"You little bastard! If you scream again, I will beat you to death today!"
Bella was a Maltese and very light. The kick made her let out a sharp, high cry. I could not hold back any longer. I shoved the little boy away.
"What do you think you are doing?" he demanded, then began to cry loudly.
Seeing the child cry, Yvonne rushed forward and grabbed my hair. I was taken by surprise and thrown roughly to the ground. But she did not stop. Instead, she rolled on top of me and began slapping my face wildly.
"You fucking bitch, how dare you touch my son? I will make you pay with your life!"
"Back where I grew up, I could beat anyone! But even now, I can still handle you. Prepare for that, you fucking bitch!"
"You hit my son? I will kill you!"
The older woman spat at me and sneered harshly.
"Jeez! A bitch like you is not fit for my Michael!"
"You should be grateful the Eden family even notices you. Look at you, you tramp!"
The little boy grabbed a blue-and-white porcelain vase from the entry and smashed it at me.
"I will smash you to death, you fucking idiot! How dare you push me!"
As the vase broke, the older woman cheered and gave her grandson a thumbs-up. Their cruelty shocked me. My pulse suddenly raced with anger.
"My Dane is brave!"
"That is how it should be. If someone bullies you, fight back!"
Yvonne stood up and glared down at me with a proud, scornful look.
"Now you see you are wrong. I will teach you a lesson for breaking the rules and striking my son."
I rose slowly from the floor and looked at them all.
My voice stayed calm and steady as I told him, "This is breaking into private property, intentional injury and deliberate damage to property."
"You'd better think carefully about the way you will explain this when the police arrive."
When I named the crimes, Marcus, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke.
“I really gave you a lot of face, but it looks like you still haven’t learned your place,” he said, voice low and threatening.
Mrs. Eden stepped forward and lifted her hand toward me.
“You little bitch, you really don’t know when to stop!” she shouted.
“I heard you and Marcus are from the same company. You’re so young and living in such a big house. What are you up to behind closed doors?”
“Someone must be keeping you. Didn’t some older man buy you this house?”