Ch. Chapter 7 Fighting off my stepmother’s slandering by making meatball Chapter 7

C07 

Olivia was stunned. Her eyes darted to Finn, asking for help. 

Finn pulled her aside and tried to console her. Then he turned his attention to the neighbor who was about to leave. 

“Everyone, listen to me!” he called out. “You all saw how Auntie Olivia was wronged in front of you and now that she wants to call the police, none of you are willing to testify for her?” 

“If you look at it one way, it just shows a lack of neighborly kindness. However, if you look at it another way, you’re enabling wrongdoing. It’s the people like you who make society cold and indifferent!” 

His words immediately sparked a reaction. The bystanders, who had only been watching, were now indignant. “Hey, young man, who do you think you are, accusing us like that? What do you mean by ‘enabling wrongdoing‘? What do you mean by ‘cold and indifferent society‘?” 

“You sure look educated, but the words coming out of your mouth are disgraceful. Didn’t your family teach you any manners?” 

“Exactly! Since when does watching a commotion mean we have to get involved? It happens during the New Year, no less! Who wants to spend the holiday at the police station?” 

When he saw the neighbors grow even angrier, Finn’s face darkened. He was losing control of the situation and in his frustration, he blurted out, “You’re all accomplices!” 

“Auntie Olivia is suffering because of people like you! You all saw her being bullied, yet you refused to testify. That’s obstruction of justice! I’m going to call the police and have you all taken in!” 

His words completely burned the neighbor’s anger. 

The older ones surrounded him and lectured him on basic decency, while the younger ones rolled up their sleeves. They were ready to settle things physically. 

In the middle of the chaos, my father and I, who had been the ones under attack just moments ago, were now forgotten in the background. 

I watched as the talk of a miscarriage and blame faded into the noise. Olivia’s face twisted with resentment and when she glanced at Finn, there was a flicker of dissatisfaction in her eyes. 

However, she knew she had lost and the situation had turned against her. Forcing a smile, she lowered her bead and began apologizing to the neighbors, trying to smooth things over. 

The neighbors grumbled and muttered about bad luck and how this had ruined their festive mood, before turning to leave. However, I wasn’t about to let them go just yet. 

“Uncles, aunties, grandpas and grandmas, please wait!” I called out loudly. “We’ve prepared meatballs for everyone!” 

The neighbor hesitated and paused their steps. One person scoffed. He did, not bother to hide their disdain. “Megan, save it. Your fiancé has been running his mouth and you’re no saint either. I wouldn’t dare eat meatballs from your family!” 

Several others nodded in agreement. They were all making it clear they wanted nothing to do with us 

8:06 AM J 

Fighting off My Stepmother’s Slandering by Making Meatball 

This was exactly what I had been waiting for. My body trembled in excitement because I was finally able to say 

what I wanted to say. 

With all eyes on me, I took a deep breath, stepped forward and threw open my front door only to reveal the table inside. On it sat stacks and stacks of meatballs. 

Tears welled in my eyes as I spoke, my voice trembling with emotion. “Uncles, aunties, grandpas, grandmas, you’ve all misunderstood me. I never caused my mother’s miscarriage….” 

As I said this, I turned to Olivia, my gaze filled with pain. “Mom, I don’t know why you’re accusing me, but this is the last time I’ll ever call you that.” 

“I’ve always treated you like my real mother. Whenever I got something good, I gave it to you first. However, you never saw me as your daughter. Instead, you framed me for something so cruel. Auntie Olivia, you’ve really broken my heart.” 

Hearing my words, some of the neighbors began to murmur among themselves. 

“She’s not lying. I’ve seen how Megan treats Olivia. She’s always been respectful and considerate, almost like she forgot that she was her stepmother.” 

However, not everyone was convinced. 

“Just because she acts nice on the surface doesn’t mean she doesn’t have ulterior motives,” someone countered. “Look at what happened today… she used Olivia’s trust against her and caused her to lose her baby!” 

I turned to the person who spoke, my eyes red and slowly shook my head. 

“Auntie, you’ve really misunderstood me!”