?Chapter 628:


    Cathy, the undisputed princess of Kirby’s heart, had never faced such a harsh reprimand. She pouted and attempted her usual charm, softly beginning, “Grandpa—”


    “On your knees!” Kirby’s voice cut through her sweetness like a knife, leaving no room for argument.


    Cathy’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Kirby. It finally dawned on her that he was genuinely furious. Though reluctant, she knew better than to defy him. Stubbornly, she lowered herself to her knees.


    Completely in the dark, Cathy had been out with friends when Kirby’s message demanding her immediate return abruptly ended her evening. She rushed back only to face punishment and silence about her supposed offense. Filled with righteous anger, she protested, “Grandpa, what did I do to deserve this?”


    Kirby observed her defiance and sighed inwardly. She had truly been spoiled by him and still failed to grasp the consequences of her actions. Her usual mischief was one thing, but this time she had overstepped, wielding the Garrett family’s power like a toy, which had attracted the former president’s attention and stirred a major problem. Kason had already rushed to the former president’s residence during the night to try to smooth things over.


    Seeing Cathy’s failure to acknowledge the seriousness of her mistakes, Kirby’s eyes filled with disappointment. “Don’t you realize what you’ve done wrong? This is my fault. I’ve spoiled you rotten, and now you’re running wild with no sense of boundaries!”


    “Grandpa, how can you say that about me?” Cathy shot back, convinced she had done nothing wrong and ming him instead. “I’m your only granddaughter! You’re supposed to be on my side, not calling me names. You’ve really hurt me.”


    Kirby exhaled deeply, closing his eyes in growing disappointment. “Your brother was right. You’ve been spoiled. I should have listened to him and sent you to the military to toughen you up.”


    “What the hell?” Cathy snapped, fuming. “I haven’t done anything wrong! Why should I go to the military? I’m not going!” She’d rather die than set foot in a ce like that.


    Kirby mmed the teacup onto the floor with a crash, his eyes shing with rage as he red at her. “You did nothing wrong? Didn’t you abuse the family’s power to go after Louis?”


    For a moment, Cathy’s eyes flickered with unease, but she quickly regained her cocky confidence and straightened up. “I wasn’t targeting Louis, but Elena. He’s her brother, for crying out loud! Elena seduced Wesley, made him dump me, and now I’m the joke of the. Why shouldn’t I put her in her ce? She’s just a bumpkin. What’s the big deal?”


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    Cathy spoke as if she were untouchable, clearly not taking Elena seriously.


    “You’re so damn arrogant!” Kirby snapped. “You acted without thinking, not even considering who you were up against. Do you have any idea the Harper family reached out to the former president? The director who helped you has already been fired. Your brother’s handling the fallout, and you still don’t think you did anything wrong?”


    Kirby saw the situation more clearly than Cathy. Her reckless actions had nearly shaken the very foundation of the Garrett family.


    He added, “Your brother fought in wars and endured hell to get where he is. Do you have any clue how many eyes are on the Garrett family right now? If you keep this up, you’re going to bring the entire family down!”


    Cathy’s face turned pale, and she whispered in disbelief, “How could that be? How did the Harper family get to the former president?”


    Finally, Cathy’s arrogance cracked, and genuine fear showed in her eyes. Kirby’s voice softened slightly but remained firm. “This needs more digging. Anyway, none of the four major families in the can be taken lightly.”


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