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Novel Catalog
Chapter 67: Kaitlin’s Video
The screen flickered to life. The image was dim, but a man could be seen pulling a woman forcefully.
What was this?
The guests fell silent, a wave of confusion sweeping over the room. Flashbulbs from cameras went off as reporters rushed to capture the scandalous moment. It was clear this video was meant to expose something—something shocking—about a wealthy family.
Kaitlin didn’t turn around. Her eyes stayed fixed on the audience, watching them react. She knew the video was now playing, and her heart raced with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to see Ainsley squirm.
Ainsley, however, looked utterly unfazed. She wore a faint smile, her lips curled up slightly as if she found it all amusing. Manuel sat expressionless beside her, his cold gaze fixed on the screen.
Serina, too, was watching intently, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
But Kaitlin was confused. Why wasn’t anyone reacting to the video the way she had hoped?
Suddenly, a voice from the video echoed across the hall, making Kaitlin freeze. “Let go of me! I am a member of the Baldry family!”
Kaitlin’s heart stopped as she recognized the voice—the voice of none other than herself. The scene on the screen shifted, and there, in full view, was a chaotic struggle between Kaitlin and a middle-aged man. The scene was from the Gage family banquet a few days ago.
Her face drained of color. The room was silent. For a moment, everything seemed to stop, the weight of realization crashing down on her. She immediately blocked the screen with her body, her voice rising in a panic. “No! Don’t look! Shut it down! Shut it down now!”
But the damage had already been done. The reporters had captured everything, and every guest had seen what she had hoped to keep hidden.
Kaitlin’s voice cracked as she turned to her mother. “Mom! That wasn’t supposed to be my video! How did it become mine? It was supposed to be Ainsley’s!”
Lindsay, shocked and furious, rushed to protect her daughter. “What do you mean, Kaitlin? What’s going on?”
Kaitlin looked at Ainsley through a sea of judging eyes. Her gaze was full of fury, realization dawning upon her.
Ainsley’s eyes, however, only held disdain. Kaitlin understood now.
“It was Ainsley,” Kaitlin hissed through clenched teeth. “She framed me!”
“You bitch!” Kaitlin screamed, her bloodshot eyes glaring at Ainsley. “You’re the one who switched the video!”
Kaliyah stood frozen, not daring to speak, while Cason remained equally silent, too shocked to react.
Lindsay, however, wasn’t having it. She stormed forward, fury radiating from her. “Ainsley! What have you done?! You’re ruining my daughter’s reputation!”
Ainsley, unfazed, responded with cold precision. “It’s all right here, in front of everyone. Kaitlin wanted to frame me, but it looks like she played the wrong video. But you should take a good look at your daughter. Who exactly is trying to seduce men all over the place?”
Lindsay’s anger boiled over. “How dare you say that? Kaitlin is a good girl! You’re just trying to ruin her!” Her voice was shrill, the weight of her words echoing through the room. The other guests shifted uncomfortably, their eyes now filled with judgment.
Ainsley almost laughed. “A good girl? You think Kaitlin is a good girl?”
The air was thick with gossip, and the whispers spread like wildfire, every word a fresh layer of humiliation for Kaitlin. What had started as a carefully orchestrated plan to expose Ainsley’s so-called “true nature” had backfired spectacularly. Now, it was Kaitlin who was under the microscope, and Ainsley’s calm demeanor only seemed to make her torment worse.
Kaitlin’s face flushed with anger and humiliation. The weight of the guests’ gazes pressed down on her. Her grand birthday celebration, meant to garner her admiration and validation, had turned into a complete disaster. Her plan was shattered, and now the room was full of people looking at her with disdain.
Tears sprang to Kaitlin’s eyes as she stumbled, her makeup smudging, her carefully styled hair falling in disarray. She collapsed into her mother’s arms, sobbing.
“Mother!” Kaitlin wailed. “Shut her up! There are so many guests here, I can’t take it anymore!”
Lindsay, furious, turned to face Ainsley. Her eyes were burning with rage, and her voice came out in a vicious hiss. “You whore! You’ve ruined everything. You did something shameful and now you’re trying to slander my daughter!”
She took a step toward Ainsley, as if ready to attack, but Cason quickly stepped in, a deep frown creasing his forehead.
“I didn’t want to invite you here, Ainsley,” Cason muttered, his voice low and disappointed. “I didn’t expect this kind of drama. You’ve humiliated us all.”
Ainsley met his gaze, her voice cool and unbothered. “Yes, I did it. What of it?” she replied, her tone sharp. “You should ask your sister why she wanted to cause all this trouble.”
Cason shot her a bitter look. “Why, Ainsley? Why go this far?”
Ainsley’s eyes glinted with a hint of satisfaction. “Because she tried to ruin me first. She planned to show a video of me to disgrace me in front of everyone. I just beat her to the punch.”
Kaliyah, still trying to maintain some semblance of control, stepped in with an overly dramatic sigh. “Please, Ainsley, today is Kaitlin’s birthday. Do you really have to do this? She invited you because she wanted to share her special day with you. How could you do this to her?”
Ainsley shot Kaliyah a withering glance. “Kaitlin never once treated me like family. For three years, she did everything she could to undermine me. And now she tried to slander me on her birthday. I’m just making sure the truth comes out first.”
Lindsay’s face twisted in fury. “You’re lying! Kaitlin is a good girl, and today of all days, you’re trying to ruin her!”
Ainsley’s eyes flicked to Kaitlin’s sobbing form and then back to the gathered guests, who were all staring at the spectacle in silence.
“This is just the result of her own actions. No one is to blame but her,” Ainsley replied coldly.
