Chapter 67
Chapter 67
255 vouchers
Bailee’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Tris, do you even hear yourself? You’re siding with an outsider and snapping at your own sister. Have you forgotten who your real family is?
“And why on earth are you giving that girl so much money? She even dared to talk back to Kay. What kind of manners is that?” Her tone was laced with reproach, tinged with confusion and a mother’s unease about the rift between her children.
The moment Tristian heard his mother and sister criticize Marianna, he lost his composure.
He retorted, “Mom, Maria didn’t do anything wrong! If Kayla really wanted to help a classmate, she should’ve been generous about it. Handing over six hundred and fifty dollars like it’s some kind of charity show. What else could that be but humiliation?
“Maria only called her out for it, and Kayla embarrassed her in front of everyone. That’s completely out of line.
“And about the money, I gave it to her because her family is poor. But she’s gentle, kind, hardworking, and on top of that, she’s doing really well in school.
“All I wanted was to ease her burden so she could focus on her studies. Isn’t that what charity is supposed to be about?”
Bailee listened, unsettled. Something in his words didn’t sit right, but she couldn’t pinpoint what.
She had lived too long in comfort, removed from the world’s struggles. Her mind wasn’t as sharp as it once was, and she couldn’t untangle the contradiction.
Kayla, watching Tristian speak with such self–righteous conviction, let out a cold laugh. She even clapped her hands slowly, mockingly.
She said, “Bravo, really. But do you even understand that kindness has limits? It’s not about blind giving or endless indulgence? Do you realize that one of Marianna’s dresses costs more than what some scholarship students live on for
months?
“The point of charity is to help them study, not to feed someone’s taste for luxury.
“For those kids, six hundred and fifty dollars might keep them afloat for months, but for Marianna, it was an insult. Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?
“And another thing. She knows perfectly well that our family is supporting her, yet she still goes out of her way to pick fights with me, spreading rumors that I humiliate her classmates.
“Tell me, how is that any different from the farmer and the snake? She’s biting the hand that feeds her.
“Tristian, you’re the one who’s supposed to take over the company someday, yet you can’t even see through something this simple. You can’t even handle one scholarship student.
“Honestly, I’m worried. If the company ends up in your hands, what’ll become of it? You’ll probably get played for a fool, handing over the money while someone else laughs all the way to the bank.”
Tristian’s grip on the obsidian bracelet tightened until his knuckles whitened, his face turning a deep shade of gray. Instinctively, his eyes flicked toward Jackson, who was frowning slightly.
Humiliation and fury surged, and he snapped, “Kayla, stop blowing things out of proportion!”
Inside, his thoughts seethed. “That damn bitch. She’s doing this on purpose, undermining me in front of Mom and Dad, making Dad doubt me. She wants to ruin me.
1/2
Chapter 67
55 vouchers
Does she actually believe that if I can’t handle the company, Dad will hand it over to her? A woman? She’s out of her mind.
Jackson finally broke his silence. “You’ve talked a lot, but what exactly does any of this have to do with helping me?”
Kayla kept her eyes fixed on Tristian with a pleasant smile, but she never stopped watching Jackson from the corner of her
eye.
2/2
AD
