Chapter 117

Thinking about the past, Chris looked at Isabel, deeply moved. He said, "Isabel, thank you."

"Why mention this so suddenly?" Isabel was surprised.

"Thank you. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today," Chris replied.

Isabel closed the file and handed it to him. "Don't dwell on the past. You've managed the Oceania Group very well these past years. Regarding the Jovian family, you're fully capable of handling them now. If you want revenge, I won't stop you."

"Yes, Isabel," Chris was overjoyed. He had waited a long time for this day. Since taking charge of the Oceania Group, his primary goal had been revenge. But Isabel had warned him it wasn't the right time.

The Jovian family in Ardenfall, while still influential, weren't as powerful as before. Dealing with them wouldn't be easy. Chris believed that if he couldn't defeat them swiftly, he shouldn't alert them unnecessarily.

As Chris felt a surge of satisfaction, he noticed something in the rearview mirror. "Isabel, someone's following us."

Isabel glanced up and saw a familiar figure who, noticing he'd been spotted, quickly hid in the nearby bushes. "No worries," Isabel said.

Isabel got out of the car and looked at the bushes. "Stop hiding and come out!" Lorian emerged, his face filled with hatred.

"Why are you following us?" Isabel asked. Chris also exited the car.

Lorian gritted his teeth. "Isabel, it's all your doing! I couldn't understand why the Oceania Group suddenly withdrew their investment and distanced themselves from the Clyde Group. It was all your scheme! You have such a wicked heart!"

"We cared for you for eighteen years, and yet you ruined our family, you horrible woman! How could you be so heartless?" Lucian exclaimed.

Isabel replied calmly, "Yes. When you sent me back to the Calvez family, I had the Oceania Group stop working with the Clyde Group. That was my decision. And it wasn't just the overseas company that misled you; that deal was also my doing."

"Why? Why are you so cruel? You're an ungrateful wretch!" Lucian clenched his fists tightly.

"Why? Do you think you have the right to ask me that? Were you planning to kill me? It was because I didn't go to the hotel that day. If I had, you would have drugged me."

"Why were you so cruel? Were you afraid I'd come back to claim part of the inheritance? As if I'd even get anything! That's a far-fetched excuse."

"Since you were so heartless, why should I continue caring for you or supporting you? You're the cruel one."

"I don't understand why you disliked me and abandoned me. And you dare to talk about gratitude for raising me? It's ridiculous!" Isabel shouted, releasing words long held within her heart.

"Didn't you want to know why we hate you? Let me tell you. When you were born, we, your brothers, genuinely cared for you."

"But a fortune teller said you were a curse, and one day, the Clyde family would be ruined because of you. The only way to solve this, they said, was if you died!"

"So, our mother sent you away, but we never intended to kill you. That was already showing you great mercy!"

Isabel's fingers clenched. "That fortune-teller was talking nonsense, and you believed him? For eighteen years, you did nothing to me beyond sending me away because you couldn't bring yourselves to harm your own family."

"But then, eighteen years later, you discovered I'm not a daughter of the Clyde family. Without anything holding you back, you conspired to kill me to stop the prophecy. You wanted me to disappear from the world," Isabel demanded sharply. Isabel thought, That excuse about stopping me from claiming the inheritance is a lie. I had already been kicked out of the Clyde family, so how could I fight for the inheritance? That is the real reason.

"Yes, that's exactly it. But didn't the fortune teller's words come true! You're a jinx, a cold-hearted woman. Look at what you've done to the Clyde family. Isn't it true! I regret being soft-hearted back then; I should have killed you, Isabel!" Chris looked at Isabel with worry. He realized Isabel had a hidden, painful past.

Chris had always seen Isabel as a light, assuming she had a joyful childhood. He believed she illuminated his world. Little did he know, Isabel's past was as dark as his own.

"Roger, I don't believe in destiny. I know that evil deeds get punished. This is your payback! I want to watch the Clyde family go bankrupt. I'll bring you all down so you can never rise again!" Isabel smirked.

Isabel was like a poppy flower, beautiful but deadly.

"You're just involved in selling yourself. Don't think that just because you're good-looking and hang around with Chris to go against our family, you're something amazing. To me, you're cheap, shameless, and disgraceful."

"You're nothing but a prostitute, a bitch! You're worthless! I always looked down on you! If Blake finds out you're hanging around with Chris, what will he think?"

"A woman like you is only fit to be a man's cheap plaything, a toy for a man's amusement. I even find it dirty to look at you! You're nothing compared to Amelia. You're not worth even one of her toenails!"

Isabel clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking loudly.

Chris couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward, grabbed Lucian by the collar, and punched him. Chris felt Lucian wasn't insulting Isabel; he was insulting him. Isabel was everything to Chris.

Lucian wiped the blood from his mouth and smirked. "So, how incredible is Isabel in bed? She must have impressed you to have you, Mr. Jovian, ready to fight for her!"

Chris was furious. He went all out and started hitting Lucian. At first, Lucian was wary, but when he saw Chris was serious, he fought back fiercely. Young and full of energy, Chris hit hard, leaving Lucian unable to stand. Chris got punched in the face, but it didn't matter. Fueled by rage, he kept going.

Chris put his foot on Lucian's face and spat on him. "Who do you think you are, insulting Isabel like that, you idiot!"

"You don't know anything, yet you're here shouting. Do you think you're so smart, figuring everything out!"

"Let me tell you something you should remember clearly: the real boss behind the Oceania Group is the person you underestimated, Isabel."

"I've always worked for Isabel. She is the founder of the Oceania Group. What dirty business are you talking about? What kind of person do you think Isabel is? Shameful!"