Kevin Hayes was at a loss for words, unsure of how to explain. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

He only had one daughter, and seeing her cry undeniably hurt him. But the words she uttered were utterly foolish!

She practically turned their family into a laughingstock!

Who is Ashley Shaw?

The sister of a major company’s top executive, does she need anyone to say she’s in trouble here and ask Mark for financial assistance?

Despite feeling both heartache and anger, it was anger that ultimately prevailed.

"Stop crying here! If you want to cry, go to your own room and cry!"

Hailey Hayes was so shocked she forgot to let her tears flow.

"Dad?"

The man in front of her, was he really her father?

It was Ashley Shaw who couldn’t stand the awkward atmosphere any longer and stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Uncle Hayes, don’t be angry, today is Hailey’s birthday after all. Hailey didn’t understand the situation when she said that, explain it well and she’ll understand."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ashley Shaw noticed Ariana Grant subtly give her a thumbs up.

She was puzzled.

What does it mean?

Just then, Assistant Lowell spoke up, "Hailey, you might not understand the situation, let me explain. Miss Shaw’s family isn’t in difficulty. Her brother is my direct supervisor, Warren Prescott, manager at the Prescott Group. That’s why I said she doesn’t need financial assistance."

"Wha—what?" Hailey Hayes was so shocked her eyes were nearly popping out.

Compared to her father’s extremely rare anger towards her, what her cousin said was even more shocking.

"Cousin, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?"

Mark chuckled bitterly, saying, "How could I make a mistake? So don’t say anything more..."

Hailey Hayes was still unwilling to believe.

"If she is truly as you say, why is she delivering food?"

Mark was slightly displeased.

This cousin of his, why is she still so foolish like when she was young?

Assistant Lowell’s face turned cold, "That’s Miss Shaw experiencing life!"

Hailey Hayes, seeing her cousin’s darkened face, realized that the situation was likely true.

Ashley Shaw wasn’t someone whose family was in hardship; her family was actually quite wealthy!

No wonder, earlier when Ariana Grant suddenly laughed like that, it was clearly mocking her as if she were a clown!

Thinking back to when she had shown off to Ashley Shaw about their family’s wealth and cars before going out, recalling Ashley’s meaningful smile and her comment "your family is really rich," Hailey’s face burned with embarrassment.

How could she not understand by now?

Ashley Shaw’s agreement, that was all intentional! Intentionally waiting for her cousin to come over to shame and mock her!

But at the root of it all, it was Ariana Grant’s fault.

She couldn’t believe Ariana Grant brought over such a wealthy friend without intending to play some sort of trick on her.

Hailey Hayes’ face turned pale one moment, blue the next, and looked incredibly unsightly.

Her hands were tightly clenched into fists, as if she were a hedgehog ready to prick anyone who approached.

Kevin Hayes furrowed his brows and said, "Hailey, you’re a high school student now, you should understand some things. Go apologize to Miss Shaw quickly."

Mr. Lowell and Mrs. Lowell also stepped forward, "Hailey, go apologize to Miss Shaw!"

She wanted to use the opportunity to show off her cousin as a successful and wealthy person, but her intentions were good, right? If Ashley Shaw really was in trouble, wasn’t she helping her?

Why was everyone looking at her like she was a criminal?

Why?

What did she do wrong!?

Hailey Hayes grew increasingly emotional until she finally shouted.

"Why should I apologize! Even if I was wrong, I was acting with good intentions!"

"Slap—" A slap landed hard on Hailey Hayes’s cheek.

Hailey felt stars before her eyes, and the surrounding sounds seemed to fade into the distance.

"Oh no! Kevin, what are you doing?"

"Uncle Hayes, please don’t hit her..."

"Ariana, take Hailey back to her room quickly."

"Miss Shaw, I’m terribly sorry, we must look like a joke to you."

The room descended into chaos.

Some were comforting the stunned Hailey Hayes, others were apologizing to Ashley Shaw, and some were persuading Kevin Hayes.

A birthday party that started so well ended in discord.

Ashley Shaw couldn’t stay any longer; her presence made everyone uneasy.

So, she decisively spoke up to say goodbye amidst the chaos.

Ariana Grant, seeing her about to leave, also said she’d go with her.

As the two exited the building, Assistant Lowell hurried after them.

"Miss Shaw, I’m truly sorry. This is my fault, I didn’t take the time to understand everything beforehand, leading to this mess. Rest assured, afterwards I will speak to Hailey properly. She’s been spoiled by my uncle, which led to her behavior, but after this incident, I believe my uncle realizes Hailey can’t continue being so willful. Nonetheless, I take full responsibility for not doing my job properly and I sincerely apologize!"

Assistant Lowell bowed deeply to her.

Ashley Shaw stepped aside to avoid his bow, shook her head, and said, "It’s not your fault; it’s my issue. If any blame needs to be placed, it should be on me."

"No, no, how can it be your fault?"

"Alright, I’m really fine and won’t hold onto this, why don’t you go back and apologize to everyone for me?"

Seeing that she really showed no anger, Mark bid her farewell and returned upstairs.

Just as they were about to leave, Jade Coleman’s voice reached them from behind.

"Ariana, wait for me a moment, I want to have a word with you."

Ariana Grant was pulled aside by Jade Coleman.

Ashley Shaw couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but she saw Ariana’s face grow progressively darker.

Eventually, she heard Ariana yell, "Well, you just stay with them, I’ll pretend I never had a mother like you," and then hurriedly walked towards Ashley.

"Let’s go."

Ashley Shaw looked at Jade Coleman in the distance who was pursing her lips with a grim face, but got on the scooter with Ariana Grant anyway.

As the bike sped through, Ashley could hear Ariana’s breathing become more urgent, rapid.

She wanted to speak several times but swallowed back her words.

Not until they entered the house did Ashley Shaw say, "Ariana, are you okay?"

Ariana Grant grabbed a bottle of coke from the fridge and started gulping it down.

She shouldn’t drink cold beverages.

Ashley Shaw took a couple of steps forward to stop her but seeing Ariana’s tear-reddened eyes, couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Forget it, just this once.

For Ariana, enjoying good food and drink was the best way to unwind.

Only after Ariana had downed the entire bottle of coke did Ashley Shaw approach her again and say, "If you have anything on your mind, tell me, don’t bottle it up. It’s not good for you."

Ariana had just prepared to say she was fine when a long belch escaped her lips.

"Burp—"

Ashley Shaw widened her eyes.

She’d never heard such a long burp before.

In the next instant, the two exchanged glances and burst into laughter together.

Once they’d laughed enough, Ariana Grant felt much better.

She sat on the couch, opened a bag of chips, and said, "Do you know what my mom told me?"