Chapter 770
Chapter 770
"Katie, we're good friends. We grew up together. Do you really think I would deceive or harm you?"
Ashlyn looked at Katie's expression and a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes. "My dad promised to NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.
buy me two new dresses tonight. You should also prepare a beautiful dress so that we can both attend
the Graley Piano Competition together!"
"It sounds amazing!" Ashlyn giggled.
"Ashlyn, you're such a good friend," Katie said before hanging up the phone.
After hanging up, Katie made up her mind to ask her father to get her a spot as a guest performer at
the Graley Piano Competition.
Mr. Mcguire was in his study listening to Carolyn report on end-of-year accounting issues. As the year
came to an end, there were many things that needed attention including employee bonuses and
benefits as well as other departmental matters. After calculating all these expenses, it amounted to
millions of dollars...
Suddenly, Katie burst into the room and talked non-stop about what she wanted for quite some time.
Mr. Mcguire rubbed his forehead with frustration and looked at his daughter. "What do you want? To be
a guest performer? We have nothing to do with Graley Piano Competition nor any connections with
them whatsoever! What can I do for you?"
"Dad! How could you say that?" Katie glared at him angrily. "Ashlyn is going to participate in the
competition; why can't I be a guest performer too?"
She turned towards Carolyn and asked, "Sister-in-law, don't we have enough money? Can't we
sponsor it or advertise it somehow?"
"How about being its sponsor?"
"I don't care! Dad promised he would support my career but now he won't even help me become just
one guest performer? You're too much."
Mr. Mcguire was already stressed out from all this commotion; he had been feeling anxious since
earlier when they discussed all these financial matters which only added fuel to fire when he heard
Katie's spoiled words again. He stood up abruptly from his chair and slapped her across her face
without thinking twice.
"You're not three years old anymore! Can't you act more maturely? Do you think becoming an
international award-winning performance artist is easy?"
"Do you think it's easy to get a sponsorship deal and have your name on something? They practically
had to skin me alive for the sponsorship price, not to mention the advertising sponsorship, which is
several times more expensive than what we have here. Foreign countries already have a bias against
our country, there are restrictions and reservations in their development with us. If I dare go, how will
those companies back home and even our president view me?"
"Do you understand the implications here?"
Katie was humiliated as she received a slap across her face in front of Carolyn. She glared at Mr.
Mcguire and said, "Dad! How could you hit me?"
"What's wrong with hitting you? If you ever make such unreasonable demands again, I'll discipline you
even harder. Your sister-in-law has a point; I shouldn't have spoiled you so much all these years. Look
at what it's turned you into." Mr. Mcguire had been feeling down since he was slapped during her
birthday party some time ago.
He felt extremely repressed and remained cold-faced for quite some time.
Now Katie came over again with this irrational request that made him feel angry enough to cause liver
pain.
"Dad, don't be angry anymore. Katie is young and doesn't know any better; she just wants to try new
things maybe just for fun. What she said does make sense though - if she can participate in Graley
Piano Competition, it would be of great help for her career," Carolyn quickly tried to mediate.
"But getting into Graley Piano Competition isn't that easy," Carolyn continued cautiously while trying not
to offend anyone present at the moment.
"If we spend money on this competition but fail..."
"Katie dearie," Carolyn whispered softly while urging Katie out of the room before things got worse
between father and daughter.
Katie covered her hot face with both hands as tears streamed down uncontrollably from her eyes while
staring angrily at Carolyn, saying, "I don't want your fake kindness! Why pretend like everything is okay
when it's not? Are you talking behind my back about me so dad won't love me anymore?"
She didn't miss Mr. Mcguire's words earlier: "Your sister-in-law has a point; I shouldn't have spoiled you
so much all these years."
What did that mean exactly? It meant that without doubt that Carolyn talked bad about Katie behind her
back!
Carolyn felt helpless as if caught off guard by an unexpected attack from an enemy who once claimed
they were friends. "Katie... I didn't say anything bad about y-"
"You're pretending like everything is fine when really deep down inside... you never cared about me!"
Katie cut off whatever else Caroline wanted to say before storming out of the room...
Mr. Mcguire slumped tiredly into his chair. "Look at her!"
"Dad, she just made a mistake in the moment," Carolyn said with poise and grace. "I'll go see her, you
should rest earlier."
"Ah..." Mr. Mcguire sighed. "Go ahead, don't take what she said to heart. She's just being childish."
"I know," Carolyn turned and walked outside.
She opened the door to the study and saw Mr. Mcguire's current wife holding a glass of milk and a
bottle of medicine walking towards her.
"Auntie."
"Carolyn, your dad hasn't been feeling well lately, so I had someone prepare some supplements for him
from overseas. Can you help me read what's written on this bottle?" Mrs. Mcguire was Katie's
biological mother.
After listening to Mrs. Mcguire speak about it all, Carolyn took the medicine bottle over and looked at it
before saying, "It's just some vitamins."
Mrs. Mcguire smiled after hearing that. "That's good then! I was afraid my friend was lying to me
again... I'll give it to my hubby."
"Auntie, you're so kind to Dad," Carolyn said before continuing, "He's still inside though; Katie came
over here earlier and argued with him."
"I know," Mrs. Mcguire replied while passing by Carolyn shoulder-to-shoulder. "I'll go comfort him now."
However, her loving expression suddenly turned cold when looking down at that health supplement in
her hand. There was a hint of viciousness in her eyes when doing so.
Unfortunately though, Carolyn didn't see any of this happening around them.
Carolyn didn't go anywhere else but straight towards Katie's room instead.
Her hand hesitated slightly when reaching for the doorknob before changing course by knocking
instead. "Katie? Are you inside?"
There wasn't any movement coming from within that room; after waiting for a while longer without
response, she was about to call Katie until one servant came ot her.
"Lady Carolyn, Lady Katie went over to Master Kareem's room."
Upon hearing those words spoken aloud by their servant – Caroline could only respond with an
understanding nod before saying:
"I understand now... you can go back to whatever work needs doing first."
At this time within Kareem's room however – Katie cried out with snot running down along tears
streaming across both cheeks:
"Why can't I be invited as guest performer during Graley Piano Competition? Why am I not allowed?"
"You're absolutely right. Carolyn is so hypocritical, all the kindness she shows me is just an act. One
way in front of me, another behind my back."
"This woman is truly deceitful."
"In the past, whenever I said something, Dad would agree, but now he listens to Carolyn completely."
Kareem listened to Katie's crying and venting and secretly laughed at how foolish she was.
But on his face was a sympathetic expression. "Katie, of course I'm telling the truth. After all, I'm a few
years older than you. You're the legal heir. She's probably afraid that you'll compete with her for
Mcguire Group, so she's trying to exclude you everywhere."
"Listen to me and stay away from her in the future."
Carolyn originally wanted to go straight back to her room but changed her mind and came to Kareem's
door.
She was about to knock when she heard Kareem's voice inside.
She frowned and listened carefully before becoming angry after hearing what he said.
Usually, she treated Kareem as her right-hand man. She had helped him a lot in Mcguire Group.
He owed his current position almost entirely due to Carolyn being his sister-in-law.
But now he was instigating trouble behind her back?
Katie never had any extra thoughts before; no wonder why she always looked at Carolyn with
resentment lately.
Carolyn sneered; did this collateral relative think that just because they lived in the main family villa
meant they were part of it?
Mr. Mcguire didn't even agree with Kareem living here initially. If it weren't for Carolyn saying that
having more people around made things livelier...
Did he really think that hw moved into this place based on his own abilities alone?
It turned out that by keeping him close like this only bred ungratefulness...
Carolyn felt cold inside after listening further into their conversation
She squinted slightly before turning around and heading back towards her own room.
Looking around herself briefly afterwards, no one seemed aware of what just happened outside of
Kareems' door.
Another hashtag trended on Twitter: #the Wright family is overbearing#
Almost all comments were negative:
"So powerful! They truly are capitalists who can remove trending topics"
"It was netizens who pushed it up originally anyway; they paid money just so it could be removed"
"If they can remove our trends then we'll keep pushing them up!"
"Brayden must apologize! Apologize to that girl!"
"So arrogant... why bully a girl? Do they really think we still live in a male-dominated society?"
"The Wright family has excellent upbringing. With a son like this, can he be a good official for his
parents? Let him step down!"
"He cannot be one!"
Brayden was furious as he watched in the hospital. These people could really turn black into white.
"Damn it!"
"Don't get angry. The Ritter family is not to be underestimated. This must be their doing," Mrs. Wright
handed her son a glass of water. "But so what? The truth will come out."
"It was Ashlyn who pushed Jenna first, look at the wound on Jenna's hand," Brayden held Jenna's
hand and said, "That woman is just too much."