Chapter 331 The Kindness
When Audrey asked her questions, Catherine stayed quiet, as if she didn’t hear anything. Korbin, noticing Catherine’s attitude, couldn’t resist but complain to Audrey, “You see it too, right? It’s not me being too tough on her. It’s her attitude.”
Audrey sat there feeling embarrassed, unsure of how to respond to her father. In her upbringing, Catherine’s attitude was indeed inappropriate. After all, she was the daughter, and she shouldn’t treat her father this way.
However, Audrey also felt that Catherine had her reasons. Perhaps it was because Korbin didn’t fully understand Catherine’s personality, which had led to the current misunderstanding.
Seeing her father turn away in frustration, Audrey had no choice but to try to persuade Catherine. After all, they were all family.
“Kathy, if you know anything about that Hacker Alliance, just let Dad know. We’re all family, and there shouldn’t be any secrets between us, right?”
Catherine gave Audrey a cold look, but Audrey remained sincere, not at all intimidated by her. She even winked at Catherine, sending her a subtle message.
After a few seconds of silence, Catherine turned her head and looked at Korbin with a cold gaze. Thinking that Audrey’s words had worked, Korbin felt a bit pleased. However, Catherine didn’t answer his. question. Instead, she asked a new one.
“Has Xavier contacted you?”
Korbin was taken aback, not expecting Catherine to turn the tables on him. After a moment, he nodded and narrowed his eyes, signaling danger as he stared at Catherine. “So, the photo Xavier showed me is real? You know members of the Hacker Alliance?”
“Not familiar,” Catherine replied plainly because she wasn’t lying. The Hacker Alliance had grown so large, with countless members scattered around the world.
She was one of the founders of the Hacker Alliance, so how could she possibly know every member?
They usually used chips to distinguish between friend and foe, with clear rank distinctions on the chips. She held the highest rank as one of the founders,. and ordinary members rarely had the opportunity to meet her. So, she told the truth.
“Wait, you’re not familiar with them?” Korbin stared at Catherine suspiciously, then continued to ask, ” So why did you help return the Winfreds ‘secret son to them on behalf of a Hacker Alliance member?”
“Taking money to help people out is something Hacker Alliance members do in the black market,” Catherine replied.
Korbin now understood. Catherine knew some shady characters on the fringes of society, and he was aware of this. Those people were not to his liking at all.
It seemed like Catherine’s involvement with Xavier was purely coincidental. Knowing the reason behind this, Korbin secretly rejoiced.
This meant that they had acquired the Winfreds’ valuable resources all thanks to Xavier’s misunderstanding, thinking that the Swanns were connected to Catherine and the Hacker Alliance.
Now, all they had to do was find Erick and hand him over to the Winfreds for a profit. Seeing Korbin still, Audrey hesitated and spoke up, “Dad, did you hear what Catherine just said?”
Korbin’s thoughts snapped back, and he unconsciously glanced at Audrey. His cold stare had softened somewhat, and his voice was less stern than usual.
“Okay, I’ve got it now. Since Catherine doesn’t know them, there’s no need to worry. You all come back, let’s have a meal together before you leave.”
Audrey was left speechless by Korbin’s unexpected gentleness. It was the first time in so many years that he had spoken so softly.
Moreover, their father inviting them to have a meal together was something they couldn’t have imagined. Then, Korbin turned and headed to his study, as he still had important matters to attend to.
The resources that the Winfreds were willing to give up were certainly significant, and Korbin was in a good mood. Naturally, he was much nicer to Audrey.
After Korbin had vanished from sight, Audrey dared to approach Catherine and asked her in a hushed voice, ” Kathy, did Dad go crazy today?”
Catherine couldn’t help but smile inwardly. She didn’t anticipate Audrey making such a bold statement. It looked like being around her had rubbed off on Audrey and made her adopt some cheeky habits.
Korbin wasn’t necessarily acting crazy. He was simply in a good mood and being more generous. As a wealthy family, inviting them for a meal was a minor gesture, especially since they were the Swanns’ biological daughters.
Catherine understood the reason for Korbin’s happiness. Xavier must have offered something valuable to the Swanns in exchange for finding Erick, and this pleased Korbin greatly. While Catherine didn’t know the specifics of their deal, she knew it must be highly beneficial to Korbin.
Initially, Catherine didn’t plan to stay for dinner, but seeing Audrey so excited, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse, so she agreed. Korbin not only asked them to stay for dinner but also ate with them.
The long-lost fatherly affection left Audrey feeling a bit overwhelmed, and she couldn’t help but smile with her hand covering her mouth throughout the entire dinner.
After dinner, Audrey took Catherine and left. Korbin didn’t say anything. It was better for Catherine to stay with Audrey instead of being at home and possibly having conflicts with Rachael. On the way back, Audrey was still in high spirits.
“Kathy, as I’ve told you before, as long as we behave well, Dad will see our merits and eventually accept us,” she said.
Catherine didn’t intend to crush Audrey’s hopes, but she also didn’t want Audrey to have unrealistic expectations and later feel disappointed. So, she chose to gently remind Audrey.
“I don’t need acceptance from anyone in the Swanns.”
Her cold tone was like a splash of cold water, jolting Audrey back to reality. Audrey realized that Catherine was different from her.
While Audrey had grown up around her parents, even though they weren’t particularly affectionate, her grandfather had always treated her very well.
She had a comfortable life growing up. If it wasn’t for that awful man who hurt her grandfather and made her move out of the Swanns to live on her own, things would have been different.
However, Catherine was sent to the countryside to fend for herself shortly after birth, and she went through a lot of hardships to get to where she was today.
She likely had hard feelings towards her family. In reality, it should have been her accepting her family, not the other way around.
Once Audrey realized this, she understood that Catherine shouldn’t be blamed for it. She could understand how Catherine felt.
Audrey gently patted Catherine’s shoulder to show her support and understanding. Looking at Audrey’s expression, Catherine couldn’t help but find it amusing.
Did Audrey pity her? There was really no need for that!
