?Chapter 609:


    “I doubt that,” Katie responded, a hint of envy in her words.


    Joselyn replied, “I also doubt she’s Tiana. How could someone as worthless as her be a master pianist?”


    “Maybe she’s somehow connected to Tiana’s three protégés, and together, the four of them nned everything at the engagement party. She must be out to get us. Maybe she wants to ruin the Dawson family,” Katie said.


    Joselyn nodded, acknowledging the logic of Katie’s im. “That makes sense. A woman like her would stop at nothing.” Then, she nced around the room. “Where are your brother and Ynda?”


    “Brendon and Ynda…” Katie’s voice trailed off.


    Joselyn narrowed her eyes. “Why are you hesitating? Spit it out.”


    “They went to the airport to pick up Dad,” Katie said quietly.


    The moment her husband was mentioned, Joselyn’s expression darkened. “Of all times, he chooses now to return—after the engagement party turned into a disaster. What is he even thinking?”


    They had told him the date of the engagement party weeks ago. He hadn’t nned to return before the event, and now he was showing up after it had fallen apart. It felt deliberate, like he wanted to rub salt in their wounds.


    “Mom, please… You just woke up. Don’t get worked up or you might copse again,” Katie said softly.


    Joselyn scoffed. “Like I couldn’t see through what your dad’s mind is up to. He’s probably back to snatch control again. Who knows? Maybe this time your grandmother will give in.”


    “I actually think it’s a good thing he’s back. If we unite as a family, we might finally get real control from Grandma,” Katie said with quiet hope.


    “Unite? Please. If he really cared, he wouldn’t have spent all these years living it up overseas,” Joselyn snapped. Her bitterness ran deep.


    “Isn’t he doing this to pressure Grandma to step down? I just don’t get why Grandma is so stubborn. She’s getting old, but she still won’t let go of thepany,” Katie muttered.


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    “me your grandfather. He didn’t trust his own son and gave everything to your grandmother instead. And she’s never been loyal to the Dawson name,” Joselyn’s frustration mounted. She always felt she’d married a man who couldn’t aplish anything—not even im the power that should’ve been his. If her husband had just a fraction of Karl’s strength, she wouldn’t have spent her life tiptoeing around Bethel.


    “Let’s not get into that now, Mom. Thepany’s in real trouble. We need to focus on fixing this,” Katie said, her worry growing.


    Thest scandal, when Christina released a record of Brendon going back on his words with the threats of making her walk out of the marriage with nothing, had already stirred up public outrage. People were calling the Dawsons dishonest, saying doing business with them was a gamble. And now with the Tiana situation blowing up, and rumors flying that Christina was actually Tiana, things had only gotten worse.


    The next day, Christina drove out of her ce. But just as she passed the gate of the neighborhood, someone stepped into her path. It was Trevor Dawson—Brendon’s father. Her brows furrowed instantly.


    In the three years she had spent in the Dawson family, she had only seen Trevor once. That one time, he had flown in from overseas just to stop Brendon from marrying her. From the very beginning, Trevor had looked down on her. He said she brought nothing to the table and wasn’t good enough for his son. In the Dawson family, marriage wasn’t about love—it was about strategy, alliances, and power. But Bethel stood her ground, brushing off the bacsh and insisting Christina would be Brendon’s wife. She made sure the wedding happened.


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