Chapter 274
Chapter 274:
At this, Farley’s body quivered with rage. He jabbed a trembling finger at Marie. “Wasting millions year after year, yet you couldn’t even pay Gabriela’s tuition! Marie, you are utterly heartless p>
Marie’s gaze snapped to him, her lips curling into a sneer. “So it’s you, Farley. You’ve aged miserably. I barely recognize you. You were cast out of the Haynes Group a long time ago. How dare you yap at me! Want the other leg broken too p>
Farley clutched his chest, shaking with fury. “Marie, your sins will come back to you! Karma never forgets p>
Years ago, Marie had framed him for embezzlement, forcing his resignation and destroying his career. Later, she sent thugs to break his leg, leaving him crippled and scraping a living from odd jobs. Once a brilliant Rutherford University graduate, Farley had been reduced to ruin all because of her.
“Karma?” Marie’s eyes gleamed with madness, bloodshot and wild. “I’ve lived in luxury and status for a decade, while you’ve scuttled in the shadows like a rat. Look at you! How pathetic p>
Gabriela steadied Farley, murmuring reassurance before stepping forward to face Marie head-on. Her tone was calm but unyielding. “Marie, I’ll give you three days. Return the company willingly, or I’ll take the evidence to the board myself and let them decide if you’re fit to lead p>
“Don’t you dare!” Marie shrieked, raising her hand to strike, only to be shoved back roughly by Tyler. Phyllis watched silently as her mother was left speechless before Gabriela’s unshakable presence.
For the first time, she realized Gabriela had truly become a force to be reckoned with. Gabriela was no longer the timid girl who could be dragged from her room at midnight and shoved into the doghouse without protest. She was no longer the naive high schooler who endured every humiliation and bullying without daring to fight back.
Phyllis trailed after Marie in silence until they reached home, where Dustin was waiting. He stepped toward them. “How did it go p>
He knew they had gone to bargain with Gabriela, yet for reasons of his own, he hadn’t joined them.
𝘙е𝖺𝘥 𝖿𝘳e𝗲 n𝗼𝗏𝖾𝗹s оո.с𝗼𝘮
Phyllis lifted her eyes to him. His face—once dazzling to her, as striking as any star on a magazine cover—now filled her with nothing but disgust.
She shoved him away. “We’re finished. Gabriela will crush us. It’s only a matter of time p>
She could already see it: Gabriela reclaiming the company, and her own head on the chopping block. She rounded on Dustin, her voice sharp as glass. “Useless! That’s what you are. I married you hoping for a good life, and all you’ve ever done is leech off the company. Look at Gabriela’s man! With a flick of his hand, a billion-dollar contract falls into place. He rules the business world like a king, and you? You’re nothing but a parasite. Don’t you feel even a shred of shame p>
Battered by online attacks, shunned by her friends, and crushed beneath unrelenting stress, Phyllis was already fraying at the seams. Learning there was no fortune left sent terror clawing through her, the terror of losing the gilded life she had always taken for granted. Unraveling, she lashed out with venom, each word sharper than the last.
Marie, fuming, refused to dignify the quarrel with a response.
Josh descended from the study, his tone calm but edged with authority. “What’s all this shouting the moment you step inside? We’re family. Sit down. Talk it through p>
Phyllis collapsed onto the sofa, sobbing uncontrollably.
Dustin’s jaw tightened as bitterness burned inside him. He despised Gabriela’s triumph. Every man longs to see his ex fall into ruin; it soothes the ego and proves superiority. But when an ex soars higher instead—when she stands at the side of someone better, richer, and stronger—the humiliation is unbearable. Wesley’s shadow loomed over him, making Dustin feel smaller by the second. And the knowledge that Gabriela was the rightful heir to the Haynes Group only deepened his torment, regret chewing at him like a swarm of ants.
Unable to endure another moment, he turned and stormed toward the door.
“Stop!” Phyllis’s voice was cold, cutting through her sobs. “Where are you going p>
Dustin’s fist clenched, his eyes hard as ice. “I’m going out—to find a way to fix this p>