Chapter 653 Direct Confrontation
Anya realized that without the backing of the Gibson family, she stood no chance against Christina. She understood that engaging in a direct confrontation with Christina would only put her at a disadvantage.
However, Anya’s pride prevented her from acknowledging that Christina was living a more successful life than her.
Before leaving. Anya could not resist leaving some biting remarks. “Christina, you’ll pay for every ounce of humiliation you’ve inflicted on me! I swear, even if it means dragging you down to hell, I won’t rest until you’ve suffered as I have!”
“You all initiated this cruel game, remember? If you can’t handle the consequences of your own actions, why did you willingly create such an uncomfortable situation in the first place?” Christina retorted.
With a heart full of resentment, Anya stormed out and coincidentally bumped into the secretary who was coming in with a cup of coffee.
The coffee spilled all over the secretary, who screamed in pain.
Not only did Anya refuse to apologize for her reckless behavior, but she also seized the opportunity to shift the blame to the secretary and delivered her accusations with a self-righteous tone.
“Are you blind?” Anya scolded, her voice dripping with disdain. “Why are you staring at me? Do you want me to pluck your eyes out? Consider yourself lucky that the coffee didn’t spill on me. Otherwise, you’d be held accountable and have to compensate me with a year’s salary. I highly doubt you’re capable of handling that!”
The secretary, her eyes red with distress, cast a glance at Christina. Having had several encounters with Anya before, she was well aware that Anya was not an easy person to deal with.
Despite her innocence, she found herself unjustly blamed. Being scalded by hot coffee without any fault of her own was already a distressing experience. However, the false accusation added insult to injury. making it impossible for her to overlook the injustice. No matter how forgiving she might be, she could not simply let the accusation slide. “You bumped into me.
“What did you say?” Anya yelled fiercely, instantly silencing the frightened secretary, who did not dare to utter another word.
“Apologize to my secretary, Anya,” Christina said sternly, her voice filled with unwavering resolve and authority. “Otherwise, don’t even think about walking through that door.”
“Do you think I’m afraid of you?” Anya sneered, casting a disdainful glance at Christina and the secretary. “Just like you, Christina, your employees enjoy framing and deceiving others, playing the innocent victim card. They may be afraid of you because they’re under your employ, but not me. I have no fear of you.”
With that. Anya arrogantly turned and left, exuding an air of superiority.
Christina looked at her departing figure calmly, making no immediate move.
As the secretary watched Anya step into the elevator, she prepared herself to swallow her grievances and let the matter rest, but at that moment, Anya suddenly staggered backward in terror.
Lyle emerged from the elevator, walking steadily and maintaining a composed demeanor, carrying a bag of takeaway meals from a nearby restaurant.
“Lyle, bring her over here,” Christina commanded with a cold tone. Lyle’s timely return spared her the need to call security,
Lyle approached Anya, who looked at him with a terrified expression as if she had seen a ghost. She continued to back away, desperately wishing she could shrink herself into the crevices of the wall.
“Don’t come near me! Don’t touch me!” Anya exclaimed, waving her hands frantically.
Unfazed, Lyle calmly grabbed Anya by the collar with one hand while holding the bag of takeaway meals in the other before walking steadily toward Christina.
With a casual toss, he let go of Anya and turned to Christina. “Mrs. Hadley, are you ready to have your meal now?”
The onlookers were astounded. In the midst of this urgent chaos, only Lyle could remain calm and worry about whether Christina would go hungry.
Lyle paid no attention to the others, as he was committed to executing and carrying out his superior’s orders flawlessly. It was his professional code of conduct. Anyone who interfered with his work would not be spared.
To Lyle, ensuring that Christina adhered to her scheduled meals and sleep was a crucial directive conveyed by Nathaniel.
Sometimes, Lyle’s rigid adherence to protocols would give Christina a headache. She smiled and said, “Thank you for your hard work. Take the things into the office and keep them there. I’ll have my meal once I resolve the problem here.”
Lyle frowned and responded, “Mr. Hadley will not be pleased to hear this.”
Christina did not want to make things difficult for Lyle either. “All right. I’ll leave this matter to you. Make sure she apologizes to my secretary and compensates her for the medical expenses. If she refuses, you handle it as you see fit as long as it doesn’t endanger her life.”
Anya glared at Christina. “Christina Steele, how dare you?”
Ignoring her, Christina walked into her office, leaving Anya to publicly unleash a torrent of abusive words at her.
Anya was wary of Lyle, her legs turning weak with fear, but her tongue remained sharp, especially when it came to hurling insults without repeating a single word.
Lyle handed the takeaway meal to his a*sistant to take inside, then fixed his cold gaze on Anya. “Apologize, Compensate.”
Anya glared at Lyle and said in a low voice, “It was you. You barged into Warren’s house and left him disabled!”
The gruesome events of that night had tormented Anya in her nightmares for the following two weeks.
Cindee Weyverine, Warren’s mother, pinned all the blame on Anya, accusing her of masterminding the
entire incident and influencing Warren to confront Christina.
However, their plans hit a snag. The truth was eventually exposed, resulting in a tarnished family reputation and significant financial losses for the company. Warren paid a heavy price, ending up crippled before the matter was finally resolved.
Cindee grew to despise Anya, taking every opportunity to physically attack her and even resorting to public shaming by exposing Anya’s dark secrets through posters plastered around the neighborhood where she and lived.
Anya and Macy had to endure the constant gossip and judgment from their neighbors whenever they stepped outside. Unfortunately, they could not afford to find a new place, and their current landlord refused to return their security deposit. Reluctant to waste their money, they had no other option but to continue living there.
Anya and Macy did make efforts to find employment, but Cindee would consistently undermine their job opportunities behind the scenes.
“Warren reaped what he sowed. He can only blame himself for his action.”“ Lyle’s eyes showed a hint of impatience. “Ms. Gibson, I’ve warned you before not to cause trouble for Mrs. Hadley, but it seems you haven’t taken my words to heart
Lyle flexed his fingers, his icy gaze sweeping over Anya’s figure as if he were browsing through a marketplace, “Ms. Gibson, would you like me to spare your hands or legs? I’m open to both options.”
Upon hearing that, Anya felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. The thought of ending up like Warren, confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of her days, terrified her. “F-Fine! I’ll apologize to her and cover her medical expenses, but you better not lay a finger on me. I want you to remember that I’m the granddaughter of Old Mr. Stone. If anything terrible happens to me, my grandfather will make sure you pay for it!”
Lyle’s expression remained impa*sive as he delivered a cutting remark. “As long as your name is not recorded in the family genealogy, you’ll never truly be one of the Stones.”
His words added insult to injury, further aggravating Anya’s anguish.
Fueled by anger and despair, Anya rummaged through her wallet in a frenzy, forcefully thrusting several large bills into Lyle’s arms. She clenched her teeth and begrudgingly muttered, “I’m sorry,” before leaving hastily, looking disheveled.
Lyle handed the money to the secretary and turned to enter the office, reporting back to Christina.
“Did she say anything else before leaving?” Christina asked.
