Chapter 365

Shock slammed into Sherwood so hard it left him rooted to the spot his entire body rigid as if the room itself had frozen around him.

"Repeat that,Molly! Tell me exactly what you just said!"His voice cracked with fury and disbelief.

Molly mumbled through the catch in her throat,her words trembling, Dad... Verena lied. She didn't help you. You're still sick."

A wave of nausea washed over Sherwood,making the floor feel unsteady.He lurched for the table, gripping its edge to steady himself.

Wide-eyed and speechless, he stared straight ahead,lips twitching wvith unspoken words.

His thoughts spiraled out of control.

Every strategy, every grand vision he had built for his business-gone in an instant, collapsing because of this one truth.

He always thought he could outsmart fate, that even his illness was just another problem to solve. That illusion shattered now.

Verena's deception wasn't just a setback; it turned his whole world upside down.

Time crawled before Sherwood could force out a sound. "That woman's going to pay for this," he remarked,voice shaking with rage.

He drew in ragged breaths, anger burning so hot his face turned red, and then ghostly pale.

Bitter curses spilled from his lips as he wrestled with shock and fury, unable to settleon one emotion.

Slamming his fist onto the desk, Sherwood sent papers flying across the room.

"She wants a fight? She'll get one!" Sherwood shouted.

"There's no way I'm letting her get away with this..."

Fighting to contain the storm inside, he sucked in a deep breath and tried to steady himself for Molly's sake. "None of it changes what I'm planning to do.Molly,I want you to stay at home and wait for my call.Do not step outside, you hear me?"

He spoke each word slowly and forcefully,his eyes burning with fierce determination.

"Dad,please listen-" Molly tried to explain, her words trembling with hurt.

"Enough, Molly!" snapped Sherwood, his voice sharp and cutting through the call. "Things are getting out of hand. You're safest if you stay home. That's not up for discussion!"

Molly's voice quivered with uncertainty. "But what about the company? I can't just let it go."

Sherwood cut her off,his voice sharpening like broken glass. "Forget about the company for now. I'll take care of everything. Just stay put and don't make things worse. If Verena wants to challenge me, she's going to regret it."

Left with no room to argue, Molly finally gave in."Okay, I understand. I'll stay home."

He ended the call, but the fury still burned hot inside him.

Suddenly, the door crashed open.

His secretary rushed in, panic scrawled across his face,the calm professionalism gone.

Sherwood, already boiling with anger, pointed at him in outrage. "Who told you to just barge in here? Have you forgotten how this company works? You think this is a street market?" The secretary stammered, trying to catch his breath,"Sir, I'm sorry, but it's urgent!"

Sherwood exploded at his secretary, determined to vent every bit of his fury. "What could possibly matter more than following the most basic workplace rules?Go on, tell me what this so-called emergency is! And if your reason doesn't hold up, you're not walking away from this without consequences!"

Barely able to keep his voice steady, the secretary blurted out, "Sir, we've just been informed-Bennett Group took over the project we've been chasing. It's gone."

Rage erupted inside Sherwood, spreading fast and wild -every nerve felt scorched as if someone had thrown fuel onto an open flame.

He squeezed his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, and his entire face twisted with fury.

His voice dropped, cold and thunderous. "Say that again. I want to hear it from your mouth."

"I'm telling the truth, sir. It was Bennett Group," the secretary said, voice shaking as he shrank into himself,head bowed. "They somehow got wind of the whole thing and went straight to the people in charge of the project. Then they dangled unbelievably generous terms in front of them. We didn't even have time to respond before the deal was sealed. Even when we mentioned the penalty for breaching the contract,they accepted everything on the spot. They left us with nothing to fight back with."

"Isaac Bennett! That snake never misses a chance to ruin things for me!" Sherwood screamed.

He launched a savage kick at the leather chair,sending it crashing into the wall where it split apart, scattering pieces everywhere.

Glaring at the chaos, Sherwood shouted, "Do you realize how long we spent building up for this? The time, the people, all the resources-just gone! Isaac swept in and wiped it all away like it was nothing!"

Sherwood stormed back and forth across the office,fury radiating off him, hatred simmering behind his eyes.

All these years, he'd treated his connection with Howe as his secret weapon, carefully managed and hidden from everyone. He had always believed the plan was airtight-nobody would ever see through it.

But now Isaac had shown up, tearing everything apart.

It wasn't just the business Isaac was meddling with.Now Isaac had gone and tangled himself in the ugly fight between Sherwood and the Sampson family. shattering every last illusion of control.

"What's our next move,sir?"

His secretary barely spoke above a whisper, as if afraid that even the smallest sound would spark another outburst.

Sherwood paused, eyes narrowed and gleaming with the cold threat of a predator stalking its target.

"What's our next move?" he sneered, voice simmering with venom. "Isaac wants a war? He'll get one.Nobody crosses me and walks awNay unscathed."

Each word dropped like ice,his anger sharpening with every syllable. "Verena, Isaac,Luis-you really think you've beaten me? You're dreaming if you think I'll go down that easily."

His jaw clenched, making his face twist with suppressed fury.

Ruthless ambition had gotten him this far.

He'd clawed his way up by cutting corners, making threats,slipping envelopes under the table-whatever it took to win and push rivals aside.

Sherwood had crossed a lot of lines to get where he was. To him, doing whatever it took was just part of surviving in business.

Those risky choices had helped him build his whole empire.

Nobody was going to bring him down without a fight.

He knew he was no angel.

But Luis, who ran Ochrerayd's underworld, was far from clean himself.