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 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.”