CHAPTER 816: CHAPTER 817

Louisa’s gaze drifted beyond the windowpane.

In the winter’s bitter embrace, the girl, whether from the cold or the pain, couldn’t stop her slight frame from shivering. Struggling, she bent to retrieve the broken branch lying before her.

"Ms. Serena." Betty sobbed, shaking her head, "Stop torturing yourself."

Serena reached out but couldn’t grasp the branch before her; whether from her lingering illness or the harsh beating she had just endured, she once again collapsed weakly into the snow.

"Ms. Serena?!" Betty cried out, rushing to her aid. Serena’s body was limp, as if all strength had fled from her. It took Betty several attempts to finally prop her up, "Mr. and Mrs. Collins, Ms. Serena can’t

make it! Please, come out and check up on her!"

Kenneth and Louisa were overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

That was when Edith briskly entered the living room, "Mrs. Collins, something happened."

She handed Louisa an envelope.

Outside, Serena knelt, her teeth chattering in the cold.

"Ms. Serena, are you freezing? I’ll fetch you a coat."

Betty started to rise, but Serena’s icy hand pressed her down, her voice trembling, "No need."

She had dressed lightly on purpose, hoping to soften her parents’ hearts. The more she suffered in the cold, the more disheveled she appeared, the greater the chance to move her parents.

Before long, the grand doors of the main house swung open, revealing Louisa and Kenneth standing there.

"It’s Mr. and Mrs. Collins; they’ve come to take you inside," Betty’s face lit up with joy, she quickly wiped the tears from her face, genuinely happy for Serena.

The moment Serena saw her parents, tears welled up in her eyes; she knew they still cared for her.

Erik was right; as long as she looked pitiful before them, her parents couldn’t be heartless.

Earlier, she had tampered with the branch, hoping her parents would see the broken piece, witness her getting beaten, and be moved to let her return to the main house.

It seemed her scheme was about to pay off.

The snowflakes fell thicker, Louisa descended the steps, moving toward Serena. Kenneth held an umbrella over her.

Serena implored Betty weakly, "The branch’s broken; use your hand, slap my face hard."

Clearly, she meant for Kenneth and Louisa to hear.

"Ms. Serena???" Betty lacked the courage, shaking her head vehemently, "You’re already pale; you can’t be hit anymore."

"Do it quickly." Serena clutched her hand, as her parents drew nearer, pleading desperately, "Let me learn my lesson; let me remember for life how outrageous my mistake was. If you won’t do it, must I?"

Louisa approached and stood still before her.

"Fine, I’ll punish myself," Serena was about to feign hitting herself. But in the next instant, Louisa raised her hand and delivered a stinging slap.

Serena was stunned, even Betty was frozen in shock. What was happening? Wasn’t Mrs. Collins here to bring Ms. Serena back to the main house?

Why would she slap her instead?!

She could tell Mrs. Collins had put all her might into that slap. Serena’s cheek was visibly reddened and swollen.

It seemed Louisa wasn’t done yet, as she delivered a second resounding slap to Serena’s face.

The sound echoed crisply in the air, startling even those two servants who were cleaning the garden nearby.

What on earth was going on? They had thought Mr. and Mrs. Collins had come out to bring Ms. Serena back in.

That slap was too much for Serena to handle. She collapsed onto the snow-covered ground, bewildered as to why her mother would hit her.

Louisa, trembling with anger, threw a thick envelope at Serena’s face. It took Serena a moment to gather herself and pick it up, only to find it was a lawyer’s letter from Ms. Kiki.

The letter itself was only two pages long, but attached were more than a dozen pages of printouts.

They were screenshots of Serena’s online rants against a singer named Summer, including her spiteful exchanges with Summer’s fans.

[That concert was so noisy; how could anyone sing so flawlessly? It had to be pre-recorded.]

[The voice you all heard was processed. I know Summer personally, and her real voice is nothing special. She wouldn’t dare sing live in public; she just lip-syncs.]

[I know Summer; she’s a distant relative of mine. Not only is her singing mediocre, but under that mask,her face is quite unpleasant. Only her eyes are passable. Overall, she’s nothing compared to me.]

[And her lyrics and compositions aren’t even her own. She’s got a whole team behind her; don’t ask me how I know.]

And it wasn’t just these. Her online spats with Summer’s fans were also meticulously captured.

[Summer really can’t sing and isn’t that pretty, and she’s got no talent. Can’t we even speak the truth anymore?]

[I really do know her. She’s a freshman in college right now. If you don’t believe me, go dig it up yourselves.]

[Jealous of her? A joke! She’s hideous.]

[You’re all brain-dead!]

[Shake your heads, do you hear the ocean? Brain-dead, every one of you, supporting trash like Summer?]

[Yeah, right, she’s trash, and I said it. What are you going to do about it?]

[You’re nothing but barking dogs. Come on, keep barking. I’ve had my rabies shots; I’m not afraid of you!]

[If you’ve got nothing better to do, come be my doorman. I’m afraid my status might just scare you to death.]

Serena hadn’t finished reading, but she knew the gist of what she’d posted.

She clutched at Louisa’s trousers, trying to explain, but Louisa stepped back, uttered in an incredulous tone, "You dare to speak of your sister like that. On the surface, you pretend to be remorseful, but behind our backs, you’re still up to no good!"

"Mom??" Serena looked up, her face a picture of shock, "Summer is my sister? I truly had no idea, nobody told me. I’ve been locked up next door, feeling terrible, and then I saw Summer’s singing video.

She sounded so beautiful that at first I only questioned it. When Summer’s fans wouldn’t let it go, I just snapped back at them. I didn’t know she is my sister, really, you have to believe me."

Tears rolled down Serena’s cheeks as she sobbed, her face the very image of innocence and distress.

"You didn’t know Summer is your sister? You explicitly told others online you knew her, that she was a college freshman!" Louisa’s voice was filled with frustration, "You called her trash, a monster, and you

slandered the lyrics and songs she made, saying they weren’t hers. You’ve truly disappointed me! It’s horrifying!!"