Chapter 278

Cameron thought he had the upper hand, his face relaxing into a smug grin. “Brielle, Lillian’s still holed up at the police station because of you. Julian would never stand to see a Haywood in trouble, least of all his own granddaughter. You need to make a call, drop the charges over her buying off that driver, and then we can all be merry.”

Brielle leaned back, trying to keep her expression steady. The more you panic now, the more they’ll walk all over you. “Only you Haywoods are merry, not me,” she said coolly. “Julian is your kin, and you are now using him to threaten me? You really have no shame.

Cameron narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with mockery. “And you have some? The former fiancée of Spencer, now cozying up with his uncle, Max. If the Dorseys got wind of this, what do you think they’d do to you, Brielle? Let’s compromise. You get Max to back off and drop the lawsuit against Lillian, we keep quiet, and everyone’s at peace. Sounds good, doesn’t it?”

A shadow crossed Brielle’s eyes. She had faced the Haywoods‘ shamelessness before, but this was revolting.

She had brokered several major deals for the Haywoods, deals she could now leverage to hasten their demise. But that would only make them more desperate, putting Julian in greater danger.

She needed to establish her own company, fast. She couldn’t let them exploit her weaknesses again…

As the standoff continued, a knock on the hospital room door announced the arrival of the doctor. The doctor handed Brielle a neatly wrapped box, his voice tinged with envy. “Ms. Brielle, someone just dropped this off for you. I think you’ll be very pleased with it.”

A gift? Brielle paused, thinking of Max. Was it from him?

She couldn’t care less about the Haywoods now, her fingers trembling as she opened the box. Her pupils dilated in shock, and reflexively, she tried to close it. But the box slipped, its lid flung open, and several fingers tumbled out.

Treated to look like macabre art, the fingers were bloodless, yet they still sent chills down the spine.

Brielle’s face remained stoic, but Aubree, standing nearby, gagged and retched into a waste bin. A small note fluttered out of the box, which Cameron, pale as a ghost, picked up. It read–Lillian’s fingers, Bri, do you like them?

Cameron’s face twisted in horror, his hand trembling.

Miranda snatched the note, fainted away after reading it.

Cameron, staring at the composed Brielle, thought of her earlier attempt to hide the box. Grinding his teeth, he wished he could tear her in two. “Brielle! What is this?! You wicked woman, Lillian’s already in trouble because of you, and now you have her fingers chopped off! You witch!”

Cameron’s eyes were bloodshot, his mind devoid of reason as he lunged forward, grabbing Brielle’s collar.

“Do you think just because you have Max on your side, I wouldn’t touch you?”

Brielle felt nauseous but kept her face cold. “Lillian has crossed many people; how am I supposed to know who did this?”

Cameron, fueled by rage, clenched his fist, ready to tear her collar.

“You bi-

“Slap!”

Before finishing the scolding, Brielle had already slapped him across the face. The crisp sound echoed in the hospital room.

Cameron froze, his grip loosening.

Brielle glanced at the fingers on the floor, her brows furrowed. “Get out. The Haywoods aren’t welcome here.”

Pushed back, Cameron stumbled, his eyes blazing with hatred as he comprehended the situation.