Chapter 150

Chapter 150:

Rylie lifted a brow, the corner of her lips curling. She didn’t respond right away. Spencer frowned and said, “Paola, you’ve misunderstood p>

The noise reached Marcus, who arrived just in time to catch the scene. “What’s all the shouting for p>

Paola turned to him, distraught. “Even you think I’m in the wrong? Just because she’s family? You’re letting her get away with stealing my work! Do I mean nothing to you? How can you be so unfair p>

For a moment, the lounge fell completely silent. Rylie stood up and slowly approached her, gently brushing a tear off Paola’s cheek.

“You poor thing,” she said, her voice soft. “Mr. Aguilar’s here to talk about coauthorship p>

Paola blinked, stunned. “Wh… what p>

Spencer handed her a tissue. “Yes. Miss Owen suggested that the piece be credited to both of you. She even said the first few bars came from your early drafts. There’s no plagiarism involved p>

Marcus’ expression turned icy. He faced Paola with no trace of warmth left. “Rylie would never stoop to your level. Even when she’s wrong, she doesn’t go out of her way to drag others down.” His voice remained flat, but his words hit hard. “You say I’m being unfair? Maybe I am. That girl spent two decades out there, getting nothing from me. Not a single thing. But you? Paola, did we ever deny you anything? We gave you everything, and still, you chose to act like this p>

Paola’s hands trembled slightly as she came to her senses. Her voice softened as she said, “I’m sorry, Marcus. I let my fear cloud my judgment. I didn’t want to lose face in front of everyone. I thought if I missed this chance to work with Mr. Aguilar, I wouldn’t get another p>

Marcus didn’t soften. “You’re afraid now? What about when you crept into Rylie’s room to take what didn’t belong to you? Were you afraid of being caught then?” He then pulled Rylie close, shielding her from further shame, and turned back to Paola. “You’ve let me down. Clearly, the Owen family failed to teach you restraint. You’d better go back to your own family with your mother. Maybe the Garretts can knock some sense into you p>

Paola stood frozen. The idea of returning to her birth family struck her like lightning. That would mean severing ties with the Owen family! Her breath hitched as the realization sank in. “Marcus, please. I was wrong! I swear I’ll remember this lesson and never make the same mistake p>

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But Marcus didn’t turn back. He walked out of the lounge beside Rylie, leaving behind a silence that spoke volumes. Spencer said nothing, but the way his eyes followed Rylie said more than words ever could.

Paola dropped onto the nearby couch, her mind spinning with fear and shame. Her phone buzzed. Laurel’s name flashed across the screen. She answered through broken sobs.

“Where are you?” Laurel asked, alarmed.

Paola couldn’t hold it in. Her voice cracked as she wailed, “Mom… please help me p>

When Laurel stepped into the room, she found Paola in pieces. Her daughter was sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe. Paola had never stumbled like this before. Life had always unfolded in her favor. But with Rylie around for only a few days, everything had unraveled. Her world was already coming apart.

Laurel wrapped an arm around her trembling shoulders and whispered, her voice heavy with fury, “I never imagined that girl could dig so deep without us noticing p>