All Chapters of THE CASTAWAY HEIR: POWER UNSEEN: Chapter 61
- Chapter 70
120 chapters
CHAPTER 61
Upon hearing Ava’s words, the senior police officer stepped forward, his boots clicking sharply against the marble tiles. His hands rested firmly on his hips, and his face hardened into a stern, unwavering mask of authority. “Enough of this!” he barked.Every eye turned toward the uniformed officer.“You two have been caught lying. You tried to frame two innocent people for your reckless behavior. And now, after all of that, you think pleading and crying will save you? Let me make this clear: you could be charged for deliberately framing someone else.”Sophia’s head drooped at once, her shoulders shaking. Ava, on the other hand, had her trembling hands clasped together, her voice rising in desperate supplication.“Please… please have mercy on my daughter!” Ava cried once more.Her knees remained firmly planted on the floor and her body trembled violently.“We didn’t mean… we didn’t think… we just wanted to sell our items to get money for the company! We… we were desperate!”The off
CHAPTER 62
The shop attendant stepped closer.“Officer,” he said firmly facing the directionof one of tge officers and gesturing toward the shattered display, “these items are extremely valuable—handmade by commissioned artisans. They cannot leave this shop unless they pay or agree to compensate. The damage is significant.”Sophia let out a small, strangled sound. Her fingers, still trembling faintly, curled into her palms. Every eye in the shop seemed to be staring at her and Ava… judging them… and memorizing their shame.Ava’s shoulders shook as silent panic traveled through her body, running like electricity beneath her skin. But then anger surged inside her like it always did whenever she felt cornered.Her expression twisted.“This is all your fault!” she spat, thrusting a shaking finger toward Jessica like a dagger. “You and that bastard—may you both never know peace! Do you hear me? God will judge you!”Gasps rippled through the onlookers. Customers recoiled slightly, stunned that she d
CHAPTER 63
The shopkeeper finished examining the antiques and jewelry that Ava and Sophia had brought with them.One by one, he set them down on the polished glass counter. His expression remained unreadable.He lifted the final item—a delicate gold pocket watch, engraved with an old family crest—and inspected it beneath the warm lights. Then he placed the pocket watch gently onto the counter. He straightened, smoothed his palms over his apron, and lifted her eyes to meet Ava’s.“Madam, your items are worth fifty million dollars in total.”Ava’s knees buckled beneath her. She swayed forward, catching herself just before she collapsed. Her breath hitched in her throat, choking her. Sophia felt her stomach drop so fast that she nearly staggered backward.Fifty million?“But,” the shopkeeper continued, “the glass items your daughter broke cost over two hundred and thirty million dollars.”The words rang through the expensive boutique like a judge’s gavel slamming down.Sophia felt the world ti
CHAPTER 64
Ava and Sophia stood frozen, their chests rising and falling in short, uneven breaths.Their mouths hung slightly open, stunned into complete silence. For several seconds, they even forgot the disaster they themselves had caused—the shattered glass glittering on the floor, the towering bill they couldn’t afford, amd6 the police officers waiting impatiently for them to decide whether they would pay or be escorted out in handcuffs.All of that vanished from their minds the moment the shopkeeper uttered the number.Two hundred and eighty million dollars.It didn’t simply echo—it slammed into them like a wave.How could Brandon purchase items worth that amount. Was he out of his mind?Ava blinked several times, her eyelids fluttering as if trying to reset her vision. Surely she heard wrong. Surely the shopkeeper misspoke. Maybe she added an extra zero, or two, or even three. There had to be an error. There was no way someone like Bramdon would casually spend that amount of money in the
CHAPTER 65
Heads turned sharply, confusion rippling across the boutique like a sudden gust of wind. Shoppers froze mid-step, eyes widening. Even the soft instrumental music playing through the ceiling speakers seemed to stumble, as though the entire building itself paused at Sophia’s wild accusation. Brandon didn’t flinch. He didn’t bristle. He didn’t even look offended. He simply stood there, tall and composed, his hands resting casually in his pockets as though he were watching a mild argument between strangers. His expression remained perfectly neutral. Then, without raising his voice or showing even an ounce of irritation, Brandon chuckled softly. “Sophia,” he said, tilting his head slightly as though speaking to a stubborn child, “what if it’s my card?” Sophia blinked rapidly, stunned—then she suddenly threw her head back and burst into laughter. “Your card?” she repeated mockingly, her voice echoing off the marble walls. “Brandon, honestly… are you trying to be
CHAPTER 66
Everyone stood still as the security officer stepped forward, holding the POS device that had just confirmed Brandon’s transaction. His expression remained firm and unreadable as he delivered the announcement. “It’s his card. The payment went through under the name Brandon Scott. The card is valid—and it belongs to him alone.” The air cracked. Sophia’s face drained of color in an instant—her lips parted but no sound came out. Her knees wobbled slightly, and she had to grab Ava’s arm for balance. Ava, on the other hand, nearly collapsed. Her mouth trembled uncontrollably as she stared at Brandon like her eyes might fall out of their sockets. Brandon simply raised an eyebrow. Jessica watched Sophia and Ava with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. She had seen Sophia play many dirty tricks, but today’s humiliation was in a league of its own. Brandon carefully slipped his card back into his wallet. His composure only made Sophia’s embarrassment ten times worse.
CHAPTER 67
Just before Brandon and Jessica left the mall, Jessica paused mid-step, tilting her head in Sophia’s direction, lips curling into a sly smirk.“You know, you promised something, Sophia. That extra twenty million… you do realize you have to live up to your word.”Sophia raised her hand, waving frantically, signaling Jessica to stop talking. But Jessica only stepped closer, her smirk widening as she ignored every desperate gesture.“Live up to your promise, Sophia. You said it. And the world doesn’t forget, you know.”Some of the spectators—mall shoppers who had been gathering at a safe distance, eyes wide with intrigue—had been whispering to one another. Murmurs of laughter, exclamations of disbelief, and comments about the entire scene had filled the air for minutes. Now, emboldened, a few stepped forward.“We won’t allow them to leave,” one man called out, pointing at Sophia and Ava. “The lady promised twenty million extra! Everything’s on record! You don’t get to walk away after
CHAPTER 68
The realization hit Ava and Sophia slowly at first, like a creeping shadow, then all at once with suffocating force—what they had brought wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. Knowing they needed to add more money—or surrender something even more valuable—to cover the enormous debt, Ava and Sophia exchanged a helpless, defeated look. Their hands shook as they unfastened the expensive jewelry they were wearing. Ava removed her glittering diamond choker; Sophia unclasped the antique pearl set resting against her throat. The pieces were worth a fortune, yet even they felt strangely small now, insignificant against the mountain of debt they faced.“Add these,” Ava whispered to the shopkeeper, her voice trembling as she pushed the jewelry across the counter. Sophia exhaled shakily and reached into her handbag for the keys to her luxury vehicle.She placed the keys beside the jewelry, her hand lingering for a moment as if letting go required force.The shopkeeper frowned. “What car is thi
CHAPTER 69
Jessica was practically bouncing with excitement as she approached the towering glass-and-steel structure of Scott Holdings, her heels clicking briskly against the polished pavement.Today wasn’t just any ordinary day—it was her mother’s birthday, the grand celebration they had been preparing for weeks. She stopped just a few steps from the entrance, pausing to adjust her clutch against her hip, then she spotted Brandon leaning casually near the entrance.He looked as effortlessly composed as ever—hands in his pockets, posture relaxed, face unreadable but undeniably charismatic. She hadn’t expected him to be here so early. The moment she saw him, her mind leaped back to their outing at the mall the day before. Brandon helping her choose the green gown. Brandon insisting she try the off-shoulder style. Brandon giving small, thoughtful comments that made her blush more than once.He must have come so that they could both attend the party she had initially invited him to, she thought
CHAPTER 70
“Your… driver?” the man whose name was Nathaniel Young, asked further, his voice dripping with arrogance.Jessica scoffed.The audacity was almost nauseating. Nathaniel’s tone, the way he looked at Brandon as though he were a stain on the marble floor churned something hot and electric inside her. She felt herself straighten and her jaw tighten.“It’s none of your business,” she snapped, raising her chin defiantly. “Brandon is my friend. So what about it?”For a split second, the entire entrance felt like it froze.Nathaniel blinked, stunned—bewildered even—that she had spoken back to him so directly in front of other guests. His mouth parted slightly, eyes narrowing as if he couldn’t believe she dared embarrass him publicly. But Jessica didn’t give him even a heartbeat to recover. She refused to stand there and entertain his arrogance.Without looking at him again, she grabbed Brandon’s wrist and tugged him past Nathaniel and into the hall.Jessica wanted Brandon to know she was