Kayla maintained a sweet, kind demeanor in public, smiling at everyone. "Arnie is right," she said. "Since Felicia is fine, we should head back." Her followers readily agreed, and they left together.
Kayla deliberately lagged behind Olivia. Once alone, the anger and resentment on her face were unmistakable. Her voice, laced with venom, cut through the air. "Olivia, what happened these past two days? Why is Arnie constantly defending Felicia?" Olivia almost laughed.
She recalled the evening of their arrival in Alverton. She'd tried to cause trouble for Felicia, only to be rebuked. Afterward, she and her followers planned to confront Felicia at the Garcia residence, but Arnold stopped them. She'd asked him then if he would still have intervened if Kayla, instead of Felicia, had been bullied.
His answer was clear: "Firstly, it's about the situation, not the person. Secondly, you're not Kayla. Thirdly, Kayla is kinder than you. She wouldn't do such a thing."
Was Kayla kind? Everyone saw her sweet, public persona; even Olivia and the others had tried to isolate and bully Felicia, ostensibly to help Kayla. They’d even formed a group to force Felicia out of school.
But those unaware of the truth didn't see the manipulative person Kayla truly was. She used her fragile image to control others, allowing others to bear the brunt of the consequences while she remained seemingly pure and innocent.
Olivia knew Kayla’s manipulative nature, but she disliked Felicia's composure even more and readily participated, pretending to help Kayla. She even confronted Felicia several times until Arnold sharply reprimanded her, leaving her simmering with frustration.
Reflecting on this, a sense of schadenfreude washed over her. She embellished the events, saying, "Kayla, the day you were absent from Alverton, Mr. Lawson was following Felicia. I saw her kick him, but he didn't react angrily; he just kept following her. Perhaps he's interested in her?
Since you weren't there that night, I tried to help you retaliate! But when I did, she hit me. I couldn't stand it, so I gathered others for revenge, but he stopped me. He wouldn't let me touch her!"
Olivia watched Kayla's expression twist, adding fuel to the fire. "Mr. Lawson said that as long as he's around, I shouldn't even think about touching Felicia!"
"Did he really say that?" Kayla's hands trembled.
"Of course! Why would I lie?" Olivia raised an eyebrow, clicking her tongue. "You saw it too. What did Mr. Lawson do when Felicia had her accident yesterday? He was worried! And today, he's defending her again. I won't believe he doesn't care about her."
Kayla closed her eyes. She'd sensed Arnold's odd behavior for a long time—from their first encounter with Felicia at the Fuller residence, to Matthew’s insistence on Felicia as his granddaughter-in-law, and the highly publicized engagement banquet where Arnold rebuffed her, saying, "I only see you as a sister." A sister?
Overwhelming jealousy consumed Kayla. Murderous intent filled her eyes, so sharp and terrifying that Olivia instinctively recoiled.