Filed To Story: Watch Out! She's a Mastermind Heiress (Isabella Patton) Book PDF Free
He had never had a good impression of Jada, and he was even more disgusted with her after this incident. This was Jada’s first time being spoken to so harshly by an elder. Her face flushed, and embarrassment washed over her. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.
“Grandpa, how can you say that to Jada? She’s only trying to help me.”
Wesley couldn’t bear to see Jada being scolded like this.
Wesley barely finished his sentence when another blow landed on him, leaving him seething with frustration. “Grandpa, I know business isn’t my strong suit, but I’ve been doing my best to figure things out. Nobody learns how to run a company overnight. Why won’t you just give me a little more time to prove myself?”
“You’re as stubborn as a mule. Don’t you see what’s going on? Jada’s playing you like a fiddle, using you to get under Isabella’s skin. Go cool off and think about what you’ve done!” Clayton’s fury burned hot. The bodyguards stepped in, ready to remove Wesley from the scene.
Jada lingered awkwardly, sensing it was her cue to leave. Clayton shot her a stern warning. “Stay away from Wesley. If I catch you manipulating him again, you’ll regret it.”
Jada remained silent.
As she left the Lambert Group building, Jada’s fists tightened, her whole body shaking with rage. Wesley had been the one chasing after her, and she had lowered herself just to stay by his side. How had things twisted so badly that she was now the one being looked down upon?
Damn Clayton! He never wanted her anywhere near Wesley. But the more he pushed, the more determined she became to hold on to him. After all, Wesley was the only person in Ansport’s elite circle who was still on her side.
Jada’s resolve hardened.
Word of Zahir’s return spread like wildfire across the city. The happiest of all were the employees of Lambert Group—Zahir was far more competent than Wesley, and with him back, their fears of the company collapsing vanished.
The buzz in the city didn’t die down. Just a week later, Susan, daughter of the head of the Riggs Group, got engaged to Dane, the CEO of the Patton Group.
During the engagement ceremony, Esteban made a shocking announcement—Susan would become the future leader of the Riggs Group. The news sent waves through the crowd.
All eyes turned toward Susan, now glowing with admiration. Meanwhile, Isabella looked on, filled with relief and pride. Susan had done it. She hadn’t just…
Engaged to the man she loved, Susan had also managed to take control of the Riggs Group. Her dream was no longer just a distant hope—it had now become her reality.
Andrew squeezed Isabella’s hand gently, and she smiled. “I’m genuinely happy,” she said softly.
“I know,” he whispered back.
Andrew’s heart swelled with joy as well, though his happiness was mostly for their own engagement, which was just around the corner. Susan was caught off guard. Though she’d known her father was grooming her for the role, she hadn’t expected him to announce it at such a crucial event.
The realization hit her—her standing in Ansport was about to soar.
Jada’s and Mara’s smiles masked the curses they were throwing Susan’s way in their minds.
With the long day finally over, Susan shed her extravagant dress and found Esteban sitting alone in the lounge. Though he had been on his feet all day, he still seemed full of energy, his gaze resting on her with a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite read.
Out of nowhere, Isabella’s words echoed in Susan’s mind. Maybe it was time to settle the old misunderstandings between them.
Susan locked eyes with Esteban and asked slowly, “Why did you always give Jada more pocket money than me when I was little?” Her fingers dug into the fabric of her dress, her nerves bubbling to the surface without her even realizing it.
Susan had long accepted Esteban’s favoritism, but what had happened in recent months had reignited a glimmer of hope within her.
Losing her mother so young, Susan had always craved her father’s affection.
Esteban looked startled, his brow furrowing. “What are you talking about?” he asked, clearly confused.
A wave of heartache hit Susan hard. She bit her lip softly and asked the same question again. This time, her voice was more hesitant.
Esteban’s puzzled expression only grew more pronounced. Susan’s grip on her dress tightened as uncertainty crept in. Did he think she was being defiant by confronting him like this? Hiding her pain behind forced calm, she stood up straighter. “Forget it,” she muttered. “I’ll head out now.”
“Why would you ask something like that?” Esteban frowned. “I gave both of you the exact same amount of pocket money.” In fact, he sometimes bought Susan gifts that were even more expensive.
Susan stared at him, stunned into silence. Esteban’s face darkened as realization hit him. “How much pocket money did you get as a child?” he asked, his tone turning sharp.
“Ten dollars… a month,” she whispered.
Ten dollars?
Esteban was shocked.
“I gave Mara ten thousand dollars every month, so she could pass it on to you,” he said, disbelief thick in his voice.
Ten thousand dollars?
Susan’s jaw dropped, her mind struggling to make sense of it.
Flashes of Jada bragging about her twenty thousand-dollar monthly allowance filled Susan’s mind. So, that was where her money had gone.
Susan’s expression grew darker by the second, matching the storm brewing in Esteban’s eyes. In a voice as cold as ice, Esteban said, “Tell me more. Did you ever get any of the gifts I sent you?”
“You sent me gifts?” Susan asked, still trying to wrap her head around everything.
Esteban’s expression soured further. “Every time I traveled for work, I brought back gifts for you and told Mara to hand them over. Are you telling me you never got any of them?”
Esteban had always imagined Susan wearing the clothes and jewelry he picked out for her, but he never saw her in any of it. He’d assumed she had been upset with him and refused to wear them out of spite.
“I never got any gifts,” Susan murmured.
Her words hit Esteban like a punch to the gut, leaving him breathless.
How could that woman do something like this?
Esteban was on the verge of collapsing from his fury. Noticing this, Susan hurried to his side to offer her support. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“I never knew any of this. I always believed…” Though Susan didn’t complete her thought, Esteban understood what she meant. The man who had risen to great heights of power and influence was now on the brink of tears.
Ever since his ex-wife had passed away, Esteban had felt an increasing sense of guilt toward Susan. He had married Mara with the hope that she would look after his daughter, but he never expected that over the years, Mara would treat Susan so cruelly without his knowledge.
It was no wonder that Susan had grown more distant from him over time. He had been completely unaware of the turmoil unfolding right before him.
Guilt overwhelmed Esteban, and his voice trembled with emotion. “This is all my fault. I had no clue she could be so heartless. I married her because she promised she would take care of you. And look how she treated you instead!”
When Susan saw the look on Esteban’s face, it dawned on her that all the misunderstandings between them had been the result of Mara’s manipulations.
“Dad, it’s alright. I should take some responsibility too. I should have come to you much earlier,” Susan replied gently. Hearing the word “Dad” struck Esteban’s heart like a dagger. How long had it been since his daughter had referred to him as that? He had assumed her rebelliousness was just part of growing up.
He couldn’t imagine how helpless and miserable young Susan must have felt under such harsh treatment at home.
“I take full responsibility. I promise I’ll make things right for you!” Esteban declared, his expression firm and determined. Susan simply nodded in response, her thoughts unspoken.
As they stepped out of the lounge, Isabella noticed their reddened eyes and realized that the rift between them had likely been mended.
The members of both families exchanged their farewells before heading back to their respective homes.
Once back at the Riggs family home, Susan made her way to her bedroom to freshen up a bit. When she came out of the bathroom, she was surprised to find two uninvited guests lounging in her room. She shot them a cold glare and asked, “Who gave you permission to barge into my room?”
Jada scoffed. “Oh, so now you think you can act all high and mighty just because you’re engaged to Dane? The entire Riggs family’s property is actually my mom’s! Susan, do you honestly believe that marrying into a good family has made you special?”
Mara’s eyes gleamed with malice as she let out a chilling laugh. “Your dad handed you the Riggs Group today, and you actually think he cares about you? It’s only because you’re engaged to Dane. Now that you have some value, he’s interested. With the support of the Patton family, the Riggs Group will grow even stronger.”
During the engagement ceremony earlier, they had observed the crowd showering compliments on the girl they used to scorn, which stirred feelings of anger and jealousy within them. Once they arrived home, they found it impossible to hold back their mocking remarks.
This was their typical strategy. Whenever Susan accomplished something noteworthy, they would find ways to belittle her, ensuring she felt small and unworthy. By doing so, they maintained a tighter grip on her.
However, the Susan standing before them now was far removed from the girl they once knew.
With a cold, detached gaze, Susan stared at them and said, “After all these years, you still haven’t changed at all.”
“Oh, your tone is getting quite bold, aren’t you? What a shame! Dad’s attention is only on me. So what if you have rights to inherit the Riggs Group? Dad just mentioned that he plans to hand me the CEO position. He doesn’t want to say it outright, so he needs you to mention it first.”
Jada stood up; her pure white dress gave her an air of gentleness and kindness. But there was a malicious glint in her eyes that told a different story.
She crossed her arms and approached Susan, a mocking smile spreading across her face. “Susan, I get it. You’re trying to win Dad’s attention. But the one he truly cherishes is me. You should just be satisfied being Dane’s wife and let me take over the company.”
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