chapter 10: The wrongdoer is the first to complain

"Please continue enjoying yourselves while I have a little conversation with my family," Old Ms. Harrington said, her voice calm yet authoritative.

"And I apologize for any discomfort I may have caused." She smiled warmly, her eyes sweeping over the guests, who responded with nods and encouraging smiles.

As she made her way toward the private sitting room, her children and grandchildren followed her immediately, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern. Old Ms. Harrington’s composed demeanor reassured the guests, and they resumed their mingling, the hum of conversation and clinking of glasses filling the air once more.

Old Ms. Harrington paused at the doorway, turning back to give one last, reassuring smile before disappearing into the room, her family trailing behind. The grand chandelier cast a warm glow over the gathering, and the soft music playing in the background created an elegant ambiance.

Inside the private sitting room, Old Ms. Harrington took a deep breath, ready to address the matters at hand. Her family gathered around her, waiting for her to speak.

"Thank you all for gathering here to celebrate Emily’s upcoming nomination," Old Ms. Harrington began, seated at the center of the room.

"No one has ever achieved this before in our family, and she is the first to bring her hard work to life!"

"I also want to share some news I received early this morning. I should have informed you before the celebration started, but it slipped my mind. I was notified that Emily has been listed among the top three doctors to be awarded for their outstanding dedication and hard work!" Ms. Harrington announced.

Joyful screams filled the room as Emily raised her hands in triumph. However, Carolina rolled her eyes and muttered, "Whatever. Do you think you did it all alone? Without Grandma’s help, you wouldn’t have been nominated."

"Enough!" Ms. Jenner snapped back at her, glaring fiercely.

"Don't you dare tell my daughter 'Enough'!" Ms. Kylie stood up, her voice trembling with anger.

"Are you not ashamed of all the trouble your fallen-from-grace son-in-law has caused this family? First, he beats up my son, and then he sabotages the appeal with Mr. Blackwell! Are you not ashamed?"

Ms. Jenner’s face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and frustration, but before she could respond, Ms. Kylie continued, her eyes blazing. "You and your disgraceful son-in-law owe me an explanation for what he did to my son!"

Ms. Jenner and Jaxon were panicked, knowing that as Tyler was their son-in-law, they would definitely have to take the blame.

The room was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the soft rustling of fabric and the faint clinking of glasses from the other room.

Andrew, the only male descendant of the third generation, stood to the side, his face pale. If anything happened to him, it would mean the end of the Harrington family line of succession.

The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on everyone present.

Ms. Jenner finally found her voice. "We will address Tyler's actions!"

Emily wasn't surprised by her mother defending her and silencing Carolina. Ever since Emily had become the talk of the town, Carolina had shown signs of envy towards her, and it was evident in her behavior. Ms. Jenner did everything she could to silence her.

"Why do you always defend your daughter no matter what? Haha! I can really see it now!" Andrew taunted.

"See what?" Ms. Jenner exclaimed loudly.

"It's clear that you're the one teaching your daughter, Emily, to cheat on her husband! It's written all over you!" Andrew accused.

"How dare you accuse me in such a manner!" Ms. Jenner retorted.

"I'm not accusing you; I'm just stating the facts!" Andrew added.

"Enough! Andrew, I won't take this from you any longer!" Ms. Jenner exclaimed before Old Ms. Harrington intervened.

"Stop this argument, both of you!" she commanded.

"I won't watch you both burn the house down! And Andrew, respect her the way you do your mother," Ms. Harrington said, turning to Emily.

"Emily, my darling granddaughter, is it true what Tyler said about you?" Old Ms. Harrington asked.

Feeling the weight of her words, Emily fell to her knees, weeping. "Grandmother, I would never go against Grandpa's agreement, but before Tyler went to jail, he was such a bully!"

Old Ms. Harrington's heart ached seeing Emily bawling her eyes out. She walked over and helped her up.

"Emily, stop crying. You're my granddaughter, and today is your day. You can't ruin it with tears. Tyler is just a live-in son-in-law. Now, tell me how he bullied you. I'll teach him a lesson when he comes back!"

Emily wiped the tears she had forced herself to shed and then said to everyone, "Tyler had an affair with another woman!"

"What?" Old Ms. Harrington exploded. "He's a beast! For the past four years, we've let him stay in a luxury apartment and drive an expensive car. Even knowing he's an outcast from the William family, he couldn't devote himself to you and stay loyal. How dare he get involved in an affair!"

Emily chose to play the blame game and falsely accused Tyler of cheating on her, easily gaining Old Ms. Harrington's trust. Emily knew how to hide her true colors well and always acted like a good girl in front of her family. If Tyler hadn't caught her in the act, he would have continued to believe she was pure and kind, despite her slight arrogance.

Emily's parents, deceived by their daughter, angrily scolded Tyler. "With whom?" her father demanded.

"With Agnes! Daddy, on Grandmother's 80th birthday!" Emily replied.

Old Ms. Harrington sighed. "Why does this fallen-from-grace son-in-law keep causing trouble?" she asked.

"Just call her here! Now," Old Ms. Harrington demanded, clearly furious about what was happening.

A few minutes later, Agnes arrived. "Was it true that Tyler slept with you on my 80th birthday banquet?" Old Ms. Harrington asked.

"Old Ms. Harrington, that day it was a setup. I found myself in the same bed with Tyler; we were both drunk! Please forgive me!" Agnes pleaded.

Ms. Jenner felt a devilish smile play on her face. She had orchestrated the setup after repeatedly begging Old Ms. Harrington for Emily's divorce, but to no avail. She hoped this incident could finally convince her.

"Just leave!" Old Ms. Harrington said firmly, but then her tone softened. "But come back with a DNA test. We need to get to the truth of this."

As Agnes made her way out of the room, Old Ms. Harrington added, "I won't allow Tyler to ruin my beautiful day!"