Chapter 256 Alice smiled, extending her hand to Chloe, as if in invitation.
Chloe was furious. Sheâd rehearsed her acceptance speech for weeks. Now, it was ruined. Alice had the audacity to invite her onstageâit was a blatant humiliation.
Seeing this, Ethan quickly said, âChloe, come up together. Youâre sisters, and you both contributed to the script.â
Chloe reluctantly extended her hand, but Alice retracted hers, âJust kidding. You actually fell for it. Since I, the real author, am here, you donât need to speak for me.â Alice smirked.âAfter all, a fake is a fake.â
Alice walked past Chloe, deliberately bumping into her. Chloe nearly stumbled, her face contorting with rage. That bitch!
Alice calmly stood on stage, looking at Ethan, whose face was grim.
âBig Brother, you really outdid yourself with this surprise. Iâm touched!â
Ethan was fuming, but with 50 many people watching, he couldnât explode. Caleb handed Alice another microphone.
Alice addressed the audience. âHello everyone, Iâm MM Bean. Since I wasnât feeling well, Big Brother decided to have our adopted daughter speak in my place. But Iâm here. I wrote this script; she doesnât understand it.â
Ethan interrupted. âAlice, remember Chloe also contributed. You forgot?
Not at all. She did bring tea and water while I was writing. And she âaccidentallyâ broke my computer, deleting the deleting the entire manuscript.â Alice remembered Chloeâs Chloeâs âefforts.â
She looked coldly at Chloe. Thanks to your clumsiness, the second version was even better. You did help, though it was counterproductive.â
The meaning was clear.
Chloe, furious, retreated, unwilling to be the center of everyoneâs attention. Alice was clearly doing this on purpose.
Ethan continued to defend Chloe. It was an accident. Besides, she participated in the scriptâs creation.â He was determined to add Chloeâs name.
Alice felt a wave of nausea. Let him have his way.
Alice looked at Chloe. Tell us, what exactly did you contribute?â
Chloe, under the gaze of everyone, began her rehearsed speech.
Alice listened, then smirked.âYou say you contributed so much. How many versions of the script were there? How many times did the character designs change? How many times did the romantic entanglements and the villainâs backstory change? Do you remember?â Chloeâs expression changed. How would she know? She didnât actually write the script. Alice pressed, âCanât answer, can you? Because you didnât participate. You have no idea.â Ethan tried to stop her.âAlice, itâs been so long. How could you remember so clearly?â
Alice looked at Ethan.âBut I do remember.â
Caleb chimed in âYes, I do too. The script went through many revisions and discussions. With Calch supporting Alice, Chloeâs words sounded hollow.
People started murmuring a script we slaved over.â
âWe hate it when someone adds their Î ÎÎ ÎÎ âYeah, why should we share our hard work? Itâs shameless.â Chloeâs eyes welled up. She looked at Ethan for help.
Ethan looked at Caleb.T Chloe contribute. You canât just exclude her.â
Brother, I know you want Chloe to share the glory, but the script is solely Aliceâs. Adding Chloeâs name is pointlessâ Caleb directly exposed Ethanâs intentions.
Ethan was losing ground, Caleb, being in the entertainment industry, was more credible.
Caleb went to Ethan.âBrother, let Chloe practice. There will be other opportunities. But this script is Aliceâs alone. Letâs celebrate her.â
Ethan, though furious, couldnât argue. He walked off, coldly snorting as he passed Alice.
Alice smiled. She watched him comfort Chloe. But this time, Chloe wouldnât take what was hers.
Caleb continued, âEveryone knows my recent dramas were hits, and there were conflicts with my sister during auditions, causing misunderstandings online. I brought her here to clear things up.
Aliceâs expression softened. Besides reclaiming his company, Caleb was clearing the misunderstanding about the livestream.
She didnât object; their cooperation was temporary. Her priority was investigating why Chloeâs father was alive and the truth behind the car accident. She needed to make Chloe unwelcome in the Windham family, forcing her backers to act, giving her chance to find Chloeâs father.
After Caleb finished, he cautiously looked Ð°Ñ Alice, relieved relieved by her silence.
As they descended, people greeted them.
Seeing Alice being praised, Chloe, resentful, said to Ethan, âBrother, Caleb brought Alice here, disapproving of you giving me the company and resenting you.â
Ethan saw it too. He approached Caleb and Alice. Come with me. I need to talk to you.
Caleb stood still.âBrother, letâs talk after the gala. You should be happy for Alice. Why do you look so unhappy?â
Alice didnât expect Caleb to be so bold, so relentless.
Chloe, saccharineâsweet, added, âCaleb, Big Brotherâs been cleaning up the mess you and Alice made. How could you treat him like this?â
Alice said coldly, âHow did we treat him? Caleb just announced I was the original writer, refusing to add your name.â
Chloeâs face twisted, but she brazenly said, âBut I still contributed.â
Ethan looked at Alice.âWhether you like it or not, Chloeâs name will be on the script.â In this family, Alice didnât call the shots.
Chapter Chapter 257