Chapter 3
Knowing Henry, I was sure there was no way he would just let it go.
As I expected, the next morning, before the sun was even up, I was blasted awake by a ton of notifications.
One of my friends messaged me: [Diana, check out the trending topic!]
I opened Twitter and immediately saw a trending video.
In the video, Henry was holding Julia, sobbing so hard that it was practically a spectacle. "I have no idea what I did wrong. After my father-in-law passed away, I took over his company out of pure kindness, but now I'm suddenly being targeted.
"Diana, this company was your father's legacy. If you really want it, I'll hand it all back to you. You don't have to go behind my back and sabotage everything.
"And even though we argued, you should go to work at your ex's company, shouldn't you? Would your dad really approve of that?"
As soon as the video dropped, online drama exploded. People went off on me, dragging my name through the mud.
I was so furious that I couldn't hold back. I commented: [So despicable and shameless!]
Soon, people doxxed me and even showed up at my doorstep to harass me.
Even Simon's company got dragged into the mess.
But Simon didn't even bat an eye at the gossip. He just insisted that I keep working at his company and asked me not to worry about it.
But it only got messier. Crowds started gathering at the office entrance, waving banners to boycott me from showing up at work.
I was really backed into a corner, so I had no choice but to work from home.
*****
Once Henry saw his plan was working, he strutted over to my place, acting like he was doing me a huge favor. "So, are you ready to come back to the company? With your connections and skills, I'm sure we can turn things around."
He was so confident that I was cornered and would crawl back to him.
But this time, he was completely wrong.
I didn't go back to Henry's company. Instead, I hired a lawyer and braced myself for a battle. I wasn't backing down this time.
When Henry saw I wasn't giving in, he totally lost his mind and played his trump card. He tried to use my brother against me.
He sneered, "Better think this through. Your brother had had run-ins with the law before. If you don't want him thrown in jail, you'd better drag yourself back to the company."
I didn't flinch for a second. I snorted, "We've already signed the settlement agreement. Remember?"
Henry just let out a cocky laugh. "Yeah, but guess what? That settlement agreement is in my hands now."
With that smug grin, he flicked his lighter and burned the settlement agreement right in front of my eyes.
I instinctively reached out to save it, but all I managed to catch was ashes.
All those bottled-up feelings exploded. Before I even realized it, I swung my hand and smacked him hard across the face.
Henry just gaped at me, stunned. He clearly never saw that coming.
He glared at me, his eyes blazing with fury. "Even if my company never comes back, there's no way I'm letting your brother off the hook.
"Diana, I'll make damn sure you never rise again."
With one hand on her baby bump and that smug smile on her face, Julia added, "Even if we sell every last share, we've still got over 3 million. That's more than enough to live a high life forever.
"Diana, you and your brother can just rot in misery for the rest of your lives."
Remembering my father's miserable last days and the trap they set for my brother, I couldn't hold it back anymore.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I glanced at the screen, saw the message, and couldn't help but chuckle.
I said, "Honestly, I have no idea what the future holds for me and my brother. But one thing's for sure. You guys are about to run out of luck."
Julia laughed and said, "Your reputation's already trashed, and your brother's about to get thrown into jail. What do you two losers have left anyway?"
They mocked me with gloating grins one last time before strutting out the door.
*****
At first, my only goal was to run the company well and make sure those two ended up behind bars. But now, it felt like the right moment to take action.
I took out the settlement agreement we'd signed. Henry thought he'd swiped the genuine one from my house.
In fact, I'd been prepared from the very start.
The agreement he burned was just a replica, a decoy I made on purpose.
Besides, the real settlement said my brother just accidentally hurt Julia's sister. There was no assault at all.
I uploaded the password-protected video, along with the verified settlement agreement and the audio recording from a few days ago.
People went absolutely crazy. No one could have imagined that Henry, the so-called business elite, could be so hypocritical.
At the same time, Henry was kicked back in his office, totally convinced I'd beg for forgiveness.
"Mr. Nolan, bad news. Check out this video online!" one of his staff shouted.
The footage of my father's miserable final days hit the internet, flipping the public's opinion in a heartbeat. I followed it up by posting the divorce agreement that showed Henry walking away with absolutely nothing.
The media, always quick to sense a scandal, started swarming for interviews. I accepted every request and even held a press conference where I publicly denounced both Henry and Julia for what they'd done to my father.
When Henry saw those videos, he immediately posted a legal notice online and then stormed over to my place, trying to threaten me.
He sneered, "You really had the guts to post footage of your dad like that? There's honestly nothing you won't do, huh?
"I don't believe you can do anything to me."
I just scoffed and signaled my lawyer to speak for me. "We'll see each other in court," my lawyer said.
Not long ago, Henry took money straight out of my family's company to set up a little side business for himself.
I wasn't about to stop at just reclaiming my own company. I was going to take over his firm, too.
This was just the beginning of my revenge.