Chapter 31 The Footage
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Liam seemed like he wanted to say something else, but when he caught Andrew’s sharp nce, he quickly shut his mouth.
When Tracy stepped into the living room, she saw a crowd already waiting.
Benjamin and Daphne sat with Erin on one side, while Edmond Dunn and Urs Dunn gathered around Simon, whose arm was wrapped in thick, white bandages. The way everyone was arranged made the room feel less like a family gathering and more like a courtroom about to start a trial.
As soon as Urs spotted Tracy, she jumped up, her face dark with anger. “You beat up my son, and you still have the nerve to show up?”
Tracy’s eyes slid over her, calm and steady, before dropping down.
She stayed silent, already knowing they didn’t care about her side–they were just looking to make her say what they wanted.
And sure enough, Daphne spoke first. “Tracy, why would you hit Simon so hard that he ended up in the hospital?” Her voice was sharp, full of usation.
“You’re not a kid anymore. The manners I taught you weren’t so you could go around fighting.”
Tracy lifted her head and met her gaze. “If I said he started it and I was just defending myself, would you believe me, Mrs. Jackman?”
“You’re just making excuses!” Daphne’s face twisted with clear disappointment. “Erin told me everything. Simon couldn’t stand how you treated her, so he tried to teach you a lesson.
“Sure, he was impulsive, but he was standing up for Erin. And this all started because of you. How could you hit him so hard?”
Tracy didn’t even flinch. “If you’ve already decided it’s my fault, why bother with this? Just tell me what you want me to do.”
In her mind, she thought, <i>If </i><i>they’ve </i><i>already </ibeled me <i>guilty</i><i>, </i><i>nothing </i><i>I </i><i>say </i><i>matters</i>. <i>Why </i><i>pretend </i><i>to </i><i>ask </i>why?
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11:53 Tue, 2 Sept O
Chapter 31 The Footage
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Benjamin, however, took her calm tone as arrogance. Pissed, he mmed his hand down on the couch armrest, making a loud crack.
“So many people saw what happened, and you still deny it? Should I get the hotel’s security footage for you to finally admit it?”
At the mention of security footage, Simon and Erin froze, their faces stiffening.
They knew exactly what the cameras caught. If that footage <i>got </i>out …
Tracy hadn’t nned to waste so much breath on them.
She knew they didn’t care about truth or her exnation–they just wanted to pin it all on her and humiliate her.
She almost decided to go along with it. But then she caught the nervous flicker in Simon and Erin’s eyes and changed her mind.
“Sure,” she said, a mocking smile curling on her lips. “Let’s see the footage. I’d love to find out what terrible, unforgivable thing I supposedly did.”
Benjamin expected her to break down, apologize, maybe cry after his outburst. Instead, she talked back. His anger red.
“What kind of attitude is that? How dare you talk back to me like that!”
Just then, the Jackman brothers walked in, catching the end of his yelling.
Benjamin had always been the strict father here–when he got mad, no one dared argue, not even Liam, who usually caused the most trouble. Even he stayed quiet by Daphne’s side.
Andrew, though, stood his ground. “Dad, don’t get so worked up.”
He frowned at Tracy. “You’re not a kid anymore. Don’t you know how to show some understanding for your parents? Go apologize to Dad right now.”
That was always Andrew’s way. No matter what, his first thought was to tell Tracy to be considerate, admit fault, and say sorry,
Tracy answered calmly, “Mr. Benjamin said to get the footage so I could see my mistake. I agreed. But he’s still angry. Isn’t agreeing with him being considerate?”
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11:53 Tue, 2 Sept O
Chapter 31 The Footage
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Andrew had heard them talk about the footage earlier and assumed it showed Tracy doing something wrong–something she didn’t want to admit. That exined why Benjamin was so mad.
But if she agreed to show the footage, and he was still upset… That didn’t add up.
It must be her attitude that Dad <i>has </i><i>an </i><i>issue </i>with.
Ever <i>since </i>she came back, <i>she’s </i><i>been </i><i>sharp </i><i>and </i><i>sarcastic </i><i>with </i><i>us</i><i>–</i><i>never </i><i>humble</i><i>, </i>never sorry. No wonder Dad is <i>upset</i>.
Andrew’s voice hardened. “That’s not being considerate. That’s deliberately going against him. We sent you to the etiquette academy to learn to be better, not to learn how to talk back.” He gave her a pointed look.
“With the Jackmans‘ status, if that footage got out, reporters would be on it in seconds. The only one who’d look bad would be you.”
His voice was thick with disappointment. “Why do you think we didn’t just pull the footage earlier? We were protecting you. It was for your own good.”
Tracy had had enough of those four words–for your own good.
Her tone turned icy cold. “Thanks for doing all that ‘for my own good, but I’d rather watch that footage myself and see exactly how embarrassing I was, than have you keep pretending you’re protecting me.”
Liam couldn’t hold back any longer. “Andrew, if she won’t appreciate it, then let’s just show the footage. No need to save her any face.”
Andrew frowned but didn’t argue or agree. He just stood there, weighing his options.