Chapter 181
âDad, what happened? Are you hurt? Let me help you upâ¦â Madeline studied Bruno anxiously, then
ran over and took hold of his arm.
Brunoâs video camera caught every detail of this scene, sending shockwaves through the livestream
viewers. All of them could not believe their eyes.
âThatâs Madeline, isnât it? Iâm not mistaken, right?â
âMr. Grantâs wish has been fulfilled! Madelineâs come to visit him at last; how moving!â
âMs. Grant seems very concerned for Mr. Grant. It doesnât look like theyâre on bad terms at all!â
âI second the above commenterâs viewpoint!â
Everyone viewing Brunoâs broadcast began gossiping and exchanging views about the touching
relationship between father and daughter.
By then, Bruno had regained his composure somewhat. Madeline and Kingsley helped him up from the
ground and eased him into his chair again as he sat down shakily.
âM-Madeline, why are you here?â Bruno asked incredulously as he stared at Madeline. He suspected
that she had some ulterior motive for showing up, but he also wanted to boost his popularity and gain
more views, so he did not end the broadcast just yet.
âI came to see how you were doing. I didnât know that you were going to be streaming, though. Never
mind, Iâll accompany you for it!â Madeline answered dutifully and unceremoniously pulled up a chair
alongside Bruno.
âHuh?â Brunoâs first thought was to decline her offer, but before he had time to voice his objections,
Madeline had already sat down beside him and was greeting the livestream viewers.
âHello everyone. Iâm Madeline Grant. Thank you so much for being part of my dadâs livestream! I hope
youâll continue to support him in the future!â
In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a rather shy yet hardworking daughter who was doing her
best to help her father get more business.
âYes, yes, thatâs right. Iâm very thankful for everyoneâs support. Iâm really touched that Madeline showed
up today. Iâm sure it was everyoneâs well wishes and support that moved her to come and see me
finallyâ¦â When Bruno saw that his viewership was experiencing an exponential surge, he no longer
bothered about why Madeline had come. Forcing himself to follow her lead, he began chattering away
inconsequentially.
He had assumed that the viewers would be clamoring to order his products after what he said.
Unfortunately, however, everyoneâs attention was no longer on him.
âMs. Grant, are you really Mrs. Noah Quincy now? How does it feel like to live in the lap of luxury?â
âHave you used the eye cream mentioned earlier in the stream? Mr. Grant said that he personally
selected it for you. Is it effective?â
âThatâs right, and that shampoo as well! Your hair is in such wonderful condition; is it because you used
that particular product? If it is, then Iâm placing an order for ten bottles right away!â
âTen for me too!â
Madeline looked gorgeous on the livestream. Her fair complexion was flawless and porcelain-smooth;
even her casual, windblown hair looked like lustrous strands of silk. In fact, it would have been
impossible for anyone not to notice her.
Noticing that his viewersâ attention had started to drift and Madeline was just sitting there, Brunoâs
anxiety rose. Deliberately lowering his voice, he murmured, âMadeline, what are you just sitting there
for? Hurry up and tell everyone that youâve used those products, otherwise how am I going to sell
anything?â
âHmm? But I havenât used them before, Dad. I canât lie to everyone!â Madeline blurted out as if by
accident. She did not appear to understand what Bruno wanted her to do.
âWhat do you mean, you havenât used them before? I chose them for you myself, my dear. Think back
on it a little. Perhaps youâve forgottenâ¦â Bruno kept darting very pointed glances at Madeline, hoping
that she would say what he wanted her to say and not cause trouble.
Unfortunately for him, Madeline was not about to play his little game.
âDad, being truthful is one of the most basic qualities of a decent person. I really havenât seen these
products before, even in the past!â Madeline picked up the products that Bruno had mentioned while
streaming, looking exceptionally awkward at having to make such an admission.
âFurthermore, I wouldnât have come to sit in on this broadcast with a big smile plastered on my face if
you hadnât threatened to kidnap my son, just to coerce me into showing up! But I never thought that
you would sink so low just for the sake of money! Even if you go ahead and kidnap your own grandson,
Iâm not going to be your accomplice when it comes to these products!â Madelineâs eyes glistened, and
tears rolled down her cheeks.
âI kidnapped your son a month ago! Why are you bringing that up now? Youâ¦youâ¦â Bruno retorted
instinctively, enraged. He felt that Madeline was far too naive and ignorant of the ways of the world.
Perhaps she had shown up today just to ruin everything!
âMr. Bruno!â In shock, Kingsley tried to recall Bruno to his surroundings, but the damage was already
done.
âYou wretched girl! Are you trying to mess with me?â Too late, Bruno realized that Madeline had tricked
him. In a rage, he bellowed angrily, half-rising from his chair to strike her.
The entire livestream audience was stunned as they watched the scene unfold!
âOh my god, what sort of a diabolical grandfather would kidnap his own grandchild!â
âI agree! Diabolical, evil grandfather indeed! If I were Madeline, I wouldnât even want to bother with
him!â
âA blood relation would never do that!â
âDad, I wouldnât dare to mess with you! I just didnât want you to play on the sympathy and curiosity of
your wonderful viewers to try and sell no-brand, unverifiable products. In the end, thatâs only going to
cause problems for you and everyone else. I know you wanted to create the impression that both of us
arenât on good terms so everyone would feel sorry for you. If you donât want to see me, I can just
leaveâ¦â Madeline put on her most pitiful, ill-used expression and deliberately made things even worse
for Bruno.
âYou unscrupulous wretch! You couldnât stand the thought of seeing me becoming successful, so you
had to come and ruin everything, didnât you? You ungrateful snake! Iâm going to teach you a lesson!â
Bruno was so furious he was ready to explode. Heedless of appearances, he leaped up from his seat
and ran after Madeline, intent on giving her the beating of her life.
Too late, he realized that Madeline was no longer the weak, helpless young woman she had been five
years ago! She was now shrewd enough to set a trap for him!
Madeline was not about to let Bruno gain the advantage. Running swiftly she circled around the video
camera and successfully prevented him from ending the stream.
Bruno was no longer young; two rounds of chasing Madeline already had him panting. However, his
rage needed an outlet, so he continued blundering after her, smashing things that got in his way.
âMr. Bruno! Mr. Bruno! Please calm down! Please!â Kingsley tried to turn the stream off, but some
malfunction had occurred, and he was unable to end it. The only thing he could do was to prevent
Bruno from digging himself even further into a hole.
âMr. Bruno! Everyoneâs watching you! We need to help you somehow regain your image, thatâs the
most important thing!â Kingsley grabbed hold of Bruno and urgently hissed into his ear.
Bruno finally registered Kingsleyâs frantic warning and realized that the broadcast was still ongoing. He
had never felt more like murdering Madeline. However, the camera was still streaming, so he had no
choice but to suppress his fury.
âMadeline, I know youâre upset with me, so you tried to cause trouble today. Itâs fine, though. What can
I do? Youâre my daughter. I admit it. Dear viewers, you can flame me or curse me as you please. Iâll
take it like a manâ¦â Bruno finally calmed down and tried to elicit sympathy in earnest.
âIâm just telling the bare, unvarnished truth. You did kidnap my boy, and youâre definitely promoting
these no-brand productsâ¦â Madeline complained in an undertone.
She spoke very softly, but anyone watching the livestream only had to turn up the volume to hear her
loud and clear.
âMadeline!â Bruno snarled between clenched teeth.
âAlright, yes, Iâm in the wrong! If you say you didnât do it, Dad, fine, you didnât! I do hope that in the
future, you wonât try and smear my reputation any further, though. Thereâs been so much tension in my
relationship with Noah Quincy because of you. Iâm so poor now I canât even afford a meal. If you truly
acknowledge me as your daughter, please lend me some money!â