The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 280

Blinded by their own rage, the brothers completely fail to recognize Jade's blatant manipulation. Instead of seeing through her act, they take the bait, their anger toward Tara multiplying.

"When Tara left Dennis Media, I thought she would at least keep her head down and work," Alec sneers. "Who knew she was secretly building a company just to tear us apart? She probably planned this from the very beginning. She won't be happy until she's destroyed us."

Watching them turn their vitriol toward Tara, a twisted sense of victory blooms in Jade's chest. But her quiet triumph is instantly shattered by Jake's cold, heavy voice.

"Jade, you need to look at your own actions. Dennis Media paved every single road for you. We handed you the absolute best resources in the industry, over and over again. Why does every single thing you touch end in disaster?" Jake's gaze hardens. "You need to reflect on yourself. You can't keep blaming everyone else when things go wrong."

If Tara had been in the room, she would have been genuinely shocked to see Jake finally showing a microscopic shred of clarity.

Caught completely off guard by the reprimand, Jade's internal gloating shatters. She instantly snaps back into her victim persona, her eyes welling with tears.

"Jake, I didn't decide to use a ghost-singer! You were the ones who made me do it!" she cries, her voice dripping with betrayal. "You told me I couldn't compete with Loretta's voice! And when I got famous, you got paranoid and forced me to quit singing! Now that everything is falling apart, you're blaming me? You're so mean! I hate you!"

Unleashing a dramatic sob, Jade turns and runs out of the room.

"Oh, really?" Jake barks out a cold, humorless laugh. "Tell me, Alec, what's more important right now? Coddling Jade, or the fact that our corporate stock is in freefall?"

"Wait, the stock dropped again?"

"Jade's endless stream of scandals has completely destroyed Dennis Media's credibility. Every single corporate partner is demanding to terminate their contracts!" Jake snaps, shaking off his brother's grip. "Our subsidiary's collapse is dragging down the entire Dennis Group. The board of directors is ready to mutiny. If I don't get back there to stabilize the stock and find a fix for this right now, I'm going to lose my position as the heir to Tara!"

The sheer gravity of Jake's words finally crashes down on Alec. He had naively assumed this was just another PR nightmare they could bury with enough cash. Now, he realizes the truth. The empire is bleeding, and this time, no amount of money can easily fix it.