Chapter 5 Then You Can Go

At Matthew's place, at least Amanda wouldn’t be beaten or oppressed. "Dad, Amanda hit me!" Violet, having dodged another slap, ran in crying, holding her face. Seeing the red mark on Violet's face, William and Grace's expressions darkened immediately. William had always favored Violet. Previously, if Violet had been hit by Amanda, he would have slapped Amanda in return, but now, he had to restrain himself. "Mom, look what Amanda did to my face," Violet cried, burying herself in Mrs. Grace's arms. Grace looked sternly at Amanda, patting Violet's hand gently. "Amanda, if you have a grievance, take it up with me. Why take it out on Violet?" Grace softened her voice, twisting the narrative to make it seem as if Amanda was acting out against her instead of Violet. Amanda genuinely disliked, even despised Grace. No one would favor the woman who stole their father and drove their mother to death. "Grace, she started to hit me first," Amanda said, her eyes shifting towards William, who was nonchalantly sipping tea. With Violet’s loud accusations at the door, she didn’t believe Grace and William hadn’t heard. Hearing Amanda’s words, Violet glared at her from Grace's embrace and then started crying again. "Dad, I was just playing with her, but she hit me so hard. Look at my face!" The red slap mark was evident, and Amanda had not held back, feeling no guilt for slapping Violet who had insulted Rachel. "Amanda, apologize!" William finally spoke up, his tone commanding. Amanda smirked slightly, knowing this would be the outcome. Every time Violet bullied her, in front of William, it was Amanda who ended up looking bad. Amanda went quiet. No, I haven't done anything wrong, and I wouldn’t apologize. "Dad, she just said that I, being so young, am doing disgraceful things," Amanda spoke, deliberately flipping her hair to reveal the marks on her neck. "That's why I hit her." Everyone seated knew the origin of those marks, and they were all too aware that Matthew had left them. "How about this, since she is older, I'll let her have the disadvantage. Let her go to the Grant family. I don’t want to come home every time just to be called names." As Amanda spoke, her eyes also reddened—she knew how to play the victim too. Hearing this, the three of them panicked, no longer intent on demanding an apology from Amanda. Initially, the Grant family had come proposing for Violet. Violet was reluctant; she didn’t want to marry a man ten years her senior, especially since she was dating Wilson, the eldest son of the Sovania family. The Sovania family might not match the Grant family in status, but Wilson was handsome and gentle. To outsiders, Violet and Wilson looked like a perfect match. However, they seemed to forget that Amanda was the one engaged to Wilson. Now, hearing Amanda suggest that Violet should go to the Grant family, Violet and William were understandably alarmed. "I don’t want to go! I don’t know what Matthew is like, and he’s so much older than me," Violet protested. Matthew was ten years older than Violet and eleven years older than Amanda. "There, there, you don’t have to go," Grace soothed Violet, patting her hand. She exchanged a knowing look with William. "Amanda, what nonsense are you talking about? You’re already Mr. Grant’s woman; you can’t just come and go as you please!" William scolded, then softened his tone, "Violet's words were indeed too much. She's young..." William began, but paused, realizing Amanda was younger than Violet.