Chapter 151:
Sniffling, Paola struggled to speak. “Marcus wants to send us back to the Garretts. What are we going to do, Mother?”
Laurel scowled. “You brought this on yourself. How many times have I told you? If it’s something money can fix, you don’t do it with your own hands. And yet you went into her room and took her things.” Her voice hardened. “Did I raise a fool? What happened to everything I taught you?”
Paola flinched at the scolding. Her tears wouldn’t stop. “It’s over. She’s going to release that video, I know she will.”
Laurel scoffed. “Even if she keeps it to herself, do you really think no one will catch on? You passed someone else’s work off as your own.” She glared. “Those women were never your friends. They flattered you because of your connection to the Owen family. Now that something’s wrong, they’ll tear you apart without a second thought.”
“I’m finished,” Paola whispered, barely audible.
Laurel straightened her spine. “Don’t collapse on me. I won’t let you drag yourself into the mud. We are not leaving this family, not until you marry someone with power. I’ll handle this.”
For the first time in hours, Paola saw something other than despair. “Then what do we do?”
Later that evening, Rylie returned to the Owens’ estate. Just as she sat at the table, a servant rushed in, his face pale.
“Something serious has happened! Miss Garrett cut her wrists. It was a suicide attempt!”
Everyone froze. No one touched their food. Kendrick was the first to break the silence. “What made her do something so extreme?”
Marcus hadn’t spoken about it earlier, but with the news now out, he had no choice. “This has nothing to do with Rylie. Paola brought it on herself.”
Kendrick’s eyes darkened. He dropped his utensils with a heavy clatter. “Unbelievable. All that over a stolen piece of music? That’s shameful.”
His wife leaned forward, her brow creased. “Did she survive?”
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“She’s in the hospital,” the servant said. “Still in danger.”
Rylie lowered her head slightly. Her fingers tapped the table as she said quietly, “She went too far.”
Marcus looked at her steadily. “What do you intend to do?”
Rylie gave a faint nod. “Since this all started with me, I’ll go see her.”
Then she rose and turned to Kendrick. “Grandfather, leave this to me.”
Kendrick gave it a moment’s thought before offering a nod. “Handle it properly. Don’t give outsiders a reason to sneer.”
At the hospital, Rylie stepped into the room and found every Garrett already present. Laurel sat close to Paola, her eyes red and swollen from crying. The second they noticed someone at the door, the air shifted. Even Laurel’s sobs fell silent for a beat.
She had assumed Kendrick would bring more of the Owens to the hospital due to the family ties. It had never crossed her mind that Rylie would be the only one sent.
Laurel clenched her fists, but the real objective tonight was Rylie. Whether the rest came or not didn’t matter.
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