Chapter 274

No.1

Isabella glanced over the rings, took the pen, and signed her name with swift precision.

“Thank you, Boss Montgomery. It appears there’s some trouble here. Would you like assistance?” The man’s gaze swept coldly over the crowd.

Isabella handed the pen back. “Not necessary. You may go.”

“Understood.” He left, followed by the guards.

No one moved or spoke for a long moment. He had asked for Isabella’s signature? And with such deference?

Could it really be…?

Alexander stared in stunned silence as the truth struck him. “Isabella…you own Ohly?”

“Correct,” she answered with crisp finality.

Isabella removed her wide-brimmed hat. Dark waves tumbled down her shoulders. She shook her hair back with a careless flick. “Is there an issue?”

Jaws dropped throughout the boutique. Disbelief painted every face.

No.2

Isabella Montgomery owned Ohly? She was the legendary founder?

No wonder she had watched their petty insults with such cool amusement. No wonder their threats left her utterly unfazed. They had mocked her for not affording a ring…while standing in her own store. The irony was crushing.

Confusion and shock warred on every feature. The Kensington women looked utterly defeated. The orphan they despised, the charity case they pitied, was their superior in every way. It was a devastating blow.

Victoria’s fists clenched. Bitter envy coiled tight around her heart.

Isabella observed the range of humiliated expressions. A cold smile touched her lips. “Do you still wish to purchase the ring?”

Purchase it? That meant handing their money directly to Isabella.

Victoria felt like she’d swallowed something vile. The humiliation was a physical ache.

Eleanor was reeling. The girl she considered worthless was the mastermind behind her favorite brand. The injustice was unbearable.

“Never!” Eleanor spat, her voice trembling with rage. “If we’d known this was your pitiful shop, we would never have entered! What do you have to be proud of? You’re just a leech! Using Harrison Winslow’s diamonds. Have you no shame?”

Sophia’s face flushed a mottled red. “Isabella, I command you! Return this store to Prince Harrison and Princess Arabella immediately! You have no right to what isn’t yours!”

No.3

Isabella let out a derisive laugh. “And who are you to command me? Why would I ever listen to you? Furthermore, what proof do you have these diamonds aren’t mine?”

“Yours?” Sophia sneered, her contempt dripping. “A penniless orphan? How did you get them? By selling yourself to the Diamond Prince? By wrecking his marriage for money?”

Eleanor’s fury boiled over. “Isabella, remember your place! I am your adoptive mother! You will obey me! Never forget I saved your wretched life!”

Isabella ignored their screeching. She moved deeper into the store, the velvet box still in her hand. She opened it, placing the rings on the display counter. The three-carat ruby glowed with a fierce, inner fire. It captured the light, scattering bloody sparks across the room.

The sight of such treasures belonging to Isabella was too much for Sophia. Jealousy overrode all sense. She lunged forward, grabbing at Isabella’s arm. “Are you deaf, you ungrateful brat? These aren’t yours! You earned them on your back! If you have any dignity left, you’ll return them to Prince Harrison!”

“Must you buzz like an irritating gnat?” Isabella’s voice was ice. “If you’re not a paying customer, get out.”

Sophia’s face twisted into an ugly mask. “You’ve asked for this! I’ll teach you some respect!” One hand yanked viciously at Isabella’s hair. The other swung high, aiming a sharp slap at her face.

“A lesson?” Isabella’s lips curved into a dangerous smirk. “Let me demonstrate how it’s done.”

She moved with blinding speed. Her hand shot up, catching Sophia’s wrist in a vice-like grip. She twisted, hard.

A sickening crack echoed in the stunned silence.

No.4

Sophia’s arm hung limp and useless at her side. Dislocated. Completely powerless.

“Ahhh!” Sophia screamed, her face turning ghostly white from the sharp pain.

Eleanor immediately pulled Sophia behind her, her expression darkening. “Isabella, that’s enough! How dare you strike your own cousin? Have you no shame?”

“Shame?” Isabella’s voice was icy. “Should I be ashamed for listening to your nonsense?”

“She is your family!” Eleanor shrieked. “Even if she criticizes you, so what? You’re nothing but an adopted daughter! Your very existence is owed to the Montgomery family. With all the disgrace you’ve brought upon us, you deserve every bit of scorn!”

A cold, mocking glint flashed in Isabella’s eyes.

So she deserved to be scorned to death? They would soon see who would truly fall first.

Victoria seized the moment to play the peacemaker. “Mother, Sister, please don’t fight,” she pleaded softly. “Let’s talk this through. Isabella claims she isn’t the other woman and that this boutique is hers. What if she’s telling the truth? Maybe she was forced into this situation?”

“Forced? Don’t make me laugh! She’s just vain and greedy! If I hadn’t taken her in all those years ago, she would have died on the streets! Instead of being grateful, she repays us with this humiliation!” Eleanor’s voice grew louder, her eyes burning with fury.

“You’ve disgraced the Montgomery name! If you have any respect left for your foster mother, you will go to Senior Montgomery and tell him you’re leaving the family voluntarily! Spare us all from your shame!”

No.5

“Aunt Eleanor is right!” Sophia chimed in, her voice trembling with rage. “I’ll expose you to the world! Your reputation will be ruined! You should disappear now before you tarnish the Montgomery legacy forever!”

“Expose me?” Isabella let out a cold, dismissive laugh. “Go ahead. Be my guest.” Her tone was unyielding, filled with defiant confidence.

Victoria hated this version of Isabella—proud, stubborn, and utterly uncontrollable. How could a mere mistress act so arrogantly?

Just then, Victoria noticed paparazzi lurking outside the boutique, their cameras aimed discreetly through the window. An idea sparked in her mind. She stepped forward and gently grasped Isabella’s arm.

“Sister, Mother and Sophia only want what’s best for you. If you made a mistake, just apologize. Or if you’re in trouble, tell us. We’ll forgive you.”

“Forgive me?” Isabella’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have the right to forgive anyone. Get your hands off me!” She jerked her arm away forcefully.

“Ah!” Victoria stumbled backward, crashing into a glass display counter.

The counter shattered instantly, scattering shards of glass across the floor. Victoria fell hard, crying out as a piece of glass sliced deep into her palm.

“Victoria!” Two voices shouted in unison—Eleanor and Alexander.

Alexander rushed to her side, his face pale with worry. “Victoria, you’re bleeding!” he exclaimed, helping her up.

No.6

“I’m fine, really,” Victoria whispered, clutching his sleeve. “It was an accident. Isabella didn’t mean to push me. Please don’t blame her.”

Alexander’s handsome features twisted into a mask of cold anger. He turned his glare toward Isabella. “Isabella! Your sister was trying to help you! How could you be so cruel? You’re nothing but a heartless viper!”

“You wretched girl!” Eleanor snarled, her eyes burning with hatred. “How dare you hurt my daughter? Don’t you know she needs her hands to play the piano? Who do you think you are, laying a finger on Victoria?”

Isabella had long grown accustomed to Eleanor's venomous glare over the years. This woman was completely bewitched by Victoria. Even if she discovered Victoria was adopted, she would still take her side.

Speaking to them felt utterly exhausting. Isabella issued a cold command. "Security. Escort them out immediately."

The guards originally meant to remove Isabella now approached Sophia and her group instead.

Sophia cradled her dislocated arm, the white-hot pain still searing. She snarled through clenched teeth. "Don't you dare act so superior, Isabella! I refuse to spend another second in this pathetic store. It's beneath me! Just you wait. This afternoon, I'll expose your true hideous face to the world. Your reputation will be utterly destroyed!"

Sophia refused to let the guards touch her. She struggled to walk out on her own. Alexander and Julian supported Victoria. They shot Isabella looks of pure, unadulterated hatred. Victoria held herself like a regal white swan, the cherished princess. Though she secretly threw a filthy glance at Isabella.

So what if she owned a diamond store? Isabella still lost to her! Alexander was hers. Eleanor was hers. Even the Montgomery family was hers!

Suddenly... "Wait." Isabella's clear voice cut through the tension.

No.7

Alexander and the others instinctively halted, turning to look at her. They were visibly startled.

"Please settle the bill for the shattered gold-plated display case. The total is three hundred thousand dollars."

Isabella casually took a card machine, shaking it before them nonchalantly.

Sophia, Eleanor, Alexander, and Victoria were completely dumbfounded.