Chapter 18%
“But you were always too scared to say it out loud, so I made a video to say it for you! And what was the Hollis family anyway? Since you adopted me, you should have given me warmth and treated me like one of your own. But what did you do?”
“First, you, the so–called older brother, harbored secret, impure feelings for me all these years. Then there was Alfred and Caroline, who openly called me their adopted daughter, promising no difference from blood. But in the end? I found out they never meant to give me a share of the family fortune. They only kept me as a trophy.”
“The slogan The Hollis family adopts an orphan‘ how flashy it looked, how much good publicity it brought, how many benefits it won From start to finish, I was just a tool for the Hollis family. But why? Why did everyone else get love while I was left with twisted lies? I knew if I didn’t fight for what I wanted, nothing would ever come my way. So I planned all along to bring down the Hollis Corporation and pour every last penny into my own hands. Since I never got love from the Hollis family, I would take their money instead.”
“And you, Chase, you coward, you deserved every bit of being used by me. Honestly, you were almost funny. Only after Rosalie saw your true face, fickle and selfish, did she walk away, and only then did you regret it and start chasing her. That’s when I had to risk everything, record that shameful video with you, and push my plan to ruin the Hollis family. But if Rosalie ever loved you so deeply, why did you keep hurting her?”
“All I had to do was say a few bad things about her, and you believed every word; you hurt her without hesitation. Let me tell you, every word I ever said about Rosalie was a lie. I made it all up just to drive a wedge between you two, to keep you under my thumb. Whether it was drugging her or everything else I did to hurt her–it was all intentional. What a shame. Rosalie once loved you with everything she had, but you slowly destroyed that love, piece by piece.”
Chase was pinned to the ground by Isla’s men, completely unable to move.
But what hurt most was his heart.
He never imagined Isia, who had always seemed gentle and harmless, could be so cold and calculating. He never saw that she had always treated her time with the family as a prison.
And maybe. Maybe Alfred and Caroline truly never planned to let Isla near the heart of the company.
He once thought Isla, as a girl, would be content staying out of business, but her ambition had always been terrifyingly deep.
And his so–called love for her had it always been a burden??
He tried so hard to bury it, yet maybe she had seen right through him.”
Maybe it was that twisted love that made him side with her, time and time again, even while she destroyed Rosalie.
In the end, he was the one who completely shattered Rosalie’s love.
He deserved to lose her. He had been painfully, completely wrong.
Isla tilted Chase’s chin up with a mocking smile. “Brother Chase, your so–called ‘love‘ never really disgusted me that much. Sometimes, I even found it amusing. At the very least, you’re good–looking; keeping you around wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
She leaned in, voice filled with playful cruelty. “Now that the company’s gone, and I’ve drained every penny from the family, I doubt you’ve got much left to your name either. So how about this? Stay with me. I’ll keep you as my little toy. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it?“>
“Get lost!” Chase roared. Ever since he finally understood what Rosalie meant to him, Isla’s touch felt revolting.
But Isla didn’t flinch. She simply curved her lips into a cold smile. “Brother Chase, you’ll agree sooner or later. And if you don’t. I’ll just lock you up. How about that?”
But even now, Chase’s heart held only one name, Rosalie.
