Chapter 24
“It’s fine, Kylie! I just need to make a call,” Maris reassured Kylie before dialing Brynn’s number. Meanwhile, Brynn, who was in the middle of a livestream, was startled when she saw Maris calling.
“Did she find out it was me in the live channel?” she thought. Puzzled, she answered the call, but before she could say a word, Maris’s urgent voice shot through the line.
“Brynn, what happened to the bank card you share with me? I can’t access the money now. Hurry up and reactivate it!” Maris’s tone was sharp, clearly in a hurry.
Hearing this, Brynn’s already displeased expression darkened further. “Mom, now that I’m married, my finances naturally go toward my own household. The card belongs to me, so I transferred the money to my own account.”
“What? That’s out of the question!” Maris panicked. “Just transfer the money back. I need the money urgently.”
Brynn clenched her jaw. “And what exactly do you need the money for?”
“I… That’s none of your business!” Maris hesitated, then snapped impatiently. “Just give me the money. I really need it right now.”
Hah, thought Brynn. So she was in a rush to top up her account and send gifts to Kylie, wasn’t she? The moment Maris called, Brynn had already figured it out. But she hadn’t expected Maris to be this shameless, this brazen.
“Sorry, but no,” answered Brynn. Her patience snapped, and she responded with icy indifference. “I have nothing to do with the Everett family anymore. Mrs. Everett, on what grounds do you think you can demand that I give out my money like I don’t care?”
Brynn was so disappointed that she didn’t even want to call Maris “Mom” anymore.
“You…” Maris was momentarily speechless after being rebuffed. But when she turned her head and saw Kylie still watching, she gritted her teeth and continued.
“Brynn, all these years, the Everett family has been supporting you. Even if you’re not part of us anymore, you should return the money!” Maris’s voice grew more confident as she spoke. “A person should at least have a conscience.”
Brynn almost chuckled. Oh, so I’m the one without a conscience? she thought to herself. Maris really had the nerve to say that.
“I handed over every penny of my salary from the Everett Group to you all these years. Was that not enough?” Brynn’s voice was sharp. “The money I have now was all earned from freelance work. It has nothing to do with the Everett family.”
Brynn was outraged. She couldn’t understand why she should give them her money. Had the Everetts gone insane over money?
“You expect me to believe you earned one million dollars on your own?” Maris didn’t hesitate to retort. “Brynn, you’re becoming more and more outrageous! How could you even lie like that?”
Maris didn’t believe a single word of Brynn. As if Brynn had the ability to make that kind of money on her own!
But Brynn was completely unmoved. “Believe it or not, I don’t care,” she simply replied.
Maris’s expression twisted slightly, and her tone turned harsh.
“This money of yours must be dirty! You probably used your position at the Everett Group to line your own pockets! Brynn, am I wrong?” Maris sneered. “You’d better transfer the money to me now. Otherwise, if I tell your father about this, you’ll be in serious trouble.”
Brynn couldn’t believe how low Maris would stoop. Not only did she think so little of Maris, but now Maris was making baseless accusations to threaten her? A wave of cold disappointment washed over Brynn.
“If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to check my accounts,” she replied. “I have a clear conscience!”
With that, Brynn couldn’t be bothered to argue any further and simply hung up.
Looking at the call screen that had just been cut off, Maris was in complete disbelief – Brynn actually dared to hang up on her! This was unacceptable. Moreover, she made the call right in front of Kylie. How humiliating!
Kylie had overheard the entire conversation. She was already disappointed when they didn’t get the money, but since things had come to this, she naturally had to act innocent.
“Oh my god, how could Brynn do that?” Kylie covered her mouth in feigned shock and indignation. “That’s too much! Even if she wasn’t born to the Everett family, you still raised her for over twenty years!”
“Exactly…” Maris nodded repeatedly, agreeing wholeheartedly.
Seeing her reaction, Kylie became even more enthusiastic. “Right? And she’s treating you like this over a little money? She’s completely blinded by greed!”
Maris, who was already furious, became even angrier. She only asked for one million dollars. If Brynn didn’t want to give it, fine – but how dare she speak to her like that? She knew she had to have someone investigate Brynn’s time at the Everett Group. There had to be something fishy going on.
At the same time, Brynn, who had just hung up on Maris, let out a soft sigh.
“Looks like trouble is coming my way again…” she muttered to herself. Given Maris’s current attitude toward her – plus the fact that Kylie was fueling the fire – this wasn’t going to blow over easily.
What bad luck, Brynn thought in frustration. Why did I have to run into them while streaming? She had completely lost the mood to continue her live battle. Instead, she cancelled the live battle right away. She’d rather chat with her fans a little longer and do some extra voiceovers for them.
On the other side, Kylie saw that BrynnieBee had abruptly ended the PK and immediately felt annoyed. She ended the PK? Does she look down on me? Does she think I don’t have anyone willing to tip me? thought Kylie. “The username BrynnieBee even sounds like Brynn. No wonder she’s just as annoying!”
An unsettling thought suddenly popped into Kylie’s mind. Could this streamer and Brynn be the same person? After all, their names were so similar. But she quickly dismissed the idea. Maris had said that ever since high school, Brynn had gone straight into the Everett Group, working nonstop. She wouldn’t have had time for anything else.
Thinking this way only made Kylie angrier. She had met another annoying person in this world!
“Alright, Kylie, don’t be mad. You don’t need to compare yourself to someone like that,” Maris noticed Kylie’s frustration and quickly tried to console her. “That BrynnieBee is probably just a gold digger who relies on men – she’s nothing compared to you.”
Well, obviously! Kylie scoffed internally but, seeing the hint of guilt in Maris’s gaze, an idea suddenly struck her.
“Mom, I know that, of course! But I’m just too poor right now. And at the company, I have no status – no one respects me at all!” Kylie whined pitifully. “Everyone still only sees Brynn!”
“That’s not a problem,” Maris pulled over a chair and sat down, gently patting Kylie’s back. “I talked to your father. Once Brynn finishes her project with the Suncrest Group, we’ll fire her immediately.”
Kylie blinked. “I know that…”
“That’s not all,” Maris added. “Once Brynn is gone, your father will transfer all the shares he originally gave her to you!”
Hearing this, Kylie finally brightened up a little. A smirk crept onto her face. So what if Brynn successfully completes the project? She is just paving the way for me! Kylie thought with satisfaction.