The Price of Assumptions

"Julia, I'm telling you for the last time. I'm Claude's sister, and what you're holding is our parents' keepsake," I said in a trembling voice.

My eyes were reddened with fury as flashbacks of my weak and sick mother holding the trophy lovingly filled my mind.

"So? Will you get down or not?" Julia looked at me arrogantly.

I swallowed hard, suppressing the rage and heartbreak inside. Slowly, I got down on all fours for my mother's sake.

Orla immediately turned her phone toward me. "Look, everyone! The mistress is on her knees! If you want to hear her bark like a dog, hit that follow and like button!"

"W-Woof. Woof." I endured the humiliation, desperate to protect my mother's keepsake.

The people around me burst out laughing.

A crisp shattering sound suddenly rang out, causing my whole being to jolt like I'd been struck by lightning.

"Oops, I'm sorry. My hand slipped," Julia said scornfully.

The ground was littered with shards of glass, and among them, I could still make out the words "First Prize".

Julia looked at me with disdain. Her expression was smug, as if daring me to do something about it.

At that very moment, I felt a burning rage deep within me. I lunged at Julia and grabbed her hair, clawing at her face with everything I had. I wasn't a fighter, so I was acting on pure instinct as my nails dug into her skin.

I had only one thought—I wanted to destroy her!

I moved so fast that no one reacted in time. By the time the group of women pulled me off Julia, there were scratches all over her face. I was still clutching a handful of her hair with pieces of her scalp attached.

Julia clutched her face, screaming in rage. "How dare you hit me!"

The people around were shocked by my crazed reaction. They held me down but didn't dare hit me.

"Strip her and make her parade the streets naked! I want everyone to see her shameless and vile body! Record it! Post it on her college's website so her teachers and classmates can see her for who she is!" Julia yelled furiously.

She started tearing at my clothes, and I struggled desperately as three or four strong women pinned me down. I was only wearing a dress that day. So, Julia yanked it off in no time. As she reached for my underwear, I seized the chance to bite down on her hand.

They desperately pried my mouth open and slapped me until my head spun. When I could no longer take it, I finally let go. My mouth tasted of blood, and it dripped down the corner of my lips.

I glared at them, my eyes filled with hatred. None of them would get away with this as long as I was alive.

"You psycho!" Julia spat, looking at the deep bite mark on her hand.

"You can't strip her any further. It's against streaming regulations, and the livestream will be stopped," one of the women reminded Julia.

Julia felt conflicted as she eyed my sports bra and inner pants. "Fine. Let's drag her out for the whole neighborhood to see."

They shoved me out the door. Soon, we reached the entrance of the residential area. A crowd had gathered there, and the security guards struggled to maintain order.

"Everyone, here's the mistress! Come and take a look!"

As I was paraded to the public, barely clothed, my hatred reached its peak.

The head security guard recognized me and ran over in a hurry, but someone else got there first.

The moment Julia saw Claude, her expression changed. She spoke with a voice that sounded pitiful and carried a hint of a sob. "You're here, Claude! Look how this brazen woman scratched my face—"

But before she could finish, Claude slapped her so hard that she tumbled to the floor. "Have you lost your mind? How dare you do this to my sister?"

The crowd fell silent at Claude's outburst. They all stared at Julia in shock.

Julia lay sprawled on the ground with blood trickling down at the corner of her mouth. Since her face was scratched and disheveled, she looked no better than me.

Claude came over and kicked aside each of the women holding me. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around me, holding me protectively in his arms.