Chapter 3

Olivia was furious and ordered Emily, "Get out of my way. I'm going to teach this bastard a good lesson today!"

Emily's thin frame stood straight in front of me, "Touch my daughter and see what happens."

Olivia sneered, "You're the only one who treats this idiot like a treasure. You were the one who insisted on bringing back this idiot who embarrasses the Baker family. The Baker family already has Sophia. Why did you bring her back?"

"Emily, you've been married into the Baker family for over twenty years, and all you've brought is shame. Your eldest son is a cripple who can't even stand, and your daughter is mentally disabled. Not one of your children is normal. You've made it impossible for the Baker family to hold our heads up in all of Emerald City!"

"Move aside, or I'll deal with you too..."

"Say one more word, and you'll become abnormal too." I interrupted Olivia.

Olivia froze and turned to look at me.

"I'll beat you into a cripple." I curled my lips and said each word deliberately.

Everyone stared at me in shock.

Understandable.

Alice, who used to cower in fear at the sight of Olivia, now dared to talk so crazily. She'd gone completely wild.

"Babe..." Emily turned to look at me.

There was surprise in her eyes, but more than that, there was heartache.

Olivia's cheeks trembled with rage, like she was about to have a stroke, "What did you say?!"

"If you're deaf, go buy a hearing aid." I hate repeating myself.

Olivia gritted her teeth, "Good, very good!"

She looked at the butler, "Call some security guards in!"

She was planning to go all out.

Alex's eyes showed gleeful anticipation of a good show.

Emily glared at the butler, who was about to call for backup, "You dare?"

The scene was at a standstill.

I said nothing, just kicked the solid wood coffee table in front of me. The heavy table worth millions instantly shattered into pieces.

I looked at Olivia and raised an eyebrow, "If you're prepared to pay for the security guards' medical bills for the rest of their lives, then call them in."

"You? You..." Olivia couldn't handle me. Her eyes rolled back, and she suddenly fainted from anger.

"Mrs. Baker?!"

"Grandma!"

The main hall descended into chaos.

Emily directly grabbed my hand and left the chaotic scene.

I looked at Emily holding my hand. The warmth from her palm felt familiar.

But I instinctively wanted to pull away.

Suddenly sensing an inquiring gaze, I turned my head and saw a girl standing in the corner of the main hall.

She had exquisite makeup and was looking at Emily and me with narrowed eyes.

Alice's original memories told me she was Sophia.

Emily pulled me upstairs and closed the door.

She touched my face and anxiously checked me over, "Babe, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

I shook my head and silently pulled my hand away from hers.

But she hugged me as if afraid of losing a precious treasure.

The awkward thing was, I was too fat.

She couldn't even fully wrap her arms around my waist.

"Babe, don't be afraid. Mom will protect you. If you don't want to go to school, you don't have to. If you don't want to go out, don't. Just stay home, Mom will stay with you. Mom swears, I won't let anyone hurt you again! Unless they step over my dead body!" Emily cried so hard her words were unclear.

From Emily's tone, I felt a strong protective instinct.

She was serious, willing to risk her life to protect me.

And also terrified of losing me.

I was stunned.

Could kinship and blood ties really have such power, making someone willing to sacrifice their life for another without regret?

Or was it about protecting someone with blood ties by killing another innocent person?

I didn't understand.

"Babe?" Emily, seeing I hadn't responded, worriedly touched my forehead, "Did you hear what Mom said?"

I came back to my senses and nodded, "I want to go back to school."

"What?" Emily was surprised, doubting she'd heard correctly.

"I want to go back to school."

"And I want to lose weight."

And I want revenge on BOC.

But I couldn't possibly show up at their door with this body, or I'd definitely be the one who dies.

"Really, really?" Emily couldn't believe it.

After all, before this, Alice, who had been brought back home, had suddenly had better food and ate until her weight broke through the 200-pound mark.

Combined with her intellectual problems, she was at the absolute bottom of Crestland Academy and inevitably got mocked.

Though Alice was simple, she wasn't without shame.

Originally foolishly cheerful, she gradually became withdrawn. When it was time for school, she would lock herself in her room.

"Really."

I hate talking nonsense, but facing Emily, her eyes full of tender love, made me willing to stay gentle.

I had seen such loving eyes before, in my adoptive mother's eyes.

Though that was before my adoptive mother got pregnant.

Emily frowned, seemingly anxiously trying to think of a solution, "Then, then Mom will go to school with you."

She looked up at me, seeking my opinion.

I shook my head, "No."

"I'm not a kindergarten kid."

I knew Emily was worried I'd get bullied.

But I wasn't the old Alice. I could handle a bunch of students.

"Can Babe really manage alone?"

"Like this!" Emily took out a hand-drawn Hello Kitty card and stuffed it into my hand, "Babe, if you run into trouble, call Mom, okay?"

"Can you make phone calls? Mom will teach you!"

Emily took my phone from my pocket. I took it back and called her right in front of her.

Emily was surprised and delighted, "Babe can make phone calls now? So amazing! What a good baby!"

Hearing her use words for praising toddlers, I felt incredibly awkward.

But I didn't want to show too much difference from the original Alice.

At least not now.

I thought if Emily knew her real daughter was already dead, she'd be so heartbroken she'd have a mental breakdown.

"When did Babe learn to make phone calls?" Emily gently stroked my hand.

"Who taught you?"

"Learned from watching videos," I answered.

"Babe is so smart!" Emily smiled, then rolled up my sleeve. Seeing the scratches on my arm, tears fell. She got the first aid kit to disinfect and bandage them.

These scratches were all made by Alice herself after Alex tricked her. The original Alice had foolishly said she was happy to cut herself, wanting to lose weight. No matter how Emily tried to persuade her, Alice wouldn't listen.

In her simple stubbornness, she believed that people didn't like her because she was fat, and if she lost weight, everyone would like her.

She didn't know those people just bullied her because she was an easy target.

Emily finished treating the wounds on my arm and sighed, using a tone that seemed to have been repeated countless times in helpless resignation, "Babe, cutting yourself won't help you lose weight. Don't listen to Alex's nonsense, okay?"

I nodded, "Okay."

Emily was relieved. She looked at me, "Babe, why haven't you called me Mom since you came home today?"