?Chapter 509:


    Before Christina could even utter the number one, Katie, absolutely ovee with terror, pped herself hard across the face. The blow was so forceful that it almost sent her stumbling off bnce.


    Brendon stood utterly frozen for a single second, and then exploded, his rage ignited by Christina’s chilling indifference—and by the horrifying sight of her making his own sister p herself right in front of him. He spun his furious gaze onto Christina, who remainedpletely unfazed, a picture of calm. “Christina Jones!” he barked, his voice raw with fury.


    “Lower your damn voice,” Christina said smoothly, rubbing her ear. “Bethel just woke up, and I doubt other patients want to hear your tantrum.”


    Brendon dropped his voice, but the anger still burned in every word. “Why the hell are you going after them like this? What did they do to deserve this?” Christina didn’t even spare him a passing nce. Instead, she simply turned and settled herself into the chair beside the hospital bed.


    “You—” Brendon was shaking, breathing hard, so furious that he could barely get the words out. His ex-wife was bing increasingly difficult to handle, a real nightmare.


    Bethel, who had quietly observed the entire scene, finally spoke up. “Katie burst in here and tried to kick Christina. She missed, thankfully. Then, she made a bet with Christina, and she lost. Those ps? They were just the consequences she agreed to face. That’s the whole story, in and simple. I was right here in this room for every second of it. Christina didn’t touch Katie once. Since Katie made that bet, she has to live with what came next.”


    Bethel’s blunt words made Katie feel especially wronged, and her eyes burned with intense jealousy. “Grandma! Why are you always siding with her instead of me?”


    Bethel gave her a sharp, cold look. “I’m not picking sides, Katie. I’m just telling you the truth. Just because I won’t blindly defend your every action doesn’t mean I’m choosing her over you.”


    “Do you even know what she did? My whole speech was absolutely ruined because of her!” Katie yelled, her eyes practically glistening with uncontrolled rage.


    Bethel stayed firm, her expression unyielding. “You have absolutely no proof that Christina was responsible for this, so stop throwing around wild usations.”


    Your next story begins at  .


    Brendon’s face clouded over, a dark storm brewing as the unspoken implication finally sank in. He instinctively grabbed Katie’s arm. “Wait—what happened with your speech?”


    “Brendon! You’re hurting me! Let go!!” Katie tried to yank her arm free from his grasp. Then, pointing a trembling, using finger at Christina, she shrieked, “She tampered with my slides, and now I’ve pissed off Professor Wright! And it’s all because of her!”


    Brendon spun around to face Christina, his eyes bloodshot and zing with pure fury. “Is that true? What do you have to say for yourself about all this?”


    Christina remainedpletely calm, not a single tremor in her voice. “It seems like you’ve already made up your mind about all this. So what exactly do you expect me to say?”


    Blinded by a wave of intense rage, Brendon stormed toward Christina, his hand already raised, ready to strike.


    But Christina, with surprising swiftness, caught his wrist midair—and then, in one fluid motion, pped him hard across the face. She frowned deeply, a clear look of disgust etched on her face, and then shoved him forcefully away from her. “Get out of here, or I won’t y nice.”


    .


    .


    .