Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Samantha stood up and wore a jacket then walked out of the room and went downstairs.

The living room was a mess.

Standing beside the sofa was an out-of-breath Old Madam Barker. Her entire face was red and she was having difficulty breathing.

The furious old lady was supporting herself with Aunt Julia's help while the latter was glaring at a woman in front of them.

The woman stood there with her gaze lowered. She had a sad and helpless expression, while her eyes had turned scarlet. All in all, she looked incredibly miserable.

On the ground were various fruits, medication, and supplements, including the walking cane Old Madam Barker used.

The loud noise from earlier probably came from those crutches hitting the ground.

Samantha's looked at the woman's face and was immediately filled with anger.

She did not expect Harmony to show up there!

Why was she suddenly brave enough to make an appearance there? Did Timothy give her that courage?

Although the situation seemed to suggest that the old lady had insulted Harmony, Samantha knew—without even needing to ask—that Harmony must have said something to deliberately provoke Old Madam Barker's anger.

The old lady had gone to a place of worship just to calm herself down and return, but Harmony just had to show up at her home to anger her. Only an idiot would believe the claim that she did not do it on purpose.

Samantha clenched her fists forcefully.

The next second, she stepped forward in a few strides and immediately grabbed Harmony's collar.

Startled by Samantha's actions, Harmony hurriedly explained, "What are you doing, Sammy? I…I just wanted to meet grandma."

Samantha did not bother to entertain her nonsense and dragged her out without so much as another word.

"Don't cross the line, Sammy!" Unable to match Samantha's strength, the only thing she could do was scold Samantha.

"Cross the line?"

Samantha snorted coldly and glared icily at Harmony, "Are you sure you want to know what it's like when I cross the line?"

Her question reminded Harmony of the scene at Lychee TV's back alley. She felt as though her arms were hurting again and closed her mouth reluctantly.

Samantha pushed Harmony out of the villa gate.

Harmony did not try to barge in again, since she could not rival Samantha in terms of strength. However, she sneered all of a sudden and looked at Samantha while saying with emphasis, "Do you know why Grandma is so bothered by me, Samantha?"

Samantha did not want to hear even a single word that came out of her mouth.

She ignored Harmony, closed the gate, and turned around to walk back.

Harmony looked at her from behind and said loudly, "I used to be a couple with Tim, but Grandma forced us to break up. Then she sent me abroad and didn't allow me to come back!"

Samantha had long known about that and continued walking.

Harmony yelled. "Don't think you're that special! Grandma liked me very much too. When I was a child, she always told me that I'd be her granddaughter-in-law when I grew up. Tim and I became even more in love with each other."

"It's just that Grandma's attitude towards me changed for certain reasons and she separated me and Tim, but Tim's feelings toward me are still the same as before. It's been years now, but he still doesn't change. We still love each other very much, even today!"

Samantha finally stopped walking.

If their feelings for each other were a thing of the past, then what happened in the past stayed in the past since everything had happened before Timothy even met Samantha. It was understandable, and Samantha would not mind either.

However, Harmony said that they still loved each other, even until now...

Samantha turned around and looked at her indifferently. The crumbling expression that Harmony expected was nonexistent, and Samantha was quite calm as she remarked sarcastically, "Some people desperately look for all kinds of excuses to justify not getting the things they want. Such clowns."

"My mistake, I shouldn't put everyone in the same category. When I say some people, I mean you."

"How..." Harmony's expression wavered slightly.

She hated Samantha's mouth to the core because every single word Samantha said made her want to tear that mouth apart.

In any case, Harmony had come prepared and quickly adjusted her mood again. She wanted to see whether Samantha could continue laughing at what she was about to say next!

Harmony curled her lips. "You should call yourself a clown, Samantha. Because that's what you are."

"You're quite miserable, really. I almost can't bear to tell you the truth."

The way Harmony looked at Samantha gradually became more pitiful. "But it's time for you to wake up from your dreams!"

Harmony might as well keep her mouth shut if she kept talking so much without actually saying anything.

Samantha's lips twitched as she unhesitatingly turned around to leave.

Harmony did not expect Samantha to react like that. She gritted her teeth angrily and could not help but shout at Samantha from behind. "The only reason Tim married you, treated you well, and kept you by his side is because he has no other choice! He's not doing that because it's genuinely from his heart!"

"There's a reason he's doing this, and that reason is also why Grandma had so forcefully split us up back then!"

Samantha went straight into the house without looking back.

Harmony did not get angry when she saw Samantha's figure disappear before her, because Samantha had most probably heard her words anyway.

After all, Samantha's slow descent into an abyss of pain was soon to come.

…

At the Barker Group, Timothy walked out of the conference room once the meeting was over and returned to the office.

He pressed the intercom and said, "Could you come in, please."

Elaine Olsen, a secretary who temporarily took over from Ronald, knocked on the door and walked in respectfully. "What can I do for you, Mr. Barker?"

Timothy signed the urgent documents and immediately said, "Cancel my schedule for the day."

Elaine was surprised. "Everything?"

It was only 11 in the morning and yet their boss was already about to leave work.

"Yeah." Timothy briefly explained. "My wife isn't feeling well and I'd like to go home to keep her company. Call me only if there's an emergency, otherwise don't disturb me."

Elaine understood immediately.

Timothy and his wife were well known for being very affectionate with each other.

That rumor seemed to be true.

After signing the very last document, Timothy handed it to Elaine and got up to put on his jacket.

However, the office door was suddenly pushed open and Zachary walked in.

Zachary appeared somewhat surprised to see the situation before him. "Are you going out, Timmy? Looks like I came at the wrong time."

Timothy glanced askance at him. "Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing at all." Zachary smiled. "I haven't seen you in a while, and since I happened to be passing by, I decided to come by and have lunch with you."

"I'm busy. Get lunch yourself," Timothy refused outright.

Zachary pretended to feel affronted. "You don't even have time for a meal? Where are you going?"

Elaine immediately answered, "Mrs. Barker isn't feeling well, so Mr. Barker is going home to take care of her."

"Ohhhhhh…" Zachary dragged those words. "Hoes before bros, I see…"

Timothy ignored his words and put on his jacket. He then reached for his phone and car keys before walking straight out.

Zachary was not surprised at all and merely shrugged, "Fine, I'll ask one of my girls."

Elaine returned to her seat after sending Timothy and Zachary off. When she saw that it was almost lunchtime, she took her cell phone out and ordered some food delivery for herself.

She had just placed her order when she looked up and saw Zachary returning.

Elaine was surprised and quickly stood up to ask, "Mr. Summer, why are you back?"

"Oh, Timmy needed me to help him get something. You can continue with your job. I'll go in and get it myself," Zachary said naturally.

Elaine did not think that he had any ulterior motives because he was good friends with Timothy. She nodded, "Well, go ahead then."

Zachary nodded, walked into the office, and closed the door.