THE CASTAWAY HEIR: POWER UNSEEN

CHAPTER 10

Downstairs, Brandon had just slipped his phone into his pocket after a terse call.

His dark eyes flicked toward Jessica before he jerked his chin toward the black sedan parked at the curb.

“Get in,” he said.

Jessica hesitated.

For a moment she considered declining, making some excuse about heading home.

A whole day of confrontations—first with Ava Bennet and her poisonous words, then Brandon’s unexpected generosity—had left her drained.

But Brandon’s tone carried no room for negotiation.

He wasn’t a man who explained himself easily, and in the few hours she had known him, she had already sensed that resistance only prolonged matters.

She nodded quietly and slid into the backseat.

As the engine purred to life, Jessica finally gathered the courage to ask.

“Where… where are we going?”

Brandon didn’t answer immediately.

His gaze was fixed outside. For a long stretch of silence, only the hum of the road filled the air.

When the car slowed and finally rolled to a stop, Jessica’s breath caught.

They were outside the Grand Bell Pavilion—tonight’s venue for the bell-ringing banquet, a glittering gala where the elite gathered to witness and celebrate landmark financial deals.

The arched entrance sparkled with chandeliers that lit up the marble steps, while a red carpet flowed into the building.

Well-dressed men and women streamed in.

Brandon opened the door for her, his expression unreadable.

“Get out,” he said.

Jessica blinked at him, stunned.

“Here? But… why?”

Brandon remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Reluctantly, Jessica stepped out, her heels clicking on the polished stone.

The moment she straightened her dress and looked toward the crowd, they sighted Sophia.

She was draped in a custom evening gown that shimmered like liquid gold.

Everything about her exuded pride. She stood at the center of a circle of admirers, each of them gushing congratulations for her success and her newfound position.

The moment she stopped moving, whispers rippled through the cluster of onlookers.

One sharp-eyed guest leaned toward another guest, murmuring just loud enough for all to hear:

“Isn’t that Jessica Marion? The bankrupt CEO from last month… Marion Investments?”

Gasps followed and heads turned toward Jessica with open curiosity.

Sophia noticed Brandon and Jessica instantly.

She raised her champagne glass with a tinkling laugh and made a delicate gesture.

“Give me a moment,” she said.

The crowd parted obediently as she stepped forward with Ryan keeping pace at her side.

Ryan leaned down toward Sophia, lowering his voice.

“Shall I excuse myself?”

Sophia’s laughter was like bells.

“Oh, Ryan, don’t be so gentlemanly. I’ve already considered you one of us.” She slipped her arm into his, linking them together.

“Stay. After all, we don’t keep secrets from family.”

The gesture was not lost on anyone watching.

Murmurs rose again, louder this time, tinged with amusement. Sophia had just declared Ryan her chosen partner—in front of Brandon.

Jessica’s stomach knotted, but Brandon’s face remained carved from stone.

He stood a pace away from her, shoulders squared, eyes cold as iron as he stared at Sophia and Ryan.

“If you have anything to say,” Brandon said at last, “say it quickly. I have business to attend to.”

Sophia arched a perfect brow, her painted lips curving into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“There’s not much to say,” she replied lightly.

“I’ve already signed the divorce papers. What I wanted to ask is simple—what do you plan to do with all that junk you left at home? It clutters the place. I’d rather get rid of it, but I thought I’d give you the courtesy of deciding first.”

Brandon’s gaze didn’t waver.

“Handle it yourself. I don’t need any of it.”

Sophia sneered.

“So poor you’ll end up sleeping on the street. You really don’t want those things? At least they’re branded. Selling a piece or two might keep you alive for a while.”

The crowd chuckled uneasily.

Ryan seized the opportunity.

“Hey, loser, don’t embarrass yourself trying to keep up appearances. Pride doesn’t fill your stomach. Better to worry about whether you can even afford your next meal.”

Sophia leaned into Ryan’s shoulder, her laugh ringing like crystal.

“So true. Brandon, if you were smart, you’d take the things while I’m still in a good mood. When my mood changes, you won’t even have a place to cry.”

Just then, Ryan and Sophia burst into cruel and mocking laughter.

Jessica clenched her fists, her breath trembling. Enough was enough!

She stepped forward with a clear and fierce voice.

“Isn’t this humiliating enough? Who uses old possessions to settle a divorce? If you really wanted to compensate him, you’d give him money! A few hundred thousand at least! Can’t even spare that, and yet you’re pretending to be generous?”

Jessica’s words cut through the laughter like a knife and the room stilled.

Sophia’s smile froze.

Slowly, her eyes narrowed into slits as she regarded Jessica with venom.

“And who do you think you are?” Her voice dripped with contempt.

She stepped closer, her voice rising.

“A bankrupt nobody! A failed CEO whose company collapsed before it even had a chance to rise. You dare lecture me? You think you’re qualified?”

She laughed harshly, drawing stares from all sides.

“Look at yourself. What are you even doing here? Did you come to mooch food and drink at someone else’s celebration? Or maybe you thought you’d find a new ‘benefactor’ to leech off?”

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Jessica’s face went pale, but her spine stiffened.

She had faced ruin before, betrayal, and abandonment. But this—being called a parasite in front of a hundred sneering eyes—was something else.

Sophia lifted her manicured hand and waved toward the edge of the hall.

“Guards! Check if this woman even has a valid pass. I want to know who dared let her in here.”