Her Divorce, His Downfall (Sophia and Damian) novel Chapter 167

Chapter 167 Checkmate

With that, Damian flashed a winning smile, looking every bit like a man who already held all the cards. He sat back and waited for the Halls to make their move.

The silence that followed was suffocating. The faces around the table grew uglier by the second.

Daniel clutched his chest, gasping for air. Each breath felt like something was being ripped apart inside him.

What on earth had he done in a past life to deserve a son like this? The sheer defiance of it was going to put him in an early

grave.

Catherine sighed over and over, genuinely baffled by what her son was trying to accomplish.

Bradley’s face was terrifyingly dark. Damian was deliberately playing the scorched–earth card, using something morally unconscionable to force everyone’s hand.

If word actually got out about this, the Hall family’s reputation would take an even worse hit than a simple engagement to Isabelle.

He looked at Damian, the nephew he’d watched grow up, knowing full well how ruthless and reckless Damian could be!:36

Suppressing his anger, he said through gritted teeth, “Damian, that’s enough. Marrying your aunt is absolutely out of the question. Either take back the engagement talk, or behave yourself and stop spouting this absurd nonsense.”

Catherine let out a long, weary sigh.

“Damian, are you really sure about this? Getting engaged to Isabelle doesn’t just affect you. It affects the entire family.

“Once it’s done, there’s no undoing it. Whatever trouble she stirs up after that, you’ll be the one cleaning it up, and the Hall family will have to deal with the fallout.”

Damian arched an eyebrow, let out a cold snort, and replied with undisguised mockery. “Behave? How much more behaved do you want me to be?”

He paused, then looked at Catherine. His voice was steady and certain.

“Mom, don’t worry. Anything that comes with Isabelle, I handle. None of it will touch the Hall family’s interests. She works at my company. I’ll keep her in check. It’s my company. I run it how I see fit.”

The lengths he was willing to go to for Isabelle left Sophia staring at the man she’d shared a bed with for three years as if he were a complete stranger. Today, she finally under ood what

so–called “true love” looked like.

What a star–crossed pair of lovebirds.

Hearing his promise, Eleanor gave her troublemaking grandson a long, measured look. A flicker of calculation passed through

her eyes.

Damian noticed his grandmother watching him. He met Eleanor’s gaze, his tone losing some of its earlier edge but none of its resolve.

“Grandma, I don’t want to drag the Hall family’s name through the mud either. So either you let me get engaged to Isabelle, and I give you my word I’ll make peace with Uncle Julian, stop going after his fiancée, and keep Isabelle on a tight leash so she stays out of trouble.

“Or I propose to my dear auntie right here, right now, in front of everyone. And at that point, the family’s reputation won’t be in my hands anymore.”

Samuel shook his head helplessly at Damian’s unmovable stance and turned to Eleanor,

“Aunt Eleanor, at this point, I think we just let him have it. Better to give in than let him do something rash and destroy the family’s name, He picked his own fiancée. Whatever comes of it, that’s on him.

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“As long as he keeps his word, leaves Ms. Fitzgerald alone, stops fighting with Julian, and keeps Isabelle under control.”

He laid it out for Eleanor piece by piece–give Damian what he wants for now to keep him stable. On one side was his obsession, on the other was the family’s reputation. Without compromise, both would be destroyed.

Theodore’s expression was neutral. He understood his cousin well enough.

Theodore knew that once Damian made up his mind, a team of oxen couldn’t drag him back. Damian had been headstrong since childhood, doing whatever he pleased, whenever he pleased.

Theodore fixed Damian with a sharp look and spoke carefully.

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