Chapter 2 Two Biased Uncles
1465 Words
Christopher entered the house, surrounded by a crowd.
Though in his seventies, he still carried himself with remarkable vigor, his presence commanding the room in a way that reminded everyone of his once unshakable power in the business world. As he stepped in, the entire room immediately fell silent, each person bowing their head and greeting him respectfully.
His gaze landed on Kate, and his expression shifted slightly.
"What's going on here?" Christopher's voice was low but sharp.
Clark wasted no time and recounted what had just happened.
Samuel jumped in to add, "Dad, Kate's still young, but she's already this heartless. If we don't do something, she'll only get worse! I've already had someone lock her in a room to think about what she's done!"
"Grandpa," Fiona's soft voice interrupted. She looked at Christopher with wide, sincere eyes. "Please don't be upset. It's your birthday, and your happiness is what matters most. My injury is not serious. I'll settle things with Kate privately later."
Her words seemed to strike a chord with many in the room.
They all thought the Bennett family really had struck gold with a granddaughter as thoughtful as Fiona!
No one noticed the flicker of smug satisfaction in Fiona's eyes. She quickly masked it, returning to her fragile, demure act.
Clark looked at Fiona with an expression full of pity, and he turned to Christopher. "Dad, we have to do something about this! Fiona's been through so much already. She deserves better care!"
The guests, eager to see where Christopher would stand, were all waiting for his response.
Christopher let out a deep sigh and then spoke, "So, you're claiming Kate pushed her down the stairs. Where's the evidence?"
"The security footage was destroyed by Kate, which is why she feels so bold!" Clark jumped in to explain.
Christopher immediately slapped Clark on the head. "What are you talking about? With no evidence, and you're already blaming her? I'll have someone fix the footage right now!"
Clark was stung by the unexpected reprimand, yet he had no response.
Fiona, on the other hand, shifted her eyes nervously.
If Christopher had the footage repaired, her little stunt would be exposed.
Kate caught the flash of panic in Fiona's eyes and couldn't help but smirk inwardly. She turned to Christopher, her voice smooth and calm. "Grandpa, I'll take care of the footage. We can deal with this after the party. It's your 70th birthday. Let's not let something like this ruin your celebration."
Samuel snorted while rolling his eyes. "You're really something, huh? You can fix the footage now? Come on, Kate, stop wasting everyone's time and just admit what you did."
Kate's eyes clouded, but she said nothing.
"Shut up!" Christopher snapped, his voice brimming with authority. "Kate said she'll handle it, so she'll handle it. End of story!"
The entire room fell silent, the force of Christopher's anger settling over them. Kate was a bit taken aback by the unexpected warmth that flooded her chest. It felt nice to have someone actually stand up for her.
But Clark, of course, wasn't happy.
He thought bitterly, 'How is it that Fiona, who is supposed to be the one receiving all the praise, is overshadowed by Kate?'
Clark changed the topic and continued, "Dad, Fiona's been so thoughtful. She's prepared a special gift for you."
Just as the tension hung in the air, the doctor arrived. But Fiona was clearly more concerned with making sure she didn't lose the spotlight to Kate. She feigned strength and put on a show of vulnerability. "I'll handle my injuries later. Let me give Grandpa his gift first."
She limped over to get the gift she had prepared.
Clark couldn't help but praise, "Fiona's such a dutiful girl. Even injured, she insists on giving Dad his gift."
"She really is," someone added. "Honestly, it feels like Kate's not even really family at this point."
"Fiona is truly a good person. She's beautiful inside and out. If I had a granddaughter like that, I'd be the happiest man alive," another guest chimed in.
A few minutes later, Fiona returned with a beautifully wrapped gift box. "Grandpa, happy birthday! I hope you like my gift."
She slowly opened the box, revealing the contents.
The people around them suddenly gasped in awe.
"My goodness! This set of painting supplies is exquisite! It's got to be from a master artist, right?"
"Fiona is so sweet. She knows her grandpa loves paintings."
"That's such a thoughtful gift. Even though she's not his biological granddaughter, the care she put into this is worth more than anything Kate's done for him."
Basking in the praises and envious glances from the crowd, Fiona finally felt a bit of dignity return. She had spent a small fortune on that set of painting supplies just to win Christopher's favor, and it seemed her effort wasn't in vain.
A calculating gleam flashed in Fiona's eyes, and she flashed a sweet smile at Kate. "Kate, I'll let the whole thing slide, but you did bring a gift for Grandfather, right?"
After speaking, she suddenly covered her mouth and pretended to be shocked. "Wait a minute, Kate didn't bring anything, did she? You forget Grandpa's birthday gift, huh?"
Kate shot her a cold, sarcastic glance and retorted, "Come on, you're the one hoping I didn't bring anything, right?"
Fiona put on her best hurt expression and replied, "Kate, you misunderstand me. I didn't mean anything like that. But if I'm not welcome here, I'll just leave." She looked around innocently, and both her uncles immediately stepped in to block her.
"Kate, whether or not you brought a gift is your problem, not Fiona's!" Samuel snapped.
Kate didn't miss a beat, her voice sharp. "Who says I didn't bring a gift?"
She turned around and instructed a servant with a few words.
Moments later, the servant returned with a set of painting supplies.
Clark's expression twisted with disdain as he sneered. "Oh, so you're copying Fiona's gift? What a joke. Kate, I think it's you who should leave!"
The guests, already whispering among themselves, couldn't hold back their shock. "This is what she brought for her own grandfather's birthday? How tacky!"
"Yeah, if she were my granddaughter, I'd be seriously upset!"
Kate shot them a glance, her gaze icy. "Who says I'm giving him that?"
With that, she unfurled a piece of paper on the easel and was about to paint.
Her posture looked professional, and everyone was almost stunned.
"You're going to paint here?" Samuel sneered, clearly skeptical. "Kate, don't embarrass yourself. You don't know the first thing about painting. If you didn't prepare anything, just admit it and stop wasting everyone's time."
Fiona almost couldn't hold back her laughter.
She thought Kate was really forced to the corner, and she was pretty sure Kare couldn't paint.
Kate, however, ignored them all. She dipped her brush in the paint and began to work, her strokes confident and elegant.
Christopher, standing nearby, was the first to notice what she was painting. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the portrait take shape.
Fiona held back her sneer and said in a feigning caring tone, "Kate, stop making fun of yourself. You know Grandpa loves paintings, but you can't draw anything. Even if you want to impress him, you shouldn't do this in front of everyone."
Clark echoed, "Exactly, can you behave yourself, loser?"
They thought other guests would surely feel the same with them. But when they finished, they unexpectedly noticed that everyone else was staring at the paper with surprise in their eyes.
Fiona thought it might be just too terrible, so she followed their gazes and glanced at the paper too.
However, with just a single gaze, Fiona's smirk faltered.
Kate was painting a portrait of Christopher—his youthful, confident self, captured in a few effortless strokes.
"Oh my god, she's actually really good at painting!" someone gasped.
"That's incredible! It's good enough to keep as a keepsake!"
"I guess Kate really put a lot of effort into this. She might not be such a bad kid after all."
The guests were suddenly full of admiration, and their attitudes toward Kate changed.
Christopher, beaming with joy, clapped his hands and ordered, "Frame it! Put it in my bedroom! I want to see it every day!"
Fiona's face turned ashen.
She thought bitterly, 'Since when did she learn to paint? She must have done a lot for this day! I spent millions, only for Kate's impromptu painting to steal the spotlight. That b***h! Now, I'm the one who looks like a fool!'
Clark and Samuel shared a look, equally stunned by this side of Kate they had never seen before.
Suddenly, Fiona cried out, "Ouch, it hurts."
- Writer
