Chapter 6

Sheila never would've expected to run into Shannon in the Jensen family's garden, especially since she'd only kicked Shannon out less than an hour ago. She was shocked for a second, but her expression turned into one of understanding when her gaze landed on Carla. She guessed that Carla was Shannon's biological mother—a mere maid. Well, it made sense. How could anyone who'd lived deep in the mountains get a respectable job? She supposed working as a maid for a family like the Jensens was already considered respectable enough. Rachel obviously shared Sheila's thoughts. Deep down, she felt smug and amused, yet she feigned pity and worry. "Does your family work here, Shannon? Just a word of advice—this is the Jensen residence, so you shouldn't go around touching their things. You wouldn't want to cause trouble for them." Thomas' mask of politeness cracked at her words. He was about to clarify the situation when he heard Shannon say calmly, "Thanks for the advice, but I don't need it." She paused and glanced behind Rachel, where she saw a pale gray silhouette almost plastered to Rachel's back. She raised an eyebrow and said, "If I were you, I would just stay at home. I wouldn't be wandering around like you're doing now." She'd earlier made some protective instruments and left them at the Gray residence, so regular malevolent spirits wouldn't dare approach the house. It was hard to say what would happen once Rachel was away from there, though. Sheila's face twisted with rage when she saw how arrogantly Shannon was acting after leaving the Gray family and reuniting with her maid of a mother. Still, she suppressed her anger because Thomas was still around. She turned to Rachel and said, "You might be kind enough to want to be nice to everyone, Rachel, but you should really watch out for the people you talk to. What's the point in advising an ingrate who doesn't know what's good for herself?" Then, she turned to Thomas and explained almost helplessly, "I'm sorry you had to see this. Shannon used to be my adoptive daughter, but she turned her back on us and abandoned us after tracking down her biological parents despite everything we did to raise her. "She's never been the good sort and has always had a habit of taking other's things. We tolerated her when she was part of our family, but now that she's not… I really don't know how much trouble she's going to get into." Sheila acted like she was worried, but her words made one thing clear—she was insinuating that there would be trouble at the Jensen residence if they kept Shannon around. Thomas couldn't help feeling taken aback by her words. Was Sheila oblivious to the fact that Shannon was the Jensen family's daughter? If they could slander Shannon to his face, he couldn't bear to imagine how hard her life had been at the Gray residence. He'd earlier treated Sheila and Rachel as important guests because they used to be Shannon's family, but now, his attitude cooled. Sheila misunderstood and thought Thomas' expression had turned cold because he'd believed her lies about Shannon. She sneered to herself, wanting to see Shannon get kicked out of the Jensen residence. She'd like to see whether Shannon would still act so arrogant with her in the future! As for forcing Shannon to give up the ambassador slot, Sheila felt she didn't need to waste her breath telling Shannon to do anything now that she had connections with the Jensen family. It was just a slot—if Rachel wanted it, they could just take it from Shannon. Carla hadn't said a word since Sheila and Rachel had arrived—the Jensen family was strict with its household staff, and the maids generally wouldn't speak to the Jensen family's visitors. Still, she couldn't help finding Sheila's and Rachel's words odd. They seemed to have been badmouthing Shannon, the daughter of the Jensen family. What in the world? Thomas couldn't stand it anymore. "Mrs. Gray, Ms. Gray, you—" A voice cut him off. "What's going on here?" It was Hector—he'd ended his call. When he saw the people standing before Shannon, he hurried over to them. Rachel's eyes lit up when she saw him. Sheila also appraised him and wondered which son of the Jensen family he was when she saw his diamond cufflinks and expensive watch. Thomas' expression turned grave when he saw Hector. He was about to answer the latter when he realized the question had been directed at Shannon. So, he pursed his lips and remained silent. Shannon didn't know whether it was because of Hector's earlier protectiveness, but she suddenly felt the urge to tell on Sheila and Rachel when she saw him looking at her. "Oh, they were just trying to make me look bad." It was a simple and concise sentence, but it made an odd silence descend upon them. When Sheila snapped to her senses, she shrieked, "What nonsense are you spouting, you brat?" She raised a hand, wanting to slap Shannon. Hector had been enjoying the novelty of Shannon complaining to him about something, but his smile immediately disappeared when he saw what Sheila wanted to do. But before he could do anything, Shannon, who he thought was supposed to be a pitiful little thing, swiftly raised a hand to catch Sheila's. Her sudden action caught both Hector and Sheila off guard. Sheila evidently hadn't expected Shannon to retaliate and subconsciously tried to pull her hand back. She failed to do so, though. It looked like Shannon was only holding her hand softly, but her grip was actually quite firm. Shannon looked at her coldly and said, "Don't forget that I'm no longer a member of the Gray family. I won't allow you to do whatever you want to me anymore." She released Sheila. The latter had been struggling to break free, so the sudden freedom made her stagger backward. "Mom!" Rachel quickly caught Sheila and steadied her. Her expression was one of disbelief when she turned to look at Shannon. "Shannon, regardless of how you feel, you can't deny that Mom raised you. How could you raise a hand against her? You… You've crossed the line!" Even at a time like this, Rachel couldn't stop herself from trying to make Shannon look bad. After all, who would believe anyone was of good character if they could lay a hand on their adoptive mother? Shannon was sick of Rachel's act. She looked at the latter and retorted, "Did you see me raise a hand against her? You might be blind, but don't think everyone else is, too." Hector's eyes gleamed with amusement as he listened to them. He'd assumed Shannon would be easy to push around because of how obedient she looked, but it seemed she wasn't too bad when it came to retaliating. This was a good thing. As expected of a child of the Jensen family! While he observed the situation with interest, Sheila flew into a rage over the fact that Shannon had dared to fight back. She'd raised Shannon, so the latter had to stand there and take whatever punishment Sheila wanted to dole out! Yet not only had Shannon dared to fight back, but she'd also insulted Rachel. In that instant, Sheila lost her mind and forgot about how they were at the Jensen residence. She pushed Rachel away, wanting to charge at Shannon. "You little bitch!" Shannon watched her stoically. She was about to step back before making her move, but someone moved faster than her. A figure stepped before her and shielded her from harm. His back was broad and straight, and it gave her a strong sense of security. There were no longer any traces of a smile in Hector's eyes. He exuded dominance, and his demeanor was ice-cold. "This is the Jensen residence, not a place where you can throw a tantrum and kick up a fuss."