Chapter 1716
No.1
"Victoria!" Theodore Montgomery's voice thundered through the room. "Have you completely lost your mind? You're destroying your own future! The family will despise you even more for this!"
"What does it matter?" Victoria Kensington's bitter laugh echoed coldly. "None of you ever liked me anyway. You all hate me now and want to strip me of my shares. You treat me like garbage when I need my family the most. What difference does any of this make?"
Her smile twisted into something painful. "I'm just trying to secure something for myself. My health is ruined. Modeling is over for me. Alexander Whitmore will never marry me now. I can't expect the family to treat me the same ever again."
She stepped closer, her eyes burning with desperation. "All I want are the shares. I'll pour everything into the company. I'll lose myself in work. When I control sixty percent of the Montgomery shares, no one will ever bully me again. No one will look down on me. I will remain Ms. Kensington. I will be the one in charge of this family!"
Theodore stared at her, fury and disbelief warring within him. "What makes you think I would ever agree to such madness?" he scowled. "With our resources and Isabella's help, finding Benjamin will be a matter of time. Your threats are empty."
"Go ahead and try!" Victoria's voice turned shrill, her composure shattering. "But if you refuse me, I won't hesitate to have him killed! Let's see who finds him first. You pushed me to this. I have nothing left to lose. I am capable of anything now!"
She was completely unhinged. A deranged, fierce light glowed in her eyes. Theodore had never seen this side of his granddaughter. The usually poised and gentle Victoria was gone, replaced by this monstrous stranger openly threatening murder to get her way.
She would truly kill Benjamin. His only grandson. Victoria was corrupt, rotten to the core. Isabella was brilliant, but she was adopted. The family would never fully accept her as heir. Benjamin was the only legitimate future for the company. Theodore's face hardened into a mask of grim severity.
Victoria put her phone away and thrust a document into his hands. "Read it, Grandfather. Don't forget, I am your real granddaughter. My blood is Montgomery blood. Despite all my mistakes, I am still the most capable of all your grandchildren."
No.2
Her voice softened into a persuasive, venomous whisper. "The company will not be destroyed in my hands. It will grow stronger. Bigger. You have no reason to hesitate." She forced the proposal into his grip.
He looked down at the detailed plans for the Montgomery Group's future. It was impeccably crafted. It even outlined strategies to mitigate the current scandal's damage. She was undeniably capable.
But did that mean he had to hand over everything to this villainous girl?
"Just agree, Grandfather," she coaxed, her tone hypnotic. "I was forced into this. I need something to rely on. I can't bear being cast aside by everyone. I will take care of the family. I will prove myself to the world. You don't actually have another choice, do you?"
Her words were a demon's sweet song.
Theodore glared, but she held his gaze without flinching. In that moment, he saw it—a desperate, cornered young woman, pushed to the brink, truly willing to kill.
If he refused, Victoria might actually have Benjamin murdered.
After a long, heavy silence, Theodore pulled out his phone. He called his attorney. "Prepare a contract immediately. I am transferring my thirty percent shares. Keep this absolutely confidential."
"Yes, Sir," the attorney replied and began working.
No.3
A wave of relief washed over Victoria. It was working. Everything was falling into place.
She had succeeded.
Soon, she would own sixty percent of the Montgomery Group. She would be the largest shareholder. She would be unstoppable.
The attorney arrived shortly. His frown was immediate and deep when he saw Victoria was the recipient. Transferring thirty percent to her? After her reputation was in tatters? This would devastate the company.
"Mr. Montgomery..." the attorney began, his voice laced with concern and caution.
Theodore Montgomery said nothing in response to his lawyer’s inquiry.
He picked up the pen.
His signature flowed across the document, his gaze fixed intently on Victoria.
“I expect you to honor our agreement, Victoria.”
No.4
“I will, Grandfather.”
A saccharine smile graced Victoria’s lips as she took the contract.
She exited the room without a backward glance.
Theodore watched her leave, his eyes slowly closing with profound weariness.
Her earlier outburst had shaken him to his core.
He never imagined she possessed such a ruthless side.
Holding Benjamin hostage left him with no alternative.
She was, after all, his biological granddaughter.
They had pushed her to this extreme.
No.5
Perhaps granting her the shares would bring her some peace.
If she executed the plans outlined in her proposal, the company might even benefit.
What other choice did he have?
He was bound by blood.
A heavy sigh escaped him.
A sudden thought prompted him to address his attorney.
“Transfer all properties under my name to Isabella Montgomery.”
The lawyer was visibly stunned.
Everything? To Isabella?
No.6
He…
Back in her room, Victoria’s expression contorted into pure malice.
She finally held sixty percent of the company’s shares.
She was now the director of the Montgomery Group.
The thought of her new status clashed violently with the humiliation she had endured.
A powerful urge to flee the country surged within her.
Not yet.
She had to endure a little longer.
The Montgomery Group shares were valuable, but not enough.
No.7
Accessing the company’s main official accounts, she logged into Twitter.
Her post was calculated and precise.
(After a thorough investigation, it has been confirmed that Victoria Kensington and Harrison Caldwell were drugged with a substance known as Nightshade. Its scent induces unconsciousness and vivid hallucinations. The perpetrator remains unidentified, but the Montgomery Group is committed to uncovering the truth! Furthermore, the Montgomery Group pledges ten billion dollars to the Phoenix Initiative. This project will combat illegal narcotics and underground syndicates, aiming to protect innocent women from harm! Victoria Kensington will lead this project and serve as its ambassador to raise societal awareness!)
She attached a photo of a fabricated medical certificate.
Its caption stated, (Victoria Kensington’s poor fetal development was directly caused by exposure to illegal drugs!)
The post went live.
Victoria immediately paid a swarm of online commentators to flood the replies.
(OMG! Nightshade causes unconsciousness? That's terrifying!)
(I didn’t notice anything in the video! I thought she was conscious! I had no idea it was such a sophisticated drug.)