CHAPTER 257

Were his actions simply that of a brother doting on his sister?

No.

He was complicit in her crimes!

Sam closed his eyes, and when he opened them once more, they no longer showed the mix of disappointment, anger, and heartache that colored them earlier.

He stared at Isabel and said calmly, "I was wrong…"

"Sam!" Isabel was terrified by how calm he looked, so she cried out, "Sam, you have to believe me. They're all lying! I'm being set up. I didn't do anything…"

"It doesn't matter if you refuse to admit it," Sam stated plainly. "Even if you don't admit to it, I can discern who's telling the truth… I was wrong. Dad and Dan were right. You're Phoebe's daughter through and through. You have her blood flowing in you, and it seems like the Xavier family genes have a greater effect on you compared to the Taylor family!"

"No! No!" Isabel shook her head with all her might. "Sam, I grew up in the Taylor household. I'm Dad's daughter. I'm your sister. I'm a Taylor! I belong to the Taylor family!"

"Not anymore…" Sam declared. "I will ask someone to change your name and strike you off the family genealogy. You're more like your mother and maternal grandfather… wicked, cruel, and greedy. You shouldn't be called Isabel Taylor. You should be called Isabel Xavier. Your maternal grandfather only had one daughter—your mother. So, if you take on his last name, you'll be helping the Xaviers continue

on their family line. I'm sure your maternal grandfather would be very pleased about that!"

"No… no…" Isabel tried to get up and plead, but the pain in her abdomen was too strong. She was terrified and filled with despair, and her tears flowed freely. "Sam, I'm begging you, please don't do this to me. You're the only one I have left. If you treat me like this too, I might as well die… I don't want to take my maternal grandfather's last name. I'm Dad's daughter. I'm your sister. I'm a Taylor! I want to be a Taylor!"

If her last name did not change, she was still part of the Taylor family, but if her last name was changed and the three most powerful men in the Taylor family continued to despise her, then she was well and truly done for.

If her last name was changed, it was something everyone would find out about.

Once everyone realized her name had changed to Isabel Xavier, they would question why, and those gossiping b*tches would exaggerate how her father and her two brothers all hated her. Everyone would find out that she was disowned and chased out of the family.

If that happened, she would become the joke of Dusktown. Those whom she did not get along with in the past would look down on her and make fun of her.

How could she live the rest of her life like that?

"You don't need to say anything more. I've made my mind up and no one can change it. Not only that…" Sam's gaze was cold. "Dad was right. The Taylors are only responsible for raising you until you're eighteen. You've become an adult for quite some time now, and the Taylors have long since

fulfilled their duty. You should be responsible for the rest of your life now. I won't take back the money I gave you in the past so you can hold on to it and spend it however you like, but I won't let you stay in my house anymore. I'll send someone to gather your things and bring them to the hospital. Once you're discharged, find your own place to stay. From today onward, I, Sam Taylor, no longer have a sister. Don't try to look for me anymore. I will put the word out to keep you away from me. You'll never see me again." Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

As her brother, he had done the best he could.

However, his sister had used the money and power that he had given her to engage in such heinous behavior. It was an insult to his kindness and his affection for her.

As the Taylor family's successor, he might be kind, but he knew where to draw the line.

How would he be able to manage the family business in such a cutthroat business world if he was truly a saint who gave in to everyone else's whims?

If Sam had not known where to draw the line when it came to being kind, his father would have long since given up on him and would not have let him hold such a high position in the company.

Anyone familiar with Sam would say that he was a kind-hearted gentleman. Perhaps Isabel had assumed that he would be soft-hearted toward her and would not be too harsh on her no matter what she did.

She was wrong about that.

While he might be kind and generous toward his family and friends, he did not extend the same

kindness to criminals, or those with cruel or malicious intent. Toward those kinds of people, he was as hard as a rock.

"No! You can't do this!" Isabel shrieked through her tears. "I'm Dad's daughter! I have a right to inherit the Taylor family fortune! How can you and Dan stay in the family and live off Dad's wealth, but I'm the only one who gets chased out of the house?! You can't treat me like this!"

"I can," Sam refuted coolly. "I've already made my decision. If you think it's unfair, feel free to sue me in court."

Isabel was on the verge of a breakdown.

Sue him in court?

Where would she get the courage to do that?

If she did take the Taylors to court, the whole world would find out about how the Taylors were repulsed by her and had disowned her.

If the news about Sam ending family ties with her was kept on the down low, those not in the know would still think that she was the Taylor family's daughter. She would be able to maintain some semblance of pride and respect. However, if she took them to court, everyone would know that she had fallen out with the Taylor family. She would no longer be the beloved and respected daughter of the Taylors, but a wretched nobody.

She would have nothing and no one to rely on anymore.

Isabel was terrified.

She did not want to end up as a wretched nobody.

She realized the error in her ways.

Again, she pleaded through her tears, "Sam, I know what I did was wrong. I won't do it ever again. Sam, please forgive me. I'm your sister! Sam…"

She would have gotten down on her knees to beg if her pain did not immobilize her.

Sam stared at her indifferently. "I'll pay for your medical fees this time. In the future, you're on your own."

He had done everything he could for her, but she did not cherish it at all.

She had abused Marshall until he was within an inch of his life, and she made him an accomplice to her cruelty. This time, he could no longer forgive her.

"From now on, you're on your own!" Sam threw down his final words before turning to leave.

"Sam, don't! Come back! I know I made a mistake. I know what I did was wrong! I won't do it ever again. Sam, from now on, I'll do whatever you say. I swear! Sam…" Isabel wailed at the top of her lungs as she cursed the fact that her pain was far too unbearable. She was unable to run after Sam, to get down on her knees and grab his legs to plead with him.

Isabel could not accept the fact that she had totally fallen out with the Taylors.

He paid for her medical fees, but what then?

Was he not going to give her anything else?

How was she going to survive once she was discharged from the hospital?

Did she have to get a job to feed herself?

She had been pampered all her life with numerous servants waiting on her all day long. She did not even know how to cook or do her own laundry, much less hold down a job. How was she going to find work?

Isabel drowned in a pit of fear and despair, and her regret was about to swallow her whole.

If she had known… if she had known that this would happen, she would not have threatened Marshall.

That b*stard!

She had taken nude photos and videos of him and trained him into becoming her little lap dog, but who knew that he would bite back at such a crucial moment?

Marshall was too handsome. She was smitten with him the moment she laid eyes on him.

Ever since she was chased out of the Taylor family, she could not continue living the life she had previously. She could not attend any parties, banquets, or functions, and this left her in absolute boredom. A pretty young thing like him was just what she needed to kill that boredom.

She thought she could do a good job of hiding it and Sam would never find out. Never in her wildest dreams would she expect that the truth would be exposed, and that Sam would be furious and cut off all family ties with her once he found out about it.