Chapter 17
Splash!
Benjamin’s face was shoved into a basin of murky, soapy water.
Isabella pressed down harder with her boot. “Clean out those disgusting, delusional thoughts!” she mocked. “Ask yourself this—if Victoria truly cared about you, why did she never push you to be better? Why did she let everyone in this family look down on you?”
He thrashed, desperate for air, but her strength was absolute. Water flooded his nose and throat each time he gasped. Only when his struggles grew weak did she finally release him.
Yanking his head back by the hair, Isabella snarled, “Benjamin Kensington, stop being a fool. That’s my only advice. Cross me like this again, and blood won’t save you. Family or not.”
She released him and walked away.
He slumped against the cabinet, heaving and choking. Unbelievable. How did that timid, quiet adopted girl become this? Who breaks ribs with a single, careless kick?
‘She’s pure evil. Trying to turn me against Victoria after all the pain she’s caused. I will make her pay,’ he vowed silently.
Across the villa, Isabella entered her private bathroom. She was scrubbing off her makeup, rinsing the metallic taste from her mouth, when a man entered and handed her an ice pack. “A DNA test would settle this,” he stated flatly.
“Julian, do you think Victoria is acting blindly? She owns every hospital and clinic in Westchester. The results would be falsified before the sample even reached the lab.” She studied her swollen lip in the mirror. “And what if they learn the truth? They’d still choose her over me.”
Julian’s expression tightened.
“Though,” she added, a cold smile touching her lips as she pressed the ice to her mouth, “I do look forward to the day the truth shreds their perfect world apart.”
His frown deepened. He hadn’t expected to find someone whose bitterness rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, his own.
“There’s a more pressing issue.” He passed her a phone.
The screen displayed a Twitter feed exploding with headlines: [Who is Isabella Montgomery’s Sugar Daddy?], [Victoria Kensington: Deepfake Nudes Scandal], [Victoria Kensington’s Opportunities Stolen!].
The top trending topic: [Victoria Kensington’s Chanel audition was sabotaged by explicit deepfakes displayed on screen, costing her the role.]
The comments were a torrent of hate:
[What a scheming witch! Our Vicky is pure class! She’d never!]
[The timing is so obvious. Dirty tricks to steal the spotlight.]
[She’s pure evil.]
[Who is she sleeping with? A nobody doesn’t land a role like this.]
[Chanel should be ashamed. Boycott Chanel!]
[Boycott Chanel! Boycott Isabella Montgomery!]
[Isabella Montgomery, get out. You’re not wanted.]
The vitriol was endless.
Isabella just scoffed, rolling her eyes. “This is nothing.”
Nothing? The entire internet was calling for her head. Her calm was unnerving.
“This is your first public battle, Isabella,” Julian warned. “You need to win it.”
“Making headlines is a victory in itself, isn’t it?” She strolled to the wine cellar, pouring a generous glass of burgundy. She offered one to Julian, who declined.
His gaze darkened. The past five years had carved cynicism into her soul. “Take this seriously,” he insisted. “It’s not a game.”
At that moment, Chanel’s executives were in emergency session. The online fury made hiring Isabella impossible.
She simply reclined on the sofa, taking a slow sip. “Relax. Do you think I’d make a move without a backup plan?”
Her fingers began flying across her phone screen.