Chapter 555
“I’ll be okay. It’s not that painful. Please don’t blame Christina,” Yolanda said, sounding every bit like a timid victim.
“Yolanda is lying. It hurts like hell! Christina didn’t hold back. My whole face is still burning—I can barely talk without wincing,” Katie interjected, bitterness dripping from her every word.
Brendon’s fist crashed onto the table with a deafening bang, his face flushing with rage. “With Dylan propping her up, she’s completely disregarded the Dawson family!” he spat. “It was the right call to make her walk away empty-handed. She doesn’t deserve a single cent from us. Once the engagement party is over, I’ll make sure she gets what’s coming to her!”
But Katie was seething with impatience. She couldn’t wait that long—not while her pride still ached. “Why wait until after the engagement party? Why not strike now?”
“Are you out of your mind?” Brendon stared at her like she’d grown two heads. “We haven’t locked in Tiana’s support yet, nor her circle’s influence. And you want to start a war with someone under Dylan’s protection? Are you trying to get us all crushed?”
Hearing Brendon’s words, Katie let out a frustrated huff. “What’s the big deal? Tiana’s three protégés are definitely showing up to your engagement party. They’re coming of their own accord, not because we begged. Winning them over can’t be that hard. I mean, our family must have something they want.”
Brendon exhaled slowly, weariness etched into his features. “Calling you naive would be putting it mildly. We need to keep our heads above water before we even think about charming them. Dylan’s not someone you want to mess with. If we end up on his bad side, it’s game over. We need to lay low until we earn the trust of Tiana’s three protégés. Stir the pot now, and we might not even live to see that engagement party.”
A shiver rippled down Katie’s spine, her voice trembling. “Brendon, would Dylan really go that far? Would he destroy our whole family?”
Brendon shot her a pointed, cold stare. “What do you think? He’s got a reputation in Lorbridge for being cutthroat. He didn’t get to run the Scott family because he’s kind—he’s clever, calculating, and relentless. That’s how he keeps people in line.”
A chill ran down Katie’s spine as she swallowed hard.
Yolanda chimed in, her voice laced with mock concern. “Katie, listen to your brother. If we keep messing with Christina, we’re just asking to get burned again.”
Yolanda knew Katie too well. Katie was the type to bend easily under pressure, but when it came to people she despised walking all over her, she hardened. The more she was forced to swallow her frustration, the more determined she became to strike back.
“Katie, you hear that?” Brendon’s gaze sharpened into a warning. “Don’t mess with Christina, not until after the engagement party.”
“Fine,” Katie muttered reluctantly. To her, Christina was nothing more than a servant in the Scott family. The thought that Dylan, always buried in work, would bother to investigate the death of a servant was laughable. If Christina met with a fatal “accident,” surely Dylan wouldn’t bat an eye.
A dark smirk tugged at Katie’s lips as her thoughts spun a dangerous web. A flicker of something cold and unreadable gleamed in her eyes.
Yolanda caught Katie’s expression instantly. She knew that look—Katie was scheming again. That worked out perfectly for her. That fool Katie was walking right into her trap again! If she could use Katie to get rid of Christina, all the better. And if the plan blew up in their faces, well, Katie would be the one holding the match.