Chapter 9 A Woman With a Broken Hand

• Isabelle held Lily in her arms, and the sight of the bright red handprint on Lily's cheek pierced through Stephan’s heart like a sharp thorn.
• "Why did you hit her?" Isabelle was so furious that she was on the verge of tears. Lily had only been home for a day, and now she had already been slapped.
• "Daddy, mommy, I’m fine." Though the pain caused tears to well up in her eyes, Lily still tried to comfort them. For a moment, Stephan’s body began to tremble.
• Just yesterday, he had promised that he would never let her be bullied again.
• "Why? Look at the cheap clothes you people are wearing. If you don’t have the money, don’t shop in places like this."
• "My son is precious, and your daughter had the nerve to push him to the ground. A slap is being merciful. Now make your daughter apologize to my son, or I’m telling you, this won’t end here," a young woman said.
• The young boy, about the same age as Lily, stood beside the woman dressed in expensive clothes, wailing loudly as if he had suffered some great injustice.
• "It was your son who wiped his snot on my daughter’s clothes. You are being unreasonable!" Isabelle was furious, pointing to Lily’s clothes.
• "Some people would be lucky to eat it! Stop wasting time and just apologize. This is your last chance."
• The woman’s tone was laced with extreme contempt and disdain, as if even speaking to Isabelle was degrading.
• "Izzy, some people don’t deserve reason. Tell Lily not to look." Awakening from his deep sense of guilt, Stephan said this as he stepped forward to face the young woman.
• "Which hand did you use to hit her? Hold it out."
• Facing Stephan, the woman wasn’t afraid at all. She sneered arrogantly. "You want to hit me?"
• "It was my right hand. Go ahead. If you dare to lay a finger on me, I’ll— Ah!"
• Suddenly, she screamed, her face twisting in agony as she clutched her right hand, crouching down in pain.
• "You don’t deserve that hand." After snapping her hand, Stephan acted as if nothing had happened.
• He knelt down and gently stroked the red mark on Lily’s cheek. "Does it still hurt?"
• It was as if Lily had found a safe harbor. She finally burst into tears, throwing herself into Stephan’s arms.
• "It hurts! Daddy, it hurts so much. I didn’t push him hard."
• Tears flowed from Isabelle’s eyes as she wiped them away. Lily was such an understanding child. She had seen their family be bullied so many times that she had learned not to complain about it half a year ago.
• If that boy hadn’t wiped his snot on her favorite dress, she wouldn’t have lightly pushed him. Now that Stephan had arrived, she could finally act like a normal child, whining and leaning on her father for support.
• "You’ll pay for this!" By this time, the woman had managed to recover, pulling her son and running out of the store.
• Even more strangely, after Stephan’s gentle touch, the red handprint on Lily’s face had magically disappeared, though no one seemed to notice.
• "Sweetie, let’s pick out some more clothes. We are here with you."
• Stephan felt a lingering bitterness and couldn't completely let it go.. After all, just answering a phone call had led to this situation.
• Lily, on the other hand, was soon happily looking at all the clothes. But Isabelle couldn’t shake her concern.
• "Stephan, ever since you came back from the military, you’ve become so violent. The people who shop here must come from wealthy families, yet you broke that woman’s hand. We should leave as quickly as we can."
• Stephan remained expressionless. "Anyone who touches my daughter will pay. I was already merciful enough to the woman."
• Soon after, Lily came over shyly holding a plaid dress. "I want this one."
• Isabelle quickly took her to the fitting room to try it on while Stephan waited. After a little while, Lily came out, and his heart melted instantly.
• "Sweetie, you’re my adorable princess."
• Hearing his praise, Lily was overjoyed. She couldn’t stop looking at herself in the mirror, clearly pleased with the dress.
• "Go get a few more," Stephan said to her.
• But when she heard this, she pouted.
• "Daddy, you can’t spend money recklessly. Mommy says we have to be content with what we have. I only need this one dress."
• Having been lectured by her, Stephan rubbed his nose helplessly and didn’t insist. He walked up to the counter and asked, "How much is this dress?"
• As he spoke, he pulled a thick stack of cash from his pocket, about a few thousand dollars.
• The saleswoman's eyes flashed with disdain. To her, Stephan and his family were clearly upstarts, and that's why they were wearing off-brand clothes.
• Just as she was about to speak, five people entered the store. Four of them were security guards, and the man in front was a well-dressed middle-aged man.