The children got more fearful when they heard Estella calling Roxanne “mommy.” On top of that, the latter did not show any rejection. This lady must’ve seen how we bullied Essie just now.
Roxanne patted Estella’s head before lowering her gaze to glance at the surrounding children. “Apologize to Essie!” Her fierce expression made them hang their heads low in guilt.
However, the girl who attacked Essie summoned her courage and feigned innocence. “It’s not like that. It was Essie who pushed me first. That’s why-”
Hearing the little girl lying straight in her face only brought Roxanne’s anger to a new height. “Why would Essie push you out of nowhere?”
When she finished, she suddenly remembered something and reached out to hold Estella’s hand. The moment Roxanne saw the red mark on Estella’s hand, her anger spiked even more. “Did Essie do this to herself, too?”
The children exchanged glances, for they never expected Roxanne to have witnessed them stepping on Estella’s hand.
Now that her actions had been exposed, the girl who attacked Estella flew into a rage out of humiliation. “Hmph! That’s her fault for not talking to us! She was the one who ignored us first!”
Roxanne had thought of letting the children off the hook. They were, after all, just children. However, when she saw the children had no intentions of apologizing and even put the blame on Estella, she slightly regretted not bringing Archie and Benny along with her.
If I had brought them along, they would’ve taught these kids a good lesson. Well, looks like I have no choice but to bully the weak.
Glaring at the children who showed no remorse, Roxanne fumed, “Just because Essie doesn’t talk to you doesn’t mean you can bully her. Are you going to attack me to make yourselves feel better now that I’m criticizing you like this? And does that mean I can bully you since you talked back to me?”
Roxanne’s words shocked the girl, and she took a step back timidly. “You’re an adult. Adults can’t-”
“Can’t bully the weak? What gives you the right to gang up on others, then? Is that what your parents taught you?” Roxanne cut the girl off expressionlessly. She caressed Estella’s head and asked in a gentler tone, “Essie, how did they bully you just now?”
Knowing she was standing up for her, Estella wrapped her arms around Roxanne’s neck and said, “T-They said Mommy doesn’t want me. They called me Little Mute and even stepped on my hand…”
As soon as Roxanne heard that, her temper flared and the surrounding air grew colder. When Estella finished recounting the incident, Roxanne’s gaze drifted to the children again.
Meeting her eyes, the children tensed up, and fear flooded their hearts. After placing Estella aside, Roxanne stepped forward to the children who bullied Estella earlier. “M-Miss…”
The children sounded frightened. Just as those words left their mouths, Roxanne shoved them to the ground. Although she exerted little strength, it was enough to teach them a lesson.
“That’s how you bullied Essie earlier. I’ll give you another chance. Are you going to apologize to Essie?” She articulated each word clearly. Roxanne was very close to the children as she spoke, and her tone was laced with oppression.
