“Miss Bailey, is the reason for this press conference to clarify the situation or to apologize? Please give us a clear answer, as many of us sympathize with Zoey, whose life seems to have been destroyed.”
Katelyn offered a slight smile, her voice steady and clear as it echoed through the venue.
“Before I answer your question, I’d like to share a brief story with all of you. In our country, there are countless underprivileged children in rural areas who cannot afford even basic meals, let alone education. Some years ago, I encountered a group of children in need of sponsorship, and I chose Zoey. At first, I only helped cover her educational expenses. But then her family began making…
Increasing demands.
“What started as my support for her schooling soon became covering the living expenses for her entire family.”
As Katelyn finished speaking, the large screen behind her lit up with a series of screenshots showing her financial transactions over the years, including messages from Zayden and Wrenley requesting money under various pretenses. The accumulated sum over the span of ten years was staggering, with the amounts transferred growing from thousands to tens of thousands, and the frequency steadily increasing.
The last images on the screen stunned everyone into silence.
“Wait! Did I just see that correctly?”
telyn revealed the total amount spent on Zoey’s family over the years. The number shocked even herself when she had first done the math. Seven million!
How could a struggling family manage to spend seven million in just ten years? That amount would be more than enough to sustain a family of four, allowing them to live quite comfortably. For most everyday people, earning such a large sum might take an entire lifetime of hard work.
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The shocking amount didn’t just surprise everyone. It also raised even more questions right away.
“Katelyn, do you think we’re that gullible, or are you simply fooling yourself? How could anyone believe that supporting a poor student would cost this much a decade ago, even without basic reasoning?”
Letting out a weary sigh, Katelyn responded with a hint of resignation, “Maybe I was just too trusting back then. I didn’t have the practical experience to handle finances wisely. They gave reasons like building a house, purchasing land, and covering medical expenses to drain money from me.”
Back then, Katelyn had paused, puzzled by the sheer cost of supporting a student’s education. Katelyn had her own expensive hobbies, but the numbers didn’t even come close to matching.
Zayden and Wrenley constantly portrayed their situation as desperate, repeatedly stressing that their family would crumble without the money. Katelyn, moved by a fleeting moment of compassion, had always decided to hand over the money in the end. When Sharon found out about it later, she immediately stepped in and put an end to the financial assistance. If given the chance to rewrite the past, Katelyn knew she would never make the same decision again.
At that moment, she should have understood that the Powell family never viewed her as a benefactor. To them, she was nothing more than an easy source of money. By putting on an act of helplessness, they ensured a steady stream of cash came their way.
When Katelyn chose to help Zoey, she was only thirteen years old, far too young to grasp the extent of people’s dishonesty.
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