Chapter 594: Allison held her silence, but Melany's face crumpled. She was the perfect portrait of wounded innocence, a performance designed to sway - or at least mislead the crowd.
"Allison, if you insist on dragging this out," she murmured, "then by all means, let's continue." After all, she had plenty of tricks up her sleeve - enough tricks to take a slap without really feeling it. But Allison merely scoffed. "Oh, we'll continue - but don't think you can cheat your way out. It has to be a real slap to count, Melany. None of that half-hearted nonsense." Melany stiffened, stunned by her audacity. "You!" The gossiping crowd watched with anticipation, eager for the to continue.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" someone called out from the sidelines. "We're all here to see saction!" "Yeah, don't keep us hanging! Think of the money coming your way. Make it count!" "Con, show us you've got a little fight in you! Put sforce in it!" "You were both just weeping like lost souls, claiming you'd do anything to save your family. Well, here's your chance don't waste it!" Melany bit her lip, grasping for words that refused to come. She and Lindy shouldn't have drawn these fickle onlookers in. Now they were paying the price for their mistake! "Sorry, Lindy, but I might have to go a bit harder on you next time," Melany said, drawing in a deep breath. In truth, she had been waiting for this chance to blow off ssteam. Lindy had humiliated her one too many times, and this moment was her perfect opportunity to hit back, and all with a legitimate excuse.
Oblivious to Melany's real motives, Lindy swallowed her frustration, trying to remain calm. “It's fine, go ahead," she muttered. After all, it was the only way to save Colton. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, bracing herself. It was just one slap, and she reasoned that Melany wouldn't overdo it.
But Lindy was in for a shock.
The slap landed with a stinging crack across her face, snapping her head to the side.
This wasn't like the rehearsed slap from moments ago - this one was fierce, and it left Lindy utterly stunned. Melany feigned concern, apologizing, "Oh, Lindy! I'm so sorry! Are you alright? I didn't mean to..." Despite her show of remorse, a sense of satisfaction bubbled up inside her. Finally, she'd gotten a bit of her own back.