Chapter 12
In the brilliantly lit villa, a maelstrom of destruction unfolded. In the foreground, the entourage that the Chapman family brought swung their hammers with brutal force, smashing the interior of the villa to pieces. In the background, the reporters from numerous news outlets relentlessly hammered their camera shutters, documenting the devastation.
Christian Chapman, Winona’s older brother, had Joseph pinned to the floor. His punches rained down on him. His eyes were bloodshot with unbridled fury as he bellowed, “How could you ruin Winona, the Chapman family’s beloved and pampered heiress? Do you have a death wish?”
The Chapman family, while en route, had meticulously unraveled every detail of Winona’s hidden past. It turned out that their upright and honorable Winona had been shamelessly branded as a promiscuous woman by Joseph. His egregious act was perpetrated purely for the sake of his childhood sweetheart, Queenie, who had been the one whom the abductor assaulted.
Christian’s fury grew with every thought, causing his punches to land with increasing brutality. Had his wife, Dakota Moore, not intervened and pulled him away, Joseph’s funeral would likely have been held the following day.
Christian, completely disregarding the bloodied Joseph, merely rose to his feet and instructed his men to carry on with the destruction.
Having left in such haste, Winona couldn’t take many of her belongings with her. If she couldn’t take them, then they should all be destroyed, effectively erasing any trace of the Chapman family’s heiress ever having married into the Lowe family.
Upon seeing the utter devastation within the villa, Christian finally signaled for his men to cease their actions. His eyes then turned cold as he looked down at Joseph, who lay on the floor, barely clinging to life, and declared, “Henceforth, the Chapman family and Winona are severing all ties with you, Joseph. If you dare come looking for her again, it will be your undoing!”
That definitive pronouncement struck Joseph like a sudden, devastating blow, leaving his mind utterly blank. He couldn’t allow this to happen. He absolutely refused to lose her!
He fought desperately to get off the ground, only to collapse heavily onto his knees the next instant. His injured leg had given out. His eyes were brimming with agony and desperation as he pleaded, “I had my reasons for everything that happened before. I can explain everything to Winnie! I’m begging you. Please just give me a chance to explain it to her!”
Christian was thoroughly incensed by Joseph’s explanation. He scoffed and barked, “What conceivable reasons could you possibly possess? You were so keen on raising someone else’s bastard child, didn’t Winona’s divorce simply grant your twisted desire, then? What is there left to explain? I’m telling you now–you had better not tell me that you’re buckling under the current backlash and are hoping to drag Winona back to take the heat for you!”
Joseph shook his head incessantly. His throat then seemingly closed up, rendering him mute. He wasn’t about to do what Christian had said. He actually wanted to tell Winona that Queenie had fooled him, which led him to pity her and accept her child as his own.
His idea was that as soon as Queenie delivered the baby, he would raise it as his own. As for Queenie, he would give her some money and send her abroad. He also intended to seize that moment to hold a press conference, revealing the full truth of the abduction incident and formally acknowledge his and Winona’s child.
Yet, before he could even begin to execute his intentions, Winona had already aborted the baby, finalized their divorce, and walked out of his life for good.
He absolutely couldn’t comprehend Winona’s actions, given that she loved him so much. He had even assured her that if she just held on a little longer, everything would resolve itself, allowing them to settle into a happy and peaceful life together. Why did she refuse to hold out a little while longer?
Dakota, standing close by, scoffed and retorted, “What’s there to explain when it comes to infidelity?
Short of sleeping with her, you practically did everything with Queenie, Joseph. You took another man’s child as your own, yet labeled your legitimate child a bastard. You publicly flaunted Queenie while forced Winona to endure public shame.
“It’s truly impressive how you managed to garner all the glory while Winona bore all the ignominy. It seems like we, the Chapmans, must have been utterly foolish to have ever thought highly of someone like you!”
Dakota’s relentless succession of cutting remarks felt like barbed nails tearing into Joseph, leaving him in unbearable agony. He lowered his head like a mere husk of a man, allowing the Chapmans to rain blows and insults upon him without resistance.
Having exhausted her criticisms, Dakota fixed her gaze on Joseph and said one last cutting remark, “If you had been honest back then about not loving Winnie, we would have never allowed her to marry you, Joseph.”
