Chapter 160
Caleb bulged his eyes in shock as he stared at Rhett and then nervously glanced at Kristin. “Kris…”
“Not following?” Rhett’s voice was deep and gruff.
Caleb feared Rhett and his hands clenched into fists as he anxiously sought some explanation
from Kristin.
Rhett couldn’t help but find Caleb’s reaction amusing.
Here he was, a man with a wife and kids of his own, acting all forlorn as if Kristin had spurned
him.
“Rhett! You can’t be with Kristin…” Vincent blurted out in panic.
“Since when do I need your blessing to decide who I date?” Rhett’s tone was low and clear, signaling he wasn’t in the mood for a brotherly chat.
“Jerk!” Summer glared at Vincent, fury etched on his little face.
Before Kristin could react, Summer lunged forward and bit into Vincent’s hand.
“You little brat!” Vincent cursed, his hand stinging in pain, as he raised it to strike back.
Rhett grabbed Vincent’s wrist, squeezing with brute force.
Vincent twisted his face in pain as he glared at Rhett. “You know Kristin’s my girl.”
“Brat? Who are you calling a brat?” Rhett didn’t loosen his grip.
Vincent popped his wrist out of the socket and he clenched his fingers, trying to endure the agony. “He’s nothing but a brat!”
“Oh, what does that make you?” Rhett sneered, just as Nicola approached. He pushed Vincent toward her. “When your mom had you out of wedlock, what did they call you? A bastard? Or just an illegitimate child?”
“Rhett! Take it up with me, not my mom!” Vincent squared up, ready to take on Rhett.
Kristin, acting on instinct, moved protectively in front of Rhett, biting her lip as she faced
Vincent.
Vincent froze, staring at Kristin.
Was she actually… shielding Rhett?
Once upon a time, it was always him she protected.
Back in school, even when Vincent was sure to win a fight, Kristin would stand in front, fearful he’d get hurt.
But now, she stood before another man.
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“Rhett, if you have a problem, come at me… Vincent is your flesh and blood,” Nicola cried. rushing over to embrace her son. “Rhett, how could you hit your brother?”
Rhett gave Nicola a mocking glance before pulling Kristin behind him. “Quite the performance, like back in the day with the Silvergrove City Theater Group. Years gone by, and you’ve still got it.”
Nicola bit her lip in anger.
“Rhett, how dare you speak to Nicola like that!” Holcomb’s voice boomed in frustration. “Inside, now. Don’t air our dirty laundry in public.”
“You’re concerned about disgrace?” Rhett chuckled sarcastically. “Nicola tried to poison me in my room. If I had died, would that be disgraceful enough for you?”
Holcomb darkened his expression but couldn’t argue. He tried to defuse the situation with a stern voice. “There’s been a misunderstanding. It was that assistant acting on his own. I’ve already dealt with Nicola. We’re family. No harm done, let’s let bygones be bygones.”
“Do you have a conscience?” Rhett scoffed, lifting Summer into his arms.
Summer shook his head in agreement. “Doesn’t sound right.”
Kristin, sweating with nerves, whispered to Summer to keep quiet.
“Mommy, is he my grandpa? Why doesn’t he protect my dad?” Summer asked innocently, confusion in his eyes. “If a dad isn’t his kids‘ superhero, then he’s really not pulling his weight, is he?”
Holcomb turned pale with anger.
“When was this uneducated child allowed in our family? Butler, show him out!” Holcomb barked.
“If even a child understands what you don’t, that’s sad,” Rhett retorted coldly, taking Kristin’s hand. “Since this family doesn’t welcome us, don’t bother kicking us out. We’re leaving on our
own.
“I
“Rhett, if you walk out that door today, don’t you ever think of coming back!” Holcomb threatened, trembling with anger.
“Rhett, it’s all my fault. Please, don’t be mad at your father. I’ll do anything you ask, just don’t hold a grudge against him. He’s not well,” Nicola pleaded, tears streaming down as she blocked Rhett’s path. “Holcomb’s health has been poor. He misses you.”
“Isn’t that on you? You failed to take care of him, and now you have the gall to use that as an excuse?” Rhett glowered at Nicola. “Or are you suggesting he might live longer if you weren’t around?”
“You!” Nicola almost lost her composure completely.
“Rhett, don’t push it. My mom didn’t mean to hurt you, it was that assistant. You’ve made plenty
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of enemies, Who else can you blame?” Vincent spat out angrily, his patience with Rhett finally snapping.
He used to fear Rhett.
But seeing him claim Kristin as his wife drove Vincent to the brink of madness.
Why should he?
Kristin was his. And if Vincent couldn’t have her, he’d rather see her destroyed than with Rhett.
If Vincent couldn’t have her, no one could.
Kristin was his!
“You’re disgusting…” Kristin looked at Vincent with eyes filled with disgust and disappointment. She could never have imagined that she had once loved this man for so many years.
“Kristin!” Vincent’s voice cracked with emotion.
“Rhett, let the outsider leave first.” Holcomb said, taking a deep breath, hoping to calm the situation. “Let’s talk this through as a family.”
“Kristin is not an outsider.” Rhett stated firmly. If Kristin and Summer had to leave, he was leaving too.
Rhett pulled out his smartphone and played a damning voice memo for all to hear. It was Nicola’s assistant confessing to spiking a bottle of water with sulfuric acid on Nicola’s orders.
“Ready to talk now?” Rhett eyed Holcomb. “I’ve got more than just this audio clip. There are call records on her phone too. If you want to hear it, I can play those as well.”
Holcomb turned a stormy shade of thundercloud, his furious gaze cutting toward Nicola.
Nicola, clearly panicked, turned a ghostly shade of pale as she faced Rhett. “Rhett, she did this on purpose. That assistant is rotten to the core. I admit I made a mistake in judging her character, but she’s been put up to shatter our harmony. Rhett, you’ve got to believe me. Haven’t I always been good to you?”
“Guess you won’t believe it unless I show the trump card,” Rhett sneered. “Such a shame. All that hard work you put into preserving our family’s image is all going down the drain.”
“What are you doing, Rhett!” Holcomb was in shock. “You know we can’t let this get out. Dirty laundry stays inside the house. Whatever’s the issue, we settle it privately!”
‘Nicola, apologize to Rhett right now. If you can’t make amends today, you’re out of the FitzGerald family.” Holcomb resorted to desperate measures.
Rhett snorted dismissively, “If apologies were enough, we wouldn’t be living with so many regrets, would we?”
‘That bottle was meant for Kristin, not you. You never touch bottled water. Are you making a
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mountain out of a molehill over some girl?” Holcomb dropped his facade, revealing anger and
the raw truth.
It was clear that Holcomb had always been aware of Nicola’s actions.
This was no assistant going rogue.
Rhett looked at Holcomb with disappointment. This was the man that raised him, utterly revolting.
“You mess with my woman, and you think this response is an overreaction?” Rhett laughed coldly. “Then you underestimate me.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of police sirens and the crush of reporters‘ vehicles filled the air outside the mansion, along with a cacophony of voices and flashing cameras.
Rhett hadn’t just notified the police but also called the media too.
