By the time the two of them reached the studio lobby, Ina Sutton was already smashing two framed embroidery pieces that had been hanging on the wall. The young receptionist was on the verge of tears. "You can't smash those! They're very expensive."
"So what if they're expensive? It's not like I can't afford to pay for them!"
As soon as Ina Sutton's voice faded, she saw Joyce Monroe appear. "Miss Monroe has finally graced us with her presence."
As she walked toward her, she deliberately stomped on the embroidery pieces a few times, which infuriated Lily Kennedy. Lily wanted to rush over but was stopped by Joyce Monroe.
"Ina Sutton, didn't I warn you to stop provoking me?" Joyce Monroe's gaze fell on the embroidery, her eyes turning several shades colder.
"Provoking?" Ina Sutton scoffed.
She caught a glimpse of many studio employees watching from a distance and immediately raised her voice:
"Joyce Monroe, who are you trying to fool! You claimed you weren't interested in my boyfriend, but then what? You went and seduced him behind my back!"
"Who's the shameless one here?!"
"What? Always staring at other people's boyfriends. Are you that desperate for a man?!"
"Running your mouth about how you don't like him, but doing all sorts of shameless things in private."
...
Joyce Monroe let out a laugh. "Since I've been back in the country, I've only seen Julian Griffin once. And that was only because he came to the studio as a client. In your eyes, that's a shameless act?"
"When your parents had you, did they forget to give you a brain?"
Lily Kennedy immediately added with a sneer, "Maybe when she was born, the nurse snipped her brain along with the umbilical cord."
Ina Sutton was furious and flustered. She ordered the men she had brought with her, "What are you standing around for? Smash her studio for me!"
Just as the men were about to move, Joyce Monroe suddenly let out a cold shout, "I'd like to see who dares!"
The men instantly froze.
To be honest, they couldn't afford to offend either party.
Seeing this, Ina Sutton gritted her teeth in anger and stomped on the embroidery on the floor a few more times. "Joyce Monroe, I can't stand fakes like you! Saying you look down on my boyfriend, and then what?"
"Aren't you just thrilled to receive the flowers he sends you every day?"
"Or are you just pretending to be aloof, when you actually enjoy the feeling of being pursued by men?"
Joyce Monroe froze for a moment.
'Flowers?'
'The poppies from the last few days... were sent by that scoundrel Julian Griffin? How would he know I like poppies?'
Lily Kennedy was also stunned for a few seconds. She lowered her voice, "How could they be from him?"
Joyce Monroe replied in a low voice, "I don't know either."
She had thought Silas Thorne sent them, just to keep up appearances for their families, but it turned out...
Seeing her stunned expression, Ina Sutton laughed contemptuously. "What? Did I hit a nerve? By the way, do your employees know their boss is this shameless? You chased after a guy shamelessly back in school, only to get dumped a few days into the relationship."
"I bet you just got played!"
'Chasing a man? Mr. Monroe, with a family background and a face like that, reduced to throwing herself at someone?'
'Who was the blind fool who actually dumped her?'
"I heard Miss Monroe developed some... exotic tastes abroad. I bet her appetite's huge now. She likes excitement, so she won't even leave other people's boyfriends alone."
"Ina Sutton, you say one more word and see if I don't rip your mouth apart!"
Lily Kennedy couldn't take it anymore. As she tried to rush forward, Joyce Monroe stopped her. "Joyce, what are you doing?!"
Ina Sutton laughed out loud and took two steps forward. "What, scared to make a move? Feeling guilty?"
"Then you shouldn't have done something so despicable."
"You seduced Julian Griffin back in school, and now you're pulling the same tricks again."
"He's the one sending me flowers. Isn't that him pestering me? How does that become me seducing him?" Joyce Monroe couldn't comprehend her line of thinking.
"If you weren't seducing him, why would he send you flowers every day! You say you don't like Julian Griffin, but from what I know, you've been treasuring those flowers like they're a prize. I've seen your kind of playing-hard-to-get tactics a million times!"
Joyce Monroe tried to understand her thoughts and logic.
It just went to show:
Idiots operate on their own system of logic.
So she couldn't help it; a cold smirk appeared on her lips.
It was contemptuous, mocking,
and it deeply provoked Ina Sutton.
"How dare you smile! You must be so proud of yourself! Showing off in front of me?"
"Honestly, I have to admire you. From our school days until now, you've held onto a piece of trash for ten years straight. You really don't mind getting your hands dirty."
Ina Sutton trembled with rage. Between getting wine splashed on her a few days ago, being unfairly targeted, and spending a night in the middle of nowhere, the new and old grievances had piled up in her heart. She raised her hand to strike her.
"Joyce Monroe, there's no one here to protect you today!"
Lily Kennedy frowned, instinctively trying to pull Joyce Monroe away, but...
she found herself being sheltered behind Joyce instead.
The next second,
Joyce Monroe had already raised her hand and slapped her across the face.
The sound of the slap was crisp and loud.
Ina Sutton was stunned for several seconds, her head knocked to one side. A blaze of fury shot through her. "Joyce Monroe, you bitch—"
Just as she looked up, intending to retaliate, she never expected...
to be met with an even heavier slap!
It sent her staggering, nearly causing her to fall.
She was incandescent with rage and rushed forward to hit her, but as she swung, her wrist was caught. The moment she was restrained, what awaited her were several more sharp slaps.
They left one side of her face horribly red and swollen.
Her lip was split.
The pain brought tears to her eyes.
Ever since Joyce Monroe was sent to the countryside, she had studied embroidery under a master, never stopping even when her hands were sore. So, delivering a few slaps didn't make her arm ache in the slightest.
On the other hand, the men who came with Ina Sutton were too scared to make a move.
'Holy shit—'
'She's vicious!'
Rumor had it she was arrogant and domineering, but her calm and tranquil demeanor made her seem almost like a pushover. Besides, few people had ever seen her actually get into a physical fight. They had assumed her bad reputation was baseless, or that she'd lost her edge living in the countryside.
That's why they had dared to follow Ina Sutton here to stir up trouble.
They never expected...
'She's truly ruthless!'
'And what's more,'
'what kind of normal person only hits one side of the face?'
Ina Sutton's left cheek was almost completely swollen from the slaps.
Her reputation as a villainess was clearly not for nothing.
Just then, Julian Griffin suddenly arrived. Seeing the scene, he was stunned for a long moment. "What happened?"
"Miss... Miss Monroe, please, have mercy!"
The men stepped forward to intervene. Joyce Monroe, having vented her anger, stopped.
Ina Sutton was hysterical. With one side of her face swollen, she screamed indistinctly, "The police! Call the police for me now!"
After shouting, she looked at Julian Griffin, her face full of grievance. "Julian, you're finally here! Look at this bitch, she actually dared to hit me in the face."
Lily Kennedy stood to the side, silently watching her best friend.
'She was afraid I'd be impulsive and stopped me from getting involved?'
'And yet...'
'You practically knocked the girl's teeth out!'
"Lily, we're calling the police too. Someone is deliberately causing trouble here and destroying private property!" Joyce Monroe's expression showed no fear whatsoever.
In the end, the entire group was taken to the police station.
And the news that Joyce Monroe and Ina Sutton had gotten into a massive fight over a man spread through Graymoor in an instant.
Even Silas Thorne, far away in Oakhaven, heard about it.
"A fight over a man?"
Quentin Walsh cleared his throat. "That's the rumor."
"Who?"
Quentin Walsh had already found Julian Griffin's information and photos. When he showed them to Silas Thorne, Silas glanced at them sideways, his brow furrowing slightly:
'This...'
'What is this garbage!'