Chapter 38: Handful Sister

"Aren’t you worried that this statement will enrage Ms. Briena’s fans even more?"

"What can they do besides getting angry and attacking me again? All they’ll achieve is earning themselves a criminal record," she replied, looking straight into the camera. "They deserve it for blindly following an idiot like brainless chickens."

The reporters almost gasped at her response, shocked by her willingness to further enrage those fans.

"Ms. Natalie, fans can sometimes be careless and sensitive when it comes to their idols, but do you really need to be so harsh on these immature kids, threatening to put them behind bars? You don’t even look that gravely injured."

"So you’re suggesting I should wait until they become more audacious and truly kill me? Only then should they be put behind bars?" she asked coldly. "I’m actually doing them a favor by teaching them a lesson their parents failed to teach—the severity of their actions and the consequences they bring. Maybe this way, they’ll grow up into responsible adults."

Another reporter began, "Putting kids behind bars for such a minor thing..."

"Minor? Do you even know what to call minor things?" she shot back, turning to the reporter. "I thought throwing eggs, rotten tomatoes, or dirty water fell under minor things, but it seems like smashing my car with iron rods while I was inside is considered minor in your opinion."

"They were probably just trying to scare you," the reporter suggested.

In response, Natalie tapped something on her phone, and soon everyone’s phones beeped. The reporters watched as footage of the brutal attack on Natalie’s car played out on their screens. She turned back to the same reporter. "You might want to rethink your definition of minor crimes. If not for someone intervening in time, you’d probably be talking to my dead body right now."

The crowd fell silent, left speechless by the truth.

"If you’ve got your answers, make way for me," she said, poised to leave.

But the reporter persisted, "Ms. Natalie, when will we know why you slapped your sister and threatened to kill her?"

Natalie turned back to him, her expression unwavering. "Why don’t you ask Briena? If she can’t give you an answer, I’ll make sure the truth comes out." With that, she walked ahead, with John protectively by her side.

She could have revealed the video of what really happened, but she chose not to—for her grandpa’s sake. If he saw how Briena didn’t care whether he lived or died, it would break his heart. After all, Briena was his granddaughter too. For his sake, Natalie decided to give her sister another chance.

John opened the car door for her, and she slipped inside. The reporters watched as the black SUV pulled away.

"Where to, Ms. Natalie?" John asked, looking at the quiet and serious looking looking woman through the rear view mirror.

"My home," she replied. "Drive to High Avenue."

John, despite having followed her for days, was unaware that she had her own home as well. He set the GPS and drove away.

-----

Briena sat in her office at the corporate headquarters of Ford Businesses. Among their many ventures, they owned one of the country’s most successful artist management companies—Star Elite. As a famous pianist and one of the company’s most profitable stars, Briena enjoyed all the privileges that came with her family’s influence.

She was watching Natalie’s interaction with the reporters when Ana entered the room. "With the video she showed, it’s going to be difficult to protect those fans," Ana remarked.

"I told you, they’re not our concern, as long as we didn’t directly involve ourselves," Briena replied coolly.

"But we sort of did," Ana countered, her anxiety evident. "They received a payment from us, and if that gets leaked..."

"We didn’t pay them ourselves," Briena pointed out, narrowing her eyes at Ana. "Is there something you’re not telling me?"

"B-Briena, I ended up paying them from my own account because I didn’t have time..." Ana stammered.

Slam!

Briena slammed her hand on the table in anger. "Are you an idiot?"

"I didn’t know they were being recorded, and that it would escalate like this. I’m sorry," Ana pleaded.

"If this blows up and traces back to us, you’ll have to take full responsibility. I won’t suffer for your stupidity."

"Yes. I will," Ana agreed, her voice small.

Just then, Briena’s phone rang, her grandmother’s name flashing on the screen. She quickly answered.

"How are you going to handle this?" her grandmother’s voice was sharp. "Your movie is about to launch, and we can’t afford anything that might damage your image."

Briena, always keen to keep her grandmother’s trust—especially since her grandmother had consistently supported her over Natalie—felt a flicker of worry. But she masked it quickly.

"She told the reporters to come to me for answers," Briena said, a light smirk curling her lips. "All I need to do is tell the truth."

"Be careful, Briena. Natalie isn’t the same as before. She’s changed. You never know what she might do."

"Don’t worry, Grandma. She has nothing on me. If she did, she would have already shown it to the reporters to clear her name."

"Don’t make any mistakes."

"I won’t, Grandma," Briena assured her.

As she hung up, Ana, who had just finished another call, turned to Briena. "Reporters are asking for an interview with you."

"Arrange it," Briena instructed firmly.

-----

Meanwhile, in Justin’s office, he was finally free from the unending string of meetings.

Noah had informed Justin about Natalie’s whereabouts, and now he understood what she meant when she told her grandpa she had a home—she really did. Noah then showed him a video of Natalie’s interaction with the reporters.

A light smirk appeared on Justin’s lips as he watched the way she handled their questions.

"Why didn’t Miss Natalie show the recording of the slapping incident to everyone? If she had, everything would have been clear," Noah asked, curiosity evident in his tone.

"Because she has someone to protect—her grandpa. For his sake, she’s giving her sister a chance," Justin replied, his voice calm but knowing.

"Seems like Mr. Harper truly understands her well," Noah commented, then quickly added, "Ah, I mean, as a brother, it’s good that you understand your sister this well. It will help..."

Slam!

A file was tossed onto the table, cutting off Noah’s words. Justin’s expression had suddenly darkened. "Finish this in an hour before the next meeting," he instructed, his tone leaving no room for further discussion.

Noah, surprised by the abrupt change in his boss’s mood, quietly picked up the file and left the room.

Justin leaned back in his chair, his thoughts drifting to Natalie. ’