Chapter 57
The first lash tore through Isabella’s dress instantly.
Blood seeped from her delicate skin, staining the fabric crimson.
Her face twisted in agony, but she refused to cry out. “It wasn’t me! Victoria set me up!”
Reginald sighed with resignation. She was too stubborn to admit defeat.
He had no choice but to continue.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Each strike sliced deeper into her flesh.
Her back became a mess of torn skin and blood.
She finally collapsed, barely conscious.
With her last strength, she whispered, “I’m… innocent.”
Then everything went black.
William’s voice thundered across the room. “Get this liar out of my sight! She’s confined to the estate for three months. No exceptions.”
Three months of house arrest?
Sophia’s career would be ruined.
“Father, she’s a model! Her career will be over if she disappears now!” Penelope protested as she helped carry her daughter away.
“After this disgrace, does she even deserve to be a model?” William scoffed. “She will quit modeling and find a normal job. If she disobeys, she is no longer a Kensington.”
His tone left no room for argument.
Penelope fell silent, her eyes burning with hatred toward Isabella.
This was all her fault.
That wicked, ungrateful adopted daughter didn’t belong here.
Even after Sophia was taken away, the metallic scent of blood hung heavily in the air.
Victoria looked paler than anyone.
She could almost feel the whip herself.
If William ever discovered her role in this, she would suffer the same fate.
She couldn’t let that happen.
She needed those shares, and she needed them now.
Stepping forward, she poured William some tea, hoping to soothe his anger.
“Grandfather, please don’t be too upset. Sophia is young. She’ll learn from this. More importantly, Isabella’s name has been cleared. And she even gifted us a diamond mine. The Kensingtons will soon be the second richest family in Westchester.”
Her words reminded everyone of the contract on the table.
Gregory spoke up next. “Since you respect your grandfather so much, why not transfer the mine’s shares to him? He can distribute them fairly.”
Isabella was the reason his daughter was punished. She owed them this much.
Eleanor quickly agreed. “We raised you all these years. Fed you. Sheltered you. Without us, you’d be nothing. If you have any conscience, you know what’s right.”
Isabella ignored them completely.
She turned directly to William. “What do you think, Grandfather? Do you agree with them?”
“Hah! A pack of vultures!” William swept the teacups off the table in fury. “For five years, none of you cared about Isabella. Now that she’s back with wealth, you circle like sharks? Have you no shame?”
He glared specifically at Gregory. “You insisted on adopting her just to increase your shares. Did you put Sophia up to pushing her off that cliff in Africa? How dare you ask for her diamond mine! If I were you, I wouldn’t even speak!”
Gregory shrank back, muttering under his breath. “If I had that kind of courage, I wouldn’t be the useless gambler I am today.”
He had always been overlooked in the family. Powerless. Voiceless.
“It better not have been you! Attempted murder is unforgivable!” William growled.
“All of you, get out! Don’t even think about touching Isabella’s mine. She earned it with her life. It belongs to her and her alone!”