Ch. 1..10
Chapter 1 Return of the Jinx
At Vicente Swann’s funeral.
As the Swanns were one of the three prominent families in Casier, Vicente’s funeral was naturally packed with big shots and members of respected families in Casier.
In the noisy venue, the arrival of a girl in a white T-shirt attracted the attention of everyone present.
All of the people present were either rich or powerful. Despite being good-looking, the girl wore a cheap and battered T-shirt, setting her apart from everyone else at the funeral.
Seeing how she walked straight toward the Swanns family, someone couldn’t help asking curiously, “Who is she? Why is she sitting with the Swanns?”
“I heard that she is Miss Catherine, the second daughter of the Swanns that had lived away from the family. Vicente only asked her to come back before he died.”
“Is that so? I heard that Vicente ordered the family to announce his will in front of everyone before he died. I guess she only returned for this!”
…
The girl did not know that she had already become the topic of the guests’ discussions. She looked calmly ahead with an indifferent expression on her face.
Her eyes remained focused on Vicente’s portrait in the middle of the venue. Nobody knew what she was thinking about at the time.
At the sight of Catherine Swann like this, Liana Swann, the youngest and favorite daughter of the Swanns, couldn’t help complaining to her mother, who was sitting next to her.
“Mom, what is going on with this country girl? Grandpa has died. Even if she isn’t sad, she should at least pretend to cry. What would the others think if the media took a photo of her like this later? She wouldn’t even change her clothes when we asked her to. People that don’t know better would think that the Swanns have mistreated her!”
After hearing her youngest daughter’s complaints, Rachael Swann furrowed her brows too. She thought that her youngest daughter did have a point.
She never loved Catherine, her daughter from the countryside, dearly. In fact, Catherine pissed Rachael off just one day after she had returned.
However, it was not the right time for Rachael to handle Catherine now. She planned to wait until the funeral was over before sending Catherine back to the countryside so that Catherine wouldn’t continue to embarrass the Swanns here.
Looking up, Rachael saw that her husband had arrived. She comforted her youngest daughter in a low voice, “Liana, be good. Your father is here. Bear with Catherine for now. We need to deal with what is important first!”
Liana couldn’t show her annoyance towards Catherine in public, so she could only choke back the complaints on the tip of her tongue.
Nobody noticed that Catherine, who had been looking straight ahead, smiled lightly.
The Swanns never spent time with Catherine, so they wouldn’t know she had exceptional hearing. Even though Rachael and Liana spoke in a low voice, Catherine clearly heard every word of their exchange.
Her mother truly did not love her!
As Catherine stared at Vicente’s portrait, her eyes flashed with a faint trace of sadness.
Did she have to cry because of pain?
…
Korbin Swann walked up the stage slowly. He gave a long speech first and expressed his views about how great Vicente was before finally announcing that the family would publicly announce Vicente’s will.
As many people knew this beforehand, the crowd was not too surprised.
Vicente had a son and daughter. It was a no-brainer who would inherit the fortune of the Swanns. However, nobody understood why Vicente would make sure to make such a fuss to announce his will publicly. Was it just for formality?
The lawyer Vicente trusted the most when he was still alive opened the sealed will and read it out loud.
“After careful consideration, I, Vicente Swann, leave all my shares of the Swann Corporation, real estate properties, and a 500 million-dollar deposit at the Bank of Nospines to my granddaughter, Catherine Swann…”
At the lawyer’s words, the crowd gasped in shock.
Not even the Swanns, everyone present was dumbfounded.
Catherine Swann?
Wasn’t she the second daughter of the Swanns, the jinx that Vicente sent off to be raised in the countryside when she was young?
How could it be?
She would inherit the fortune of the Swanns. With their jaws dropped, everyone shared a similar look of horror.
Except for Catherine, the center of the discussion. She still looked indifferent, as though nothing had happened.
Her eyes were still fixed on Vicente’s portrait in the center of the hall.
Her lips parted slightly as she spoke in an almost inaudible voice.
“Old man, what were you thinking?”
Chapter 2 Get Married for the Inheritance
After the will had been announced, the Swanns were in an uproar.
Korbin immediately doubted the will, but it was announced by Leonel Bolton, Vicente’s lawyer, himself. Besides, Leonel even showed them a video recorded by Vicente, especially for his will before he died, as proof.
Moreover, in his will, Vicente noted that if any member of the Swanns were to object to such a decision, they would be instantly disowned and kicked out of the family.
One had to know that every member of the Swanns was working in the Swann Corporation. They would have nothing left if they were kicked out of the Swanns.
Now, the guests present finally understood why Vicente ordered to announce his will in public. He was doing so to catch Korbin off guard.
Everyone knew Vicente was cunning. Even on his deathbed, he lived up to his reputation for making such a plan.
However, why was Catherine chosen to inherit the Swanns’ fortune? Wasn’t she the Swanns’ jinx?
As he looked at the girl, who remained calm, Leonel felt that it was the first time for him not to be able to read another person clearly.
However, none of these matter. Leonel’s professionalism urged him to fulfill his employer’s order.
He placed the will before Catherine and offered her a pen thoughtfully.
“Miss Swann, if you are okay with it, please sign your name on the will. Then, you may inherit the fortune of the Swanns.”
Catherine left Leonel’s hand, which was holding the pen up to her, in midair, and did not reach out to take the pen from him.
She pointed to a spot on the will and looked at Leonel with a frown. “What does that mean?”
Leonel answered his client’s question accurately.
“Miss Swann, this is the required condition for your inheritance. Vicente has arranged with Karl Duncan that the heirs of the two families will unite in marriage. The day of your marriage will be the day when this will take effect.”
The news left everyone present in shock!
Wasn’t the heir of the Duncans Branden Duncan?
The Duncans were the head of the three prominent families and the wealthiest family in Casier. It was a top family of the upper class, and Branden was the family’s sole heir.
What left the crowd in greater shock was Catherine’s answer.
“No!”
Catherine’s answer was neat and short. She turned down the astronomical inheritance without blinking.
Her answer left Leonel, standing on the stage, so embarrassed. It was the first time he saw someone unmoved by such extensive wealth.
He finally understood why Vicente asked to arrange what would happen next. It turned out that he had not lost his mind but was, in fact, planning ahead.
…
Catherine’s answer dumbfounded everyone. She actually rejected Branden.
He was the man of the dreams of all girls in Casier. How could she reject him?
How bold was she?
It happened that Branden was also here today. Everyone held their breath as they turned to look at Branden.
Even though gossiping about the Duncans was dangerous, they couldn’t refrain themselves.
Branden was sitting in the front row, wearing a fitted black suit with his collar slightly opened, showing his tanned skin underneath.
What would be most eye-catching about him would be his looks. His beautifully sculptured features could charm anyone.
And his deep eyes, despite looking indifferent, were so cold that one would not dare to look him in his eyes.
Everyone was waiting for this cruel heir of the Duncans to voice his opinion mercilessly.
To their surprise, besides having a change in expression, Branden only looked up lightly toward Catherine and made no other move.
As their eyes met, Catherine guessed who he was already.
But she was not interested!
Her cold eyes caught Branden’s attention!
Good. She was the first person to meet his gaze without cowering.
Interesting. He wanted to know what was so special about this heir of the Swanns that the old man had picked.
Under the pressure of the dispute and public opinion aroused, Leonel retrieved another material Vicente had left behind. “Miss Swann, Vicente had left this recording behind. He hopes that you will decide after listening to it!”
Catherine, who was going to leave immediately, reached out and popped the earbuds in her ears as she started listening to the recording.
As the recording was being played, Catherine’s brows became more knitted.
Eventually, she removed the earbuds and complained unhappily, “So troublesome!”
Then, she took the pen Leonel had just handed her and signed her name on the will.
When he saw her sign, Leonel heaved a silent sigh of relief.
Vicente was truly good at predicting the future.
After signing her name, Catherine was led away by Leonel to hand the will over to her.
The crowd was discussing loudly with one another, and the looks on the Swanns’ faces couldn’t be uglier.
Everyone was waiting to hear more about this drama!
Someone said, “How can a lone girl from the countryside be of match for the cunning members of the Swanns? Even if she gets the inheritance, Catherine wouldn’t be able to keep it!”
Someone refuted him immediately, “That might not be the case. If he would help her, she might be able to keep it.”
At his words, everyone turned to look at the man with such a powerful presence, and whose eyes nobody dared to look into, slowly.
It was clear that anything was possible.
Chapter 3 To Change The Will?
After being handed the will, Catherine returned to the living room.
Most of the Swanns were sitting in the family living room.
“I don’t care what you bumpkin had done. But you are dreaming to want to inherit the Swanns’ fortune!”
The one that spoke was the youngest son of the Swanns. He was Catherine’s younger brother, Johnathan Swann.
He was the only son of the Swanns. At first, everything in the family would eventually belong to him. But now, it had all become Catherine’s. How could he accept it?
From the beginning, he didn’t respect Catherine at all, as he thought she was just an uneducated country girl. Now, she had inherited the Swanns’ wealth. How could he take this lightly?
Johnathan came to his mother, Rachael, took her hand, and complained, “Mom, you can’t let the jinx inherit the family’s fortune! Make her give it up, and go back to the countryside!”
Everyone in the Swanns knew that Catherine was a jinx, so Vicente sent her to the countryside when she was young.
Soon after Catherine’s accident, Laura Swann died. The priest at the Prayers’ Church said that Catherine’s birth was an omen that would bring calamities upon them!
Catherine’s mother, Rachael, did not care about Catherine at all.
She looked up and fixed Catherine with a fierce gaze as she ordered her directly, “Catherine, did you hear your brother? Call Leonel now and tell him you will give up the Swanns’ fortune. You will pass it over to your father. I’ll ask your father to compensate you with some money. A few days later, you will go back to the countryside.”
Catherine accepted everything calmly as though she was a bystander.
After Rachael had finished talking, Catherine opened her mouth slowly and said in a clear and calm voice.
“Okay!
“If you can, take it!”
Her answer was so straightforward that she left everyone there dumbfounded.
How could she not care about it at all?
Everyone only heard Catherine’s “Okay!” but did not care for the cold warning that followed.
After all, in their eyes, if even a member of the Swanns could not inherit the family’s fortune, a country girl like Catherine would surely fail to inherit it too.
Liana was the first to come back to her senses. She was also the happiest among the Swanns at Catherine’s words as she smiled brightly and triumphantly.
“I’m glad you know your place!”
In Liana’s eyes, Catherine was just an uneducated country girl. Even if the Swann Corporation fell into Catherine’s hands, she wouldn’t be able to keep it. It would be better for Catherine to hand it over directly so that Liana and her family wouldn’t need to scheme against her later to take it from her.
That being said, Liana came to Rachael. “Mom, what are you waiting for? Call Leonel over and sign the hand-over agreement immediately so that we don’t have to worry about it for long.”
Before Rachael could make such a call, Korbin came into the living room and spoke loudly, “No. The will can’t be changed!”
At his words, the expressions on Liana’s and the others’ faces turned nasty. Liana didn’t care about her image anymore and let out an agitated scream.
“Dad, why? Why are you letting a bumpkin like her inherit the Swanns’ fortune?”
In the face of Liana’s questioning, Korbin’s face darkened. He didn’t want to either, but he couldn’t stop Catherine from doing so.
Korbin turned to look at Catherine, who was on the side. As he saw that she was still wearing the battered white T-shirt, a trace of disdain flashed across his eyes.
“Catherine, you must be tired from the day. Go upstairs and rest!”
Catherine knew that Korbin was asking her to leave on purpose.
She didn’t hesitate and strode upstairs.
As Catherine turned her back to her family, an evil smile spread across Catherine’s beautiful and doll-like face.
Her bright eyes shone with mocking and disdain.
After Catherine had disappeared upstairs, Rachael took the initiative to ask, “Korbin, why don’t we get the girl to transfer the fortune to you?”
Rachael wouldn’t even call Catherine by name because of her disdain toward her daughter.
Korbin shook his head and sighed, looking helpless.
“Dad had stated clearly in his will, if Catherine abandons the inheritance, the Swanns’ fortune would be fully donated to the charity. Most importantly, Branden has agreed to marry her to unite the two families. As of now, Catherine is already Branden’s fiancée.”
They couldn’t afford to cross the Duncans. Besides, Vicente’s will had stated his conditions clearly. Therefore, in Korbin’s eyes, if he were to keep the Swanns’ fortune, he could only let Catherine inherit it for now and only try to take it back from her later.
The two pieces of news left every one of the Swanns in shock.
Liana’s eyes widened in shock. She looked at her father in horror. “Dad, you’re joking, aren’t you? Branden would never agree to marry the jinx…”
Korbin knew that his youngest daughter had always fancied Branden, but right now, it was already a fact. No one could do anything about it.
“Liana, I can’t do anything about it!”
Liana fell onto the sofa in a daze at her father’s words. Her mind had gone blank.
She couldn’t believe how much had changed in merely a day.
The wealth that Liana could so easily get was gone. Even the man she had fancied for so many years had become someone else’s fiancé.
It was all because of Catherine!
Liana clenched her hands into fists as her eyes were filled with pure hatred and anger.
She swore in her heart, “Catherine, I hate you!”
Chapter 4 Investigate Her
Catherine officially settled down in the Swanns. Her room was in the basement of the Swanns’ residence.
There were dozens of rooms in the broad residence of the Swanns’. But Catherine was arranged to stay in a room in the basement that even the maids would not stay at.
Hah!
One could see from this how the Swanns treated her.
Looking around the spartan room, Catherine did not show any trace of emotion on her doll-like face.
She did not care about where she was staying. She preferred staying in the basement, as it was quieter there.
So that the other members of the Swanns would not bother her relentlessly.
If it were not for Catherine’s looks, nobody would believe that she was the daughter of the Swanns.
Korbin’s wife, Rachael, was known to be a beauty in Casier when she was younger.
If she called herself the second prettiest woman in Casier, then nobody would dare to claim to be the prettiest.
Everyone thought that Liana, the youngest daughter of the Swanns, looked like Rachael the most and had inherited Rachael’s good looks. That was why she was most favored in the Swanns.
However, when everyone saw Catherine today, they realized that Catherine looked almost exactly the same as Rachael. In fact, it could be said that Catherine looked even more beautiful than Rachael when she was younger.
Ring, ring.
The old-fashioned phone Catherine had left on the desk rang. When Liana saw Catherine’s phone earlier, she even mocked Catherine in disdain as a bumpkin for using such an old-fashioned phone.
Catherine didn’t care at all. An old-fashioned phone?
If Liana discovered this was one of the few dozens of satellite phones in the world, what would she say?
…
Catherine checked the phone and found that she had received a text message.
From: Ronin Oconnor
Ronin: [Boss, someone is investigating you. Should I do something about it?]
Catherine: [No, let him investigate.]
Ronin: [Okay, boss. Have fun!]
After reading Ronin’s messages, Catherine deleted the chat record. She was used to keeping everything clean, leaving no trace behind her.
Ronin was a boy Catherine had adopted. He was three years younger than she was.
The boy had no other talent but was very good at computers.
At his age, Ronin was already so skillful at computers that he ranked within the top ten of the world’s best hackers.
He was still young. Given enough years of training, he would undoubtedly rank higher in the future.
As Catherine had come to attend her grandfather’s funeral right after traveling all the way from the countryside, she was indeed tired and wanted to take a rest.
She took Vicente’s photo she had always kept with her out and stared at it in a daze.
Her grandfather was so cruel. To make Catherine accept the Swanns’ fortune, Vicente didn’t even give her a chance to see him for one last time.
Catherine would never accept such an arrangement if she didn’t know that this was her grandfather’s final wish.
After all, nobody could make Catherine do what she didn’t want to.
At the sound of footsteps approaching her door, Catherine took away Vicente’s photo.
She reached to wipe away the drop of tear in the corner of her eye in a hurry. Within seconds, her beautiful face was back to being expressionless.
Liana pushed the door open without knocking, leading maids into Catherine’s room.
If her father did not tell her repeatedly to bear with it for now, Liana would have told the maids to throw Catherine out long ago.
Bang!
The wooden door was pushed open and hit the wall with a loud bang.
Liana’s brows were knitted as soon as she stepped into the room. Her eyes were filled with disdain.
Liana raised her voice on purpose and exaggerated things in her words. “Is this a dog house? Why is it so smelly here? It’s so disgusting!”
Catherine sat up slightly, crossed her arms, and looked down at Liana. Her eyes looked cold.
“Are you calling me a dog?”
Liana laughed triumphantly. She was disdainful toward Catherine.
“I can’t do anything about it if you admit being a dog. Why don’t you try barking? I’ll see if you sound like one.”
In the face of Liana’s taunting, Catherine wasn’t angered. Her expressionless face remained as calm as ever.
However, her lips curled into a light smile.
“Liana, even if you wouldn’t admit it, I’m still your older sister by birth. If I’m a dog, what are you then?”
Caught off guard, Liana saw Catherine’s lips part as she said more words that left Liana even angrier.
“Are you a dog’s younger sister? Or its feces?”
Liana was so angry that her face contorted.
“You…”
Chapter 5 So Easy to Retort
Rachael knew her youngest daughter wouldn’t be able to control herself, so she asked Liana to take the maid, Haylie Barber, with her when she came over.
At first, when Haylie saw that Liana had the upper hand, she did not plan to step in.
However, now that Haylie saw Liana getting so mad because of Catherine’s words, she stepped forward to stop her quickly.
Haylie comforted Liana nicely and repeated what Rachael had said over and over again until Liana finally calmed down.
Liana ordered the maids behind her angrily, “Come on up. Throw the things here!”
Then, two young maids came up and threw two stacks of clothes in front of Catherine.
Liana looked at Catherine arrogantly. Haylie was right. Catherine was all talk.
Vixens from the countryside were all like that. On the other hand, Liana was a noble daughter of a wealthy family. She couldn’t stoop to Catherine’s level.
“These are all clothes I have only worn a few times and want to throw away. All of them are from big brands. You probably haven’t even heard of these brands, have you?”
Liana looked arrogant, as though she was granting Catherine a huge favor by giving her her old clothes.
“I’m giving them to you now out of kindness. Are you moved? You don’t need to thank me though. Look at the battered T-shirt you are wearing. You look even poorer than a beggar. The Swanns can’t afford for you to embarrass us like this. So hurry and change into these clothes.”
Catherine looked down at her clothes.
Was the T-shirt she was wearing battered?
She had just gotten this the day before yesterday. Ronin told her there were only ten in the world, and he only got it after hacking into over 10 thousand computers.
If Ronin didn’t beg repeatedly and the T-shirt was indeed of a relatively simple design, Catherine would never wear it.
Catherine couldn’t believe that this piece of work that the top designer, Marianne, had designed before she retired was considered suitable for a beggar in Liana’s eyes.
Suddenly, Catherine thought she shouldn’t waste her breath talking to Liana anymore.
Seeing that Catherine did not answer, Liana thought she had successfully intimidated Catherine with her clothes.
“Catherine, Dad has arranged for you to go to a school. Someone like you, who had never gone to a school before, could never go to school otherwise. However, you can’t embarrass the Swanns anymore, so Dad donated a library to the school so that they’d admit you. Do remember to cherish this opportunity. You must be grateful for it, got it? You can’t be wasting the Swanns’ money all the time.”
Liana thought that, despite the fact the Swanns were rich, it would be a better use of money for the family to buy her a few more new bags instead of spending it on a country girl like Catherine.
Catherine couldn’t help sneering out loud.
Hearing the mocking in Catherine’s sneers, Liana frowned as she looked at Catherine with a questioning gaze.
“Bumpkin, what are you laughing at?”
Catherine lowered her head and raised an eyebrow, looking careless.
“What do you think I’m laughing at? Liana, have you forgotten that all the Swanns’ money is now mine? What is wrong with donating my money to build a library so that I can go to school? You ask me to be grateful for it. Should I thank myself then?”
Liana couldn’t help it anymore. She burst out crying out of anger and ran out of the room.
Naturally, the other maids followed as Liana left, running after her.
Finally, nobody was there to bother Catherine anymore. She looked at the old clothes on the floor and shook her head helplessly.
Liana was too weak to burst out crying only after chatting for a while. It was no fun at all.
Chapter 6 Can’t Find Anything About Her
At the Duncans’ residence.
After hearing about how Branden promised to get engaged to the country girl from the Swanns that came out of nowhere at the Swanns’ funeral, Triston Lambert rushed to the Duncans’ residence immediately.
As the only friend Branden had acknowledged in public, Triston couldn’t believe he did not get first-hand news about Branden’s love life.
How could Triston show his face in Casier in the future?
After all, Triston was the only son and heir of the Lamberts.
He couldn’t afford to embarrass himself like this.
“Oh, Mr. Duncan, tell me something, okay? Why did you agree to get engaged to the country girl? Even though she is quite good-looking, there are so many good-looking girls in Casier. Why did you pick her?”
Branden was reading the company’s financial statement while Triston chatted away noisily next to him like an annoying fly.
Branden finally put down the document in his hands as he couldn’t take it anymore.
He turned to look at Triston briefly, his eyes shining with bone-chilling coldness.
One look like this from Branden was enough to leave Triston shivering and breaking out in a cold sweat.
Triston was so frightened that he didn’t dare to speak anymore. He was afraid that he would anger Branden by accident.
If Branden lost his temper, it would be the end of Triston.
Knock, knock.
The knock on the door was like a savior in Triston’s eyes.
Triston mustered up a smile hurriedly and mumbled, “Mr. Duncan, I’ll get the door for you.”
It was Paxton Duncan, Branden’s assistant. He had been with Branden since they were small.
In families like the Duncans, most assistants were trained since they were young.
When they were young, Paxton was Branden’s paired study partner. When they grew older, he became Branden’s assistant.
Paxton was always cold and expressionless. He never smiled or joked around.
Triston gave Paxton the nickname “Icecube” behind his back.
After entering the room, Paxton took a look at Branden. Seeing that Branden did not say anything, Paxton knew that he didn’t plan to hide anything from Triston, so Paxton went ahead to report his findings.
“Mr. Duncan, I’ve got the information about Catherine Swann.”
At his words, Triston was a little excited. “Oh, you asked Paxton to investigate Catherine. It seems that you indeed care about her. Let me see.”
As he finished, Triston snatched the documents from Paxton’s hands and flipped them open excitedly.
However, Triston soon furrowed his brows and looked at Paxton angrily.
“Icecube, are you joking with me? Why is it a piece of blank paper? Where is the information? I want to see information about Catherine.”
In the document Paxton had presented, nothing else existed apart from a photo of Catherine and her age.
Triston thought Paxton had hidden the information away as he didn’t want Triston to read it.
In the face of Triston’s vexatious words, Paxton looked as if he was used to it. He continued to look coldly at Triston without moving.
Seeing that Paxton did not move and was looking at him like an idiot, Triston understood immediately.
His eyes widened instantly, looking somewhat surprised.
“You couldn’t find anything about her, could you?”
Seeing that Triston got at least a little bit of judgment, Paxton nodded.
As his guess had been confirmed, Triston only became even more surprised.
“There is actually information that even the Duncans can’t find. Could it be that Vicente had hidden it?”
The Duncans were the most powerful family in Casier because of their excellent intelligence network.
The Duncans could find out about anything they wanted to learn about.
Soon, Triston banned his own guess.
“That can’t be. Vicente is not good enough to hide anything from the Duncans. What is going on then? Why can’t you get information about Catherine?”
Triston turned to look at Branden, asking for an explanation of what was going on.
Branden’s eyes fell on the blank spot of the document, and a faint smile appeared on his handsome and evil-looking face.
Interesting!
Seeing his smile, Triston was so afraid that he didn’t even dare to ask any more questions.
He knew that someone was out of luck whenever Branden smiled like this. However, he did not know who it was that would meet their fall yet.
Chapter 7 Another One Asking For It
At dinnertime, the maids led Catherine to the dining room of the Swanns’.
She heard that Liana was not in the mood for dinner as she was too angry at Catherine, so Liana was not there at the dinner table.
The rest of the Swanns were all there. They were all waiting for Catherine!
At Catherine’s entrance, Johnathan taunted her rudely and immediately.
“People from the countryside are so uncivilized. She only came to eat after being asked to for so many times. Does she really think she is the boss of us all?”
In the face of Johnathan’s taunts, Catherine’s face remained indifferent. She turned her head and looked at Johnathan coldly.
Her calm eyes shone with bone-chilling coldness.
Johnathan was caught off guard at the look of her eyes. He shivered in fear and choked on his food with his mouth still stuffed. He broke into a violent coughing fit then.
After coughing a while, Johnathan felt he had coughed so hard that he had almost coughed his organs out.
Staring at Catherine from the other end of the table, Johnathan was so angry. He gritted his teeth and waited for his chance to regain the upper hand.
He blinked and had a sudden idea.
Johnathan said to Catherine lightly, “I heard that you made Liana so angry she wouldn’t even eat because the family donated money to build a library so you can go to school. Is that true?”
His father had always favored Liana. Catherine was so arrogant to bully Liana even when it was just her first day here. Johnathan was sure his father wouldn’t turn a blind eye to this.
Catherine raised her eyes and looked at Johnathan lightly. “I heard that you came bottom of your class in the exam. You didn’t have to repeat the year of studies only because the Swanns donated a thousand computers to the school. Is that true?”
Johnathan couldn’t believe that Catherine knew about him coming bottom of his school in the exam. Didn’t his mother take care of this matter already?
How did Catherine find out?
Before Johnathan could figure out how Catherine had found out about this, Korbin’s voice rang.
At the news, Korbin furrowed his brows.
“Johnathan, what is that about? When did you come bottom in your exam?”
Johnathan’s face turned pale at Korbin’s question.
He was most afraid of Korbin. Despite being busy, his father always checked on his studies personally.
Johnathan didn’t dare to admit to it, nor did he know how he should answer Korbin’s question.
Seeing how trouble was brewing, Rachael spoke up.
“We’re having dinner. Don’t talk too much. The food is turning cold. Hurry and eat!”
After that, Rachael even shot a warning look at Catherine.
In the face of Rachael’s warning, Catherine remained calm. She reached out to pick up her fork and started eating.
Korbin dropped this matter for now, for Rachael’s sake. Only then did the family eat in peace.
After dinner, Korbin did not leave the desk, so everyone else remained seated too.
It was a rule of the Swanns. If the head of the family had not stood up yet, the others would not either.
Catherine didn’t care about this. She put down her cutlery and was ready to leave the table when she was done eating.
Seeing that Catherine had stood up, Johnathan was about to scold her for this.
But at a look from Rachael, Johnathan closed his mouth.
Rachael wasn’t doing this to help Catherine.
Instead, she knew that with Vicente gone, Korbin was the head of the Swanns.
As the head of the Swanns, Korbin would never allow anyone to challenge his position. It would be better to leave Korbin, instead of her dear son, to discipline the country girl who had caused trouble for the family.
As expected, when Catherine stood up, Korbin’s face darkened.
Johnathan understood his mother’s intention then. He might be bad at everything else, but he had always been good at reading his father’s expressions.
Next, Johnathan only needed to sit back and enjoy the show!
Just as Korbin was about to lose his temper, he remembered that Catherine might not know the rules as she had just returned from the countryside. So, he took a deep breath to suppress his anger.
Korbin raised his head and called out to Catherine, “Wait!”
Catherine turned. Her eyes slowly fell on Korbin.
Korbin pointed at the seat Catherine had just emptied and said to her, “Sit down. I have something to talk to you about!”
Catherine did not get back in her seat immediately. Instead, she said lightly, “But I’m full!”
She meant that she did not plan to return to her seat. Korbin did not like children that would talk back to him.
But thinking about what he would talk about, he held back his anger.
Rachael and Johnathan felt it was strange for Korbin not to lose his temper at Catherine. One had to know that Korbin was known for his hot temper.
Just as Johnathan was about to speak up for his father, Rachael stopped him again.
Rachael did not only rely on giving birth to four children to maintain her place as Mrs. Swann for all these years. She managed to do so because of how well she knew Korbin.
As expected, Korbin said his intentions out loud next.
“Catherine, even though your grandfather had left the Swanns’ fortune to you, you are still young. You should focus on your studies for now. Why don’t you sign an Authorization Agreement to give me the power for administration so I can manage the entire Swann Corporation for you?”
At his words, the maids on the side handed over a contract as though she was waiting for Catherine to sign.
Rachael and Johnathan finally understood now that this was what Korbin wanted.
As soon as Catherine had signed the agreement, she would lose her power to handle the Swanns’ fortune.
She wouldn’t be a threat to them anymore, then.
Johnathan squinted his eyes and looked at Catherine with a smile. He was confident that Catherine wouldn’t dare to refuse to sign the agreement when his father had ordered her to do so in person.
Chapter 8 Forced to Sign the Agreement
Catherine took the contract and took a look at it. A trace of a smile flashed across her charming eyes.
Her father was genuinely nice to her. One could tell at a glance that Korbin had set this contract overnight. Every condition was outrageously bossy.
If Catherine signed the contract, not only would the Swann Corporation no longer be hers to manage, Korbin would even get to control every word and action of Catherine.
Seeing how Catherine flipped through the contract page by page, Korbin’s patience wore thin.
He didn’t think that Catherine could understand the conditions. He heard that she didn’t even go to school in the countryside.
“That’s enough, Catherine. You don’t have to read so hard into it. Sign now, and I will give you 100 thousand dollars every month as your allowance. You will live a carefree life at the Swanns’ residence. You don’t have to go back to the countryside anymore!”
100 thousand dollars every month?
Oh, that was indeed a lot of money for most people.
But would she really give up the right to manage tens of billions worth of wealth and be restrained just for an allowance of 100 thousand dollars per month? Did Korbin think she was stupid?
She put the contract back on the table, and an evil smile appeared on her lips as she turned her gaze slowly on Korbin.
Her lips parted slightly as she spat out a word coldly.
“No!”
Korbin was so mad that his face turned green. His two brows were knitted together. And he almost pounded the table angrily.
“You…”
However, Korbin was already in middle age and had spent many years in the business world. Despite being angry, Korbin was able to contain his anger.
Korbin forced himself to calm down and spoke to Catherine as peacefully as possible. In his eyes, Catherine would only yield to soft approaches.
“Catherine, I’m doing this for your own good. The Swann Corporation is the work of your grandfather for his whole life. It can’t be wasted!”
Catherine took a piece of paper that had been neatly folded out from her pocket.
She unfolded it slowly and laid it out in front of Korbin.
Korbin took a look at it and almost fainted from anger. On the paper, the words “Law of Succession” were printed clearly on the top.
As Korbin finished reading the law, Catherine even explained it to them.
“I am of age now. I have the right to inherit and manage my wealth. I don’t need a guardian, nor do I need to authorize somebody else to manage my wealth for me.”
Korbin’s face had darkened. Catherine had caught him off guard. Korbin did not expect Catherine to have even checked the Law of Succession.
Wasn’t Korbin told that Catherine didn’t even attend high school? How could she be so bright?
Before Korbin could lose his temper, Rachael spoke up first.
She was not as calm as Korbin was. Seeing how Catherine had failed to see their “act of kindness,” Rachael pounded the table and pointed her finger at Catherine as she scolded her angrily.
“It would be too kind to call you ungrateful. The Swanns have raised you to this age. Is this how you repay us? You are truly a jinx. You are no good. If you sign this, we’re still a family. If you refuse to see sense, don’t blame us for abandoning you!”
Johnathan echoed his mother’s words on the side loudly, “That’s right. If you don’t sign, we’ll kick you out!”
Catherine’s eyes swept past Rachael slowly. She had seen Rachael’s files.
Rachael’s maiden name was Rachel Lang. She did not come from a noble family but married Korbin for her stunning good looks.
After giving birth to four children and steadying her position as Mrs. Swanns, Rachael became the wife of one of the wealthiest families in Casier.
However, as a mother highly praised by all outside the family, Rachael was fixing Catherine with a disdainful look as if she was looking at her enemy. It was such a joke.
A jinx?
It had been so long since someone had mentioned this in front of Catherine. Catherine could vaguely remember that someone had scolded her and called her this when she was younger, saying that the birth of a jinx like her had brought disasters to the Swanns.
What happened to the person that had scolded her?
She couldn’t remember clearly. It seemed that the person had gone mad!
Since then, nobody dared to call Catherine that in her face anymore.
Chapter 9 Three Pieces of Papers
In the face of Rachael’s and her son’s threats, Catherine looked calm. Her expression did not change even a bit.
It was as if she had expected all this to happen. Catherine took out another piece of A4 paper neatly folded from her pocket.
It was the “Law of Succession” earlier. What was it now?
This piece of paper was for Rachael.
As Catherine handed the paper to her, Rachael reached out to take it. At a look at it, she almost fainted from anger.
[Declaration To Terminate Parent-Child Relationship]
The girl was truly ruthless!
Catherine looked lightly at Rachael. Compared to how angry Rachael looked with a flushed face, Catherine was clearly much calmer.
“You are only my biological parents. I will cooperate anytime if you want to terminate your parent-child relationship with me. Leonel gave me this. He said you only need to sign on it!”
After speaking to Rachael, Catherine turned her eyes to Johnathan slowly.
Her eyes shone with bone-chilling coldness and spookiness, but the smile on her face was so gentle.
The significant difference left Johnathan shivering in fear. He swallowed nervously and spoke only after moistening his throat, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Grandpa originally owned this mansion. If you terminate your relationship with me, you will be the one kicked out of this mansion!”
Catherine sounded so calm. It was as if this had nothing to do with her, that she was merely an announcer.
Johnathan was so scared that he almost threw himself into Rachael’s arms and cried.
The look in the country girl’s eyes was too terrifying!
Rachael was so angry that she was literally fuming. She could only turn to Korbin for help.
“Korbin, do you hear what the ungrateful brat is saying? She wants to eat all of us alive!”
With his brows furrowed, Korbin fixed Catherine with a questioning gaze.
He was sensitive to think that this was too much of a coincidence. The girl seemed to have predicted everything, as she had prepared a perfect strategy against their every move.
Catherine would never have been able to do so if she was just an ignorant and stupid girl from the countryside. Could she have someone behind her back to advise and help her?
The Swanns’ fortune was much more than tens of thousands of dollars. It was worth up to tens of billions of dollars.
Korbin looked at Catherine patiently. “Catherine, your grandfather had worked hard to build the Swann Corporation all his life. You weren’t at home, so you don’t know how important all this is to us. The Swann Corporation must be managed by one of the Swanns. It would be most appropriate to hand it over to me for management. You are too young. You will ruin the Swann Corporation, and I will never allow the company to be ruined just like this!
“If you refuse to see sense, I will have to hold a press conference for the society to determine who should get the inheritance.”
“There’s no need for that!” Catherine stopped Korbin’s words decisively.
Her reaction left Korbin hopeful. He thought that Catherine was scared and had therefore decided to step down.
After all, she was just an ignorant teenage girl. She must be scared out of her wits at the sound of holding a press conference.
However…
“I’ve accepted the invitation for an exclusive interview with The International Economics.”
The International Economics?
It was the top economic newspaper in the world. Even Korbin had never been invited for an interview with them. He couldn’t believe the girl would be invited for an exclusive interview.
Korbin stared at Catherine unbelievingly. He was so angry that he was shaking. “You are going to ruin the Swann Corporation!”
In the face of Korbin, who was abnormally agitated, Catherine smiled playfully. There was a trace of decisiveness in her eyes.
“Don’t worry. The Swann Corporation won’t be ruined in my hands. Give me three months. If I can’t increase the Swann Corporation’s share price by 30%, I’ll give you the signed Letter of Authorization.”
Catherine was so arrogant. Korbin had been working as the General Manager of the Swann Corporation for ten years, and he could only promise to maintain the company’s stock price. To think that Catherine even wanted to increase the stock price by 30%!
It was a fool’s talk!
How dared a young girl like her to say something so outrageous!
Korbin wanted to see how Catherine would come begging for his help while crying then.
A trace of cruelty flashed across Korbin’s darkened face. He looked at Catherine seriously.
“Okay, you have my word. Don’t go back on your word then!”
Catherine took out another piece of paper neatly folded from her pocket and threw it at Korbin.
“I never go back on my word!”
With that, Catherine left briskly.
Korbin unfolded the piece of paper. There were two words printed on the top of it.
[Commitment Letter]
Chapter 10 The Negotiation
At the Duncans’ mansion.
In the exquisite and luxurious living room, two men entirely different in character were resting on the sofa.
Compared to how Triston was sprawled on the sofa, Branden, who had his laptop on his lap, was sitting upright.
Seeing how straight Branden was sitting, Triston couldn’t help but shake his head.
Some people were born to be other-worldly. One could never understand what these people were thinking.
The maid came to report the arrival of a guest.
“Mr. Duncan, Miss Catherine Swann is here!”
Triston jumped up from the sofa at the maid’s words and stumbled in front of Branden.
“Catherine Swann? Isn’t that the girl from the Swanns that has just returned from the countryside? Isn’t that your fiancée?”
Branden glanced at Triston lightly, and Triston shut up immediately at his look.
As Triston had stopped babbling, Branden raised his head slowly to look at the maid. “Bring her in!”
Seeing that Branden had asked for Catherine to come in, Triston decided to excuse himself from the room to save his life, despite being so curious that he was dying.
“I’ll be upstairs!”
As soon as Triston had left, Catherine walked into the living room.
As she entered the room, Catherine looked around the living room and accurately found where Branden was sitting.
She strolled toward Branden, stood before him, and asked in a calm tone, “May I sit down?”
Branden tore his eyes from the screen of his laptop and fixed his eyes on Catherine.
She was still wearing a white T-shirt, just like she did at the funeral. However, instead of the black pants she was wearing, she had changed into a pair of fitted jeans.
The pair of fitted blue jeans perfectly showed the curves of Catherine’s long and slender legs.
She had such gorgeous looks but let off an abnormally cold temperament. Her eyes looked so sharp and untamed.
Branden could almost feel like he and Catherine were most alike.
After getting a “yes” from Branden, Catherine sat down slowly.
They were both too smart for the other to beat around the bush.
Branden stopped looking playful and put on an indifferent expression. His voice was low and cold. He sounded a bit bored as he spoke.
“What are you here for?”
Catherine did not plan to waste time with subtle talks, so she went straight to the point.
She laid the document she had brought on the laptop Branden had just put down. Her voice was cool and expressionless.
“Take a look at it. If you’re okay with it, sign your name on it!”
Branden glanced at it and saw that on the top of the document were the words “Engagement Agreement.”
He read the document and laughed.
He had signed all kinds of agreements before, but it would be his first time seeing his indenture.
This woman was really bold!
She wanted to buy a marriage with Branden for a year with 20% of the Swann Corporation’s shares.
She was indeed generous!
“What if I disagree?”
The man’s gaze on Catherine might look light, but it was, in fact, bone-chilling.
Catherine did not seem to be surprised at Branden’s reaction.
Her indifferent and beautiful face remained expressionless. It was as if nothing could affect her mood.
“I’ll make you agree to it!” Her cold tone was filled with determination.
Branden leaned back slightly so that his back was pressed against the back of the sofa. He glanced at Catherine with squinted eyes as a light smile appeared on his lips.
“We’ll see!”
Catherine nodded lightly, stood up, and left the Duncans’ residence.
As Branden watched her leave, a trace of playfulness appeared in his deep eyes.
Triston only came downstairs after Catherine had left.
As he saw the document on the table, he reached out to look at it.
Branden lightly flicked the toothpick in his hand and heard Triston scream immediately.
“Ouch…”
The thin toothpick was now pierced right into the back of Triston’s hand.
Triston took his hand back immediately. He almost forgot what Branden hated the most. Curiosity could indeed kill the cat.
Triston looked back and hurried to make up to Branden with a smile.
“Mr. Duncan…”
Before he could finish, Branden had already turned to go upstairs with his things packed away.
Branden even left a word for Triston before he left.
“You may leave now!”
Staring at the direction where Branden had disappeared, Triston rubbed his chin in silence as he fell into thoughts.
Why did things seem to have gone even weirder? Could it be that Branden was genuinely interested in the girl from the Swanns?
Top socialites across Casier were always chasing after Branden, but he never spared them a glance. But now, he had become interested in a wild girl from the countryside.
Things had indeed become weirder!