Veronica's POV
Through Bonita, I discovered the heartbreaking truth about Joseph's existence—revelations that left me reeling with shock, fury, and crushing guilt.
My son suffered from anorexia. He would only consume meals prepared by Leonardo, his father, rejecting anything made by other hands. For the extended period Leonardo lay unconscious, Joseph had been living on scraps of bread, preferring starvation to accepting food from anyone else unless desperation drove him to it.
The wounds covering his small frame told their own brutal story. While some resulted from childhood accidents, most came from relentless torment by two other children.
I connected the dots—those two hefty boys I'd confronted earlier belonged to Leonardo's cousin. They regularly terrorized Joseph, exploiting the fact that he had no mother's protection. Joseph's silence and unwillingness to report their cruelty only encouraged their vicious behavior.
Each detail Bonita shared drove the knife deeper into my chest, making it harder to breathe.
After bathing Joseph and stemming his nosebleed, I gently dried his tiny frame. For the first time, I truly saw my son completely.
His face mirrored Daniel and Brad's perfectly, yet his expression held a hardened wisdom that no child should possess.
"Joseph..."
Once I'd clothed him in clean garments, I drew my son against me again, embracing him fiercely. I felt his fragile bones, his precious warmth, the blood coursing through his veins, his heartbeat drumming against my chest.
This was my eldest—the baby I'd carried for those long months and delivered into this world.
Our connection ran deeper than flesh, woven from shared DNA and spirit.
Discovering Joseph made me feel complete for the first time in years.
I swore silently to myself:
Joseph, I'll never abandon you again. I won't allow anyone to harm you. I'll care for you and repay every debt I owe.
---
Before I could fully absorb this precious moment, chaos erupted beyond the walls.
A servant bounded up the stairs, terror etched across her features. "Miss Bogart! Olive and Kathrine have arrived, and they've brought reinforcements!"
"What's happening?" Bonita demanded, racing downstairs to assess the situation.
At the Nelson mansion's entrance, Olive and her daughter-in-law Kathrine had descended with their two sons, radiating hostile intent.
"Bogart woman! Show yourself!"
"See what you've done to my children! Come out this instant!"
Bonita sprinted back to find me. "Miss Bogart, did you strike Olive's two young masters today?"
"Those chunky bullies? Absolutely. What about it?" I answered without hesitation.
"Olive and Kathrine want a confrontation. How should we handle this?" Bonita's anxiety was palpable—clearly Olive commanded fear among the household staff.
"Then let's see what they're after."
I told Joseph to remain upstairs before descending alone.
Positioning myself at the villa's threshold, I kept my voice light. "What's this commotion about? For a second there, I mistook it for wild dogs howling outside. Such a racket."
---
Olive and Kathrine's expressions contorted with fury when they spotted me emerging.
"Who are you? Where's Liana?" Olive barked.
"I am Liana," I stated flatly.
"Impossible!" Kathrine jabbed her finger toward me. "She's not Liana. I know Liana—this woman is a fraud!"
The assembled crowd murmured in amazement.
So the Bogart Family had sent a deceiver?
"If you're not Liana, then you're nothing but a fake!" Olive screeched. "And how dare an impostor attack my grandsons!"
Kathrine piled on. "Plus you just compared us to stray dogs? You have incredible audacity!"
Both women fixed me with murderous stares, practically breathing flames.
"When exactly did I attack your grandsons?" I folded my arms, completely unruffled.
Olive dragged her two grandsons forward. "Burton, Tooker, identify her—who struck you? Speak up! Grandma will ensure you receive justice."
"She did!" The boys aimed their fingers at me, voices dripping with righteousness.
"You heard them!" Olive raged. "Examine their faces! They're swollen with obvious handprints. What's your excuse?"
"Are you certain their faces aren't just puffy from natural obesity?" I replied icily.
Kathrine's complexion turned crimson. "How can you be so cruel? Just because you're childless doesn't give you permission to assault other people's children! And now you're lying about it?"
I released a bitter laugh. "You keep claiming I hit them, but have you bothered asking why?"
Both women glowered silently. I pressed on, "Your precious grandsons tormented Joseph. I intervened to teach them basic decency. Is that unreasonable?"
"I've never encountered such a shameless, argumentative woman," Kathrine snapped back. "An adult beating children and then blaming them? Burton and Tooker have always been gentle with Joseph. They're like brothers. Stop manipulating the truth to hide your crimes!"
"Brothers?" I turned toward the boys. "Answer me—did you strike Joseph? Did you force dirt and leaves down his throat? Did you call him a mute and a bastard?"
The two boys, emboldened by their family's support, denied everything.
"No! We never touched Joseph!"
"Mommy, Grandma, we were just playing with him when this woman attacked us!"
Olive's face darkened with rage. "Did you hear that? My grandsons are blameless. You're the one distorting reality with your wicked lies!"
"Wicked lies? Distorting reality?" My voice turned glacial. "Just because Joseph is small and voiceless doesn't mean you can torment him. Let me be crystal clear: now that I'm here, no one will harm him again."
As I spoke, I felt Joseph's eyes on me. I glanced back to see him watching silently, a new, unfamiliar warmth in his expression. It was as if, in that moment, he was finally feeling what it was like to be protected.
"You think you matter?" Kathrine mocked. "You're just a con artist sent to deceive us. Don't imagine you're significant!"
She charged at me, but I reacted quicker.
Seizing Kathrine's hair, I jerked her backward and delivered a sharp slap across her cheek.
CRACK! CRACK! Then, with a powerful kick, I sent Kathrine tumbling to the ground.
"Ahhh!" Kathrine shrieked in shock and agony.
Everyone stood frozen in disbelief. I saw Bonita and the other servants gasp, their mouths hanging open in shock. The sheer terror on their faces told me everything; they thought I was done for. I knew crossing Olive's family was a grave mistake that would likely get back to Cecile, and there was no telling how it would end.
Olive, shaking with fury, commanded her entourage, "Grab her! Make sure she never forgets this lesson!"