Chapter 4 Put The Blame On The Victim

As Katherine entered the living room of the Morgan family, a flying cup nearly struck her.

She stepped backward, narrowly avoiding a collision. Then, a stern voice ordered her, "Get down on your knees!"

Perched on the living room sofa, Katherine's grandmother, Myla Morgan, was fuming.

Beside her was a young man with gold-framed glasses. This was Darrell, Katherine's ex-boyfriend, who had been caught having an affair with her cousin.

Seeing Darrell there, Katherine began piecing together the cause of Myla's fury.

"I haven't done anything wrong. Why do I need to kneel?" She strolled into the living room casually, observing the people inside with a calm demeanor, neither too submissive nor overly assertive.

"Just take a look at Katherine. She was out all night and reeks of alcohol. She's probably been fooling around with some guy out there. She's not even listening to you anymore." With a sense of grievance, Darrell unexpectedly lashed out at Katherine before she had a chance to speak.

Katherine's defiance had already put Myla in a bad mood. When provoked by Darrell, her anger flared up even further, and she pointed a finger at Katherine's nose.

"Growing up in an orphanage didn't give you a proper education. You're shamelessly involved with a guy, showing no sense of propriety or decency. How could there be a woman as audacious as you in the Morgan family? I shouldn't have brought you back from the orphanage."

"Fooling around with some guy? Shameless? Audacious?" Katherine repeated their hurtful words. "Darrell, do you even know who is the shameless one here? I tried to protect your reputation, but you didn't care. Now, you dare to lay blame on me."

Despite her rising anger, Katherine retrieved her phone, tapped on the video she had captured and hit play for everyone to witness. The passionate sounds from the video echoed continuously, painting a vivid picture of the intense lovemaking.

Darrell's expression twisted immediately. "Katherine! What are you doing? Who do you think you are, displaying this in front of your grandma?"

Myla, in her sixties and set in her traditional ways, couldn't bear to witness such a sight. She impulsively seized a nearby cushion and hurled it at Katherine.

"You have no shame! Who would display such filth for all to see? Did your father teach you no better? Like father, like daughter. Take a look at your parents and yourself. Your mother passed away a long time ago. Your useless stepmother gave birth to another girl and only knows how to spend money. She's ill and requires extensive medical expenses. You are all disgusting!"

The cushion was soft, so it didn't cause Katherine any physical pain. However, what truly stung was her grandmother's disgust and humiliation.

Ever since she was a child, her grandmother had shown favoritism towards her uncle's children.

Although she and her sisters were also Myla's granddaughters, Myla treated them differently.

Katherine had long grown accustomed to this favoritism, but now, with her cousin having an affair with her boyfriend, she was being branded the scandalous one, and her parents were dragged through the mud alongside her.

Why should she tolerate this?

Katherine had enough of it. She pointed at Darrell and addressed her grandmother, saying, "This has nothing to do with my parents. Moreover, the ones who behaved shamelessly were Isabel and Darrell. See, it's Isabel and Darrell engaging in secret affairs and committing such disgraceful acts behind my back."

Upon hearing this, Myla was taken aback and identified the individuals in the video. She furrowed her brows and turned to Darrell, questioning, "What was going on?"

Darrell grew anxious and averted his gaze from Myla, unsure how to counter Katherine's accusations.

Isabel, who had been eavesdropping from upstairs, sensed the tide turning and snatched Katherine's phone. Upon seeing herself in the footage, her expression soured.

She summoned her courage and stated, "Grandma, the video is a fake. Katherine used AI technique to alter her appearance and framed me and Darrell. I've always followed your teachings, believing girls should have self-esteem and self-respect. How could I steal her boyfriend? But Katherine falsely accused me and tarnished the reputation of the Morgan family in this manner."

As she spoke, Isabel managed to squeeze out a few tears, feigning the role of a victim.

After wiping her tears, she winked at Darrell and claimed, "Furthermore, Darrell and I were dating first. But Katherine didn't want me to be happy, so she interfered. She wasn't satisfied after stealing Darrell from me. She even fooled around with another guy. Grandma, you must do something."

Darrell caught Isabel's cue and echoed, "Yes, Katherine was the unfaithful one!"

Myla found her disdain for Katherine growing. She couldn't hold back her rebuke. "How can you be so cruel? How could the Morgan family raise a heartless person like you?"

"Am I cruel?" Katherine felt deeply let down by the Morgan family. "In that case, I'll upload this video online. Whether it's genuine or not, experts can verify it. Since you claim you're innocent, you shouldn't be worried about me doing that, right?"

"No way!" Isabel grew anxious. She took Myla's hand and pleaded, "Grandma, it's not that we're afraid to have experts confirm the video's authenticity. It's just that if we allow others to see it, whether real or fake, it will still disgrace the entire Morgan family, won't it?"

Her words struck a chord with Myla. Throughout her life, the reputation of the Morgan family had been her top priority. Naturally, she couldn't allow a family scandal to become public knowledge.

Myla fixed a stern, icy gaze on Katherine and remarked, "You've conveniently forgotten that you belong to the Morgan family. You dare to utter such words. It's one thing to lack shame, but must you drag the entire family into embarrassment? What's your motive?"

"I..."

Before Katherine could conclude her statement, Myla interrupted her, stating, "That's enough. This issue is closed. Let's not speak of it again."

Right after she finished speaking, a tall and robust man emerged at the front door.

"Did I come at an inappropriate time?"