Chapter 6

Mrs Hill raised her chin in a haughty manner. She dressed in expensive clothes and wore one of her heel shoes that often made Ryan wonder how she found it convenient to walk in them. She was accompanied by some women wearing expensive clothes too. Each of them were carrying shopping bags, making it obvious that they had just gone on another show-off shopping, displaying how much money they had.

 Ryan's eyes moved back to Mrs Hill who was looking at him in total disdain. "What is wrong?" He asked.

 Mrs Hill was slightly caught off guard by the cold manner in which Ryan responded to her. If it were some other time, he would have bowed immediately he saw her. Is he sick?

 "What are you doing here? You are supposed to be home getting the breakfast ready for the family, you ungrateful idiot," She said in disdain.

 "Ungrateful idiot?" Ryan asked coldly. "What more do I have to do so that you can be satisfied?" He moved closer to her and looked her straight in the eyes.

 "Ever since I got married to Stephanie, you have driven all the villa's servants away, treated me like a slave and you have even accused me of stealing your jewelries so that the shares grandfather had intended for me will be withheld." 

 Mrs Hill's shopping bag almost fell from her hand. If Ryan must say something stupid, should he say it here? For goodness sake, these are the society women and news spread really fast when their mouths are at work.

 All her attempts to make Ryan stop talking didn't work. She glared hard at him, it didn't work too. Where did Ryan suddenly get this aura of confidence? Just a glare from her in the past would have made him swallowed whenever his stupid mouth wants to say.

 "You have gone really far, ma'am," Ryan continued, the pain from the memory of how this woman had treated him in the past resurfacing. "Remember the day you didn't allow me to enter the house? There was heavy rain that night! Even after doing all those things, you aren't satisfied."

 There was murmuring from the women that had come with Mrs Hill to the meeting that they had to hold in the building which Ryan had been standing in front of.

 "Isn't that Stephanie's husband?" Mrs Hill could hear one of them ask.

 "I can't believe Mrs Hill is as cruel as this!"

 "She didn't allow her son in-law inside the house when it was raining?"

 "Is the man really their houseboy?"

 "Mrs Hill is such a hypocrite!"

 Mrs Hill turned back to face the women. Although they were whispering, they were loud enough for her to hear everything they were saying. Scared that what they thought might be happening between herself and this good-for-nothing son-in-law might tarnish her image, she tried to intervene.

 "It is not what you think," Mrs Hill said loudly. The whispering stopped and all the women looked at her. She smiled at them, hoping the smile didn't seem too off. "This guy is just —"

 "Mrs Hill, I am not done." Ryan snapped.  "Don't ever provoke me again, otherwise, you will regret it," Ryan said in a firm voice that demanded obedience.

 The smile on Mrs Hill's face died off. She turned to face Ryan. Whatever has made him get the boldness to speak to her in this way in front of all these people should be ready to fend for him.

 "You this stupid thing!" She said under her breath. He should have known when to stop!

 She turned back to face the society women. "You should go in before me. I have to take care of this." She gave them a convincing smile when they seemed hesitant to go.

 "You can start the meeting, I will join you," she added.

 The society women left but not before giving Ryan and Mrs Hill meaningful glances that indicated they knew what was happening.

 Once Mrs Hill saw that the society women were out of hearshot, she turned back to Ryan. Eyes blaring in fury.

 "You this good-for-nothing boy!" She dropped her shopping bags on the floor. "If you have gone insane, go display your madness somewhere else." She raised her hand toward Ryan in a bid to slap him as hard as she could so that he would know the gravity of what he just did talking to her that way, but Ryan held her hand.

 "Not anymore, ma'am. You can't treat me as you please anymore." 

 "Shut up that mouth now." She jerked her hand from his hold. "It is enough humiliation that you are one of the Hill family. How dare you show up in front of me and open your mouth to address me?!" Mrs Hill took out her phone from her bag and searched for her daughter, Stephanie's number.

 "I am going to make sure my daughter divorce you and throws you out of my house," she said with rage as she dialed the number.