Chapter 48 Katherine brought scandal into the Arbex family.
In the city center, Rosana Lutz was in the midst of an afternoon of luxury shopping with other elite ladies. Upon receiving the message, her reaction was immediate.
“Oh, my God!” she exclaimed, covering her mouth with a gloved hand.
The three women beside her—Mrs. Figueiredo, Mrs. Fowler, and Mrs. Arbex (Anastasia)—stopped instantly.
“Mrs. Lutz, what happened to make you react like that?” asked Mrs. Figueiredo, curiosity shining in her eyes.
Rosana feigned hesitation, letting out a nervous giggle. “Oh, it's nothing... just young people being young.”
Mrs. Arbex, Anastasia, gave Rosana a calm but authoritative look. “If it's not indecent, you can share it.” But if it is...
“Oh, it's nothing scandalous, Mrs. Arbex!” interrupted Rosana, hastily “cleaning up” the image as she sent the video to the ladies' WhatsApp group. “Just my niece and her classmates being silly. See for yourselves.”
The women opened the video. As Professor Wilson shouted names and talked about “romances” and “low grades,” the atmosphere in the group changed.
Mrs. Figueiredo, Gabriel's mother, felt the blood rush to her face. “I knew my Gabriel's grades were dropping for a reason! It's all that Katherine's fault!”
Mrs. Fowler let out a muffled laugh. “Come on, dear Mrs. Figueiredo, it takes two to tango. If your son wasn't so interested, Katherine wouldn't have been able to ‘get away with it’.
Rosana seized the moment to drive the dagger in. ”I'm so sorry, Mrs. Figueiredo. Since her mother passed away, Katherine has become... uncontrollable. I had no idea she would be so disruptive at school.
“What good is your apology?” snorted Mrs. Figueiredo. “You should discipline your niece. If you don't, I will.”
Rosana sighed with feigned distress. “Mrs. Figueiredo, I'd love to, but my hands are tied. Katherine doesn't live in my house... she's living in the Arbex mansion. We have no authority to intervene.”
At that moment, all eyes, laden with judgment and expectation, turned to Emily Arbex.
Mrs. Arbex (Anastasia) felt her blood boil as she finished watching the video. Minutes earlier, she had been strutting through the stores proud as a peacock, but now her expression was that of an angry pheasant, ready to attack.
“Why are you all looking at me?” she snapped, returning the phone with a sharp gesture. “Katherine hasn't been in my West Wing for some time. Currently, João has taken responsibility for her.”
She frowned, her mind already working on counterattacks. “And this Gabriel Park is as brazen as he looks.” I need to have tea with Mrs. Figueiredo and ask her how she deals with a son who has no shame in interrupting classes to court our Kath.
Mrs. Fowler let out a venomous chuckle. “Wait a minute, Anastasia. Weren't your families planning an arranged marriage between Dandara and the Parks?”
“That was his father's idea,” Anastasia retorted impatiently. “My intention was for Dandara to meet his eldest son, Brandon, who is a serious young man, not this boy who seems to have no sense.”
Mrs. Figueiredo, Gabriel's mother, intervened with a tense voice: “There will be a parents' meeting next month. I will have to arrange immediate tutoring for my son. I will not allow myself to be publicly embarrassed. Mrs. Lutz, give me Katherine's contact information. I need to have a serious talk with that girl.”
Rosana Lutz hesitated for a brief second, feigning reluctance, before handing over the number. Her plan to sow discord was working better than expected.
The shopping mood dissipated instantly. The group dispersed in silence, leaving only Mrs. Fowler and Rosana, who continued to parade past the shop windows, satisfied with the chaos they had sown.
Meanwhile, at the Arbex Mansion, Anastasia had just finished her cooking class. She dismissed the chef and the driver, glancing at the gold watch on her wrist with the intention of practicing yoga to calm her nerves. However, before she could enter the studio, a voice laden with venom called out to her.
It was Emily, her sister-in-law, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, her eyebrows furrowed in a way that seemed capable of crushing anyone who crossed her path.
“Where have you been looking so calm, sister-in-law?” Emily asked with a mocking smile.
“I just watched a deplorable show and came to share it with you.”
Anastasia raised her eyebrows and took the phone Emily was holding out to her. The video from the classroom began to play. When it finished, Anastasia's silence was heavy.
Emily snorted, crossing her arms. “I warned you not to take that woman in. Just look at this! Katherine has brought scandal into the Arbex family. Now Mrs. Figueiredo is blaming our lack of discipline, saying you spoil Katherine while she leads other people's children astray.”
“This is too much,” Anastasia muttered, shaking her head as she stared at the screen. “Doing something like this in the middle of class...” she sighed.
Emily, thinking she had finally convinced her sister-in-law, attacked: “Now you know that girl is no good, right? I suggest you convince Grandpa to send her back to the Lutzes as soon as possible, before she destroys our reputation for good.”
Anastasia looked up, but not at Emily. She pointed to Gabriel Park in the video. “That boy isn't even of legal age. This is pure harassment against our Kath! No, no... this can't go on. I need to change my clothes and have a very serious conversation with Mrs. Figueiredo.”
Emily let out an incredulous laugh. “What? Anastasia, what are you thinking? It's clearly Katherine's fault!”
“Katherine's fault?” Anastasia turned, her eyes flashing with protective authority. “Where did she go wrong? All I see is an inappropriate boy confessing his love and pestering her during study time. So now being pretty is a crime? Being the target of unwanted attention is a sin?”
Without the submissive reaction she expected, Emily's face closed in anger. “Keep protecting her, then. When you embarrass yourself in front of all the parents at next month's meeting, don't say we're family.”
Emily strode out, exuding coldness.
Anastasia didn't waste time looking back. She went into the house, grabbed her personal cell phone, and started looking for the Figueiredo family's number. If they thought they were going to use Katherine as a scapegoat for their son's lack of focus, they had chosen the wrong opponent.