Satisfied with the old matriarch's action, Pearl couldn't help grinning from cheek to cheek. The little arrogant tramp needs to be taught a bitter lesson. If only the scaredy cat called Desmond hadn't interfered.
"Mother, please don't hit her again. Why don't you sit down and allow her to talk? I'm sure she has a lot to say." Desmond pointed to a seat opposite where Alia was standing.
"She better have so good explanation to give for her disgraceful misconduct. Otherwise, she won't like the things I will do to her." The old Nana hissed as she slowly made her way to the seat and sat down.
Alia watched her grandmother carefully sit down, a raging storm slowly brewing in her heart. This was the first ti anyone in the family had dared to raise their hands on her and it was certainly going to be the last.
Alia's deafening silence and disrespectful glares angered Matt greatly. But he couldn't afford to be on her bad side. He wanted her to continue to regard him as her darling uncle. So he spoke softly.
"Co on, Alia, your grandmother asked you a question. Why do you remain silent? That is unfair and disrespectful."
"Unfair!" Alia turned her spine-chilling glares to her uncle, almost making the latter flint. "Such a fantastic choice of word, Uncle Matt. But let ask you that sa question, have you and the rest of the family been fair to in the recent weeks?"
"What is this hopelessly foolish girl saying?" Old Nana Shawls lost her temper.
"Exactly, what you heard Grandma." Alia tried to keep her tone in check. "I do not deserve what you all did to ."
"Did you just talk back at , you silly little child?" Old Nana Shawls picked up her slipper and threw it at Alia. But it failed to hit her target due to her poor aim.
"Alia, don't talk to your grandmother in that tone. I won't take that attitude from you." Desmond warned.
"I'm sorry Grandma if I sound disrespectful. But I won't stand here and pretend that all is well. I suddenly went missing and all this family could do was ask my stepsister to replace . Tell , which loving family does that?"
"Hey, young lady, do not..." Pearl didn't get to finish her statent when Alia's cold and irked voice interrupted her.
"Shut the f**k up, Pearl. You are not a mber of this family and you should know your place."
"Ahh..." Pearl gasped, stung by Alia's words. She turned her horrified gaze to the matriarch, hoping the latter would turn berserk on her arrogant granddaughter. But all Nana did was shake her head in disappointnt while Desmond chided Alia.
"Alia, mind your language. You're standing before your elders. I will not tolerate any vulgar words here."
"Uncle Desmond, if you want to behave properly, then you better send that gold-digging racoon out of this place." Alia pointed ferociously at Pearl.
"Will you shut that dirty mouth of yours before I co there and make you." Nana Shawls yelled at the top of her voice causing her to choke on her saliva. Instantly, she started coughing, her old body trembling as she held on to her chest.
"Pearl, get so water now." Matt barked as he hurried over to his mother's side, crouching and patting her gently on the back.
"Okay." Pearl dashed out of the room after sparing Alia one last look of disdain.
"Have you seen what you've done? I'm sure you're happy now." Desmond's forehead furrowed as he also crouched before his choking mother, trying to soothe her.
Alia felt a bit remorseful pushing the old woman beyond her limits. But this wouldn't have happened if Pearl hadn't interrupted her. Watching her uncle soothe the old woman, she was tempted to go over there and apologize. But staring at Nana's slippers on the marble floor which was a few inches from where she was standing made her change her mind. She remained rooted in the sa spot, hands crossed over her chest as she patiently waited for her aunt, dad or Stacy to arrive.
"What is happening here?" Regina's cold voice reverberated through the tense atmosphere as she hurriedly climbed down the stairs, closely followed by Gwen.
"Grandma!" Gwen hurried past her mother and ran towards her grandmother. "What happened." She knelt beside the old woman who was holding her chest, with a few tears falling from her eyes.
"Here is the water." Pearl re-entered the sitting room with a glass of water and handed it to her niece who in turn gave it to the old woman.
"Here grandma, drink this. You'll be fine." Gwen said in her cutest voice as her mother also joined her to comfort the old matriarch.
"Can soone please tell what happened to my mother-in-law?" Regina asked again, stroking the old woman's grey hair lovingly.
"Why don't you ask that brat over there?" Pearl whispered while eying Alia. "She is trying to give Nana a heart attack."
"Alia, are you responsible for this?" Regina stood up, eyes narrowed and nose flared.
"Pff...like you care." Alia scoffed at/Regina's irritating show of affection.
"What did you say?" Regina took this golden opportunity to charge towards her stepdaughter, with the sole aim of teaching her a bitter lesson.
"I said you look so pathetic pretending to care." Alia's razor-sharp tongue cut through the air, taking even Regina by surprise.
"How dare you talk to in that manner, you silly little brat." Regina raised her hand to strike Alia.
"Regina! Don't!" Desmond moved swiftly to save his niece but stopped in his tracks as Alia caught her stepmother's hand in mid-air.
"Why you little..." Regina raised her other free hand to hit Alia but the latter also restrained her with her other hand, tightening her grip and digging her freshly manicured nails into her stepmother's wrist.
"What in God's na is happening in here." Senator Gregory stepped into the room just in ti to witness his wife in the process of hitting his daughter. He was closely followed by Judith and Stacy.
"Oh honey, thank goodness you are back." Regina forcefully freed her hands from Alia's bone-crunching grip, tears welling up in her eyes as she felt pain shoot up to her brain. Although she was inwardly shocked to see Greg but pretended to be thrilled.
Alia tucked her hair behind her ears, exposing her reddened face.
"I asked, what is happening here?" The senator thundered at the sight of a reddened handprint on his precious daughter's face.
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