As I was thinking about this, I caught a glimpse of my mom in the corner of my eye. She was so furious that she grabbed a rolling pin, ready to give my aunt and Macey a lesson.
I quickly held my mom back and whispered, "Mom, don't worry. Evan has his own judgment and won't be swayed by their words."
Evan isn't even really my boyfriend, so why would he care about me and Cody?
My aunt and Macey's plan to break us up was bound to fail.
My mom was still furious, glaring at them. "Why can't you just be decent people?"
My aunt put on an innocent face. "We're just telling the truth. Is that wrong?"
Macey chimed in, "Isn't Katie the one in the wrong here, playing with Evan's feelings? Evan, you really should break up with her."
Evan's expression remained icy as he lifted his gaze to look at her.
In a calm tone, he said, "Yesterday, when Katie broke up with…" He paused, frowning in disgust, "…her ex-boyfriend, I was there. I was the one who confessed to Katie. If anyone's in the wrong, it's me. I took advantage of her emotional state."
"What?"
My aunt and Macey were utterly shocked.
They had never imagined that Evan was fully aware of everything and that he had been the one to initiate the relationship.
Macey, puzzled, asked, "What exactly do you see in Katie?"
In an instant, Evan's expression softened, and his tone became gentle. "Everything about Katie is wonderful."
When he said this, his tone was sincere.
It was as if he wasn't just playing along but genuinely liked me.
I felt my cheeks heat up.
But I quickly reminded myself that Evan was just acting; I couldn't let myself get caught up in it.
My aunt blurted out in disbelief, "Evan, did Katie put a spell on you or something?"
Evan's expression darkened slightly as he replied, "Enough. Is it really so hard for you to admit that Katie is exceptional and worth loving?"
"She's the moon in the sky, everything I've ever wanted."
"For me, it's an honor that Katie could like me."
Not only did their attempt to sow discord fail, but they were also rebuffed by Evan.
My aunt and Macey looked embarrassed, forcing a smile. "Evan, seeing how much you care for Katie, we're relieved."
"Enough! Get out of here. From now on, you're both unwelcome in this house."
My mom, still holding the rolling pin, said sternly.
This time, what my aunt and Macey did crossed my mom's bottom line.
In the past, when they made snide remarks, my mom never let it slide and usually snapped back at them.
But this time, trying to directly sabotage my relationship was too much—my mom couldn't tolerate it anymore.
My aunt's face darkened as she said, "Why are you so petty? Is it wrong to speak the truth these days?"
Macey turned to the other relatives and said, "My mom just speaks her mind, she didn't mean any harm to Auntie and Katie. You should say something fair on her behalf."
One relative spat back at her, "Spare me! Do you think we're fools? You're just jealous that Katie found a good partner, and you've been trying to break them up."
"Exactly! At first, I believed your lies, thinking Katie got dumped. But the truth is, you can't stand to see anyone happy, so you tried to smear her."
"And don't bother visiting my house anymore. My son finally found a girlfriend, and I won't have your nasty words ruining it."
The relatives, though they enjoyed the drama, were fair-minded.
As they all chimed in, my aunt and Macey were so berated that they could hardly lift their heads.
They didn't dare say anything in return and left with their heads down.
Griffin, who had come with them, naturally followed suit.
Before leaving, he flashed a fawning smile at Evan, "Evan, I'll be leaving now."
Evan lifted his gaze slightly, his eyes cold. "Don't forget to come back to the office tomorrow to handle your resignation paperwork."
Griffin's face turned ashen. "Mr. Barry... I just realized my mistake, and she has already forgiven me. You can't just fire me like this."
"If you truly understood your mistake, you wouldn't have stood by and watched while Katie was being smeared," Evan replied coldly. "As a manager in the branch office, you should know right from wrong. Your narrow-mindedness...
...will only lead your department into chaos under your leadership. I don't need employees like you."
Griffin, his face still pale, tried to say something more, but my mom quickly ushered him out.
As soon as he was out the door, Griffin started arguing with my aunt and Macey.
He blamed my aunt and Macey for causing him to lose his job, while they accused him of being incompetent and embarrassing them.
Their argument escalated until they completely lost it and put on a real dogfight.
My aunt and Macey were fierce fighters, aiming their blows directly at Griffin's head, he was no match for the two of them.
Griffin's receding hairline became more apparent as the fight went on.
The comments section erupted in applause as they watched the scene unfold.
