Chapter 64 The “perfect” daughter had been caught committing a petty and stupid crime.
Katherine entered the mansion with the same indifference as someone visiting any other place, flanked by Heitor and Gabriel. The interior of the building, a dazzling display of European luxury, attempted to impose a grandeur that had no effect on Katherine.
Rosana, sitting on the sofa with the elegance of a queen, set down her porcelain cup when she saw her stepdaughter. At her side, a woman with flaccid skin and a stern look stood up.
“Kath, this is Mrs. Cooper, from the Mathematics Department at Capitol University,” Rosana announced with a mellifluous smile.
“She will give you private lessons every Saturday. She has already helped Nísia shine, so she will certainly be able to do something for your... results.”
“Don't worry,” added Mrs. Cooper, in a condescending tone. “If I managed to polish Nísia's talent, I can handle any level of difficulty.”
Katherine didn't even bother to look at the teacher. “I don't need lessons. Where's Nísia?”
“What's with the arrogant tone?!” Daniel Lutz's voice echoed as he descended the stairs, exuding heavy authority. Nísia followed close behind, like an obedient shadow.
“Did you win some kind of award or come in first place to be excused from having a tutor? Your mother spoils you too much, and this is how you repay her?”
“I'm not interested,” Katherine cut in, her cold eyes meeting her father's.
Daniel choked with anger, but Mrs. Cooper's presence forced him to hold back his shout. His gaze then fell on Gabriel Park. “You... you're one of the Parks.”
“Hello, Uncle. I'm Gabriel Park, Katherine's friend,” Gabriel replied, trying to maintain his composure under Daniel's inquisitive gaze.
“Friend?” Daniel looked him up and down. “Tell your parents to come have coffee with me soon.” He turned back to Katherine. “You should follow Nísia's example of personal conduct. She knows how to behave and honor the family name.”
“Learn about her personal conduct?” Katherine raised her eyebrows, and a flash of amusement crossed her icy gaze. “You mean learn how to steal?”
The silence that followed was absolute. Rosana paled. “A thief? Katherine, what are you saying? That Nísia stole something?” Rosana tried to laugh, but the sound came out nervous.
Nísia felt the air escape from her lungs. She clenched the fabric of her skirt so tightly that the knuckles of her fingers turned white. Daniel, thinking that Katherine was just causing trouble to avoid studying, exploded: “Enough! Go study right now and stop making up slander against your sister!”
Nísia tried to regain her voice, trembling: “Mrs. Cooper... please take Kath to the library for an evaluation.”
The teacher, sensing the tense atmosphere, tried to lead Katherine out of the room, but the girl passed her as if she were smoke and stopped right in front of Nísia.
“Hand over what you took,” Katherine ordered, her voice low and lethal.
“I don't know what you're talking about!” Nísia backed away, sweating coldly.
“We have visitors, Kath... don't upset Dad today.”
Daniel stepped forward, ready to intervene. “You...”
"Shut up.
Katherine turned her head suddenly. The word was thrown out like a whip of contempt. Daniel's eyes widened; no one had ever dared to tell the Lutz patriarch to shut up inside his own house.
Before he could react, Katherine signaled to Gabriel. The boy, ready for the moment, picked up his cell phone and stepped forward.
“Uncle, Katherine isn't lying. Nísia really did steal something. If you don't believe me, see for yourselves.”
Gabriel slid his finger across the screen, opening the video from the school's security camera. He held the device in front of Daniel and Rosana. In the clear image, Nísia Oliveira appeared rummaging through Gabriel's things and secretly removing his notes.
The impact was immediate. Rosana covered her mouth with her hand, in shock. Daniel felt the world spin; his “perfect” daughter had been caught committing a petty and stupid crime. Gabriel made a point of showing the video to Mrs. Cooper, who looked at Nísia with an expression of surprise mixed with deep discomfort.
Nísia collapsed. Sweat dripped down her face, now pale as a corpse, as she watched her reputation be shattered in seconds by a recording that Katherine had somehow managed to obtain.
Heitor Lutz stood on tiptoe to peek at the video and let out an exclamation that broke the silence: “She really is going through your things! Dad, I told you she has a bad character. Once I saw her sneaking into your room looking for something!”
“Heitor, don't talk nonsense!” Rosana scolded, her voice high-pitched with irritation.
The boy stuck his tongue out at his mother and quickly hid behind Katherine, using her as a shield. Daniel Lutz's face contorted into a mask of tension. He realized that the situation had gotten out of control.
“Son,” he said, addressing the driver waiting in the hall, “please accompany Miss Cooper to the exit.”
Visibly uncomfortable at having witnessed a family scandal, the teacher left without looking back. As soon as the door was closed, Daniel turned to his favorite daughter. “Nísia, what's going on here?”
Explain yourself.
Nísia began to cry copiously, tears streaming down her pale face. “Father, I didn't steal anything! I just wanted to help with the cleaning...”
“Then how do you explain the video?” Gabriel Park intervened, his expression laden with sarcasm.
“I... I thought it was trash!” sobbed Nísia. “I thought you had forgotten to throw it away and wanted to help. I didn't imagine you would misunderstand everything!”
Nísia was about to continue with her desperate justification, but Rosana held her hand tightly. When she met her mother's gaze, the girl instantly shut her mouth. Rosana took control of the narrative with a cold smile.
“Kath, Gabriel, you two must have misunderstood each other. The Lutzes have absolutely everything they need; there's no reason for Nísia to steal old paper. It's just a miscommunication.”
“Auntie, I'm not accusing anyone without grounds,” Gabriel retorted, losing his patience. “The evidence is on the video.”
Her face is clear, she rummaged through my drawer without permission. If that's not theft, what is?
“It doesn't matter what the video shows,” insisted Rosana, with blind arrogance. “Our family is too prosperous to afford to steal. Period.”
Gabriel looked at Katherine, shocked, and shrugged. Now he understood perfectly why she preferred to live with strangers rather than with her own relatives. The distortion of values there was absolute: the evidence was before their eyes, but denial was the law of the house.
“I trust my eyes more than I trust excuses,” Gabriel said, turning to Daniel. “My notes were stored in a notebook inside the drawer. They didn't look like trash at all. She took them on purpose. Uncle Daniel, I've always respected you for your intelligence. Surely you're not going to believe this fairy tale, are you?”