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Novel Catalog
Chapter 68: Ainsley Does Care About Serina
The reporters were in a frenzy, their cameras flashing non-stop, capturing every moment of the chaos. As Lindsay glared at Ainsley, the attention turned to her, the reporters eagerly waiting for any scandalous words that would spill from her mouth.
But before anything could happen, a figure stepped forward, blocking Ainsley from view. It was Manuel. With a single glance, he commanded the space around him, and the reporters instinctively stepped back. They didn’t dare raise their recording pens.
Manuel’s face darkened further as he suppressed his anger. His eyes were cold and unforgiving. “You are mistaken. The man in this video was hired by Kaitlin to insult Ms. Easton. Anyone who listens carefully can hear the conversation. Do you truly think everyone is a fool?”
Cason’s face tightened. He realized the truth. Although the video had only played for a few seconds before it was cut off, a few words were still audible—words that showed the man was harassing Ainsley at Kaitlin’s request.
Lindsay, however, was beyond reason. “You’re always defending Ainsley! Of course, you’ll say she’s innocent, but my poor Kaitlin has fallen into your trap!” she screamed, her voice filled with indignation.
“Mom!” Cason interrupted, his voice sharp. He knew better than anyone that they couldn’t afford to offend the Gage family.
Ainsley let out a sarcastic laugh. “Mr. Gage is simply telling the truth. Kaitlin, I’ve tried to stay out of your family’s business, but you keep pushing me. This time, I’m just responding to your provocations.”
“No!” Kaitlin’s scream was filled with frustration. “It’s your fault! You wanted to ruin my birthday banquet!” She threw herself into Cason’s arms, tears streaming down her face. “Cason, look at what she’s done! You have to make her pay!”
Now that the situation had spiraled out of control, Kaitlin, humiliated and furious, couldn’t let Ainsley leave without consequences.
“Ainsley, no matter what, you used to be Kaitlin’s sister-in-law,” Cason said, his voice laden with false concern. “If she did something wrong, you could have confronted me privately. Why cause such a scene?”
Ainsley looked at Cason with disgust, her expression unchanging. She had been married to him for three years, but the longer they had been apart, the more she saw how truly revolting he was. She had only recently realized his true nature.
“Cason, where were these words when your mother and sister came to my workplace to harass me and demand that the school expel me? Or when they tried to ruin me at the Gage family banquet? You’re pretending to be a good man now, but all you’ve ever cared about is Kaliyah. If you had just been honest about that, maybe your family wouldn’t have spread rumors about my supposed affair,” Ainsley said, her voice icy. “Now, you come here and act all righteous. It’s disgusting.”
Cason’s face paled. He had never denied his feelings for Kaliyah, but hearing Ainsley expose everything so blatantly made him uncomfortable.
He glanced at Manuel, his expression more complex now. “My mother and Kaitlin are wrong, but I still have doubts about your relationship with Ainsley.”
Before Manuel could respond, Ainsley tugged on his sleeve. “Do you have any evidence for that, Mr. Baldry?” she asked, her voice calm yet sharp. “Spreading rumors in front of all these people is illegal. I have the right to sue you for slander.”
Cason faltered, then admitted, “I don’t have any evidence.”
“Then please stop talking nonsense,” Ainsley retorted. “You should focus on your sister. I’d hate for tomorrow’s trending topic to be a video of her and some man making a fool of themselves.”
Kaitlin, momentarily recovering from her earlier outburst, quickly attempted to reframe the situation. “This video just shows that someone was harassing me, and they failed! I’m the victim here!” she cried, trying to turn the narrative in her favor.
Ainsley could see exactly what Kaitlin was doing, but she didn’t feel the need to expose her scheming in front of so many people. Instead, she looked around and finally spotted the person she had been looking for—Mollie.
Mollie stood off to the side, looking elegantly composed in a beautiful dress. She held a glass of champagne, smiling faintly as she observed the chaos unfolding, completely detached from it all.
Ainsley smiled and walked toward her, with Manuel following close behind. Serina waved at Manuel, gesturing for him to go to Ainsley’s side. “Go on, stay with Ainsley. I still want to see how this unfolds.”
Ainsley approached Mollie and, with a friendly smile, stretched out her hand. “Hello, Ms. Randall.”
Mollie looked puzzled for a moment, but then she returned Ainsley’s handshake. “Hello, you are?”
“I’m a teacher at the University of Washington’s Psychological Counseling Room,” Ainsley explained. “I’ve wanted to get in touch with you since I heard you were back in America, but I’ve had trouble reaching you. I hope you don’t mind me approaching you now.”
Mollie smiled, seemingly at ease. “It’s okay. And this is?” she asked, turning her attention to Manuel.
Manuel’s gaze was cold, but there was a faint warmth in his eyes as he nodded to Mollie. “I am Manuel.”
Ainsley raised an eyebrow at Manuel, slightly surprised by his interaction with Mollie. Was he trying to make small talk? She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. However, Mollie seemed unfazed, smiling as she recalled the past. “Mr. Gage, you don’t remember? You asked me about your sister’s psychological problems before.”
“Oh, I remember now,” Manuel replied, though his expression remained unchanged.
Ainsley’s eyes widened in surprise. “So you’ve known about Serina’s condition all along…”
Manuel’s gaze softened ever so slightly, the warmth in his eyes unmistakable. He hadn’t realized Ainsley would feel disappointed by this. But as he recalled Serina mentioning that Ainsley wanted to see Mollie, he understood now. Ainsley was concerned about Serina.
Mollie’s tone shifted to one of genuine concern. “How is Serina now?”
Manuel spoke softly. “She hasn’t had a relapse in a long time.”
“That’s good to hear,” Mollie said, though her voice carried a hint of sadness.
Ainsley’s face fell slightly. “It’s not entirely good. It just means that there hasn’t been any new stress or triggers. But if something does happen, we won’t know how to help. We still don’t understand what’s causing the stress.”
Manuel’s expression softened even more as he watched Ainsley. He knew she truly cared about Serina.
Mollie nodded thoughtfully. “Mr. Gage wanted to help her too when he came to see me, but I haven’t had enough time to work with her.”
Ainsley paused, thinking. “Ms. Randall, there’s a Psychology Quiz Show at the University of Washington in four days. I’d like to invite you to be a judge. I hope it’s convenient for you.”
Mollie smiled warmly. “I’d be happy to.”
