Chapter 3
"Finlay, what did you just call her?" Brody asked.
Finlay turned his head and gave him a cold, dismissive look.
"What's the matter? Can't even respect her as your sister-in-law now?" he said, his tone icy.
Maleah screamed, shaking all over as she pointed at me.
"That's impossible. Absolutely impossible!" she shrieked.
"Finlay, don't let this bitch fool you. She even betrayed Brody for money five years ago," Maleah yelled.
Finlay's eyes flashed dangerously.
The bodyguard strode forward and delivered a brutal slap to Maleah's face.
Maleah hit the floor hard, blood seeping from the corner of her lips.
"Who do you think you are to even dare comment on my wife?" Finlay said, his voice low but filled with a chilling authority.
Lisa trembled with heartache, but she didn't dare step forward.
"Finlay, have you lost your mind? Out of all the women you could've married, you had to pick her," Lisa cried. "She was Brody's..."
"Shut up," Finlay said, cutting her off with a cold edge. "My wife isn't for anyone to judge."
He swept his gaze across the room, his eyes razor-sharp, slicing through the crowd.
"I'm here today to make an official announcement," Finlay said. "Isabella Richards is my lawfully wedded wife, and Sienna Johnston is my one and only biological daughter.
"If anyone dares to say anything bad about them..." Finlay's voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "I promise they won't make it to tomorrow morning."
The atmosphere in the hall turned suffocating. No one even dared to breathe.
Brody stared hard at Sienna in Finlay's arms and then at me. He finally broke down, all his defenses shattered.
"No way. Isabella, you were supposed to love me." Brody shouted. "How could you marry my brother?"
Brody lost it completely, charging at me like a man possessed, but Finlay's bodyguards tackled him to the ground, holding him down with no mercy.
I looked down at him, saw how pathetic he looked, and felt absolutely nothing.
"Brody, do you really think I left you for that 1.5 million dollars?" I asked.
I crouched down, my voice barely above a whisper, meant only for the three of us. "Back then, Maleah shoved me down the stairs and made me miscarry.
"You stood outside the hospital, telling Maleah it didn't matter that I lost the baby. After all, you never intended to let me into the Johnston family.
"Brody, from that moment on, you were dead to me."
Brody's eyes widened, his whole body trembling violently as shock and fear took over.
"You... you actually heard that?" he stammered. "That's not what I meant. Isabella, I swear—I was just trying to calm Maleah down."
"Enough," Finlay cut him off coldly and sent Brody sprawling with a ruthless kick.
"Don't you dare use that filthy mouth to even utter her name," Finlay said.
Maleah, realizing she'd lost, suddenly started laughing like a maniac.
"Isabella, you really think you've won?" Maleah jeered. "So what if you married Finlay? He's just the Johnston family's unwanted bastard.
"The Johnston family's inheritance? Sooner or later, Brody's gonna get it all. Stick with him, and you'll never crawl out of the gutter."
Logan's and Lisa's expressions eased a bit when they heard that.
After all, Finlay might be undeniably capable, but he was never the rightful heir.
Lisa scoffed, "Finlay, you're really willing to disregard the Johnston family's reputation just for a woman? If you're so blinded, don't expect us to go easy on you.
"Starting today, you're out. Brody's taking over everything at the Johnston Group."
Brody's eyes flashed with a hint of triumph.
He climbed to his feet, smoothed out his wrinkled suit, and slipped right back into that arrogant expression he always wore.
"Finlay, you really threw away your whole empire for some trashy woman? Was it worth it?" Brody sneered.
I looked at these three idiots and couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Finlay broke into unexpected laughter.
His laugh was mocking, yet tinged with pity.
He pulled a document from his pocket and tossed it right in Logan's face.
"Logan, are you senile or what?" Finlay sneered. "You really think the Johnston Group came back from the brink these past five years because of you losers?"
Logan scrambled to grab the document, and just one look left him completely floored, like he'd been hit by a bolt out of the blue.
"How... how is this possible?" Logan gasped.
The document's heading was clear as day. "Letter of Intent—Zenith Group to Acquire the Johnston Group."
And stamped at the bottom was Finlay's signature, bold and unmistakable.
"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself," Finlay said.
He slowly unbuttoned his suit jacket, moving with a lazy, almost mocking confidence that felt dangerous.
"I'm Finlay Johnston, President of the Zenith Group's Solis Region," he said.