Chapter 7
The study was dead silent.
Robert's chest heaved with rage, his eyes bloodshot as he glared down at Andrew, who was crumpled on the floor.
He didn't look at Andrew like he was his son. He looked at him like he was staring at his mortal enemy.
Andrew was completely broken, kneeling there like all the life had been sucked out of him.
Every word Sophie had said on the phone was like a sledgehammer, smashing his last hope to pieces.
'Stupid woman,' he cursed to himself.
But he knew it was already too late.
"Well, well..." Robert suddenly let out a laugh.
"What a fine son I've raised. And what a wonderful daughter-in-law," he spat, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
He pointed at Andrew, his hand trembling with rage. "Scheming to get your wife's insurance money, wishing your old man dead just so you can snatch up the family fortune.
"Andrew, what the hell is your heart made of? Is it just pure black?"
He snatched up a porcelain cup from the desk and slammed it onto Andrew's head.
A heavy thud echoed in the room.
The cup shattered, and tea mixed with blood ran down Andrew's forehead.
Andrew let out a muffled groan of pain, but he didn't even try to dodge. "Dad, I'm sorry I really am..."
Andrew clutched his head, his voice choked with sobs as he kept repeating the same words over and over.
I watched him, cold and unmoved.
If he'd known things would turn out like this, he wouldn't have done it in the first place.
The moment he went after my mom's surgery money and my insurance payout, he should've realized he'd end up like this.
"You're not the one at fault," Robert said, his voice suddenly steady. "The real mistake was mine. I was blind enough to raise a cold-blooded traitor like you."
He strode over to Andrew, towering above him, eyes full of contempt.
"From now on, you're fired from Grant Holdings," Robert declared.
Andrew's head snapped up, his face full of disbelief.
"Dad!" he cried out.
"I'm taking back all the shares registered in your name," Robert said, his voice cold and unyielding.
Robert ignored Andrew's cry and continued, his tone icy and merciless. "The house you live in, the car you drive, every cent in your bank account? All of it was given to you by me. Now, I'm taking it all back."
Andrew's face went from pale to ashen.
He knew that when Robert said something, he meant it.
"Dad. You can't do this to me. I'm your only son." Andrew scrambled over, trying to grab Robert's leg, but Robert kicked him away without hesitation.
"I don't have a son like you," Robert spat, his voice cold as ice. "Tomorrow, my lawyer will contact you. You're divorcing Julia, and you're walking out with nothing."
Walking out with nothing.
Those words hit Andrew like four death warrants, utterly breaking him.
He'd be left with nothing.
From a promising company director to a penniless outcast, abandoned by his own family.
That feeling of falling from the top straight into the gutter. It hurt more than death.
"No, please, Dad, don't do this..." Andrew cried out, his voice trembling.
He was sobbing, completely helpless, like a lost child.
But Robert's face didn't show the slightest bit of emotion.
I knew Andrew was done for.
His biggest backing had always been his father and the Grant family name.
Now, he'd destroyed it all with his own hands.
After dealing with Andrew, Robert turned to face me.
The fury and coldness on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a deep weariness and guilt.
"Julia, I'm sorry you had to go through all this," Robert said, his voice rough and full of regret. "It's us, the Grant family, who failed you."
I shook my head.
"Dad, please don't say that. You've always treated me so well," I replied quietly.
That was the truth.
For three years of marriage, Robert treated me like his own daughter and never once made me feel unwelcome.
That was exactly why, out of respect for him, I chose to settle things here at home, instead of leaking the evidence to the press.
"From now on, think of me as your real father. This will always be your home," Robert said.
He let out a sigh, then pulled a bank card from his pocket and pressed it into my hand. "There's some money in here. Take it for now. The PIN is your birthday. Don't refuse it. This is my way of making it up to you.
"And don't worry about the divorce. I'll get you the best lawyer. I'll make sure he walks away with nothing, and he'll pay for everything he's done."
His words were final, leaving no room for argument.
I knew it. I'd already won this battle.
And it was even easier than I'd imagined.
I held the bank card in my hand and nodded.
"Thank you," I said softly.
Robert looked at me with a relieved smile, his eyes softening with warmth.
But just then, a commotion broke out downstairs.
Tom's panicked voice rang out. "Miss, you can't go in. Mr. Grant is meeting with someone."
Then came a sharp, shrill female voice.
"Move. I'm here for my boyfriend. What's it to you?" Sophie snapped.
It was Sophie.
She actually managed to track us down.
I was startled, and without thinking, glanced at Robert.
His expression immediately turned stormy again.
The study door was suddenly slammed open.
Sophie stood in the doorway, decked out in designer brands, her makeup flawless, looking fierce and ready for a fight.
She froze at the scene inside.
When she saw Andrew on the floor, his face covered in blood, she let out a shrill scream.
"Andrew. What happened to you? Who did this to you?" she cried out.
She rushed in, about to help Andrew up.
But when her eyes landed on me, she froze in place.
She gave me a once-over, her eyes brimming with contempt and hostility.
"You just won't quit, you washed-up hag. What are you doing here?" she snapped.
She probably thought this was just some random relative of Andrew's.
She had no clue that the man standing right in front of her was the very "old man" she'd been badmouthing, the chairman of Grant Holdings.
"This is all your doing, isn't it? You just can't leave Andrew alone." she snapped, jabbing a finger at me.
"Let me tell you, Andrew doesn't care about you anymore. He loves me. If you know what's good for you, get lost and stop making a fool of yourself here," she spat.
Her words were arrogant and vicious.
Andrew was scared out of his wits, frantically shooting her desperate looks, begging her to shut up.
But Sophie was so fired up she didn't even glance his way.
All her attention was on me.
She thought that if she could just drive me away, she'd finally get to be the new Mrs. Grant.
I looked at her and suddenly smiled.
"Miss Young, maybe you're the one who's confused," I said, my voice calm but with an edge. "This is my home. You're the one who needs to get out."
"Your home?" Sophie cackled like she'd just heard the biggest joke ever. "Come on, don't make me laugh. Andrew said you're nothing but a mooch, can't even pay your mom's medical bills without him. What kind of home do you think you have?"
"Oh? And what else did he say?" I asked, my voice laced with amusement.
"He said plenty." Sophie bragged, looking like she'd just won the lottery. "He said you're boring, uptight, and you're like a corpse in bed. He's been sick of you for ages. The moment he dumps you, he's marrying me.
"He's giving me half his stuff, even that Grant Manor his dad owns."
She was getting more and more excited, completely oblivious to the fact that Robert's face behind her had turned dark as midnight.
"So," I said, my voice calm and steady as I looked at her, "for all that, you conspired with him to put your name down as the beneficiary on my life insurance?
"Just waiting for me to die so you could pocket the money, huh?"
Sophie's smile froze on her face.
She clearly hadn't expected me to know about that.
"What are you even talking about?." Sophie stammered, her voice faltering, guilt written all over her face.
But when Robert heard it straight from the culprit herself, he finally lost it.
He lunged forward, raised his hand, and with all his strength, slapped Sophie hard across the face.
Smack!
The sharp sound echoed through the study.
Sophie was knocked off balance and crashed to the floor.
Her cheek started swelling up instantly, right before our eyes.
She clutched her face, staring at Robert in utter disbelief.
"Did you just slap me? You old bastard..." Sophie snapped.
But before she could finish, she locked eyes with Robert. His gaze was blazing with rage.
The deadly look in his eyes was enough to make her go silent on the spot.
It finally hit her that this old man was way out of her league.
"Call the police," Robert said, turning to me. "Press charges against them for conspiring to commit insurance fraud.
And charge Andrew with embezzlement and transferring marital assets."
He glared down at those two traitors sprawled on the floor, his eyes icy cold.
"I want them to reflect on their actions behind bars," he declared, his voice full of resolve.
Just then, my phone buzzed again.
It was that mysterious number again.
[Act one's over. Don't get too comfortable. The real drama is just beginning. There are even juicier secrets waiting to be uncovered at Grant Holdings.]