Chapter 22
A woman stood guard by the door, her eyes fixed intently. She smirked in satisfaction when the doorknob finally ceased its movement. Confident, she pulled out her phone to report. “Miss Sophia, the plan is proceeding perfectly. Isabella is securely trapped inside.”
“Excellent. Maintain your watch. Ensure she remains confined,” Sophia Kensington replied, her voice dripping with sly approval.
After ending the call, the woman settled into her chair, crossing her legs with a sense of accomplishment.
‘Isabella believes she can use the Chanel show to elevate her status and overshadow Victoria? How delusional. She’s now imprisoned in her own home,’ Sophia thought, smugly convinced that Isabella’s ambitions would crumble.
Isabella had audaciously accepted a wager against Alexander. If she failed to even leave her residence, her humiliation would be absolute.
Sophia chuckled darkly to herself. The image of Isabella becoming a laughingstock online was immensely gratifying.
Her private celebration was abruptly interrupted. A new contact request appeared on WhatsApp from the Montgomery family group. The profile was a stark black image, the username simply ‘Boss Montgomery’.
Who was this? Some relative? Cautiously, Sophia accepted the request. Before she could type a question, a voice message arrived.
[Miss Sophia, everything is going as planned. Isabella can’t get out.]
[Good work. Keep watching, and make sure she doesn’t come out.]
It was the exact recording of her call with her assistant!
Her phone buzzed again with a text from ‘Boss Montgomery’. [Sophia Kensington. Order your assistant to unlock my door immediately. Fail to comply, and I will release this recording publicly. You will share Victoria Kensington’s fate.]
Sophia’s face drained of color. So, ‘Boss Montgomery’ was Isabella Montgomery.
Her fingers flew across the screen in rage. [Isabella! How did you obtain this recording? Are you spying on me? This is illegal!]
A swift reply followed.
[So is unlawfully confining someone. This constitutes the crime of false imprisonment. Under Criminal Law, Article 238, it carries a penalty of up to three years imprisonment, criminal detention, or deprivation of political rights!]
Sophia paled further. Was Isabella seriously threatening her with legal statutes? The repercussions of the recording going viral would be catastrophic. Her reputation would be destroyed.
Her fanbase would abandon her. Grandfather Theodore despised internal family conflict. His punishments were severe—from lashings with a thorned whip to kneeling in the ancestral hall, even revocation of company shares.
Another message flashed.
[Sophia Kensington. You have precisely sixty seconds. If that door isn’t open in time, even if opened later, I will not leave. When my absence from the show makes headlines, this recording will be published. What will people think?]
‘What will people think?’ They would believe Sophia deliberately trapped Isabella all day!
Fury contorted Sophia’s features. She desperately wished to eliminate Isabella, but the clock was ticking. Reluctantly, she dialed her assistant. “Lillian! Unlock the door now! Immediately! You have one minute!”
“What? Why the sudden change?”
“No questions! Just do it! A second late, and you’ll regret it deeply,” Sophia threatened viciously.
Terrified, Lillian ended the call. She grabbed a hammer and frantically smashed the heavy metal chain bolting the door. It had been securely fastened high on the doorframe, impossible to breach from inside. Destroying what she had painstakingly installed took immense effort. Within the minute, sweat soaked her clothes as the lock finally gave way.
The door swung open. Isabella Montgomery emerged, a vision in a crimson gown. Her captivating gaze locked onto Lillian’s. “Have my door repaired. Inform Sophia she wasted thirty-five minutes of my time. She will transfer three hundred and fifty thousand dollars as compensation.”
Three hundred and fifty thousand? That was outright robbery. Was she insane?