ROUND TWO

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

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"I'm so glad your no crybaby, mama." Adrianna mumbled. She put her attention to her food and continued to speak in hush tones. "Aunt, you always cry at every turn. If your tears are useful, you wouldn't have anymore difficulties. Papa always advocates using wit and effort to solve one's problems. Even I, your junior, stopped crying when I was old enough to know shame." Adrianna mocked. While eating a spoonful of rice, she stared down at her Aunt with scornful eyes.

Lorrie's eyes burned with a ferocity wanting to crumple Adrianna's mouth!

"But it seems like my Aunt's time has stopped in her whining toddler days?" Adrianna can't help but push the knife even deeper.

Lorrie almost spurt out blood!

"Adi, I'm... its just..." Lorrie whispered speechlessly. She tightly held the spoon and fork in her hands wanting so much to commit murder and silence this scourge in front of her.

"Cousin, don't be cruel. Mother is just heartbroken with our current circumstances." Mimi piped in, her voice soft and cool as a prison yard.

Adrianna couldn't help feeling nauseous in her heart.

"Who's life is not difficult? Definitely not only yours. If crying can help, our village would have long been a herd of banshees. If weeping can solve all the problems in the world, I, for one, would howl to the heavens everyday and join the lunacy." Adrianna zeroed her gaze to her cousin who is crazily munching on the deep-fried pork trotters.

Liena and Andrei just listened to Adrianna's prattle with no intention of stopping their daughter. What she said is the hard truth.

But Lorrie's eyes are spitting hell fires at Adrianna. In less than an hour, she has been humiliated multiple times by this bitch! She never thought behind Adrianna's beautiful face is a hideous attitude! Doesn't even know how to respect her!

Adrianna's lips curled at the corner as she threw her aunt a knowing look. She chuckled softly as she continued to 'kindly' remind her cousin about her duty as a daughter.

"Cousin, ah..you should be filial to your parents. Your papa is at the hospital, your mother is doing odd jobs everywhere but you can't even do laundry? Look at your mother. She had a wardrobe malfunction because of your callous thoughtlessness." Adrianna's eyebrows raised as she pointed her lips at her Aunt's generous twin peaks. "Even a child, ten years younger than you, knows how to show the initiative to do laundry."

Adrianna glanced at Lorrie with soft doe like eyes. "Am I right, Aunt?"

Lorrie really, really wants to badly beat Adrianna! Adrianna is pointing her lips at her breasts, reminding her how foolish she must have looked earlier.

Mimi choked on the trotters. She slapped her chest hard in a wild effort to breathe. Adrianna handed a glass of water to her with a sympathetic look on her face.

"You see, cousin. Karma is real. Let's not be ungrateful. We should move our weight and do some chores to lighten our parents load. Don't act like a haughty princess, which you aren't." Adrianna's voice is as pure and sweet as if from heaven but her words were as cruel as a sharp knife.

Mimi almost threw the trotters on Adrianna's face wishing to wipe the annoying smile on her face!

"Adi, I don't want to say this but.." Mimi blinked her big innocent eyes at Adrianna then to Andrei and Liena. Her action seems like a threat as if she has Adrianna's handle in her hands.

"Then don't say it if you don't want to. What's the fuss. So much theatrics!" Adrianna childishly rebuked Mimi, hen pecking apart her act!

Mimi choked and her eyes instantly clouded with tears, looking thoroughly bullied.

Adrianna scoffed haughtily and raised her chin almost to the heavens. Purposely acting childish. But inwardly she was laughing.

Does this mother and daughter pair think she is as soft as clay that they can squeeze and mold however they want? Adrianna of the past is a fool. But this Adrianna has been hammered by the cruel reality of their deception. She is no meek lamb anymore.

Lorrie glanced at Andrei with an innocent, pitiful face ---hoping for him to stop Adrianna's tyranny.

But Andrei just glanced at Adrianna with eyes full of doting.

"Distrându-te, fiică?" He switched to Romanian and asked if Adrianna is having fun.

"Foarte mult, papa. Vă mulțumesc." Adrianna laughed in soft velvet tones. Admitting to having fun.

Liena choked hearing the pair's exchange. She helplessly glared at them both.

Lorrie is even more agitated and furious hearing them speak an alien language they don't understand. Are they secretly laughing at her and Mimi? She held Lorie's sleeve and shook it slightly to get her attention.

"Sister, are we unwelcome?" She whispered in a broken voice.

Adrianna is getting impatient with her Aunt's play acting.

"Aunt, if you have something to say, just be straight-forward and cut corners!" She snapped.

"Adi..." Liena raised a brow at her daughter.

Adrianna snorted.

Lorrie watched Adrianna at her periphery and can't help but curse again. What's wrong with this stupid chit! She is not responding the way she always have. She has...changed.

"Sister, you see.. Can I borrow money?" She bit the bullet and blurted her intention. Her carefully constructed scenario has long been demolished by Adrianna's vicious tongue.

"Your brother-in-law cannot be discharged because we don't have the money to pay for the fees. Your cousin Mimi has lots of miscellaneous at school and with your Uncle's situation... I barely have sleep just to make ends meet. The odd jobs I took is just enough to buy food. And your cousin Mimi..." She secretly winked at Mimi. "Your cousin Mimi was recently diagnosed with early stage leukemia. That's why she was unable to do house hold chores." She emphasized her last sentence to point out the cruelty of Adrianna's scathing remarks on Mimi.

Mimi, as if on cue, bowed her head and shed some paltry tears. Looking weak and pitiful.

Adrianna clutched her hands together. She is really itching to throw something at her two shameless relatives!

They are using the same dialogue again that earned their sympathy.