Chapter 176

Chapter 176

“Hey, Manny, I see things have taken a turn for the better. The cyberbullying

against you has settled, hasn’t it?” Ryder asked with genuine concern.

He had just returned home from work after picking up Tommy and glanced

at the news on his phone before making dinner.

Seeing the public opinion now unanimously in support of Roselynn and

Emmanuel and scolding Hermann, Ryder’s heart was finally at ease.

Just as he was engrossed in the conversation, Abellyn returned home, a

storm brewing inside her. She had had an unlucky day playing poker, losing

all her money, and even skipping lunch. Naturally, her mood was nothing

short of foul.

Her anger was further kindled when she heard Ryder’s voice wafting from the

kitchen, full of concern for his cousin without even sparing her a glance.

“Ah, did Ms. Quillen help you out again? She’s pretty and capable, huh? You’ve

truly found a treasure, Manny,” Ryder remarked sincerely.

However, these words triggered Abellyn’s simmering anger into a full–blown

tempest.

“What is the meaning of this? Spending your time worrying about your

cousin’s wife while your own wife and son starve?” Abellyn yelled, her voice

laced with venom.

Ryder paused, setting his phone down, matching her ire with his own steely

gaze. “I’ve been working all day, and I’m tired. Is it a crime to have a

conversation with my cousin? If you have so much spare time, go make

dinner yourself!” he shot back.

“Did you ask me to go make dinner for someone like you? You don’t deserve

it!” she berated righteously.

No matter how honest and down–to–earth Ryder was, he was but a man who

deserved respect.

I work tirelessly like a dog all day, and I’m also in charge of fetching the kids.

She does nothing all day. How dare she yell at me when all I ask is for her to

make dinner? What have I truly done, marrying this impudent woman to be

my wife?

Despite it all, Ryder found it hard to vent his frustration on Abellyn. Hence, he

quietly retreated to his room, phone in hand, and resume his conversation

with Emmanuel.

“Ryder, did you have another fight with Abellyn again?” Emmanuel asked

cautiously.

Even he had sensed the tension between Ryder and his wife over the phone.

“Don’t mind her. She’s becoming more and more unreasonable!” Ryder

replied, suppressing his anger.

He had decided not to make dinner for the insolent woman today, and he

couldn’t care less if she would go hungry.

Meanwhile, Abellyn was seething in the living room.

Ryder’s refusal to include Robby in their family registry had already made her

feel guilty toward Chloe and put a strain on their relationship as a result. And

now, Ryder’s blatant disregard for his wife in favor of Emmanuel’s wife was

the last straw.

“This is preposterous! I cannot live like this!” Abellyn shouted, her eyes wild

with fury.

In a moment of sheer madness, she stormed into the kitchen, grabbed a

cleaver and stormed toward Ryder’s room.

Fortunately, Tommy was busy doing his homework in another room and

didn’t notice his mother’s actions.

When Abellyn burst into the room, she planned to simply intimidate Ryder.

However, seeing him still on the phone with Emmanuel, laughing and fawning

over Mackenzie, she felt a rush of resentment. Without a second thought, she

lunged toward Emmanuel, knife raised high.

Although Abellyn had never attacked anyone in her life in her younger days

but spent long hours working in places where brawls and violence were not

uncommon. Consequently, her current fury erased any traces of timidity.

Ryder, on the other hand, was oblivious to her intrusion. Yet, at the pivotal

moment, an instinctual sense of danger prompted him to dart aside,

narrowly avoiding the path of the blade.

The cleaver instead grazed his underarm and arm, instantly painting a

vibrant streak of red as his blood spilled forth.

Dropping his phone in shock, Ryder watched the deranged woman before

him, horror etching across his face. “Abellyn, what are you doing? Have you

gone mad?” he cried out.

“Mad? I’m perfectly sane!” she retorted and her voice was ice cold. “Are you

thinking about your cousin’s wife all day long? Do you find her more

attractive, more beautiful, and more graceful than me? If so, go be with her!”

With that, Abellyn once again lunged at Ryder with the knife.

However, despite Ryder’s humble demeanor, he was no pushover. Swiftly

sidestepping the cleaver, he grabbed hold of the woman’s wrist and

immobilized her with his legs, effectively halting her frenzied attack.

While Abellyn was consumed by rage, Ryder’s heart was aflame with a fury

that surpassed hers.

He had worked tirelessly for their family, earning money for her frivolities,

cooking for her, and treating her with the utmost respect. Now, she dares to

assault me with a knife simply because I have taken a call instead of

preparing her dinner?