are to lay a hand on Tracy?” Yedida cried, holding Tracy tightly, tears streaming down her face.
Then she turned to Andrew. “I know Rachel hates me and can’t stand me, but Tracy is innocent. How could she even hurt such a little child?”
Andrew quickly said, “Rachel, you’re a mother too. How could you be so heartless?”
The crowd around began to scold Rachel too. “Exactly. A grown–up picking on a little kid is just way out of line, someone said.
“She might look pr
pretty, but who would have thought she’d have such a cruel heart? another added.
“What are you just standing there for? Hurry up and apologize, someone demanded.
Seeing the situation, Yedda said, “I know you didn’t mean it. This whole thing was Tracy’s fault. Tracy, apologize to Rachel right now.” Yedda pretended to nudge Tracy forward gently, and Tracy nervously stepped up, whispering. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I apologize.”
As soon as she did, she stuck her tongue out at Rachel when no one was looking. Rachel’s anger, which she’d just barely managed to keep in check, flared right back up.
Rachel bent down and gently stroked Tracy’s hair. “Tracy, I won’t accept your apology. Your mom is a vicious, selfish homewrecker with no morals, and as her daughter, there’s nothing you can do to earn my forgiveness.”
With that, Rachel stood up straight and walked out of the crowd, ignoring Tracy’s sobs.
On their way back to the hotel, Charles teased with a smirk, “Really, was it worth arguing with a kid and getting yourself so upset?”
Rachel said. “If she were a sweet, innocent girl, of course, I wouldn’t ruin her view of her mother. But did you see how she acted earlier? Some people just seem born bad”
Charles thought, She has a point. That little girl is just as two–faced as her mother–sweet on the surface but sneaky underneath.
Charles didn’t say anything else. He knew Rachel had always been the kind of person who’d rather break than bend–a straightforward and genuine person through and through
However, when Charles and Eric went back to their rooms after walking Rachel to her room, Eric had a different opinion. “Mr. Lopez, 1 don’t think what happened earlier was as simple as it looked.”
He handed over his phone. Someone actually posted a video of the conflict from earlier, and it was completely out of context
He said, “This video has only been online for half an hour, and it’s already gaining traction. It’s because the conflict happened in a place like Disneyland where parents and kids gather Should I step in?”
Charles took a look at the post and waved his hand, signaling for E
Eric not to intervene.
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Chapter 22
Just as Charles had expected, even before Rachel made it back to Belgimia, the news was already trending there. The next day, when she went to school, she could clearly feel people looking at her differently.
Rachel rented a studio apartment near the school. When she walked in, Jenny was watching the news but instinctively hid her phone when she saw Rachel.
Rachel asked, “Why are you hiding your phone? Did you do something you don’t want anyone to know about!”
Jenny shook her head and cautiously asked, “Are you feeling okay today?”
Rachel took a sip of water and said with frustration. “I’ve neglected my studies for so long. It’s really hard to get back on track.”
Jenny realized Rachel still wasn’t aware of the video and comments online. She hesitated, wondering if she should give Rachel a heads- up, but before she could decide, Rachel had already grabbed a bag and left
Rachel said, “I’m going to the supermarket to get some groceries, Let’s have spaghetti bolognese tonight. Oh, and we’re out of your favorite yogurt, so I’ll pick some up for you?
Oh, okay. Thanks, replied Jenny.
Jenny didn’t say anything about the news even when Rachel walked out She really didn’t know how to start. Over time, she’d gotten a pretty clear idea of what kind of person Rachel was. ‘Oh well, let people say whatever they want,‘ she thought.
When Rachel came back from the supermarket, she noticed that there were way more people hanging around the neighborhood than usual. As she got closer to the building entrance, she saw a huge crowd gathered downstairs.
Those people had completely surrounded the entrance. While Rachel was still confused, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, *Here she comes! That’s the woman.”
As soon as those words were out, the crowd surged forward. Some people were pointing their phones at her, snapping photos nonstop. while others angrily scolded her.
“You’re Rachel, right? We heard you bullied a little girl at Disneyland and even laid hands on her. Is that true?”
“We also heard you’re a mother. How could you do something so terrible? Have you no heart?”
“And it’s said that the little girl’s mother apologized to you on the spot, but you refused to accept it and started talking back in
Rachel was surrounded by people and bombarded with questions from all directions, leaving her stunned for a moment. Holding a big shopping bag in one hand and covering her face with the other, she tried to push through the crowd to head upstairs.
instead.”
However, they blocked her way, insisting she give them an explanation. Someone shouted, “What? You’re not planning to apologize?”
Rachel bit her lip, not wanting to engage with people who couldn’t even tell right from wrong.
Just then, Jenny, hearing the commotion, dashed down the stairs. She stood protectively in front of Rachel, her small frame a barrier as the guided her back inside the apartment.
Once inside, the two of them collapsed onto the couch, catching their breath. Seeing how disheveled they both were, they couldn’t help but exchange a faint unile. Rachel asked, “You knew about this ahead of time, didn’t you?”
Jenny apologized and said, I’m sorry, Rachel. I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I just didn’t expect those people to act so out of
control”
“You’re not the one who cornered me, and you’re not the one who posted the video, so why are you apologizing? On the contrary. I should thank you for getting me out of there, replied Rachel.
Jenny felt a little sad that someone as nice as Rachel was misunderstood by people like that. “Those internet trolls are just too much”
Rachel took Jenny’s phone and saw the anonymously posted video. It was edited, only showing the part where Rachel pushed Tracy, Tracy apologized and Rachel refused to accept it.
It was obviously taken out of context and clearly aimed at Rachel. She put down the phone and went to the kitchen to cook. Soon, spaghetti bolognese and fried chicken were on the table.
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Chapter 22
0)
Jenny fiercely argued with the haters online. However, people had already been misled by the selectively edited video. No matter how hard Jenny tried to explain, they just wouldn’t believe her.
[How much did this woman pay you? Aren’t you tired of arguing for so long?
[Maybe it’s just her alternate account, I mean, who else has that much free time late at night to reply to every comment?)
[So funny! She’s probably freaking out now that the video’s blowing up, worried she might get doxxed.]
ILE she’s freaking out, then she should just post the original video and prove this one is fake.]
She’s probably even more terrible in the original video)
Just then, Rachel came over and took Jenny’s phone. “That’s enough. Let’s eat,” she said.
Halfway through their meal, there was a knock at the door.
E
