Chapter 911

Most people assumed Daniela was bluffing when she joked about showing up with a can of gasoline to burn Josh's house to the ground.

Hamilton certainly did. In his mind, no one in Oiscoll would dare push the McCoy family that far.

So when Hamilton's car rolled up to his home an hour later, he was in a good mood, even thinking about cracking open champagne to celebrate Josh's ruin.Just then, Joseph's phone rang as Hamilton walked towards the villa.

Joseph's expression changed in an instant. He shouted,"Mr.McCoy!"

Hamilton shot him an irritated look. "Joseph, you've been losing your cool too much lately. What is it now? Why all the shouting?"

Joseph's hands trembled as he held up the phone. "It's Daniela!"

Hamilton scoffed, "What's she done this time?"

Before he could say more, Joseph blurted out,"Josh's house is burning! It's all over the news!"

Hamilton froze in place. "What?"

He yanked his own phone from his pocket. He didn't even have to search-headlines about the fire were plastered across every site.

This was the McCoy family,after all.

Josh had been living in their historic estate for years.And now Daniela had torched it like it meant nothing?

Hamilton's fingers flew over the screen. A video loaded, showing flames devouring the old house.His throat went dry. "Go see what's happening! Now!"

By the time Hamilton showed up, the rest of the McCoy family was already gathered.

Maybe it was the shock. No one spoke. They al stood still, heads tipped back, staring at a helicopter overhead that kept dumping barrel after barrel of gasoline.

The fire raged out of control, growing wilder with every second. By the time fire trucks made it through the gates, the grand old estate had already collapsed into a pile of warped metal and blackened rubble.

Not 'a soul moved. They just watched their legacy burn to nothing right in front of them.

That house had been their pride for generations. In a blink, it was gone.

Josh's voice broke the silence. His rage cracked through every word. "Daniela! I swear, I'll kill her!"

In no time, the whole family rushed toward Daniela's place.

Inside the long Lincoln, Josh's face twisted with anger. "Can you believe this? Daniela's crossed the line this time. If we let this slide, people will say we have gone soft!"

Everyone around him looked ready to explode too. One of them turned to Hamilton. "Why aren't you saying anything? Don't tell me you're siding with her now?"

Hamilton didn't answer at first. He was squintingat his phone, thumbs pecking out a message. Without his glasses, it was taking forever.

Without lifting his head, he retorted, "Isn't all the power in Josh's hands now? Seems to me whatever you say goes. No space left for my opinion, right?"

Gone was his initial shock. Hamilton now appeared perfectly at ease. He'd spent half his life carrying the McCoy family on his back. But now that he really thought about it, none of that burden was his anymore. So why pretend to care?

"Do whatever you want. I'm out of it." The shift in Hamilton was clear. He didn't care anymore. And it felt good.

Some of them glared but had no comeback. They'd been the ones who pushed him aside in the first place. Now, his claim of stepping back seemed

perfectly reasonable.

Josh sneered, "Good. You said it yourself. So don't blame me when I show no mercy."

Hamilton had just finished typing up a message meant for Nikolas. But with one wrong tap, it went straight to Daniela instead. He let out a sharp breath,clearly annoyed at himself.

He looked up at the others. "Fine," he muttered,slipping his phone back into his pocket. "Do whatever you want. I'm done here. I'll tag along,sure -but don't expect me to do anything. I'll just stand around and pretend I don't exist, alright?"

It was obvious Hamilton had backed down too easily.Josh narrowed his eyes. "So you're not trying to shield Cedric anymore?"

Hamilton gave a slight shake of his head. In his mind,there was zero need to worry.

Daniela had always been more than capable of keeping Cedric safe. If things got serious, she'd blow up before Cedric ever had to lift a finger. Hamilton had no doubt. All he needed to do was sit tight and let it play out.

And if-by some chance-someone actually succeeded in taking Daniela down, Hamilton still had the princess in reserve.

No matter how it ended, he would still come out on top.

Hamilton settled back and spoke with ease. "lf Cedric's out of line, go ahead. Teach him a lesson."

The car rolled to a stop in front of Daniela's place.

Hamilton leaned forward a bit. "I'm not going inside.People will just say I'm picking sides again. You go on without me."

It sounded fair enough. But when it came time to walk through the gate, no one else moyed either.They froze, eyes darting between each other,waiting for someone else to lead.

Eventually, Josh lost his patience. He spun around, grabbed Hamilton by the arm, and yanked him forward. "Cut it out. You had a share in our estate too. You're going in with me."

"Oh, really? I had a share? That's strange. When you threw me out, you said our father left it to you. But now that the place is a pile of ash, you want to split the burden?"