True Heiress Returns: A Family’s Reckoning

Chapter 4 Getting the Starting Capital

The next moment, David was kicked across the road and slammed into a car.

Kate looked at him with nothing but disgust, and she said, "I came out here just to tell you one thing: stay the hell away from me. Don't ever try to gross me out again!"

Seething in pain and anger, David shot back, "You little b***h, what the hell are you playing at? You think I'll fall for this hard-to-get trick?"

"Hard-to-get? Come on!" Kate could barely hide her revulsion.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kate spotted a man strolling over, his face striking enough to make anyone stop in their tracks like something straight out of a romance novel. Without thinking, she grabbed the man's arm and said, "If you want me to play that game, at least make sure the guy is someone like him. Look at yourself. You're not at my level."

David's face turned as pale as a sheet when he realized who the man was. He stammered, "U-Uncle Max!"

Kate raised her eyebrows and felt confused.

She looked up and took in the man standing next to her in the soft glow of the streetlights. He was impossibly handsome with sharp features, thick brows, piercing blue eyes, and a perfect nose. There was a certain resemblance to David, but this man was clearly on a whole different level.

Kate couldn't help but wonder, 'So, he is David's uncle?'

Kate appraised David once more, her gaze sharp and calculating.

Maximilian Lockwood studied the woman next to him—her flawless, delicate features and the cold, dismissive look in her eyes—and raised an eyebrow.

He thought in confusion, 'Is this the so-called quiet and useless heiress of the Hastings family? She's not like what people say. Well, seems she's got some secrets.'

A faint smile tugged on Maximilian's lips.

David, clearly frustrated, sneered. "Kate, you're seriously into my Uncle Max now? You think you stand a chance with him?"

Kate felt a brief moment of embarrassment. She complained inwardly, 'Why did the two Lockwoods show up at our doorstep at this hour?'

"Shut up." Maximilian shot David a cold look, his voice deep and chilling. "Who allowed you to pester her at this late hour? Get lost now!"

David clenched his teeth and protested, "Uncle Max, she's the one coming on to me!"

Maximilian glanced at Kate's beautiful face and replied flatly, "You? You think she's interested in you?"

David stood there and was lost for words. He complained to himself, 'Is he really my uncle?'

Maximilian turned to Kate, his tone softer but still exuding that irresistible, mature charm. "Ms. Hastings, I came to visit your grandfather. Let me walk you home."

Kate nodded, and the two of them walked side by side.

Kate felt a strange discomfort as the man's presence overwhelmed her. The air around him was thick with a raw, masculine energy that made her feel out of her depth.

Though she had met countless powerful men after she became a national film star, none had ever made her feel this way.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, 'Geeze! His vibe is so overwhelming!'

She was so distracted by the feeling that she tripped over a small stone and lurched forward, only to be caught by a warm embrace with a faint wood scent.

Maximilian's body was just warm, but somehow, Kate felt an intense heat radiating from him.

"Thanks," Kate muttered.

"No problem," Maximilian replied smoothly and politely.

Once they returned to the main house, Maximilian went into the living room, and Kate went straight to her room. Her phone was blowing up with nasty messages—every single one from David.

David: Kate, you b***h! Trying to seduce Uncle Max, huh? You'll never even come close to his level!

David: Kate Hastings, get out here! If you think you can make me jealous by using my Uncle Max, you're sadly mistaken!

Kate rolled her eyes and replied: i***t. After that, she blocked him without a second thought.

She had more important things to do right now.

Opening her laptop, she let her fingers dance across the keyboard.

In no time, the screen was filled with rows of indecipherable code, and a surveillance video appeared.

Kate smirked, her eyes gleaming with disdain.

She sneered internally. 'Wow, Fiona! Someone is pulling strings in the background and messing with the Bennett family's security footage. Too bad for them, they aren't a match for me.'

After all, Kate had played countless roles in her career, each one requiring meticulous research.

One of her characters was a hacker, and she'd become so absorbed in learning the craft that she unintentionally made it to number one on the hacker leaderboard.

Kate was about to copy the footage when a line of text popped up on the screen: Please don't do that.

Watching those words, Kate raised her eyebrows.

The message quickly followed: Leave the footage. I can give you whatever you want.

'Hmm, this guy knows how to play the game,' Kate mused.

She then thought the thing over. Sure, the original Kate had nothing in her hands. Even with all her skills, restarting everything would require money.

The footage could expose Fiona's fake persona, but taking her down would take time. She'd rather get some cash first, and there would be enough opportunities to deal with Fiona.

Kate: 100 million.

The other party replied: 100 million is too much. 20 million, that should be enough for you. This footage isn't worth more than that, is it?

Kate: 40 million.

There was a long silence, but the other party finally agreed.

Kate quickly sent over her bank details. The transfer was completed almost immediately. She felt a bit better now because she finally had the starting capital she needed.

As for Fiona's backup, she would pull that thread one bit at a time.

After wrapping up the surveillance issue, Kate googled a name: Penelope Briar.

The results came up fast.

[Penelope, the beloved national actress, passed away three days ago. Her fans are devastated, and her best friend Jennie appeared at an event with swollen eyes...]

Kate stared at the screen for a moment, her expression neutral, then shut the computer down.

After a long night, the next morning, the sun peeked through the curtains, soft and faint.

After getting up, Fiona lounged in the living room to chat. Soon, the servant announced to her that breakfast was ready.

Fiona casually glanced around and said, "Kate's still not up? I'll wait for her. You guys go ahead."

Clark snorted, clearly annoyed. "She's so lazy. I don't get why Dad would pick a useless person like her for the endorsement."

"Grandpa probably gets his reasons," Fiona said in a sweet tone while glancing at Samuel.

Something felt off to Fiona today. Samuel was unusually quiet, and his usual sharp tone was completely absent. Fiona said, "Uncle Samuel's the top agent. Surely you can see Kate has real talent or not, huh?"

Samuel's eyes flickered with a touch of scorn as he coldly retorted, "Her? She's a waste of space. She has no talent at all! She doesn't even have the drive to get better!"

"Exactly! She's nowhere near Fiona's level," Clark chimed in.

Christopher's face turned grim, and he was ready to snap at them. But just as he was about to speak, the door swung open.

In the soft morning light, Kate appeared, her face bare of makeup but still stunning, with a light sheen of sweat on her brow. Wearing a simple white T-shirt and black pants, she looked like a work of art.

"Good morning!" Kate greeted them casually.

Clark's eyes went wide, his jaw practically hitting the floor. "You... You..."

"I went for a morning jogging. What's up? Breakfast time?" Kate asked.

'A morning jogging? It's barely 7:30 AM now. That means Kate got out and went out around 6:00 AM? Is this the same lazy bone I know?' Clark thought in confusion.

Samuel seemed a bit surprised to learn that too.

Fiona looked embarrassed, her cheeks tinged with frustration.

Christopher, however, was in high spirits. He said to Kate, "Well, breakfast's ready. Come on and join us."

"Okay, Grandpa," Kate smiled and headed upstairs to change.

Soon, Kate returned, now dressed casually but still looking radiant, her natural beauty impossible to ignore. It was almost as if she had inherited some of the grace her grandmother had once had.

Christopher, ever the doting grandfather, kept piling food onto her plate.

Fiona watched the scene, her envy simmering beneath her polite smile.

Noticing Fiona's discomfort, Clark couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. He complained internally, 'Alas, the older Dad gets, the more biased he becomes.'

Deciding to make his point, Clark turned to Kate and said, "Hey, Kate, weren't you talking about fixing the surveillance footage? Where's the footage you fixed?"

Kate looked up and said calmly, "Oh, the footage was not on. I can't fix it."

Clark rolled his eyes and cursed, "No, it's not that you can't fix it. You don't know how to fix it, huh? Don't pretend you're an expert. We all know you're out of your depth. This time, we can let it slide, but don't keep embarrassing us in public! You're making the Bennett family look like a joke!"

"Mm-hmm..." Kate nodded and kept eating.

Clark felt a little relieved that Kate was being so obedient, but before he could fully settle into his smugness, Kate casually added, "You're old enough, and you're still leeching off the family business. I remember you even made some mistakes at the company. You mean that wasn't embarrassing our family, but my little mess is, huh?"