Roxanne had observed the topography earlier. Although they were at a waterfall, the flow of the water—which only reached the boy’s calves—was slow.
Since the kids knew how to swim, she wasn’t too concerned about an accident happening. For that reason, Roxanne didn’t say anything else and merely directed Estella to stand next to her.
“You’re doomed for splashing water on Essie!” She then squatted down and began splashing water at the two boys.
Seeing that their mother wasn’t angry, they regained their enthusiasm and began to play. Estella was soon influenced by them and participated in the fun.
Alas, Roxanne’s energy was limited. After playing with them for a while, she retreated to the side and watched over the kids while taking pictures of them.
The atmosphere was lively and cheerful. Estella had a smile on her face the entire time, and the children’s tinkling laughter echoed throughout the waterfall.
The sound of it made Roxanne smile as well. Over on the road, Aubree had been hiding in wait all the while.
Seeing that they weren’t going to return to the tent anytime soon, she got out of her car and inched closer toward the tent, being extremely careful not to make any noise.
As soon as she got to the tent, she caught sight of a couple of cups that were on the ground. Roxanne had prepared them for the children so they could drink out of them.
The children had felt thirsty during the barbecue, so they had filled their cups with water.
At the moment, there was still some leftover in the cups. A menacing glint flashed across Aubree’s eyes when she saw that.
She glanced toward the waterfall, and upon noticing no one was paying attention to her, she took a deep breath and shifted her gaze toward the vial in her hand.
A moment later, Aubree made up her mind and opened the vial in one swift move. She then poured all of its contents into the cups.
In a matter of minutes, she completed what she came here to do.
The water resembled its original appearance, and besides herself, Aubree was confident that no one else would know that it had been tampered with.
Her gaze was icy as she glanced at the happy group.
This time, she was determined to let them know what she was capable of.
Once that was done, Aubree quietly left the tent and returned to her car. However, she didn’t drive off right away, for she wanted to see Roxanne and the little brats drink the water.
Several flashes of light went off in the woods after Aubree got into her car.
The private detective had been taking pictures of her from the moment she stepped out of her car and went toward the tent.
As such, all of her actions were captured on camera.
After that, the private detective examined all of the pictures that were taken.
The corner of his lips curled up into a smile when he confirmed that all of his pictures were crystal clear.
With these pictures as a bargaining chip, he needn’t worry that Aubree would try to get out of paying him.
Aubree quickly grew impatient as the group of four didn’t return to their tent even after a long while. She whipped out her phone and sent the private detective a message: Where are you?
Logically, he should have arrived before her, but Aubree hadn’t noticed anyone else around when she scanned her surroundings earlier.
Where on earth did he go? What a useless man! She furrowed her brows in dismay. Seconds later, her phone screen lit up with a response from the private detective: Look up.
The puzzled woman lifted her head and noticed that the leaves of a nearby tree appeared to be rustling. In the next second, she caught sight of a camera flash.
Aubree frowned in displeasure and lowered her head as she typed a reply: Keep a close eye on them! Take pictures if anything strange happens and send them to me.
The private detective assented without hesitation. After that, Aubree cast one last glance in the direction of Roxanne and her kids before slowly driving away.
If it was possible, she’d love to see Roxanne and her kids writhing in pain with her own eyes, but alas, the place she was at was not inconspicuous enough.
There was a chance she might be discovered if she continued to stay there, and if that happened, she’d end up losing more than she gained.
Thankfully, Aubree had hired the private detective, who would later capture the family’s suffering for her.
Just imagining how Roxanne and the children would feel after drinking the water was enough to spark a sense of elation within Aubree.
She had someone procure a new bacterium so that she could teach Roxanne a lesson.
It was a newly discovered bacteria, so there was no cure for it yet.
That didn’t matter to Aubree, for she wanted nothing more than to see them dead.
Unfortunately, the bacteria would only bring them extreme pain and wasn’t capable of killing them.
Although it wasn’t enough for Aubree to quell her hatred, it could still bring about a great deal of suffering for Roxanne and her family.
“I’d like to see how you’ll be able to save them this time!”
An insidious glint flashed across Aubree’s eyes.
As long as she drinks that water, that wretched woman will have trouble saving herself!
Meanwhile, Roxanne remained oblivious to what Aubree had done, and the children were still enjoying themselves to the fullest.
In the beginning, Archie and Benny were in cahoots with one another and stood against their sister, splashing her with water.
After Roxanne left, the boy’s alliance didn’t last long, and they ended up splitting up. The children formed three factions and drenched each other in water with little regard for who they were up against.
Some of the water got on Roxanne, bringing about a cooling sensation when it hit her skin.
It was rare to see the children indulging themselves in fun, so she said nothing and allowed them to play to their hearts’ content.
Influenced by the boys, Estella carefully inched her way toward the stream, wanting to get in the water as well.
Upon seeing this, Archie and Benny instantly stopped what they were doing and walked toward their sister. They each held out a hand, wanting to hold her steady.
Unexpectedly, they were hit in the face by a wave of water.
The boys couldn’t react in time, and the wave sent them slipping and falling into the stream.
However, it didn’t take long for them to get back on their feet since they knew how to swim.
Roxanne thought the boys would be frightened after the stumble, so she got up to go to them.
To her surprise, she heard the children’s laughter in the next second.
Archie and Benny couldn’t help laughing at how pathetic the other looked, and an amused Estella was bent over laughing as well.
However, the sudden wave instilled some worry in the boys’ hearts, and they decided against letting their sister join them in the water.
They then stopped playing with water and squatted down to look for pebbles instead. From time to time, they tried to catch some fish with their hands.
Despite feeling disappointed, Estella didn’t let it bother her as she enjoyed herself more than anything. The obedient little girl knelt by the shore and watched as the boys attempted to fish with their hands.
Seeing that the children were drenched in sweat, Roxanne chose an opportune time to call out to them, “You guys are sweating all over. Come and take a rest, or you might catch a cold.”
By then, the children had played to their heart’s content, so they obediently got out of the water upon hearing the woman’s words. Benny had a fish in his hand, which he reluctantly released into the water before he left.
As for Estella, she gathered all of the pebbles the boys had given her in her skirt, protecting the pile of stones as she walked toward Roxanne.
Noticing how the little girl was struggling, Roxanne stepped forward to help her. Estella’s footsteps became lighter when some of the weight of the pebbles were taken off of her.
When they reached the shore, Roxanne took the towels she had prepared earlier and gently wiped down the children’s bodies.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.