Chapter 14
When She Stops Playing Nice
Chapter 14
Neil thought he had misheard. Before Neil recovered from his surprise, Gabriel hung up. âDid the brat wise up?â Neil thought. âWell, whatever.â Neil looked at Gina with a smile. âCall me Grandpa, Gina. Mr. Jackson is too formal.â
Gina couldnât bear to refuse. Tâll call you Grandpa Neil.â
âSure,â Neil said.
They chatted for a while until they were interrupted. Ethan had brought Olivia to Neil. Ethan said, âGrandpa, Olivia had a gift for you.â
Olivia placed the gift box on the table.
Neil didnât bat an eye. He asked, âCouldnât she give it to Isaac?â Isaac Hills, the butler, usually handled them. Presenting it to him was an attempt to curry favor.
Olivia felt awkward. Did Gina speak ill of her to Neil? She adjusted her mood and smiled. âGrandpa, I just want to wish you a happy birthday in person.â
Neil eyed Olivia. âGrandpa? I donât remember Iâve such a granddaughter.â
Olivia sucked in a breath, her face stiffening. She signaled to Ethan.
Ethan stepped up. âGrandpa, Olivia went into a lot of trouble for this gift. Take a look.â
Neil was unfazed. âGo on then. Open it.â
Olivia was relieved. She glanced at Gina who continued to eat. âHow pretentious, Olivia thought. When she returned home, she would tell her mother and brothers how Gina badâmouthed her to Neil to make them hate Gina even more.
Olivia took the painting from the box and presented it to Neil âMr. Jackson, this is Genaâs latest work. I bought it for you as
soon as it was sold.â
Neilâs eyes lit up. His expression softened. Gena was his favorite painter. Neil loved collecting her works. Unfortunately, Gena rarely painted. Whenever a piece was created, it was immediately sold. Neil had people constantly monitoring Gena. However, it was difficult to get his hands on one.
How did Olivia manage it? Neil was surprised.
Olivia noticed the change in Neil and felt triumphant. She wasnât afraid of Gina badmouthing her when she had this trump card. She eyed Gina and snickered inwardly.
Neil took the painting and examined it. âHow much did you spend on this? Fll have Isaac transfer it to you.â
Olivia spoke, âNo need. Itâs a present. You donât need to pay me back.â
Ginaâs lips curved. âIndeed. Because itâs worthless. The painting is a fake.â
Ginaâs words shocked everyone.
Oliviaâs face changed instantly. However, she suppressed her anger and pretended to be wronged âCina, I know you dislike me. I can overlook the things you did to me before. However, you canât defame me thoughtlessly.â
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Chapter 14
Olivia spoke vaguely about âthe things Gina didâ, as though she was giving Gina a way out and being understanding.
Ethanâs heart ached for Olivia. He pointed at Gina. âGina, youâre too much. Do you think itâs true because you say so?â Ethan turned to Neil. âGrandpa, sheâs here to stir things up. Kick her out.â
Olivia retreated into Ethanâs embrace, crying pitifully.
Gina glanced at Olivia. Olivia always used this weak and harmless demeanor to gain sympathy. The Miller family was particularly susceptible.
However, this wasnât the Miller family.
Weilâs face darkened. He ordered Ethan, âShunt up.â Neil asked Gina, âWhy do you say itâs a fake? Iâve collected works by Ms. Gena. This piece does resemble her style.â
Neilâs tone was gentle. Ethan was furious. âHow could Grandpa be so nice to her? What trick did she use to charm Grandpa?â
âBecause Gena has not produced any works in the past year,â Gina stated.
Ethan snickered. âHow do you know that? Did she tell you? No one knows when Gena released new works. Olivia put a lot of effort into buying an authentic piece. How can you defame her?â
Neil lost his temper.
âShut up. Are you deaf?â
Ethan couldnât tolerate it anymore. âGrandpa, how can you believe her nonsense?â
Neil couldnât come up with a retort. Although he liked Gina, he couldnât be outrightly biased. If Gina couldnât prove it, it would be unfair to accuse Olivia.
âWhy donât you ask?â A low magnetic voice rang out.
Gabriel was back. He strode to the dining table, his face falling on Gina. âWhy didnât you tell me youâre here?â
I didnât even know Iâd be here. Besides, why would I tell you?â Gina thought. Out of courtesy, she didnât ignore Gabriel. âDoes it matter? You see me now, donât you?â
Gabriel smiled faintly.
Ethan was dumbfounded. Why did it feel like Gabriel was quite familiar with Gina? What was going on?
Olivia first admired Gabrielâs dashing face. She had never seen Gabriel before and thought Gabriel might be Ethanâs cousin or something. But seeing that Gabriel seemed to know Gina, jealousy rose in Olivia
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