Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 517

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Aster was trembling with anxiety.

She rushed inside, her eyes immediately darting toward her grandson, who was still wailing in fright. After frantically checking him over from head to toe and confirming he had no injuries, she finally let out a shaky breath of relief. The maids nearby stood frozen, barely daring to breathe, terrified that the Second Madam would pin the blame for the young master’s distress on them.

But their fears were unnecessary.

Had Gwen not been present, they might not have escaped unscathed.

Yet Gwen was there, and the incident had stemmed from her actions. Aster, who already despised her daughter-in-law, saw red.

At that moment, Gwen was still being treated by the doctor.

A large patch of her arm was scalded, the angry red burns looking gruesome. Her face was pale as she endured the sting of the ointment being applied.

When she noticed her mother-in-law storming toward her with a thunderous expression, Gwen bit her lip and spoke weakly, "Mom, I'm sorry, it's my fault—I—"

Before she could finish, Aster struck her hard across the face with a resounding *smack*.

The force of the blow left Gwen dazed.

Even the onlookers were stunned into silence.

Aster glared at her with icy contempt, her voice dripping with venom. "Collin is just a child! How could you be so cruel?"

Dr. Copper, sensing the misunderstanding, quickly intervened. "Mrs. Stone, the child is unharmed. It was Miss Gwen who was burned. There’s no need for concern." His words were meant to clarify—the victim here was Gwen, not the child.

But Aster only scoffed in response.

Her eyes bore into her detested daughter-in-law as she spat out each word with chilling precision. "Do you think I don’t see through your schemes? You meant to harm Collin, but at the last moment, you lost your nerve. Did you really believe a few burns would fool me?"

As Gwen came to her senses, she covered her burning cheeks, shaking her head frantically, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn’t—"

Aster sneered. "Didn’t? I’ve known all along you don’t like Collin. All I asked was for you to behave and be a decent stepmother, but who knew you could be this vicious? No wonder you’re an illegitimate child—utterly disgraceful!"

Gwen’s face instantly drained of color.

The servants exchanged uneasy glances. Though terrified, they couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Gwen.

This was sheer injustice…

As servants of the second household, they were well aware of the daily dynamic between Gwen and Aster. The latter never missed an opportunity to mock the former, accusing her of disliking Collin. Perhaps today, Gwen, desperate to avoid further ridicule, had cautiously tried to hold the child and play with him. Who could have predicted such a disaster?

Of course, it wasn’t intentional.

They had seen it clearly—had Gwen not shielded Collin with her own body, who knew who might have been scalded instead?

Yet Aster’s reaction was nothing short of chilling, sending shivers down their spines.

Still, they were merely servants of the Stone family, with no right to speak up. So they kept their mouths shut, pretending not to witness the scene unfolding before them.