Chapter 1780
No.1
The room froze, captivated by the damning evidence mid-air. Sophia’s face drained of all color.
How was this possible? How did Isabella uncover everything? And with such concrete proof?
William examined the falling documents. Understanding dawned. His face flushed crimson, his mustache quivering with rage. “Good. Very well! Sophia Kensington, you dared to do this behind my back? Reginald, fetch the whip. Make it sting!”
Not wishing to delay, Reginald produced a long, thorn-studded whip. It gleamed under the light, dried bloodstains still visible on its cruel barbs.
Terror seized Sophia. Her legs turned to jelly. “Grandpa, it wasn’t me!” she whimpered weakly. “She fabricated all of this! It’s lies!”
“Whip her. Now! Use all your strength!” William turned away, refusing to listen.
Seeing her beloved daughter facing such a brutal punishment, Penelope rushed forward. “Father, please! Forgive her! Just this once! She didn’t mean any harm!”
“Anyone who pleads for her will share her punishment,” William declared coldly.
Penelope fell silent. A desperate idea sparked in her eyes. She turned to Victoria. “Victoria, my dear niece, please! Speak for her! She’s never been beaten! She treasures her appearance! There will be scars!”
No.2
“I…” Victoria glanced around, feigning helplessness. “Auntie, I have no influence here. Isabella is the victim. If she forgives Sophia, Grandpa will surely relent.”
Hearing this, Penelope scrambled toward Isabella. “Isabella, I beg you! Sophia was wrong! She didn’t intend for this to happen…!”
“Mother, don’t beg her! She’s a witch! She made it all up! It wasn’t me!” Sophia screamed.
Her denial only fueled William’s fury. “Whip her! Now!” he snapped.
“As you wish.” Reginald bowed slightly.
Two bodyguards stepped forward, forcing Sophia onto a bench. Reginald raised the vicious whip high.
He brought it down with full force onto Sophia’s back.
A piercing scream echoed through the hall.
The first lash tore through Isabella’s dress instantly.
No.3
Blood seeped from her delicate skin, staining the fabric crimson.
Her face twisted in agony, but she refused to cry out. “It wasn’t me! Victoria set me up!”
Reginald sighed with resignation. She was too stubborn to admit defeat.
He had no choice but to continue.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Each strike sliced deeper into her flesh.
Her back became a mess of torn skin and blood.
She finally collapsed, barely conscious.
With her last strength, she whispered, “I’m… innocent.”
No.4
Then everything went black.
William’s voice thundered across the room. “Get this liar out of my sight! She’s confined to the estate for three months. No exceptions.”
Three months of house arrest?
Sophia’s career would be ruined.
“Father, she’s a model! Her career will be over if she disappears now!” Penelope protested as she helped carry her daughter away.
“After this disgrace, does she even deserve to be a model?” William scoffed. “She will quit modeling and find a normal job. If she disobeys, she is no longer a Kensington.”
His tone left no room for argument.
Penelope fell silent, her eyes burning with hatred toward Isabella.
This was all her fault.
No.5
That wicked, ungrateful adopted daughter didn’t belong here.
Even after Sophia was taken away, the metallic scent of blood hung heavily in the air.
Victoria looked paler than anyone.
She could almost feel the whip herself.
If William ever discovered her role in this, she would suffer the same fate.
She couldn’t let that happen.
She needed those shares, and she needed them now.
Stepping forward, she poured William some tea, hoping to soothe his anger.
“Grandfather, please don’t be too upset. Sophia is young. She’ll learn from this. More importantly, Isabella’s name has been cleared. And she even gifted us a diamond mine. The Kensingtons will soon be the second richest family in Westchester.”
No.6
Her words reminded everyone of the contract on the table.
Gregory spoke up next. “Since you respect your grandfather so much, why not transfer the mine’s shares to him? He can distribute them fairly.”
Isabella was the reason his daughter was punished. She owed them this much.
Eleanor quickly agreed. “We raised you all these years. Fed you. Sheltered you. Without us, you’d be nothing. If you have any conscience, you know what’s right.”
Isabella ignored them completely.
She turned directly to William. “What do you think, Grandfather? Do you agree with them?”
“Hah! A pack of vultures!” William swept the teacups off the table in fury. “For five years, none of you cared about Isabella. Now that she’s back with wealth, you circle like sharks? Have you no shame?”
He glared specifically at Gregory. “You insisted on adopting her just to increase your shares. Did you put Sophia up to pushing her off that cliff in Africa? How dare you ask for her diamond mine! If I were you, I wouldn’t even speak!”
Gregory shrank back, muttering under his breath. “If I had that kind of courage, I wouldn’t be the useless gambler I am today.”
No.7
He had always been overlooked in the family. Powerless. Voiceless.
“It better not have been you! Attempted murder is unforgivable!” William growled.
“All of you, get out! Don’t even think about touching Isabella’s mine. She earned it with her life. It belongs to her and her alone!”
“Any person who dares speak of the diamond mine will forfeit their family shares!” William Kensington’s voice thundered through the room.
Victoria Kensington’s nails dug deep into her palms. An entire diamond mine, handed over to Isabella Montgomery? Just for her?
How utterly absurd!
The old man had clearly lost his mind.
Of course, Victoria swallowed those words. She forced a calm expression while fury boiled beneath her skin.
Then William added, “Isabella, now that you’re back, sign these documents. I’m transferring the fifteen percent family shares that were always meant to be yours.”