Chapter 129: Can I Not Hit Her?
Norman’s face was filled with heartache. Even though Gianna had repeatedly told him not to mention her injury to her father, he still did. There was no helping it; he simply couldn’t bear to see the lively girl from the past subjected to such humiliation. Even more so, he couldn’t stand seeing her swallow her pride for the sake of her family.
“Although the Sherman family might not be as influential as the Yardley or Quixall families, it isn’t one to be trifled with. Who does Raquel think she is? Provoking the daughter of the Sherman family would cause the Levinson family to be wiped out in Plainstedt, not to mention Raquel doing it alone.”
Gianna was exasperated. “Mr. Langford, you…”
Norman sincerely apologized. “Ms. Sherman, I’m sorry, but Raquel isn’t someone who would back down when shown kindness. The more you tolerate her, the more brazen she becomes. Once she realizes you pose no threat to her, she will intensify her pressure on you until you are completely under her control.”
Phillip chimed in, “Gia, don’t hold it against Mr. Langford. He told me about it only because he has your best interests at heart. If he had really heeded your advice, keeping this matter concealed from me, would you ever be able to have your revenge?”
Gianna was rendered speechless. After all, there was truth to her father’s words. Nevertheless, she truly didn’t want her own issues to involve her family. If word got out about what happened, the public’s perception of the Sherman family would no longer be the same. They would think that the Sherman family was overly ambitious, leveraging their influence to intimidate other families, even if the reality was anything but that.
Gianna let out a sigh. Given the way things had turned out, it seemed only fair to let Raquel pay the price for what she had done. Only then would the latter learn a valuable lesson and not dare to provoke those she couldn’t afford to offend again.
Reflecting on this, Gianna lowered her gaze at Raquel. “Raquel, once upon a time, I considered you my best friend. But after today, we’re nothing more than strangers who will stay in their own lanes.”
Raquel was thrown into a state of panic.
“Whether you did it on purpose or not, it doesn’t matter. Everyone in the Quixall family saw how you publicly humiliated me. Given your actions, you should suffer the consequences!”
Raquel asked fearfully, “Gia, how are you going to punish me?”
Gianna nonchalantly stated, “You should slap yourself ten thousand times. Remember, each slap must be loud enough for me to hear. If there’s even one that doesn’t satisfy me, then you’ll have to start all over again.”
She never showed mercy to those who had hurt her. Moreover, Raquel had trampled on her left hand with her heel, nearly crippling it. The rule of law saved Raquel. Otherwise, Gianna would have surely made Raquel pay with her life.
Taken aback, Raquel pleaded, “Gia, isn’t this punishment too harsh?”
Gianna and I have been close friends for nearly five years. How did it come to this, falling out so abruptly without any consideration for our past?
Gianna chuckled. “It seems you’re not genuinely seeking my forgiveness, so let’s just drop the act. Ms. Levinson, after this, you can go back to where you came from. I’m not capable of making you apologize to me.”
With a nervous glance, Raquel looked at Phillip. Seeing his calm expression, she quickly said, “I’ll do it. I’ll do it, okay?”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Trembling, Raquel lifted her hand and fiercely slapped her own face.