The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 2849
“Watch your tone. My mother married into this family after your mom Magina passed away.”
Regina hated to hear her mother’s name from Madeline’s mouth, and she never allowed it to happen. But now, Madeline was
bringing up her mother’s death with such a flighty tone. Regina could tolerate a lot, but disrespect towards her mother was where
she drew the line.
Her face turned a shade paler with barely contained rage.
“Truth be told, your mother knew exactly what was what.” Regina continued with a coldness that made the air around them seem
to drop a few degrees. “My mother may have been taken from me too soon by illness, but let’s not pretend your mom was some
kind of saint. I was young, sure, but not oblivious. I know more than you think, so drop the act, Madeline.”
Taking confident strides toward Madeline, Regina closed the distance between them, her taller frame casting a shadow over her
stepsister. Regina had inherited her mother’s grace and Madeline, unfortunately for her, was rather short like their father.
Madeline had tried hard to hold her own in the Tanner family, always comparing herself to Regina. She managed to keep in
shape to some extent, but when it came to height, there. was simply no contest.
“If I’m supposedly unworthy of Nolan’s affection, then you’re out of the league entirely. And don’t get it twisted, Madeline, just
because you’ve been a Tanner in name for years doesn’t mean you’re one of us.”
A small, mocking smile played on Regina’s lips, and Madeline’s face flushed a deep red with frustration. She knew Regina had
always looked down on her!
“What are you so proud of, Regina? So you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. What else have you got that I don’t?”
Madeline’s voice was bitter, “Oh, I can’t compete with you, can I? With a mother like yours – oh, but wait, she’s long gone, and
now my mother is the queen of your father’s heart...”
It dawned on Regina that her biggest mistake over the years had been her tolerance. Both Imogen and Madeline had grown
bold, thinking she was a pushover. They said what they wanted, did what they wanted, believing she would always remain silent.
But after the recent dressing down from Nolan and all that had happened, Regina had lost all patience. Without a second
thought, she slapped Madeline across the face.

The slap caught Madeline off guard. She covered her cheek with her hands for a while, as she struggled to process what had
just happened. Since her arrival in the Tanner household, no one had dared lay a finger on her, let alone slap her.
“You-you-you!” Tears welled up in Madeline’s eyes.
Regina, somewhat surprised by her own reaction, widened her eyes and watched.
“Well, that was a convincing performance.” Regina said sarcastically. “Remember to act like that in front of Dad next time, but
make sure to tone it down a bit. You’re not on a soap opera. Don’t exaggerate.”
“You’ll pay for this, Regina! I swear you will!” Madeline sobbed, her hand still on her reddening cheek.
Regina’s patience was wearing thin. “Oh, I’ll be there. Now, if you would, please leave my house. And I’d rather not ask twice.”
With a dismissive gesture towards the door, Regina watched as Madeline, no matter how humiliated, clenched her teeth and
stormed out. Madeline seethed with hatred for Regina. She was thankful that no one else was here; had anyone witnessed her
disgrace, she would have wanted to bash her head against the wall in shame.