Chapter 90
“Oh, look who’s here! Rhett, too.” Nicola waltzed in the hospital room, decked out in luxury from head to toe, with a handbag worth millions of dollars swinging from her arm, exuding
arrogance.
Seeing Rhett there, Nicola’s face soured. “Holcomb, I see Rhett is also here.”
Holcomb’s expression was no less grim. Entering the room, he first glanced at Rhett and then at Kristin, lying on the hospital bed.
Feeling anxious and scared, Kristin sat up.
Rhett instinctively moved forward, positioning himself protectively by Kristin’s bed, casting a low and threatening barrier between her and Nicola.
“Rhett, what’s this about? Playing the knight in shining armor for this woman?” Nicola’s voice had a sharp edge. “Do you even know who she is? She was your brother’s fiancée, that little bitch from the Turner family.”
“Years married into the FitzGerald family, and you still haven’t shed that innate coarseness or your lack of class, Rhett indifferently warned Nicola to watch her tongue.
Intimidated by Rhett, Nicola didn’t dare lash out directly. Instead, she clenched her fists and turned to cling to Holcomb’s arm. “Holcomb, look at this.”
Kristin sat on the hospital bed, hands clasped tightly, sneaking a glance at Rhett. He was so tall, seemingly a true beacon of safety.
It created an illusion in her mind, that as long as Rhett was by her side, she would be safe from any harm. He wouldn’t let anyone lay a finger on her.
“Rhett, do you know that the police have taken your brother away?” Holcomb frowned and interrogated Rhett with a stern look.
“I was there.” Rhett leaned against the bed, crossing his legs lazily. “James called the cops.”
Kristin stayed silent. It was Rhett who had made the call.
He sure knew how to pass the buck.
“James?” Nicola gritted her teeth with frustration, fully aware Rhett had alerted the police, but she couldn’t argue without evidence.
“Miss Kristin, my son was too impulsive. How would you like to settle this matter? Do you want money or something else?” Holcomb’s gaze settled on Kristin.
Nicola’s face darkened, thinking Rhett was trying to avoid responsibility. She sneered, “Rhett, if you hadn’t called the police, what are you doing here? Vincent is your brother. Did you just stand by and let this woman call the cops and have your brother taken away?”
Rhett couldn’t be bothered to engage with Nicola.
Chapter 90
Seeing Rhett wasn’t giving her the time of day. Nicola nearly exploded. “Holcomb, look at Rhett. He did it on purpose. Vincent getting locked up is a slap in the face for the FitzGerald Group. Our shares will surely take a hit. Sibling rivalry and family discordCould only make things worse. Why is Rhett so thoughtless?”
Kristin watched Nicola in shock, marveling at how she could turn the table deftly.
Glancing at Rhett, she knew about his mother’s passing when he was seventeen and Nicola entering the FitzGerald family shortly after. Rhett was still a minor and must have faced his share of troubles in that house.
Despite the mess of her life, Kristin felt a hint of sympathy for the seventeen–year–old Rhett.
“The one bringing shame to the FitzGerald family is Vincent, with his lack of upbringing. disregard for the law, assault, and brazen behavior,” Rhett said lazily, his chin raised, his jawline sharp, mocking the absurdity of Nicola’s claims.
“Father, spare a rod, spoil a child. Without proper discipline, trouble will follow, right?” Rhett was giving Holcomb a nudge, hinting Nicola failed to raise her son properly.
“Rhett, step outside,” Holcomb said, taking a deep breath and rubbing his temples.
Kristin watched Rhett anxiously, fearing he might leave.
“Holcomb, he’s dooming his brother. Blood is thicker than water. Why the rush to turn on each other?” Nicola began to cry when Rhett made no move to leave. “Rhett has never liked Vincent. always picking on him, and now he’s framing Vincent.”
“Is that how you see it, Rhett?” Holcomb frowned with accusation.
Rhett scoffed. It was a prime example of ‘give a dog a bad name and hang him.”
“Just like you all, he came here asking me to settle privately and drop the charges, but I refused,” Kristin said, her hands clenched tightly, mustering her courage to speak up.
Holcomb’s and Nicola’s gazes snapped to Kristin’s face.
With those words, Rhett was off the hook.
Rhett frowned slightly but said nothing.
“Vincent’s assault and taking his goons to force me are undisputable facts,” Kristin took a deep breath. “Lady Nicola, after all these years in the FitzGerald family, is this what your education amounts to? A son who tramples on the law at will?”
Nicola’s face turned stormy, and she moved to slap Kristin. “You little tramp, you have the nerve to talk after being in jail for five years?”
Before Rhett could intervene, Kristin raised her hand, grabbing Nicola’s wrist tightly.
She seemed so frail, yet her wrist tightened, blood seeping through the bandage.
She gazed at Nicola, her voice trembling but fierce, her eyes defiant. “Are you jealous, Lady
13:13
Chapter 90
Nicola? Do you want your son to go to Jall, too? Unlawful detention, restriction of personal freedom, trampling on human rights, instructing bodyguards to commit crimes, deliberate injury, causing disability…”
Nicola stared at Kristin in shock, then turned to Holcomb. “Holcomb, is she trying to extort us?”
Holcomb’s eyes sank as he looked at Rhett, his voice tinged with guilt. “Rhett, what did you put on the table that she won’t settle and drop the case?”
Rhett glanced at Kristin and smiled.
He didn’t let Kristin speak up because he wanted to shield her since she was naturally timid.
But who would’ve thought that she was looking out for him?
“Three million.” Kristin piped up before Rhett could say anything.
Rhett leaned back, giving Kristin a meaningful look. The clever thing about Kristin was that she knew her worth.
“You think cutting yourself a few times is worth three million dollars, huh? Dream on,” Nicola snapped.
“You popped out a son and a daughter for the FitzGerald family without raising them properly. and now you’re gunning for the FitzGerald Group that Mr. Holcomb’s, his ex–wife’s, and Lucius‘ have gone all out to build? Who’s dreaming on here, you or me?” Kristin gripped the bedsheets tightly.
She had to fend for herself.
How long could she cower behind Rhett, passively relying on his protection?
She must figure out something to tie herself to Rhett to create a mutual interest. They both needed each other to be mutually beneficial.
Only then could she safeguard herself and ensure Rhett would have her back.
Rhett’s lips curled up slightly. It turned out that she wasn’t such a pushover incapable of fighting back.
She was mostly quiet, but when she talked, she cut deep.
“Kristin, are you asking for it?” Nicola was enraged.
“I’ll throw in an extra two million,” Holcomb interjected coldly, cutting off Nicola’s cursing.
Kristin looked at Holcomb and shook her head. “Five years ago, I was framed and blackmailed by you guys and that landed me in jail. I’ve learned my lesson. I don’t want your dirty money.”
Holcomb frowned, scrutinizing Kristin. “Then what do you want?”
Kristin’s palms were sweaty as she slowly relaxed her fingers and looked up at Rhett. “I want Rhett to marry me.”
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