CHAPTER 146: CHAPTER 146: A GOOD SHOW

"Mr. Henry, quickly go find someone to open the door!" Mother Johnson was anxious. Seeing that Sienna wouldn’t open the door, she had to find another way.

"Yes, Madam!"

Sabrina Johnson’s heart ached so intensely she could hardly breathe. She fumbled in her small bag for her medicine, her hand trembling. Just as she was about to put a pill into her mouth, Sienna lunged forward like a gust of wind and slapped the medicine from her grasp.

The small vial flew through the air, clattered to the ground, and rolled a good distance away.

"Sienna Johnson, what are you doing?"

"Sabrina Johnson, I’m merely doing to you what you and Frederick Stewart once did to me!"

Sienna looked despairingly at the architect of her suffering, and a wicked thought crossed her mind: She hoped Sabrina would die from a heart attack.

Sabrina hated her, and she hated Sabrina. Sabrina had once declared, "Between the two of us, one must die!"

Well then, let Sabrina Johnson be the one to die.

"Aren’t you afraid Mother will never forgive you?" Sabrina saw the murderous intent in Sienna’s eyes and asked, her voice laced with fear.

"Sabrina Johnson, if you didn’t have your status as Miss Johnson, with that frail body of yours, you would have died long ago! You should thank me. It’s only because I allowed you to take my identity that the Johnson family has provided you with the best food, drink, and medicine, keeping you alive!

But, not only are you ungrateful, you even want to kill me!"

"No!" Sabrina squatted to retrieve the medicine, but Sienna stepped on the vial, crushing it. "Sabrina Johnson, go to hell!"

"Sabrina!"

The door burst open with a loud bang. The woman’s voice from behind made Sienna jump.

"Sabrina?" When Mother Johnson saw her adopted daughter on the floor, in the throes of a heart attack, her own heart clenched with pain. Then, seeing her biological daughter’s foot crushing Sabrina’s life-saving medicine, fury surged through her, her blood boiling.

"Mother, save me."

Mother Johnson had been on her way to a beauty appointment when she received a call from the Housekeeper. He reported that Sabrina and Sienna were in a fierce argument, so she immediately told the Driver to turn back.

Mother Johnson had never imagined Sienna could be so venomous—to watch Sabrina suffer a heart attack and not care whether she lived or died.

She looked at her biological daughter, who felt like a stranger despite her return, as if this young woman had clawed her way out of hell itself, radiating a chilling, murderous intent.

"Sabrina, hold on. Mother will get your medicine."

Mother Johnson picked up the medicine vial that had rolled away, took out the last remaining pill, and helped Sabrina swallow it. A glass of half-finished, freshly squeezed orange juice sat on the piano; Mother Johnson grabbed it and helped Sabrina drink.

After taking the medicine, the pain in Sabrina’s heart subsided.

She lay weakly in Mother Johnson’s embrace, as vulnerable as an infant, which only enhanced her delicate beauty.

"Sabrina, dear, tell Mother, does it still hurt?" Mother Johnson’s eyes were filled with concern and heartache.

Sabrina weakly shook her head. Opening her beautiful eyes, she offered an obedient smile. She hugged Mother Johnson’s neck, as gentle as a kitten. "Mother, don’t cry. I won’t die. I’ll stay with you forever, Mother."

"Sabrina, you scared me to death." Mother Johnson couldn’t help but shed tears.

"Mother, I’m fine, Sabrina is fine."

Once assured that Sabrina was truly all right, Mother Johnson turned her fury on Sienna.

Mother Johnson was tall, and in her high heels, she towered over Sienna. Without a word, Mother Johnson struck Sienna across the face.

Mother Johnson’s sudden arrival had made Sienna instinctively fearful. Mother Johnson doted on Sabrina and had never particularly liked Sienna. Now, witnessing Sienna’s cruelty towards Sabrina... All the old anxieties resurfaced in Sienna, the part of her that had so desperately craved her mother’s love, leaving her terrified and unsettled.

The maternal love other children received so easily, she had to strive endlessly for. But love is an unreasonable thing; effort doesn’t guarantee reward.

"Sienna Johnson, what kind of heart do you possess? She’s your sister! Why can’t you stand her? To think you’d even harbor murderous intent towards her!"

Sienna simply endured the slap.

This was the first time Mother Johnson had ever struck her. Sienna could vividly imagine her mother’s current rage and disgust.

She thought she didn’t care, but it turned out she did. That slap hurt so much, more than anything she had ever felt before.

"Mother..." Sienna clutched her face, looking at Mother Johnson.

"Sienna Johnson, don’t you dare call me Mother. I have no daughter as black-hearted as you."

Sienna clutched her stinging cheek, tears streaming down as a torrent of grievances burst forth. "Mother, do you know what Sabrina did to me? She and Frederick Stewart..."

"Sienna Johnson, shut up!" Mother Johnson refused to listen to any explanation, warning her sternly, "Sienna Johnson, I’m warning you: if you want to continue living in the Johnson family home, you’d better behave yourself. If I find you bullying Sabrina again, don’t blame me for disregarding our mother-daughter bond!"

"Mother."

"Sienna Johnson, don’t think that just because your father is gone, you can do whatever you please in the Johnson family. Remember, I will not indulge you! If you do wrong, I, as your mother, will still discipline you!" Mother Johnson’s hand, the one that had struck Sienna, clenched into a fist at her side, still trembling.

She had never laid a hand on her children before, but this time, she felt she had to jolt Sienna to her senses. Otherwise, who knew what dreadful things Sienna might do next.

Mother Johnson’s chest heaved with anger. Sabrina, seeing Sienna and Mother Johnson locked in a tense standoff, acted with perfect composure. She went to Mother Johnson, hugged her, and spoke magnanimously on behalf of her sister.

"Mother, don’t be angry. What if you damage your health? Sister didn’t mean it; she was just playing around with me. Look, I’m perfectly fine now."

Mother Johnson glanced at her well-behaved and understanding adopted daughter, then at her prickly biological daughter, her anger flaring anew. "All my patient teaching, and this is how you turn out? Such a disappointment!"

"..."

"You always complain that everyone dotes on Sabrina more. Have you ever considered that if you were half as sensible as Sabrina, none of this would have happened today?"

"Mother, please, let it go. I’m sure there’s been some misunderstanding. Perhaps Sister is just... deeply affected by Father’s death. Please, don’t be angry. If you fall ill from anger, Sabrina will be heartbroken," Sabrina interjected, trying to smooth things over.

Sienna glared at Sabrina, a fresh wave of fury rising within her. She’d been too soft earlier; she should have used a knife.

Mother Johnson looked at her adopted daughter’s swollen cheek from the slap, feeling both distressed and anxious. How would they explain this to the Stewart family?

"Sabrina Johnson, spare me your crocodile tears! It’s disgusting!" Sienna spat. This woman was always the same: a saint to your face, a demon behind your back. Sienna had suffered countless times from such duplicity when she was younger.

The Sienna of the past would have already dissolved into tears of grievance.