"Did you kidnap Rita? Where have you taken her?"
At this point, anxiety permeated Madam Hans's voice.
Mango had lost a child previously in the efforts to obtain the antidote, so Madam Hans didn't want her foolishness to cause Mango to lose another child. If that happened, she reckoned that Mango would most likely go insane, and Madam Hans would never forgive herself if that happened!
Andrea looked at how anxious Madam Hans was and she smiled wickedly, "What? Are you getting worried now? Are you finally acknowledging that she's your granddaughter? You're an interesting one, aren't you? You believed everything I said when you trusted me, and you were cruel to Mango. But now you're feeling sorry for her and you want to make it up to her? Do you think Mango will still forgive you?"
Madam Hans became embarrassed when she heard what Andrea said.
"Shut up!"
"Shut up? You used to love listening to me, Grandma."
On the other hand, Andrea just continued laughing and it was extremely ear-piercing to Madam Hans. Hence, it angered her so much that she nearly burst a blood vessel.
Then, Terrance immediately asked someone to silence her.
"Let me ask you again, did you kidnap Rita? Where did you take her?"
Then, Andrea tried to speak through her gagged mouth and Terrance had his men released her temporarily.
"How would I know where that kid went? If she was really with me, why would I pass up the opportunity to torture Mango? I'd drain off that little brat's blood, and get that all on video for Mango! I want her to die of heartbreak and guilt! I want her to helplessly watch her daughter die!"
"You f*cking beast!"
A slap landed on Andrea's face once again as Madam Hans couldn't resist herself.
She was unable to believe that this vile person in front of her was someone she'd doted on for a long time.
She must've been blinded to see through Andrea's deception, and Madam Hans had hurt her actual granddaughter for her!
Meanwhile, Andrea laughed with a maniacal look on her face despite being hit again.
"Just hit me, or kill me if you dare! I want to see what you'll do when your addiction rears its head. I want all of Ocean City to know that the matriarch of the Hans family is a drug addict! Hahahahaha!"
Andrea laughed once more while Madam Hans failed to catch her breath. The old lady would have suffocated to death if not for Terrance, who was watching her intently. Then, he hurriedly patted her on the back while coaxing her to breathe.
"Mom, don't be mad. I'll handle this, don't worry."
It took a moment before Madam Hans was able to recover from her shock, and she glared at Andrea fiercely, "Lock her up and make sure to keep her alive! I want her to live a fate worse than death!"
"I got it, Mom, don't worry about any of this. Please come home with me, your body can't take this kind of stress."
To be frank, Terrance was rather concerned as well.
He was fearful that Madam Hans would fall ill suddenly.
In truth, Madam Hans had felt unwell all along, but she forced herself to keep going nonetheless.
"I'm not going anywhere but home. Get this vile and disgusting woman out of my sight. Looking at her makes me want to commit murder."
Indeed!
Violent tendencies were bubbling up in Madam Hans, and she really wanted to slaughter Andrea if that wasn't against the law.
Then, Terrance quickly had someone take Andrea away to the dungeon.
All the while, Andrea was yelling and laughing maniacally, and the sound echoed endlessly in Madam Hans' mind.
Then, Mango popped into her head.
"Didn't Andrea say that Mango was coming at two o'clock? It's almost time, and I want to see her. I need to clear things up with her. I've wronged her for way too long, and I owe her an apology."
Right now, Madam Hans needed to see Mango as soon as possible.
She knew that she would be absolutely ashamed to face her, but Madam Hans knew that her fate was uncertain once she went to the rehabilitation center.
She was no longer young and her body was surely unable to take the rigors of going through the recovery process. However, regret flooded her chest whenever she recalled the fact that Mango had lost a child for her and yet Madam Hans had kept mistaking her for a villain.
Meanwhile, Terrance was very familiar with Mango's personality. She had been hurt for a very long time, so no amount of sweet and placating words would bring her back.
But if Andrea was telling the truth, then Mango may return for the sake of Rita.
After that, Terrance hurriedly replied, "I'll have the servants prepare for her arrival. Once she comes, you and she can have a good chat."
"That sounds like a good idea, I remember that she loves to eat those crispy biscuits and mangoes. Have someone get them for me."
All of a sudden, Madam Hans became unusually excited.
Terrance had no idea what to say to his mother when she was this excited. Furthermore, he couldn't bring himself to tell her that Mango wasn't going to be in a good mood when she arrived.
Alas, Madam Hans was his mother after all, and he didn't have the heart to deal another emotional blow to her when she had one foot in the grave.
After that, Terrance led the servants to prepare for Mango's arrival while excitement coursed through Madam Hans's veins. Honestly, it was comparable to the time that she'd first met Mango.
She wanted Mango to come back and joined the family, and maybe they could be a true family once more.
If it wasn't for Andrea, then Madam Hans reckoned that they would be as thick as thieves.
Thus, she couldn't help but feel sad.
Despite how much she looked forward to seeing Mango, a slight fear still ran through her body.
The minutes ticked by and two o'clock passed quietly, with no sign of Mango.
Due to that, Madam Hans started to become antsy.
"Terrance, can you go and check if Mango has arrived? She might be embarrassed to enter, so please go and welcome her."
Perhaps Madam Hans had really gone senile.
If Mango had come to lay down the law, how would she ever be ashamed to step in the door?
However, Terrance stayed silently and he left the room to check. Not only was Mango not there, but the Ye family's car was also nowhere to be found.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Sweet Rival (Mango Shen and Nathaniel Ye)