Chapter 382
Catlin had been waiting outside the Lewis mansion, her patience wearing thin. She’d found out Allison had returned two hours ago and had rushed over, hoping to catch her. Maybe it was because the Hart family was in disarray, or maybe it was just bad luck, but she couldn’t even get past the front door. The servant who came out told her to leave, saying Allison wouldn’t see her. But Catlin couldn’t leave. Just thinking about the pain Olivia was going through made her heart ache. She couldn’t give up. She had to see Allison.
Finally, Allison emerged. Catlin’s heart raced as she stepped forward, her voice trembling with desperation. “Ms. Pierce, please, you have to help my daughter.”
“Which daughter?” Allison asked, her tone casual as she crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed.
Catlin’s face froze, and for a moment, she couldn’t breathe. “My foster daughter, Olivia,” she finally managed to say, her voice strained.
“Oh, your foster daughter,” Allison drawled, her eyes narrowing. “Look at you, all worried. I thought maybe something happened to your real daughter, Stephanie.”
Catlin forced an awkward, bitter smile. She couldn’t think of anything to say. “Please go check on her with me,” she suggested weakly.
“Alright,” Allison conceded. “But let me make one thing clear: I wasn’t planning on coming here. Your real daughter called me, begging me to be kind enough to visit.”
Catlin was stunned. How could Stephanie possibly care about Olivia? She’s always wanted Olivia out of the picture. So she asked, disbelief creeping into her voice, “Stefi called you? She asked you to check on Olivia? Ms. Pierce, are you sure you didn’t mishear? There’s no way Stefi would—”
“Are you suggesting I have hearing problems now?” Allison’s eyes flashed with irritation. “If that’s the case, how can you trust me to check on Olivia?”
Catlin’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Then she decided to save Olivia for now. “Thank you,” she finally said, forcing the words past her lips.
Allison’s disdain was palpable. “No need to thank me,” she grunted. “Just remember how kind your own daughter is.”
Catlin’s chest tightened, and she had to swallow her anger. Mentioning Stephanie was the last thing she wanted. She believed her family’s downfall was all Stephanie’s fault. But she couldn’t afford to lose her temper now. So she forced herself to agree, though every word felt like a lie. “Ms. Pierce, you’re right.”
Allison’s eyes narrowed at Catlin’s insincerity, and she let out a short, humorless laugh. She turned and walked straight to her car, clearly done with the conversation.
“Ms. Pierce, I drove here myself,” Catlin called out, hurrying after her.
“No need,” Allison replied, her tone dismissive. “Most mechanics working for you and your family are untrustworthy. I’d prefer to drive myself.” She got into her car and pulled away, leaving Catlin standing there.
Her words hung in the air, a veiled reference to the accident involving Stephanie. The evidence had pointed straight to Olivia, but the Hart family had still chosen to stand by her.
Catlin’s body felt stiff with frustration. Her anger towards Stephanie was a burning coal in her chest. She clenched her fists, cursing Stephanie inwardly. She hurried to her own car, her mind racing with thoughts of revenge and frustration, and sped off to follow Allison’s car.
Stephanie was already in the car, nestled against the seat, when her phone buzzed. It was Allison. “I don’t think you should care about her life,” she said.
“What?” Stephanie was confused.
“With so many people from the Hart family who love her, why would she want to just kill herself?” Allison sneered.
There was a pause on Stephanie’s end.
“You should see how much Catlin cared about Olivia. What on earth did she do to win so many people over?” Allison continued, remembering Catlin had just shown her deep bias against Stephanie.