Chapter 1397
Gia finally regained her senses and exploded with rage. “Guards! Don’t just stand there. Punish this ungrateful brat!”
Two bodyguards lunged at Adah, ready to do as they were told.
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on my daughter!” Leonel yelled.
But Leonel’s words fell on deaf ears. At Gia’s subtle signal, two guards pinned Leonel in place, gripping his arms tightly.
Melanie Norris, who had been standing quietly beside Leonel, panicked. “Gia, please! Adah is just a child! You can’t be rough with her! If you’re looking to punish someone, then take me instead. I’ll take the beating in her place!”
Melanie was Leonel’s second wife, making her Adah’s stepmother. Her beginnings were humble; she’d first joined the family as Leonel’s housekeeper. She was an ordinary woman, with no fancy education, no extraordinary talents, and nothing that set her apart in a crowd.
Ordinarily, a woman of Melanie’s background wouldn’t have married into such wealth, but their marriage had an unusual origin.
Melanie’s quiet ways and humble demeanor had meant the family never truly noticed her. Her bold stand today made Gia snort in derision. “Melanie, who do you think you are, butting into matters that aren’t yours?”
Placing herself protectively in front of Adah, Melanie spoke from the heart. “I know I’m nobody, and my opinion means nothing here. But Adah’s mother was always good to me. I can’t just watch her daughter get hurt. If you want to lay a hand on Adah, you’ll have to get through me first.”
Gia answered with a biting laugh. “Listen to yourself, acting so loyal. If you had any shame, you wouldn’t have married the husband of the woman who was kind to you. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
Melanie pressed her lips together and said nothing, yet her determination never wavered.
Everyone around dismissed Melanie as naive, but Adah watched her with new eyes, suspecting there was more beneath the surface.
“Then beat them both!” Gia barked.
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Without warning, the guards surged forward, targeting both Adah and Melanie.
Westley’s family waited gleefully for Adah’s downfall, but their smugness quickly turned to shock.
Adah met the bodyguards head-on. With swift, precise kicks, she knocked both men to the floor. Her combat skills left no room for doubt; the sound of broken ribs echoed through the hall as the guards collapsed, helpless to get back up.
Shock rippled through the room, and the smiles on Westley’s face and those of his family stiffened into disbelief.
Leonel stopped struggling against his captors. Moments earlier, he had been fighting with everything he had to protect Adah, yet now his body locked in place as if his strength had vanished.
Gia looked from the two bodyguards sprawled on the floor, choking and coughing blood, to Adah standing nearby without a single scratch. Her mind stalled, and she stood frozen, unable to react for several long seconds.
“Mom, that rude girl can fight! Get more bodyguards in here and make sure they cripple her, or she’ll bring even bigger trouble later!” Westley shouted in alarm.
Gia had no idea how things had spiraled this far, but Westley’s words spurred her into action. Fury twisted her face as she summoned more bodyguards and barked at them, “All of you, break her legs!”
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