Chapter 3

Isla looked utterly wronged, her cheek still red from the slap.

"Why can't I take what's mine?" she snapped. "It should've been mine from the start. Giles was mine, too. She lived all these years under my name. Why can't I push her out?"

Reginald clutched his chest in fury. I rushed to my bag and quickly handed him his blood pressure tablets, helping him take one.

He looked at me with guilt-ridden eyes.

"Molly… it's Papa who's let you down. Are you really leaving our family?"

I lowered my gaze, my voice quiet.

"Yes. Thank you for raising me all these years. But from now on, you'll need to tend to the group matters yourself."

Isla scoffed, arms crossed.

"Hmph. They still have me, don't they? We don't need some outsider meddling in our family affairs."

Just then, Giles approached, taking Isla's hand with a tender smile. He patted his chest confidently.

"Isla's right, Mr.Harrington. You should have faith in Isla. She's your daughter, after all. With her blood and the alliance between our families, our businesses will only grow stronger. One day, we'll surpass Ashford Enterprises."

Ashford Enterprises had long reigned as the top property group in the Cotswolds. The Wentworths had only clawed their way into elite business circles in the past two years. Many praised Giles as a commercial prodigy. He believed it, too.

Only I knew how little he was truly capable of.

Edmund, Giles's father, realized I had made up my mind. He didn't try to stop me.

I moved out of Wentworth House and returned to my long-awaited private estate—Ashford Hall. No one fought me for the best room. It was heavenly.

The headlines were all ablaze with stories of me and Isla. The real-versus-fake heiress scandal made perfect fodder for the tabloids, and the media couldn't get enough.

Then my phone rang. It was Lucas.

"Molly," he said, "are you still planning to keep your identity under wraps? The media's having a field day. They're all saying you're a fake heiress who got kicked out in disgrace. You've vanished without a trace! Look, I might not care about the Fairchilds, but they still care about appearances. They're fuming over this, saying I've embarrassed them. They want me to publicly cut ties. I'm sick of it."

I swirled the red wine in my glass lazily, amused.

"What's the rush? It's finally quiet for once. But hey, thanks for last time. Didn't expect you to actually have a ring ready. Saved me from total humiliation."

Lucas's voice took on a sheepish tone.

"Don't mention it. I told you, I'm practically clairvoyant."

I chuckled, then remembered something.

"Oh, by the way—since I've got nothing to do with Giles anymore, go ahead and pull out our investments from his projects."

"Whoa, what a ruthless woman. Once you pull those major investments, the Wentworth Group won't survive. That old saying's true—of all the people to mess with, never mess with a woman. Terrifying. I'll go get it sorted now."

He grumbled, but his actions were swift.

I was never one to linger in emotions. Feelings came fast and left just as quickly.

Back then, I agreed to be with Giles because the Wentworths and Harringtons were old friends. The Harringtons believed in marrying equals, so I didn't object.

In the early days, things weren't too bad. Giles would surprise me during the holidays with romantic gestures. After a while, I even grew somewhat fond of him.

But after Edmund handed the family business to him… I saw the truth.

Giles was nothing like his father when it came to running a company.

Right after taking over, he launched a complete reform—fired veteran staff, hired flashy newcomers—and the business began to bleed clients. Within a year, the company was on the verge of collapse.

To keep him from suffering a total blow to his ego, I arranged for several large-scale investments under the guise of outside interest. Each project was worth tens of millions. I even brought in a professional manager to help him steady the reins.

In less than two years, the Wentworth Group not only recovered but became more profitable than ever.

But Giles never saw the truth. He thought it was all his doing and believed himself the mastermind behind the revival.