Chapter 104: Enough With Your Excuses

“Exactly, Mrs. Goodridge,” Shanice chimed in, equally annoyed. “If you have something to say, please make it quick. Ray-Ray needs to rest.” Her frustration was particularly directed at the pretentious Waverly.

Harriet, wearing a worried expression, said, “All right, Ray-Ray, I’ll get straight to the point. Samuel has been taken by Jeremiah. He specifically demanded that you go and get him.”

“Why don’t you send your husband to talk to his father? Why bother me with this?” Raylee’s tone was sharp with annoyance.

“Mr. Victor is out on a business trip. Your dad can’t reach him,” Harriet replied, her voice trembling as tears gathered in her eyes. “Jeremiah is dangerous. He’s taken your brother, and there’s no telling if he’ll make it out alive. Even if he does, he’ll probably be half-dead!”

Raylee let out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, so you knew he was dangerous all along? Funny, that didn’t seem to bother you when you were matchmaking me with him. Did you ever think he might kill me or leave me half-dead? You sure know how to worry about your son!”

Harriet was left speechless by her retort.

Waverly, however, gritted her teeth and interjected. “Do you even realize why Samuel was taken by Jeremiah? It’s all because of you! He stood up for you and ended up in a brutal fight with Jeremiah. The hospital entrance was covered in blood! Not only did they fight, but Samuel even took his gun. It almost turned deadly! He did all of this for you, and now you’re just going to stand by and let him die at Jeremiah’s hands?”

“Did I ask for his help? He acted on his own, so he should deal with the consequences on his own,” Raylee responded coldly.

Harriet broke down, pleading, “Ray-Ray, I know I’ve failed you. Scold me. Hit me if it’ll make you feel better. But for the sake of your brother, who risked everything to stand up for you, please save him.”

Waverly added, “Raylee, if you have a shred of conscience, then help us. Jeremiah won’t let him go, and you’re the only one who can stop him.”

“Enough!” Shanice burst out, her anger boiling over. “Mrs. Goodridge, I respect you as my elder, so I’ll hold back and save you some dignity. But Waverly, you hypocrite, I have no such restraint for you. What gives you the right to demand Ray-Ray risk her life to save someone? Jeremiah is a maniac. If Ray-Ray goes to him, she might not come back alive. Do you even understand that? She narrowly escaped death once, and now you expect her to run straight back into danger? Is Samuel’s life more valuable than Ray-Ray’s? He should clean up his own mess. Ray-Ray has no obligation to save him!”

Shanice’s fierce words left Waverly speechless. Tears immediately filled her eyes, and she looked on the verge of breaking down.

But Shanice wasn’t done. “Crying again! Is that all you ever do? Are you made of tears or something? You’re such a drama queen! None of you are going to manipulate this situation with your so-called moral high ground. As long as I’m here, no one gets to push Ray-Ray around!”

Raylee was so moved by Shanice’s unwavering support that her eyes turned red. She had not realized before what a loyal and principled person Shanice was. Despite her fiery temper, she had a good heart and had always stood by her.

Meanwhile, Waverly, still reeling from Shanice’s outburst, began to sob uncontrollably.

“Shanice, how can you say that about me? It’s me, Wavy—your close friend! We’ve been like sisters for four years. We used to be so close…”

Shanice scoffed. “Lying comes so easily to you, doesn’t it? Have you ever truly thought of me as a friend? From the moment you stood by and watched me die without lifting a finger—worse, even pushed me away—the only relationship left between us was that of enemies! Now, that’s enough. If you’re going to cry, do it at home. Stop disrupting the peace here!” She showed no mercy as she dismissed them.

Could there be some misunderstanding about what happened at Whitehorn Mountain? Did Ray-Ray say something to you?

“Are you done?” Raylee shouted at Harriet, enduring the pain of her discomfort. “Why is it always me? No matter what Waverly does wrong, it’s always my fault! Is it because I’m not blood-related that I’m only deserving of contempt?”

Harriet, taken aback, hastily said, “Ray-Ray, that’s not what I meant! I wasn’t blaming you for Wavy’s mistakes. I just wanted to clarify things with Shanice to see if this was all some kind of misunderstanding.”

Raylee’s patience finally snapped.

“Enough with your excuses. If there’s any misunderstanding, go clear it up yourself. Don’t drag me into your son’s problem, and don’t expect me to see you out!”