The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 43: Chapter 43

As Serena turned a corner, she suddenly caught sight of a little girl. It was Alyssa. Without hesitation, Serena dashed over. "Hi, Alyssa," she called out urgently.
Just as Serena was about to reach Alyssa, she saw a little girl, dressed to the nines, violently shove Alyssa.
Alyssa lost balance and crashed to the ground, her hands desperately clutching the little cake box.
Furious, Serena rushed forward in a few quick strides to help Alyssa up, carefully checking the little girl for any injuries.
"Alyssa, are you hurt anywhere?" Serena's voice trembled with worry as she tenderly wiped the dust from Alyssa's face, her heart aching.
Alyssa shook her head and hugged the cake box even tighter to her chest.
At that moment, the girl who had pushed Alyssa swaggered over with her nose in the air, followed closely by Lucia Lynn, who was dressed to impress in designer clothes.
The little girl pointed at Alyssa and shrieked, "Mom. It's her. She stole my cake."
Serena's anger flared white-hot at this. "Little girl, why would you push her?"
"She stole my cake," the little girl repeated defiantly, her face radiating spoiled arrogance. "That's my cake. I told her to give it to me, but she wouldn't."
Alyssa clutched the cake box tightly, shaking her head desperately. Unable to explain, her face flushed bright red with frustration.
Serena crouched down and gently gathered Alyssa into her arms. "Don't be scared, Alyssa. I'm here. Everything will be okay."
Upon feeling Alyssa's trembling body in her arms, Serena's heart ached even more as she thought of how the poor child couldn't even speak up to defend herself.
Just as Serena was gently soothing Alyssa, the little girl suddenly made a grab, her face twisted in disgust.
"That cake was mine to begin with. Hand it over right now." She made a sudden grab for the cake box in Alyssa's arms.
With a deft flick of her wrist, Serena swiftly intercepted the little girl's hand. Undeterred, the little girl darted around Serena and lunged at Alyssa.
Serena swiftly stepped to the side, positioning herself in front of Alyssa to shield her.
At that moment, the clerk from the nearby cake shop charged over, her face flushed with outrage. "I saw everything. This little girl came to buy the cake first, but that other girl insisted on taking it from her.
"When she wouldn't give it up, the other girl actually shoved her."
At the clerk's words, Serena's pent-up rage finally boiled over. She demanded angrily, "Is this how you parent your child? Not only stealing but also hitting others, and now not even an apology?"
Lucia gave Serena a once-over. Noticing her plain attire, she rolled her eyes with a sneer and spoke in a mocking, condescending tone. "Well, well, who do you think you are, missy? Stop meddling.
"It's just children's games. What's an adult like you interfering for? Besides, our precious darling can have anything she wants. As if she'd ever need to steal that pathetic little cake?"
"Playing around? You call shoving a child to the ground just playing around? You will apologize for this right now," Serena demanded.
"Apologize? Dream on. Who do you think you are to demand an apology from us? You're not even worth the dirt under my shoes." As she spat these words, Lucia even had the audacity to give Serena a hard shove.
Caught completely off guard, Serena staggered, on the verge of falling, when a warm, strong arm swiftly reached out and steadied her.
"Are you okay?" a voice sounded.
Steadying herself, Serena gave a small shake of her head before turning to meet Keith's gaze.
Seeing that Serena was unharmed, Keith immediately turned to Alyssa, very concerned as he carefully examined her injuries.
Alyssa's once-pristine white dress was now smeared with dirt, her knees caked with mud. Faint streaks of blood showed where her skin had been scraped raw. Keith's brows knitted in distress.
"Oh wow, your husband's here to save the day?" Lucia shot Keith a contemptuous glance. She sneered and rolled her eyes dismissively, treating Keith with utter contempt.
"Just you wait. This isn't over. My husband will be here any minute, and then you'll get what's coming to you." With her chin held high and a triumphant air, she produced her phone and dialed a number with an exaggerated flourish.
When Serena heard Lucia's words, she subtly tilted her head and stole a quick glance at Keith. Keith maintained a calm expression and pretended not to notice her glance.
Only then did Serena secretly let out a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, 'Thank goodness Keith didn't read too much into it.'
Actually, Keith had noticed that fleeting, slightly flustered glance of hers.
Thinking Serena was scared, Keith gave her hand a reassuring pat and offered her a steadying look, as if to say, "It's okay."
Lucia instantly spotted Cade Lynn in the distance—a portly man in a sharp suit, approaching them.
She immediately swelled with pride, straightening her back and jutting her chin out even higher.
Pointing an accusing finger at Serena and Keith, Lucia shrieked in a piercing, grating voice, "Honey, come here. It's them. They actually dared to bully me and our girl. Teach them a lesson."
Cade was just about to unleash his tirade when his gaze landed on Keith's face, and he froze mid-sentence.
A chill ran down his spine as sudden regret washed over him. He never should have rushed over so recklessly. His steps involuntarily slowed.
Keith spoke slowly, his voice icy with authority. "Are you giving me a lesson?"
Upon noticing her husband's apparent hesitation, Lucia's irritation flared. With a contemptuous huff, she squared her shoulders and stepped forward to stand up for him. "What gives you the right to stand here talking to my husband? You—"
Before she could finish her tirade, Cade yanked her back by the arm.
Sweating bullets, his face drained of color, Cade was bowing and scraping as he nervously addressed Keith. "Mr. Brannon, my deepest apologies. My wife and girl were thoughtless and have caused you such inconvenience."
"Honey, what are you doing? Why on earth are you apologizing to him?" Lucia hesitated.
Cade shot her a withering glare and hissed through clenched teeth, "Just shut up."
Lucia froze, utterly dumbstruck.
Keith gave Cade a sweeping glance and recognized him as a director at one of the Brannon Group's subsidiaries.
Cade's lips quivered, his whole body trembling as he kept his eyes down, too afraid to even look at Keith.
He practically hauled his wife and daughter in front of Keith, bowing deeply and repeatedly as he apologized profusely. "I'm so sorry. Mr. Brannon, we didn't recognize who you were. Please let me apologize on their behalf."
Lucia's heart sank as she watched her husband grovel like this. She stole a furtive glance at Keith, sizing him up. 'Oh no, did I just piss off someone really important?' she wondered.
Lucia struggled to steady her breathing, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her nerves. Forcing a strained smile, she pointed at Serena and attempted to defend herself. "Mr. Brannon, perhaps there's been some misunderstanding?
"Actually, it was that little girl who pushed my girl first. I just couldn't help myself and said a few words."
As she spoke, Lucia gave her daughter's shoulder a meaningful tap with her finger and whispered a warning. "Baby, tell the truth now. Wasn't she the one who pushed you first?"
Instead of being scared when her mother patted her on the shoulder, the little girl became even more insolent. Pouting with her nose in the air, she declared arrogantly, "So what if I pushed her first?
"Mommy, you always say everything I want is mine. I only gave her a little nudge, and that's all."