Chapter 4

I waved my hand. "There's nothing left for us to talk about. My lawyer will be in touch with you for the divorce."

The smile on her face stiffened. After a while, she feigned nonchalance and kicked the box at her feet. "It's an apology gift. I'll leave once you accept it."

Not wanting to drag things out, I casually opened the box. The moment I saw what was inside, I froze.

It was a pair of snow-white rabbits that had been chopped into several pieces, their heads severed from their bodies, and even their eyes cruelly gouged out. I'd raised them for years. Because she said she liked them, I'd given them to her as an engagement gift.

Every time I went to the Smith residence, they would hop over and nuzzle my ankles, begging me to play with them. Now, all that was left was a mangled heap of flesh and blood.

I could barely suppress the rage surging inside me. Yet, she was still foolish enough to provoke me. "Do you like my gift? This is what you get for hurting him yesterday!"

"Have you thought about the consequences of angering me?" I gritted out.

Nalani scoffed. "Get off your high horse! Even though you're the richest man in Brimstone, my family is no pushover. Come at me with whatever you've got!" With that, she strutted out.

However, she had forgotten one thing. The only reason her family had been able to survive in Brimstone was that they had been under my wing. I'd like to see how her family fared without me.

…

That night, as soon as I returned to Chandler Manor, I was intercepted by Finn, who had been waiting at the entrance. He immediately shoved a share transfer agreement into my arms. "Don't be mad at us, Hugo. This is our family's goodwill. Nalani's young and doesn't know any better. For old times' sake, please turn a blind eye to her children…"

I casually turned the signet ring on my thumb and smiled nonchalantly. "Mr. Smith, if your wife brought home two children one day to register under your name and even spread rumors that you were impotent, would you be able to tolerate it?"

Nalani, who had been hiding in the shadows, could no longer contain herself. She rushed out and shoved me aside. "Hugo, my dad's giving you a way out. Don't push your luck!"

I averted my eyes and looked at Finn. "Please thank Mr. Felix on my behalf. If it weren't for him, my family would've been tainted!"

Nalani was infuriated by my sarcasm. Pointing at me, she fumed, "Drop the holier-than-thou act! It makes me sick!"

I pursed my lips and smiled wryly. When we were madly in love, she said she adored how noble and unshakeable I was in public. But now, she was sick of me…

Henry had always been protective of his own family. He couldn't bear to see me suffer in silence.

Behind the wheel of his Maybach, he floored the gas pedal and revved straight toward Nalani. "How dare you talk to my brother like that, you bitch?"

The screech of brakes merged with Nalani's scream. "How dare you hit me? Do you have a death wish? Since when do you get to meddle in affairs between your brother and me?"

Blinded by rage, she started kicking and pounding on the front of the car like a madwoman. She even swung her handbag at Henry.

He couldn't dodge in time, and the metal clasp cut his temple. Blood seeped from the wound at his temple, staining his vision red.

I seized her and hurled her aside like a piece of trash. Amid Finn's laments, I ordered my men to bolt the main gates.

By the time I carried Henry out on my back, he was trembling in pain. Nalani, however, was still pounding on the gate like a rabid dog. "Open the gates, you bastards!"

"Fuck off!" That single roar finally silenced everything outside the gate, and it took every ounce of strength I had left.

After rushing Henry to the infirmary, I allowed my exhaustion to break through. To think that for all those years, I had been completely blind to who she really was.