Chapter 191 Favor
This plot twist caught everyone off guard. After all, they tried every possible means to send Catherine, the jinx, to the army, not Johnathan, the precious little darling of the Swanns.
Everyone was freaking out, but Catherine remained calm as ever. She treated it as a hilarious comedy- drama to pass the time. Johnathan became agitated and immediately retorted loudly, “No, I will not go!”
Adrien gave him a cold stare and said sternly, “I’m afraid you have no say in this!” Rachael knew her son’s temperament well and quickly stopped Johnathan while asking for her mother’s help.
Donna loved her grandson too much to watch Johnathan suffer like that. She urgently told Adrien, “Adrien, let’s discuss this later. Johnathan is still young.”
The astute Donna had grasped the situation. There was a glimmer of intelligence in her eyes. “No wonder my clever daughter came back to seek my help. It seems that the jinx thrown into the countryside by the Swanns was challenging to deal with.
“With a few words, she turned everything upside down,” she said inwardly. She gave a fake smile and looked at everyone.
“Enough, let’s not talk about this now. Today is my birthday banquet, so everyone has to listen to me. The dishes are getting cold. Let’s start eating!”
Upon seeing Donna take charge of the situation, the crowd took the initiative to step back. Donna suddenly retreated without intending to target Catherine again because she realized that she had underestimated Catherine. “This girl is much more shrewd than I had imagined,” she thought.
In the eyes of Donna, the reason why Catherine didn’t speak up and perform well before must be because she was pretending to be a weakling but was secretly strong.
“If we continue to persist, judging from the current situation, it is possible that we may end up as the losers. Might as well leave it as it is for now and make alternative plans later on,” she said inwardly.
Since Donna had made a decision, Rachael couldn’t push her anymore. Although she was angry inside and felt like Catherine had escaped, she could only accept it temporarily to protect Johnathan.
Everyone spread out and took their seats. The birthday banquet officially began. Audrey was concerned about the impact on Catherine. In her view, if she were the one being targeted, she would probably hide away crying and not have the appetite to eat anything.
She comforted Catherine softly, saying, “Kathy, I know you’ve been wronged. It’s all because of Johnathan being such a scoundrel. Luckily, you diffused the crisis smartly. Now, even Grandma knows it was Johnathan causing trouble. Look, Grandma didn’t mention sending you to the army anymore.”
Catherine smiled slightly with a hint of mockery in her eerie expression.
“Grandmother saw through the truth, knowing I wasn’t in the wrong. Or was it that she saw how smart I was and knew there was no way to get the upper hand?
“Everyone knows this very well, except for this silly girl, Audrey, who is still blinded by so-called family ties and can’t clearly see the wickedness of this world,” she said inwardly. However, Catherine had no intention of telling the truth to Audrey.
“Since I have the ability, why not keep this innocence and beauty for her?” she thought. Without more drama caused by differing evil intentions, the birthday banquet went relatively smoothly, presenting a wonderful and heartwarming scene of a family reunion as Donna was showered with birthday wishes from all.
The banquet was almost over. Audrey didn’t dare to stay any longer. As soon as the meal ended, she grabbed Catherine and wanted to leave.
Catherine was still staying at Audrey’s house, so she didn’t have to wait for Korbin and the others to finish. She could leave with Audrey first. Then, the two of them went up to say goodbye to Enzo and Donna and got ready to leave.
Audrey knew that Catherine was not talkative, so she took the initiative to speak for her. “Grandpa, Grandma, I have a show to attend tomorrow. Catherine must also wake up early for class, so we will leave first.”
Donna nodded calmly and said, “You two are thoughtful. Be careful on the road. Here are two gifts for each of you. Catherine glanced at the two shabby gift boxes and could tell they didn’t contain many precious things without even opening them.
Their gifts were quite pathetic compared to the splendid gift box Johnathan just received. However, Audrey didn’t refuse because it was a gesture from the elders. It wouldn’t be polite to reject it. After Audrey received it, Donna didn’t forget her identity as an elder and reminded her again before leaving.
“Audrey, you’re a lady of the Swanns. That job of yours isn’t going to get you anywhere. If you like it, you can play for a bit. But once you’ve had your fun, settle down and wait for your father to arrange a suitable marriage for you.”
Audrey’s face instantly turned ghastly pale, as if it had been drained of all color and resembled a sheet of white paper. The sight of her pale face made Catherine feel a twinge of pity.
Catherine was well aware that Audrey treated her work in the entertainment industry as her career and worked hard for it. However, Audrey did not expect that the outcome of her hard work would be considered shameful in her elders’ eyes.
“That job of yours isn’t going to get you anywhere.
“If you like it, you can play for a bit.
“This old lady of the Langs really knows how to hit you where it hurts, not giving Audrey any face at all,” said Catherine inwardly.
“Let’s go!”
She suddenly spoke up, bringing Audrey’s scattered rationality back. Audrey struggled to say goodbye to the two elders and then followed Catherine to leave. Once they walked away, Donna couldn’t help but complain to her husband.
“Rachael was right. This Catherine is really a troublemaker. Just look at her attitude. It’s infuriating.
“Even if she’s a troublemaker herself, she has led Audrey astray. Such a girl should stay in the countryside for the rest of her life and never return.”
Enzo nodded approvingly as he watched the two walking away.
“It’s okay. It didn’t work this time. We’ll think of another solution next time. Since we sent her away back then, we can still let her disappear now.”
Catherine and Audrey walked out of the Langs’ hall. When they reached the doorway, Audrey suddenly remembered something.
“Kathy, I forgot to bring my handbag. Just wait here for me. I’ll go in and grab it real quick.”
After hearing what her grandmother said, Audrey was very upset. She left in a daze and even forgot to take her bag. Before she even finished her words, Audrey rushed into the house in a fluster.
Looking at her panicking figure, Catherine shook her head helplessly. ” How on earth do I have such an older sister? She’s always losing things and being disorganized,” she said inwardly.
Catherine withdrew her gaze. As she turned around, she noticed a flash of scarlet in the shadows of the corner. She gazed intently at it for a couple of seconds before the person under scrutiny emerged gradually from the dark corner.
Adrien hated the noise inside, so he hid in this dark corner to smoke. Countless people have passed through here, but nobody noticed his presence except for this little girl in front of him. Adrien looked up at her and revealed a playful smile on his solemn face.
“Girl, your eyes are quite sharp and observant.”
Catherine didn’t respond to him. She only gave him a cold glance with a hint of disdain. “Does he seriously think he’s a Ninja Turtle who can make himself invisible?
“The smoke odor is so obvious. Am I stupid enough not to notice it?
“What’s the point of him saying these things?” she said inwardly. Adrien could see the contempt in Catherine’s eyes, given that she was exposing her disdain blatantly.
Hurried footsteps approached as Adrien approached Catherine’s side and whispered, “No matter what, you’re still my niece. Here’s my contact information. Call me if you need anything!
Catherine lowered her head and glanced at the business card that had been given to her. She glanced at the name and looked up with a meaningful expression. She snorted contemptuously and casually put the business card in her pocket.
As Catherine turned around, Audrey happened to return and lifted the bag in her hand, looking at her happily. “Kathy, I found it! Let’s hit the road!”
