Chapter 5 Say One More Word, and I'll Smash You with a Brick Lina quickly packed a black backpack and handed it to Mandy. "Mandy, go back with your mom and dad. Be good, okay?" Jade snapped coldly, "What are you standing there for? Let's go." Of course Mandy was going back. She was going to return every ounce of pain they'd inflicted on her. Especially Yvonne-who, in her past life, had stolen her kidney and killed her. Every tragedy she endured had started with that woman. This time, Mandy would make her pay with her life. On the ride back, Mandy sat in the front passenger seat while Sally, John, and Jade squeezed into the back. Watching through the rearview mirror, Mandy noticed something strange-Sally's occasional glances at John carried a peculiar expression. Sally had supposedly worked for the Tate family for over a decade. She was just a housekeeper, yet she dressed and lived like a rich lady. The whole setup stank of something off. When they arrived at the Tate estate, Yvonne came fluttering out like a little bird. "Daddy, Mommy, you're back so soon! And Mandy's here too." That "Mandy" sounded sickeningly sweet. Mandy scoffed. "You and I share no blood. Don't call me that. It's disgusting." "You-!" Jade's face turned cold, just about to explode. But John shot her a look, and she swallowed her anger. Seeing Yvonne's wounded expression, Jade comforted her gently. "Yvonne, if someone doesn't want to be your sister, so be it. It doesn't matter. In our hearts, blood or not, you'll always be our daughter." Yvonne's smile returned. What a performance. She should be winning Oscars. Mandy muttered, "Don't worry. Trash parents like these are all yours." "Mandy!" Jade screamed, face twisting with rage. Mandy rose, unbothered, staring her down with fierce defiance. "If you couldn't stand me, why bring me back at all? This house is disgusting. Only you losers would cling to it." With that, she turned and started walking off like she owned the place. "Ugh." John sighed. "She just got back and already causing trouble. Sit down." Mandy didn't move, stubborn as ever. John finally dropped the act and gently pushed her back into her seat. To onlookers, he probably looked like a father worn down by a rebellious daughter. Once seated, Jade got straight to the point. "Mandy, the engagement between the Tate and Yale families-you're going to cancel it and give it back to Yvonne." Ha. Mandy sneered inwardly. In her past life, the Tate family had gone to horrifying lengths over this engagement. They spread rumors that she was infertile, diseased, promiscuous-ruining her reputation. That wasn't enough. They even kidnapped her adoptive parents to threaten her into breaking it off. In the end, she gave in. But Austin refused. No matter what she said, he wouldn't let her go. And a year before the wedding, when Yvonne suddenly got sick, they harvested Mandy's kidney and let her die on the hospital bed. ... Just thinking about it made her blood boil. Even if she died again, she'd never let that bitch benefit. "I'm not backing out. What are you going to do? Kill your real daughter for your precious little adoptee?" The room fell silent. The more she said, the more terrifying it got. Jade pushed forward. "If you hadn't been brought back into the family, this marriage would've been Yvonne's. You stole it from her. You should return it. It's the decent thing to do." She was really talking about decency? Trying to guilt-trip her with morality? Mandy laughed out loud. "To hell with your decency." Jade turned green with rage. "You vulgar little thug. Look at yourself-completely uncultured!" The words were barely out of her mouth when Mandy hurled a cushion straight at her. "Say that again, and next time it'll be a brick." The whole room froze. Violent. The once timid Mandy had become a whole different beast. People began to wonder if she'd gone completely insane. John barked, "Mandy! Can't you settle anything with words? Do you have to be this unreasonable?" Mandy crossed her legs and wiggled her foot, looking like a spoiled gangster heiress. Gone was the quiet girl of before-now she was just a brazen, feral storm. "Let me make it real clear: from now on, if I can solve it with my fists, I'm not wasting time talking." As Hell Corp's queen, she would rule the human world the same way she ruled the underworld. Whoever crossed her-she'd crush them. When threats failed, it was time for bribes. John, being the head of Tate Corp, wasn't a fool. He stepped in personally, trying the soft approach. Mandy had been so diligent with housework before. It showed she cared, even if her affection hadn't been returned. So maybe now she was just acting out, tired of being neglected. "Mandy, if you give this marriage to Yvonne, she'll be married into the Yale family and move out. You'll be the only daughter left here. We'll all spoil you-me, your mom, your brothers. Doesn't that sound fair?" John was good. That's how he had conned her into giving up the marriage last time. Noticing Mandy's momentary pause, Yvonne rushed to add fuel to the fire. "Mandy, I know I was wrong before. I took your place with Mom and Dad. It's all my fault-I'm sorry. Once I get married, everything in the Tate family will be yours." Disgusting. Mandy snapped. "What do you mean your things? Everything you have in the Tate family was supposed to be mine! You've stolen nearly twenty years from me-how dare you act like it belongs to you?" She wasn't letting up. Yvonne burst into tears, unable to speak. Jade immediately jumped in to scold her. "Mandy, everything Yvonne has in this family was given to her by me and her father. That makes it hers. There's no stealing involved." "But you-you're the one who stole her marriage. Return it, now!"