Anya continued walking downhill as sheughed disdainfully. "Why? Because you''re the child I adopted! My belongings, even if they''re not the best, are still mine. I won''t allow anyone to take what''s mine!" Joey''s eyes were filled with resignation and despair. "But...you don''t like kids at all... You don''t like me. Why can''t you let me stay with my mommy and daddy..."


    When Anya realized that Joey was not referring to her as his mommy, her irritation spiked as she mmed Joey fiercely onto the ground.


    "What did you say? Who did you call your mommy?"


    The mountain path was rugged with plenty of brambles. After being roughly thrown to the ground, Joey''s exposed skin was pierced by some sharp prickles. This caused him to wince in pain.


    As if that was not enough, Anya kicked his stomach harshly. "You little brat! Who were you calling ''mommy''?!"


    Joey was not able to speak anymore. He could only cry silently inside.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Unfortunately for him, Anya was still unsatisfied and stomped his stomach again.


    "You traitor! If I hadn''t adopted you from abroad, you''d still be in that miserable orphanage, barely surviving. You might''ve sumbed to a disease and not even be alive today! How dare you be so ungrateful and look down on me?! You''d rather ept that b*tch Corinne as your mommy than me?! I was the one who was kind-hearted enough to adopt you! Did she give birth to you, or did she adopt you? Huh?!"


    Joey''s eyes were starting to bulge from the forceful stomping. He felt that his life hade to an end and used hisst bit of strength to retort, "She... She''s really good to me..."


    That made Anya even angrier. "Good to you? Why would she be good to you? It''s all an act! That b*tch is a professional in acting. She''ll do anything to secure her position as Jeremy''s wife. You really think she sees you as her son? She has her own kids, so why would she treat you as her son?!"


    Red in the eyes, Joey stubbornly defended Corinne, who was perfect in his eyes.


    "She''s still a good mommy... Even if she doesn''t see me as her son, she at least...respects me... She''s better than you. She''s just better..."


    Joey''s parting words stirred an intense rage in Anya. She gritted her teeth and viciously kicked Joey on the ground.


    "Fine! If she''s better than me, I''ll grant you your wish! I''ll show you just how cruel I can be! Since you no longer recognize me as your adoptive mother, I might as well send you straight to hell!" With each word, she mercilessly kicked the defenseless five-year-old Joey.


    It was unclear how much time passed, but Joey stopped moving. Only then did Anya cease her assault.


    She steadied herself with a heavy breath and said unsympathetically, "Enough, stop pretending! Get up!"


    Yet, the child remained unresponsive.


    Frowning, Anya crouched and checked Joey''s breath, only to realize he had stopped breathing.


    ''He''s dead? Man, he''s really fragile, huh? I don''t remember him being this fragile. He used to be able to take more than this! Well, everything is ruined now that he''s useless.''


    Anya showed no remorse or sadness for the loss of a young life, only thoughts of disdain and dissatisfaction. All she could think about was her own interests.


    Ever since her release from prison, she knew she was no longer the same person she used to be. She had lost the halo of being the Riveras'' second daughter. Even if she returned to the Riveras, she would only be despised by the people around her. Thus, she chose not to go back and took on temporary jobs. She did all this while plotting revenge against Corinne, whom she med for her miserable state. She observed Corinne for a long time and was surprised to find her adopted son in her care. However, she soon concluded that Corinne was using her adopted son to feign righteousness and morality.