“Impossible?” Paulina Johnston froze, stunned.
Madeline’s throat tightened painfully. Clenching her fists, she spoke with a tinge of bitterness, “Flynn and Scarlet are together now.”
Boom!
Paulina Johnston felt as though she’d been struck by lightning.
Her stomach churned violently, as if knives were twisting inside. Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead.
She thought back to the last time at the cafe, when Maria Johnston had firmly opposed Madeline’s divorce.
At the time, Paulina had sneered and dismissed her sister’s advice.
Now that she thought about it, Maria must have already known Flynn’s true capabilities.
But Paulina, blinded by her arrogance, had dismissed her warnings.
Flynn was a diamond in the rough. If Madeline didn’t want him, there were plenty of others who would.
“Scarlet is so shameless! How could she hook up with Flynn?”
“I treated her so well, and this is how she repays me? Stealing your man?”
“No shame at all!” Paulina’s face darkened, and she grew angrier by the second.
Though she and Maria Johnston didn’t get along, she had never extended their feud to the younger generation and had always treated Scarlet well.
Every summer and winter vacation, Scarlet would visit Madeline to play.
Now, Scarlet had stolen Madeline’s man. Paulina was livid.
Madeline spoke, her voice filled with pain, “Mom, can you stop talking about it?”
“The Kaur family never treated Flynn well. Scarlet even told us to be kinder to him, but we didn’t listen. Instead, we tried every way to sever ties with him.”
“Besides, they’re divorced now. Any girl is free to pursue him.”
Madeline was overwhelmed with anguish. Each word she spoke felt like a stab to her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Flynn and Scarlet had done nothing wrong to the Kaur family. On the contrary, it was the Kaur family that had driven Flynn away with harsh words, pushing out their golden goose.
Paulina was left speechless by her daughter’s words.
It was true. Flies don’t swarm to flawless eggs. If Madeline had managed her marriage well, and if the Kaur family hadn’t been so harsh, things wouldn’t have come to this.
Meanwhile, Flynn was unaware of the storm brewing on Madeline’s side.
He was with Matteo Kaur, performing acupuncture.
Healing Uncle Matteo’s heart condition was something Flynn felt compelled to do.
Using two silver needles, he gently manipulated the acupoints on Matteo’s hand.
After about ten minutes, he removed the needles.
“Ah, Flynn really does have the magic touch! My heart feels so much better,” Matteo said with a smile, rubbing the spot where the needle had been.
Flynn smiled back. “Uncle Matteo, your heart condition is complex.”
“I’ve used acupuncture to clear the blockages in your acupoints. You won’t have any more issues with your heart.”
“However, you’ll still need to continue taking the Ancient Formula Returning Heart Pill for a while to stabilize your condition.”
After carefully packing away his needles, Flynn felt a sense of relief.
For the past two days, he had been deeply worried about Matteo’s condition, especially since it had worsened because of him.
Now, finally, Matteo’s health was on the mend.
“Good, good! I’ll follow the doctor’s orders,” Matteo said with a hearty laugh, patting Flynn on the shoulder, his joy evident.
This was his excellent son-in-law!
The pride of Adrianna Noble!
Let’s see who dares to call Flynn useless now!
But then, Matteo’s expression suddenly turned serious. He fixed Flynn with a stern look.
“Flynn, Rose won’t win this business war. You should try to persuade her.”
“Negotiation is the only way out.”
His tone was grave, and his concern was genuine.
From his perspective, compared to ordinary people or even families like the Kaur family, Flynn was exceptional-perhaps even slightly stronger than Orion Kennedy.
But his opponent was Layla.
That woman was a powerhouse. Her connections and resources were leagues beyond Flynn’s.
She had been in the game for more than a decade. How could Flynn, who had only recently been released from prison, compete with her?
Matteo believed that if Flynn had thirty years, he could undoubtedly catch up to Layla.
But right now, they weren’t even in the same league.
“I understand, Uncle Matteo,” Flynn replied with a faint smile, avoiding further discussion.
Satisfied, Matteo got up and headed to the restroom.
Molly, watching Matteo leave, spoke softly, “Madeline ran into Nathan earlier. Judging by her expression, she probably knows what’s going on now.”
Flynn didn’t look up. He sipped his drink and replied indifferently, “This is the path she chose. All we can do is wish her well.”
Scarlet couldn’t help but glance over.
She saw Madeline and Paulina slumped in their chairs, their faces pale, their eyes hollow.
They looked like they had lost their souls.
Madeline, sensing Scarlet’s gaze, instinctively turned her head.
When their eyes met, Madeline quickly looked away, clutching her clothes tightly. Her expression was panicked and helpless.
She could no longer face Scarlet and the others.
Memories of Nathan’s scorn and Scarlet’s past warnings made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles. She wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
“They’re probably laughing at me,” she thought bitterly, biting her lip so hard it bled.
Shame consumed her, leaving her utterly humiliated.
But what hurt the most was that Flynn hadn’t even glanced at her from start to finish.
It was clear-he was completely and utterly disappointed in her.
“I won’t regret this. Never!” Madeline clenched her fists, biting her lip until it bled. The taste of blood was bitter-so bitter.
Paulina gritted her teeth and sneered. “Flynn must be feeling smug now. He finally got to humiliate us.”
“Ha! What’s there to be so proud of?”
“He’s chosen to go up against Layla. There’s only one possible outcome-bankruptcy!”
“Just wait. That kid’s money will go up in smoke, Thodell Mansion will be mortgaged, and he’ll be a billion dollars in debt!”
Flynn and Rose standing together, fighting back, was undoubtedly a joint decision.
But Paulina refused to believe Flynn had the ability to turn the tide. Even with billions to his name, he wasn’t qualified to go head-to-head with Layla.
“Flynn probably wants to humiliate Layla,” Paulina continued with a sneer.
“Too bad he’s nowhere near her level. The only outcome is utter defeat, his billions gone in a puff of smoke.”
Madeline nodded in agreement, her tone regretful.
But deep down, she felt a sense of relief.
In her eyes, Flynn might have climbed the peak of Niarak’s mountain, but he could never reach Layla, the brightest star in the sky.
Flynn’s wealth was nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
He would eventually return to mediocrity-or worse, fall into the depths of despair, never to rise again.
Meanwhile, Lilia Hussain had raised another ten billion dollars.
Layla Woods’s influence was unstoppable.
Within half an hour, more than a dozen entrepreneurs had joined her cause.
Even Second-in-command had invested one million, completely abandoning Rose.
It was clear-standing with Lilia was the winning move.
These investors believed they were on the verge of a decisive victory.
The next step was to crush the Sharp’s Group completely.