Chapter 34
Tina was speechless.
Seeing that Pearl walked away, Tina was so angry that she gritted her teeth.
This had always been like this since their childhood. Whenever something good came along, Pearl never needed to ask for it, and it would be simply handed to her on a silver platter. Tina, on the other hand, had to wait for Pearl to toss her a meager bone.
However, now that her father was the chairman of the Woolery Group, Tina believed she should rightfully be the Woolery family’s respectable Missy. Why should she still allow Pearl to treat her like a doormat? She wouldn’t stand for it any longer.
Pearl walked out of Rose Garden just as Hubert had yet to arrive. A sleek silver–gray BMW was parked in front of the garden, and Manfred stepped out of the car.
“Manfred!” Tina spotted her boyfriend approaching and lunged toward him with the enthusiasm of a person who had been waiting forever. She purposely brushed her shoulder heavily against Pearl’s when she passed by.
Manfred was caught off guard by Tina’s embrace and staggered backward, colliding with the car’s front end. He also accidentally bumped his jaw against Tina’s head, biting his tongue and causing sharp pain. His vision went black for a moment, and he felt like the pain was almost killing him.
Pearl watched these two fools with a cold, disdainful look and couldn’t help but let out a mocking chuckle. No wonder people said that love died quickly when put on display.
“Manfred, are you okay?”
Tina hadn’t anticipated Manfred’s reaction and rushed to check on him.
Manfred’s tongue throbbed with pain, making it difficult for him to speak. He angrily pushed Tina aside, covered his mouth to ease the discomfort, and as he looked up, his eyes locked onto Pearl at once.
Pearl wore a stunning red velvet dress that cascaded gracefully down to her ankles, accentuating her slender figure. The one–shoulder design highlighted her delicate
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collarbone, adding a hint of allure to her elegant appearance. Bathed in the soft orange light, she seemed ethereal, her fair skin radiating a rosy glow.
There was no other word to describe her but “gorgeous.”
Manfred intently stared at Pearl, unconsciously licking his lips and swallowing hard.
Standing beside Manfred, Tina noticed her boyfriend’s fixation on Pearl. He didn’t even spare her a glance. A bitter feeling welled up inside her, and she directly reached out, turned his head with her own hand, and forced him to look at her.
“Manfred, I’m right here. Look at me! How does my outfit look today? Is it good?”
Tina lifted the hem of her dress and twirled like a little princess; eagerly awaiting her boyfriend’s praise. However, when she glanced up, she met Manfred’s disgusted gaze.
Manfred leaned against the front of the car, arms crossed, and his eyes made no effort to conceal his disapproval. “How many times have I told you not to wear blue when you have a darker complexion? This kind of color doesn’t fit you at all! And why are you still wearing such a puffy dress at your age? Do you think you’re still an eighteen–year-old girl?”
He unleashed a flurry of criticisms, judging her appearance from head to toe. Tina looked down at herself, her eyes red with frustration and sadness.
She knew she didn’t possess the same beauty as Pearl, not since she was a little girl.
Pearl had fair skin from birth, while Tina was born with a naturally darker complexion. Despite numerous attempts to whiten her skin, the results were minimal. Pearl stood tall at 5.5 feet, with a slender and elegant figure, while Tina’s height plateaued at 5 feet in junior high school, and she hadn’t grown since.
It was just so unfair. Pearl was the white swan, and she felt like an ugly duckling: But she believed that one day, the ugly duckling would transform into a white swan.
Pearl observed Manfred relentlessly criticizing Tina, and the more she heard, the more uncomfortable she became. It seemed he was using words to degrade her and shatter her confidence, akin to a pick–up artist’s tactics.
“I must ask, did you consume garlic tonight? Your breath reeks.”
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Both Manfred and Tina turned their heads toward Pearl.
Pearl’s expression remained cold, but her words were sharp and cutting.
She studied Manfred up and down and taunted him, “Who gives you the audacity to comment on others? Look down at your own large beer belly. You haven’t even turned thirty yet, but you’ve already developed a beer belly. Slap a pig’s nose on you, and you’re ready for a piggy role. If the film crew ever needs an actor for the piggy role, I’ll be the first to recommend you.”
Hearing what Pearl said, Manfred instinctively tightened his belly and cleared his throat awkwardly.
But before Manfred said anything, Tina got mad first.
She acted like his wife and stood in front of Manfred. Charging over to Pearl, she exclaimed, “Who gave you the right to scold my boyfriend? It’s none of your business whether he’s overweight or not. I love Manfred just the way he is. You don’t even know how to appreciate men. You deserve to remain single for over 20 years, and no one will want to marry you!”
Tina might have felt that Manfred supported her, which boosted her courage. She continued confronting Pearl, saying, “Humph, for a woman like you, even if you to get married to someone, he will eventually divorce you!”
Pearl stared at Tina with a firm gaze, her demeanor turning icy.
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When she had taunted Manfred earlier, it wasn’t out of concern for Tina. She simply couldn’t tolerate him judging a woman. However, just like Tina, a fool who didn’t seem to understand what was good for her and couldn’t distinguish between right and wrong, Pearl believed Tina deserved to be manipulated by Manfred.
She didn’t care about Tina’s words, but Tina’s last sentence got under her skin.
Pearl narrowed her eyes, thinking she had been lenient with Tina for too long. It appeared she hadn’t dealt with Tina firmly enough.
She stepped forward in high heels, moving toward Tina step by step. Her cold expression and the chilly night air made her seem oddly terrifying, sending shivers down Tina’s spine
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Chapter 34
and causing goosebumps to rise.
Instinctively, Tina cowered, attempting to hide behind Manfred. However, Manfred was even more frightened than she was, believing in supernatural beings and feeling that Pearl might be genuinely out to harm him this time.
Pearl approached Tina, reaching out and grabbing her by the neck, lifting her off the ground.
“What did you just say? Say that again.”
Tina’s breath caught in her throat, her face turning red as she struggled and desperately clawed at Pearl’s hand, her words reduced to incoherent buzzing.
Manfred panicked and momentarily felt weak in the knees. “Pearl…”
He tried to step forward to intervene but was forced to retreat by a glance from Pearl that nearly brought him to his knees.
Pearl glanced at Tina, who was rolling her eyes and looking almost dead, and she uttered in a cold tone, “Do you think I’m joking when I say I’ll return to claim your lives? It’s as easy for me to squash you like an ant as it is to pinch you to death. If you don’t want to meet your demise prematurely, you better keep your mouth shut and mind your manner. Do you understand?”
In a desperate bid for her life, Tina nodded vigorously in Pearl’s grip.
When Pearl released her and shoved her into Manfred’s arms, Tina could finally breathe again, clutching her neck and coughing profusely.
Hubert arrived late in his Maybach, stepped out, and approached Pearl. “What happened?”
“Nothing. I just gave my unrefined cousin a much–needed lesson.” Pearl wiped her hands with the wet wipes her assistant handed her and then informed Hubert, “Let’s go.” Then. she strutted away gracefully in her high heels.
