Twisted Ties of Love

Brett, as if he had the guts, proclaimed his love for Izabella.

Even if he were the only man left in the world, Izabella would never choose him.

She and Casey had weathered countless storms together, and she didn't believe that Brett could be the one to break them.

But Izabella had never imagined that Brett wasn't targeting Casey from the start.

As he had previously declared, he loved Izabella as much as Casey did, and conversely, Casey's love for Izabella was no less than his.

Sometimes, Brett himself didn't know how he could outdo Casey.

Izabella had been in his memory for only thirteen years, but Casey had been in Izabella's heart for twenty-five years.

Twenty-five years of youth, the most beautiful time of her life, all her memories, she had given to Casey.

What could Brett possibly offer to compete with Casey?

Brett sat in a corner, his gaze cast down, staring at his worn, grey fingertips.

His silence gave off an aura of distance that warned others not to intrude.

"How's the preparation going?" Brett asked Liam, who was behind him.

"We'll see the results tonight," Liam replied.

"Good," Brett rasped, suppressing a cough.

Brett had never intended to work on Casey. His target was the other members of the Dempsey family.

Just like with the Felton family before, if the Dempsey family chose to give up on Izabella, then Brett would consider it a win.

Brett was confident he wouldn't lose. The Dempsey family had only known Izabella for two years, why would they trade a billion-dollar empire for a woman who wasn't even related to them?

The Felton family had watched Izabella grow up, treated her like their own daughter, but in the end, chose to "discard" her for their family enterprise. They didn't even bother to keep in touch with her, didn't even know when she died.

People like that didn't deserve to be Izabella's family.

At the charity event, the host was reading the list of donors, expressing gratitude.

The list was nearing its end, and many eyes turned towards Izabella, their glances filled with undisguised scorn.

"Did Izabella come here without donating a dime, just to walk the red carpet and enjoy the dinner?"

"She's making a fool out of herself, and it's not just her face she's losing, but the Dempsey family's."

"The list isn't finished yet, why the rush?"

"Do you think we'll hear Izabella's name later on? The higher up the list, the more high-profile the donors, all of them billionaires."

"Izabella has starred in so many movies and TV shows, can't she donate a little money? Or did the Dempsey family have to prepare everything for her?"

Some people were sneakily live-streaming the event, discussing Izabella's lack of donation.

At this kind of event, all she brought was her mouth, even though she had Casey backing her up, she was still a small-town girl. Winning an Oscar didn't change that. Izabella remained unfazed amidst the whispering, wearing a polite smile.

Casey frowned, ready to have the security throw out those who were gossiping about Izabella. When he was about to act, Izabella gently stopped him, "Don't." "But they."

Izabella glanced at them, her smile undiminished, "I know you're angry at them for making things up about me, but the more you argue with them, the more they'll enjoy it." Casey understood this, of course. He could ignore them, but he didn't want Izabella to be wronged.

"Reality will give them a slap in the face, we don't need to waste our time."

With a few words, Izabella had calmed Casey down.

As the host continued reading the donations, until the very last page, the contempt in people's eyes towards Izabella grew.

"Lastly, I would like to express special thanks." The host suddenly raised his voice, startling everyone in the room to turn their attention towards him.

The host bowed deeply in Izabella's direction.

"We would like to thank the Chairwoman of the Maple Group, Ms. Izabella Salotti for her generous donation of 1.5 billion dollars."

Those who had been gossiping about Izabella instantly fell silent. What kind of amount was 1.5 billion? They had only donated a few hundred thousand at most.NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.

Most of the people here were trying to gain some fame through this charity event.

Some donated directly, while others would donate jewelry or diamonds.

Donating a million was already a big deal, let alone the Dempsey family's fifty million. But Izabella? She had donated 1.5 billion, equivalent to the sum of all other donations combined. The onlookers who had been scornful of Izabella were stunned, their eyes twitching.

They wondered if they had heard wrong. But seeing the host bowing towards Izabella and the announcement that followed confirmed their suspicions.

"The Chairwoman of the Maple Group?"

"The Izabella? The one who single-handedly took over X Entertainment? The one whose company has won multiple awards for its TV shows and movies? The company that has a market value of 8 billion in just a year and a half?"

The revelation that Izabella was the Chairwoman of the Maple Group was even more shocking than her donation.

Whether it was the people in the room or those online, everyone fell silent after hearing the news.

A moment of incredulous silence followed, like being momentarily stunned by a bolt of lightning.

Think back to the rumors that used to circulate, whispering of some scandalous secret between Izabella and the boss.

The big boss was said to be financially supporting Izabella, which was why he was promoting her and her movies.

Moreover, when Izabella announced

her retirement from the

entertainment industry, many people online lambasted her, suggesting she was like wet clay thrown up against a wall, made successful only by

a man's support.

How ludicrous that was! It turned out that they themselves were the wet clay all along.

Izabella didn't need anyone else's capital behind the scenes because she herself was the capital. She didn't need to cling to anyone for resources because she had plenty of her own.

After the news broke, some skeptics wondered if Izabella's ability to start a company was thanks to the Dempsey Group.

However, someone quickly

confirmed that this was impossible.

Although the Dempsey Group was

indeed successful, it would be impossible to build a new company with a market value of eight billion

dollars from nothing.

Subsequently, the official social media account of the Maple Group revealed Izabella's true credentials.

Holding 85% of the shares of the Maple Group, this truth was a slap in the face.

Those 'fans' who initially claimed that Izabella was not worthy of Casey finally shut their mouths.