“Mrs. Yard, there must be some sort of misunderstanding here. Amelia’s not like that.” It would have been better if he had not said anything, because once he spoke, Elizabeth exploded in rage. “Oscar, do you still have a conscience? Cassie had been pregnant with your child, but now she had lost it because of your wife! And yet Amelia hasn’t had enough. She came here to spite Cassie even more. Now Cassie’s in the operating room once again! I hope you all are satisfied!” Oscar’s frown deepened. “Mrs. Yard, you have to chill. Shouting and screaming aren’t going to help.
Just be quiet and wait for the doctor.” Elizabeth looked at Oscar with mixed emotions in her eyes. Out of the blue, she turned around and lunged at Amelia, like a hungry tigress targeting its prey. “Amelia, you caused Cassie’s miscarriage. I want you to experience that too!” Elizabeth sprang into action too quickly. Amelia could not react in time. Tiffany only managed to call out her name. “Amelia!” Oscar instantly recovered from his daze. He leaped to the front and shielded Amelia in his arms, like a leopard protecting its cub, successfully blocking Elizabeth’s attack.
However, the older woman was relentless. After failing once, she got ready to try again, but this time when she was about to pounce, Tiffany quickly grabbed onto her from behind and the two broke into a fight. The younger woman might be a wordsmith who spent her days typing at home, but she was unexpectedly strong for her size. She landed one hit after another until Elizabeth could not take it anymore. The older woman crouched on the floor, brawling in pain. “You witch! You wanted to attack Amelia, didn’t you? You wanted to kill her unborn child! Well, I’ll teach you a lesson! How do you like this?
Just because we don’t fight back, do you think we’re weak? Today, I’ll show you exactly what I’m made of! Argh!” Medical staff who were alerted by the ruckus rushed over to their location, only to be stunned by Tiffany’s act of fury. It took some effort, but the security guards eventually managed to separate the two angry women. As a result of the fight, Tiffany’s hair was ruffled, her clothes disheveled, and she was panting heavily. On the other hand, Elizabeth’s was a greater mess. Her hair was tugged loose, she received a few bruises on her face, and had her top ripped at the shoulders. Gasping for breath, feelings of humiliation, contempt, and disgraced all rushed at her at once, fanning the flames of hatred towards Amelia and Tiffany.
She was a woman of high social standing, pampered since childhood, never having endured even a bit of suffering in her life. She had never been treated this way. “The police! I’ll call the police! If I don’t get this b*tch arrested by today, I’ll eat my shoe!” With that said, Elizabeth searched for her phone, but it must have dropped somewhere during the fight. She could not find it. “Where’s my phone? Give me my phone!” she bellowed in frustration. No one came to her rescue, not even the medical staff. The two guards holding her down said to her, “Madam, you need to calm down. This is a hospital. You can’t go around shouting like this.” Elizabeth only glared deviously at them.
“What, now even a mere guard thinks he can give me attitude?” To the rest of the medical staff, Oscar said, “You can go back to work.” All the medical workers here recognized Oscar, so they were quite receptive to his request. After everyone else had left, Oscar spoke to Elizabeth as calmly as he could. “Mrs. Yard, I think you should go to the bathroom and get yourself cleaned up. I’ll send for some clean clothes.” Elizabeth said angrily, “Oscar, don’t think you can get rid of me that easily. If you don’t compensate me today, I will never let these two women off.”
Oscar felt a headache coming. “Mrs. Yard, whatever you want to say, you can do that after you get cleaned up. This is a hospital, with people constantly on the go. I know you don’t want to be regarded as a lunatic.” Elizabeth shot him a glance, but in the end, she relented and went to the bathroom. When she got out, Oscar already had a new set of clothes in hand. He passed them to Elizabeth. “Here, change into these.” Elizabeth took them and went into Cassie’s ward. She made her exit a moment later, donned in a clean dress. Crossing her arms, she glared at Tiffany before she went all aggressive again. “Oscar, as you already know, she hit me. What are you going to do about that?”
Before Oscar could say anything, Tiffany came forward and scoffed at the older woman, “Look here, old hag! Don’t forget you attacked Amelia first. If you were friendlier to her, do you think I need to hit you?” Old hag? Elizabeth’s face darkened completely. Her face was her most valuable asset. She spent a fortune every year just to maintain her looks. She might be in her fifties but she would boldly proclaim that she looked to be in her early forties, with her feminine charms still intact. This wretched girl has the gall to call me ‘old hag’! Oh, I’ll have my revenge!
Elizabeth turned to Oscar. “See, Oscar! She’s smearing my name! Do you intend to call the police, or shall I do it myself?” Oscar glanced at Tiffany as he attempted to settle things in an orderly manner. “Mrs. Yard, Cassie’s still in the operating room. Let’s wait for her to wake up before we do anything hasty. Besides, it’s true that you had intended to harm Amelia and her unborn child. As generous as I try to be, I can’t just stand by while my child is in danger, and not do anything about it.” Elizabeth could clearly tell that Oscar was expressing his own dissatisfaction.
“Oscar, are you accusing me?” “Mrs. Yard, you are my elder. It stands to reason that I should show you respect, but I don’t need you to tell my wife and child what they should or should not do.” Oscar said, warning her in between the lines. Elizabeth did not expect that her attempt to blow off some steam would be foiled by the likes of Oscar. It had not served to slake her hatred. Gritting her teeth, she yelled, “That’s enough, Oscar! My daughter’s a victim of your wife’s misdeeds. She had a miscarriage, and now she’s in the operating room again. Even your wife’s friend had the nerve to fight me! So these are the kind of women you know. I wonder where they picked up such impeccable manners. Perhaps their parents are just as useless.”
Tiffany instinctively glanced at Amelia before she rudely fired back at Elizabeth, “You listen here, old hag! From the way I see it, your parents probably taught you nothing! They say that the women of high society are the most reasonable bunch, but you’re surely something else. You’re crude, disrespectful, vulgar, and contemptuous, much worse than most of the worldly women I’ve met. Even the greengrocers in the market are much more approachable compared to you. They would even give out an extra scallion or two when they’re in a good mood. But you?
I’ll have to thank the stars if you don’t throw your slippers at me.” Elizabeth’s face turned ghastly. “You…” Amelia tugged at Tiffany’s shirt. She whispered in her ear, “Tiff, keep your voice down.” Tiffany twitched her lips but held back nevertheless. Oscar glanced at Amelia and said, “Amelia, why don’t you and Tiffany head back first. I’ll go home after Cassie comes out of the operating room.” Amelia shook her head in disagreement. “No, I’ll stay with you. It’s because of me that Ms. Yard’s in there. I ought to wait for her here.” Elizabeth snorted. “Amelia, what a pretentious woman you are. I really wonder, will a woman like you give birth to a child who’s just as despicable and cunning as you are?”
In the face of provocation, Amelia remained steady, but it was Tiffany who shouted back, “ “Look here, you old hag! Wipe your mouth before you speak, will you? Every word you say reek of bad eggs!” Elizabeth snorted. Calmly, she then turned to Tiffany and asked, “You’re Tiffany Winters, right?” Feigning surprise, Tiffany exclaimed, “So the old hag does know my name! What an honor!” “Any self-respecting lady won’t simply give their elders nicknames,” Mrs. Yard scoffed. In other words, she was indirectly calling Tiffany an uncultured woman. “Oh, I’m flattered. You see, what I say and how I say it depends on who or what I’m talking to.
Mrs. Yard, your ruggedness tells me you’re basically a tigress, so I got ahead of myself and picked out a suitable nickname for you. Why, don’t you like it? “ Elizabeth’s mood shifted tremendously, like she could erupt in anger the next second, but she quickly held it in. “Ms. Winters, you have remarkable eloquence, and a very sharp tongue. It’s just that most men don’t like women who are too aggressive, since those women tend to give off the impression that they lack manners. I’ve been there, and I’d remind you to take heed of my advice, otherwise you’ll end up a miserable spinster.” “Don’t you worry about that. Whether I’m single or in a relationship… is frankly none of your business,” Tiffany countered.
“Of course, of course.” Elizabeth put up a forced smile. “I heard that you’re a best-selling author of romance novels, is that true? “Oh, I won’t call myself that. As far as writing is concerned, I’m just a third-rate novelist. I just happen to have a few popular books, that’s all.” Tiffany said, claiming modesty, but her expression definitely reflected the opposite. Elizabeth pursed her lips. She had never met such a prideful woman. “Ms. Winters, surely you’ve heard of the Yard family?” “Pardon, Mrs. Yard. I’m but a lowly homebody who writes for a living. I don’t think I know much of anything besides literature, let alone your family. In fact, I probably don’t know much about my neighbors either.”
Tiffany did not hesitate to spew more shocking statements. Mrs. Yard smirked and said, “Ms. Winters, you have a sharp tongue indeed. But, mark my words, your argumentative nature will lead you to misfortune someday. I do hope you think twice before taking any sort of action.” “Thanks for the reminder, Mrs. Yard, but I haven’t lived to your age yet. With the money I earn, I don’t need to support anyone else besides myself. Basically, I just need to keep myself fed. Maybe that’s why I have little to fear and not afraid of a challenge, if you don’t mind me saying, Mrs. Yard.” Elizabeth pressed her lips even more tightly. Whoever said that wordsmiths were nerdy had got it all wrong. Elizabeth realized she had made a formidable foe that day. A few years ago, she would have regarded Tiffany as a naïve, young girl.
She did not expect that, years later, she herself would come a cropper because of that same girl. Before Elizabeth could say anything, the lights of the operating room went out. The door flung open and Cassie’s attending doctor walked out, together with several doctors and three nurses. “Dr. Kane, how’s my daughter?” Elizabeth hurriedly approached the medical team and asked. He said, “Mrs. Yard, your daughter’s fine, but her body’s weak at the moment and can’t take too many surprises. As her family, you should provide her with a relaxed environment to recuperate.
Treatment after miscarriage is just as important as postpartum care. If her mood fluctuates too much, her condition will linger.” “Yes, yes. That was negligence on my part. I’ll be extra careful in the future.” Elizabeth nodded hurriedly. The nurses took Cassie back to the ward. They put her on IV drip, and instructed Elizabeth, “Madam, if the needle bleeds, ring the bell. Ms. Yard’s blood vessels are thinner, so the drip would take much longer.” Elizabeth nodded. The nurse left after giving the instructions.
