Chapter 159
“You’ve never heard of me? Well, I’ve never heard of you either,” Wendy said coolly, shooting Kelly a glance. “You think Sharon’s as average as you? Please. She skipped grades. By the time you were even at Bell University, she might’ve already graduated.”
Nate doubled over laughing. “Oh wow, keep it coming! Brag all you want-lying’s not a crime, right? In that case, I was the King of England in a past life. You buying that?”
Wendy bristled, ready to fire back, but Sharon gently reached out and pulled her by the arm.
“Matty’s performance is more important,” Sharon said softly.
That pulled Wendy back. She exhaled and nodded. “Fine. I don’t have time to argue with you people. Whether she graduated from Bell or not doesn’t change the fact that she ruined Sharon’s dress. But we’ve already figured out a solution. Kelly and Sharon are about the same size. Kelly can take off her dress so Sharon can—”
Before she could finish, Nate suddenly lit up like he’d solved a major mystery. He pointed accusingly, voice rising with drama.
“I get it now! This was your plan all along, wasn’t it? You framed Kelly on purpose just so she couldn’t perform! Sharon, you’re seriously twisted! Scared you’d lose to Kelly, so you pull a stunt like this to get her disqualified! You really think she’s just going to walk away? Dream on!”
At that exact moment, Madeline walked in with Theo and caught the end of Nate’s outburst. Her expression twisted with rage. “Sharon, you ungrateful wretch! Helping someone else’s kid sabotage my grandson? Have you lost your mind? If you dare ruin Theo’s performance, I swear, I won’t let you off the hook!”
Theo looked completely blindsided. Hurt flashed across his face. “Mom… why would you do something like this?”
Nate scoffed. “Why else? She’s afraid of losing, that’s why! Can’t stand the idea of being outshined, so she pulls a cheap trick like this!”
The shouting grated on Sharon’s nerves. She raised her hand to massage her temple, then muttered flatly, “What kind of rabid dog is this? Did someone forget to leash it before letting it loose?”
Before Nate could shoot back, Madeline stormed forward, her face twisted with fury.
“Watch your mouth, you insolent girl! No respect, no manners! Did you just call me a dog? Carter, if you don’t teach her a lesson right now, I swear-I’ll cut ties with you!”
Sharon raised her eyebrows, feigning surprise. “Madeline, did anyone say your name? Funny how you assumed that was about you. Oh-and didn’t you just tell Carter to ‘teach me a lesson’?”
She turned to Wendy with a faint smirk.
“Wendy, quick-get your phone out. Let’s make sure we catch the whole scene of Carter assaulting me on video.”
Wendy snapped out of her shock and instantly pulled out her phone, raising it toward the group. Without missing a beat, she started filming, voice loud and dramatic like a TV announcer.
“Step right up, folks! Don’t miss today’s hottest drama-an exclusive live soap opera starring your favorite high-society elites! We’ve got cheating! Mistresses! Family feuds! No scripts, no actors-this is 100% unscripted chaos, brought to you by real-life dysfunction!”
Her voice carried across the room, drawing the attention of other parents nearby.
They were all from the same social circles, and it didn’t take long before murmurs started spreading through the crowd as people began to recognize Madeline and Carter.
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“Wait a minute… isn’t that Carter Biggs?”
“Yeah, and that’s Madeline, right? She’s here too?”
“Madeline? Are you sure? I always heard she was the picture of class and poise. But the way she just yelled-it was like watching a street fight!”
“What do you expect? That whole polished image? It’s all fake. Behind closed doors, who knows what kind of mess they really
are.”
The whispers grew louder. Fingers pointed. Curious eyes watched.
Madeline’s face turned bright red-then drained pale. Her body trembled as she stood there, visibly shaking, crumbling under the weight of public judgment. 1
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