CHAPTER FOUR

|| Isabella's POV ||

I was discharged from the hospital three days later and returned home to recuperate.

The house felt different now. Larger. Emptier. Even with Sophie in my arms, even with Mrs. Rivera fussing over us both, I felt the weight of isolation pressing down on me.

Since Aaron wouldn't agree to a divorce, I had to find another way.

I couldn't stay trapped in this marriage forever. Couldn't raise my daughter in this cold, hostile environment where she'd be fought over like a prize, where her grandmother saw her as property and her father saw her as an obligation.

I needed a plan.

I named my daughter Sophie—after my grandmother, the only person in my family who'd ever shown me unconditional love. Aaron hadn't objected when I'd told him, had barely acknowledged the name at all. Just a curt nod before he'd disappeared back into his study.

In the quiet hours while Sophie slept, I'd been making calls. Research. Preparation.

I hired a lawyer—a sharp woman named Ms. Chen who specialized in family law and didn't bat an eye when I explained my situation. She'd drafted a divorce agreement, clean and straightforward, dividing assets and proposing custody arrangements.

I kept the document under my pillow, hidden but close. A reminder that I had options. That I wasn't completely powerless.

I was sitting in the nursery, feeding Sophie, when Mrs. Rivera appeared in the doorway.

"Mrs. Styles? Your brother is here to see you."

My stomach dropped. Matthew.

"Tell him I'm resting," I said quickly. "Tell him—"

"He's already inside, miss. He insisted."

Of course he did.

I heard his footsteps before I saw him—heavy, purposeful, moving through the house as if he owned it. As if he had any right to be here.

Matthew appeared in the nursery doorway, his expensive suit perfectly tailored, his hair slicked back. He looked every inch the successful businessman.

Except I knew the truth. Knew what lay beneath that polished exterior.

His eyes immediately found Sophie in my arms, and his expression—God, his expression made my blood boil.

Disgust. Clear, unmistakable disgust.

"A girl," Matthew said, his tone flat. "Of course you had a girl."

I pulled Sophie closer instinctively, shielding her from his gaze.

"What are you doing here, Matthew?" My voice came out cold, harder than I'd ever spoken to him before.

"I came to see my niece," he said, stepping into the room uninvited. "And to discuss your... situation."

"Get out."

"Isabella, don't be dramatic." He moved closer, peering down at Sophie with that same disgusted expression. "We need to talk about your responsibilities. About securing your position in this family."

"I said get out."

Matthew ignored me, his eyes still on Sophie. "You had a daughter. A useless daughter who can't be the heir to the Styles fortune. Do you understand what that means?"

I was instantly enraged, fury blazing through me so hot and sudden it made me shake.

"How dare you," I hissed, standing up despite my body's protests, still holding Sophie against my chest. "How dare you look at my daughter like that. How dare you come into this house and—"

"Face reality, Isabella," Matthew interrupted coldly. "You need to give Aaron a son. A male heir. That's the only way to solidify your position within the Styles family. Otherwise, Stone Corporation is finished. Completely finished."

He stepped closer, and I saw something desperate in his eyes beneath the cold calculation.

"I'm your only family left in the world," Matthew said, his voice dropping to something almost pleading. "Can't you think of me too? Think of what I've sacrificed for you, for our family?"

I felt disgusted. This was moral blackmail. Again. The same manipulation he'd used for years.

"And what about the employees of Stone Corporation?" Matthew continued, pressing his advantage. "Without me, without Aaron's support, all those people will lose their jobs. Their families will suffer. Can you really live with that on your conscience?"

For a moment—just a moment—the old guilt tried to surface. The years of conditioning, of being told I was responsible for everyone's welfare, that I had to sacrifice myself for the greater good.

But then I looked down at Sophie, sleeping peacefully in my arms, and the guilt evaporated.

"I know the truth, Matthew," I said, my voice steady and clear. "I know that all the money Aaron invested in Stone Corporation—every single dollar—you squandered it. On gambling, on mistresses, on your lavish lifestyle."

Matthew's expression flickered.

"I've reviewed the company's financial reports myself," I continued. "I had copies sent to me. And the situation is terrible. The company isn't failing because of market forces or bad luck. It's failing because you're bleeding it dry."

"Isabella—"

"I will no longer be used or manipulated by you," I said, my voice rising. "You're nothing but a bastard who sold his own sister for personal gain. You drugged an innocent man. You forced me into Aaron's bed. You destroyed my life to save yourself."

I took a step toward him, and he actually backed away.

"And if you can't manage Stone Corporation properly," I said, my voice dropping to something deadly serious, "then I'm willing to do it myself."

Matthew stared at me, stunned. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

The usually obedient and weak Isabella—the sister he'd controlled and manipulated for years—had changed.

"Get out of my house," I said quietly. "Now."

"You can't—"

"Security!" I called out.

Within moments, two security guards appeared in the doorway. They'd been hired by Aaron, but right now, they were looking at me for direction.

"Please escort my brother off the premises," I said calmly. "He's no longer welcome here."

Matthew's face flushed red with humiliation and rage. "You'll regret this, Isabella. You have no idea what you're—"

"Now," I repeated to the security guards.

They stepped forward, and Matthew had no choice but to leave, his protests echoing down the hallway as they led him away.

I stood there for a long moment after he was gone, my heart pounding, my hands shaking.

Then I sat down in the nursery chair and let out a long, shuddering breath.

I calmed myself down slowly, forcing my racing heart to slow, my trembling hands to still.

For years, I had endured all of this. The manipulation, the guilt, the constant pressure. All for the sake of Stone Corporation, for the legacy my father had built. And for the last vestiges of hope I'd had for my brother—the hope that somewhere beneath the greed and selfishness, there was still the Matthew who'd once protected me, who'd once cared.

But that Matthew was gone. Maybe he'd never existed at all.

I wasn't just saying these things out of anger or frustration. For Sophie's sake, for my daughter's future, I wanted to take back everything that belonged to me.

Stone Corporation was my father's legacy. It was Sophie's inheritance. And I wasn't going to let Matthew destroy it.

But I didn't notice, as I sat there planning my next moves, that one of the maids—a new girl who'd been hired just last week—had slipped out of the room during the confrontation.