Chapter 330 Disrespecting Father
Korbin looked puzzled as he held Xavierâs photo, his mind swirling with questions. From the photo, there was no doubt that the person in it was Catherine, but what worried him more was the Winfredsâ intentions.
Did it make sense to sacrifice a portion of the mining and shipping businesses for an illegitimate child?
If the Winfreds had no other heirs, Korbin could somewhat understand such a sacrifice. However, Xavier had two legitimate sons, and his wifeâs family had significant influence. Allowing Xavier to act recklessly couldnât be permitted.
Korbinâs greater concern was that Xavier might set a trap and harm the Swanns. After all, the Swanns were currently the weakest among the Four Noble Families. Itâs possible that Xavier planned to use them to gain more advantages in Casier.
He gave the photo to his secretary and said, âTake a look!â
After receiving the photo, the secretary took a picture of it and sent it to someone. A few minutes later, the photo analysis results came out.
âMr. Swann, the verification team has confirmed that the photo is real.â
Korbin fell silent for a few seconds. Then, he stood up directly and instructed his secretary, âPrepare the car. Weâre going back.â
The secretary, being thoughtful, asked, âMr. Swann, should we also call Miss Catherine to return?â
He guessed that Korbinâs quick return to the Swanns had something to do with Catherine. Korbin nodded, and the secretary immediately made the arrangements.
At the Swannsâ.
The Swannsâ, usually brightly lit, had been quieter lately. All the servants walked carefully, didnât dare to make any sound. Lately, Rachael had been in a moody and unpredictable state.
As the servants, they had to be cautious. When Korbin came back and saw the strange behavior of the servants and Rachaelâs absence, his expression turned serious right away. He turned his gaze to the butler and asked in a cold tone, âWhereâs Mrs. Swann?â
The butler answered cautiously with his head down, âMr. Swann, Mrs. Swann mentioned sheâs not feeling great and went to her motherâs place to chill out.â
That was just an excuse. Rachael had actually gone shopping. Since Johnathan was sent away, Rachael had lost her spark. She couldnât find the energy to hang out with her wealthy friends anymore.
She couldnât even keep her son safe, and her daughter had sent her packing. When this news spread, people would laugh at her.
Originally, they could have kept this. matter quiet since not many people knew about it. However, Liana, in her attempt to scheme against Catherine, caused a chaos at school.
In the end, she made a fool of herself, and Catherine turned the tables, making her the laughingstock of everyone. This also exposed the fact that Johnathan had been sent away.
Now, the entire upper-class circle in Casier knew that nobody in the Swanns could handle Catherine, the jinx who had returned from the countryside.
Even their most precious son was sent to Dentler Academy because of Catherine. Rachael had become a joke, and she didnât want to face people outside anymore.
She spent her days venting her anger through excessive shopping. Liana, knowing she had made a mistake, didnât dare to provoke her mother again.
The most pitiful ones were the servants, who had to endure Rachaelâs unpredictable temper every day. Korbinâs first reaction was to curse Rachael, but after some thought, he changed his attitude.
He calmly told the butler, âNever mind, sheâs been in a bad mood these days. Let her be.â
Then he added, âWhen Catherine returns later, bring her to me.â
The butler nodded respectfully and sighed in relief, âCopy that, Mr. Swann.
Soon, the guards said that Audrey had brought Catherine back. This time, the butler immediately had someone brought them in. Audrey had received a call from Korbinâs secretary, telling her to bring Catherine back right away.
Audrey rarely encountered such situations and thought something big had happened, so she promptly contacted Catherine.
Originally, Catherine didnât want to come, but Audrey insisted. In reality, Korbinâs secretary didnât have Catherineâs contact information and had no choice but to contact Audrey.
The two hurried back to the Swannsâ, and Audrey walked in with Catherine, not forgetting to reassure her, âKathy, donât worry. Iâve got your back. If Dad. and Mom give you a hard time, then we will leave!â
Audrey also knew the situation with her parents and was concerned that Catherine might be mistreated. Catherine, with a cold expression and without saying a word, followed behind Audrey as they entered the house.
In the living room, they saw that only Korbin was there. The room looked quite empty. Rachael and Liana were nowhere to be found, and the atmosphere in the living room felt unusually eerie.
Seeing Catherine and Audrey enter, Korbin slowly lifted his head, took his cigar out of his mouth, and cast a cold gaze on them.
âYouâre here. Have a seat.â
Audrey took the initiative to ask Korbin after sitting down.
âDad, is it just you at home?â
âHmph,â Korbin responded curtly, his attitude cold, as if he didnât want to answer that question.
Audrey felt a bit awkward and remained silent.
Korbin shifted his gaze to Catherine. âI heard you know people from Hacker Alliance. Whatâs the situation?â
Catherineâs attitude was even colder than Korbinâs. She remained silent. Korbin thought she hadnât heard, so he asked again. However, Catherine still didnât say anything.
Now, Korbin was getting angry.
In Korbinâs mind, Catherineâs behavior was more than just disrespect; it was ignorance. He frowned and stared at Catherine with an annoyed look. âAre you deaf or mute? Why arenât you answering my question?â
Catherine didnât hold back and gave him a straight look, countering, âWhat about you then?â
Korbin got what Catherine meant. She was blaming him for not answering Audrey earlier. Well, she was really stubborn. Korbin could feel anger building up, but he tried to keep his cool and said to Catherine, âIâm your father. Do you understand?â
Catherine just responded with an indifferent âOk.â
Her attitude made Korbin even more furious.
He had never met someone so disrespectful. Unfortunately, he didnât know how to handle her. As tensions rose, Audrey stepped in to mediate. âDad, Kathy, letâs have a calm conversation. Donât get upset.â
Korbin used his eyes to signal Audrey, encouraging her to persuade Catherine. Audrey had to follow her fatherâs request and asked Catherine, âKathy, do you know what the Hacker Alliance is? Have you heard of it?â