CHAPTER 531: AUNTS LIKE ANTS (5)

Thornston estate....

Ian’s crowded room was silent for a moment, so quiet that even the sound of breathing felt too loud. This was a positive kind of tension for those who understood it. The large flat screen replayed the line again, as the host re-emphasized it in slow motion:

"...neither of the women claiming to be sisters of the Chairman is biologically related..."

Brad relaxed on his chosen couch, legs crossed, a cool glass of water untouched in his hand. It was as if he was watching his favourite show, and he quite enjoyed it.

Ian gave a slow curvature of his lips, indicating his approval. Though Ian would not have distorted the truth, Brad’s approach also nipped the problem in the bud. After all, they didn’t want outsiders pointing fingers at their mother. Still, Ian couldn’t help but say,

"Now that’s just cold," he muttered, barely suppressing a grin.

"Savage even. You didn’t have to nuke them off the family tree like that."

Alex chuckled from his armchair, shaking his head. "He didn’t just cut the rope; he dropped them straight into the abyss."

Geneva covered her mouth, torn between awe and amusement. "This is the same boy who used to cry when the figurine broke or his friends ignored him?"

"Ma!"

Geneva, though smiling then, had gone from "Oh no! My life is over," at the start of the show to "What the hell is going on?"... all in the space of five minutes... maybe even less! That was how long the schefrude of the sisters lasted.

More than anyone, Geneva knew that no secret would ever be absolute, but the fact that Katie had still talked the moment she regained some memory pained Geneva to the core. Though she was prepared for the consequences, it still hurt that the sisters-in-law she had considered family would go to these lengths to take over the company’s power. Because of this very fact, she was more than okay to smile at their downfall.

It was called getting a taste of one’s medicine.

And just like that, the carefully assembled illusion had been unravelled—fast, brutal, and live on national television.

Geneva always knew of Brad’s potential, but seeing him unleash it like this made her beam with pride! Her son had potential, but he was just lazy! She made up her mind to shove him into the business world through any means. Poor Brad had no idea of this at all.

Geneva had never seen either Molly or Sally in that humiliated state before, and seeing how they both blinked rapidly, totally betraying the fact that their brains were scrambling to calculate an escape, a rebuttal or anything, Geneva’s smile twitched. She was happy. Even more so than she would have cared to admit.

Five minutes. That was all it took for decades of manipulation to collapse under the weight of a single, televised truth.

Everyone knew that by the time the sisters stepped off the stage, the world had already shifted beneath them. The two sisters had lost a great deal, but they were yet to discover just how much. Maybe, they would even vomit blood if they came to know that somewhere in a quiet home across town, the rest of the Thornston family poured drinks—and toasted to justice.

Geneva’s eyes almost glistened with tears, looking at her second son, who was practically the same as Ian was when executing what needed to be done! It was just ruthless!

Brad waved his assistant away, and the door finally closed behind the family.

"Good job on that one," Alex finally said, and Brad beamed.

"Every businessman must be decisive and resolute in everything!"

"Old man, they are your sisters after all, don’t you feel anything for them?" Ian inquired, twirling his glass of wine as well. He was the most unperturbed among the lot, as if he were the one whose issue had brought all of this up. At this, Geneva heaved a really big sigh as if something was still weighing on her mind.

"Not according to the tests, they have done themselves.... So, as of now, I am an only child with two sons! Family should always stick together. My sisters – well, they asked for it."

"Hahahahahahaaaa.... Well played, Brad!"

It was indeed well played! The sisters had gone to the lengths to make a foolproof plan. By running the tests on themselves, although their genetics would have matched to about 25% or less, the fact that they had done this was what gave Brad the idea. He did not want to assume the eldest child position, so if he used their proof against them, that would shut them up for good!

So, it was just the truth, twisted with an omission.

The DNA test showed that Ian had no relation whatsoever with the Thornston sisters, which was true. However, adding the fact that Ian was tested and confirmed as related to Alex, i.e., using Brad’s sample, it just proved the father-son relationship, playing into the narrative and cornering the sisters in their own game.

They were not related to the Thornstons at all. By doing this, Brad was sure that they had no way out, because they had to prove that Ian was not related to Alex, and how else were they going to get his sample for another test? They messed up by getting themselves involved in the testing process.

Though Brad was trying to remain impassive, the twinkle in his eyes gave him away. He was proud of himself.

"There was no other way," Brad said finally. "They pushed too far. Now they’ll realize just how far I’ll go for my family... no.... It’s rather how far we will all go for family."

Shelby nodded slowly, still on the bed,

"And they thought you were the weaker brother..."

Everyone laughed.

As the adults were talking, a small voice piped with as much innocence as possible was heard from the side and all the way from the bed,

"Mama," Gabriel tugged on Shelby’s arm, frowning deeply, "did Uncle do something bad again?"

Everyone turned to look at him and then at Brad, making Brad facepalm himself.

’What is the third Brat up to again?’ Brad did not have to wait for long as Gabriel, with all seriousness, pointed at the TV. "Why is he getting away with it? I know he did something bad, but why is he not getting pu-"

Samantha threw herself over and clamped her hand over Gabriel’s mouth, then said sternly for his ears only,

"STFU! Learn when not to speak!"

The room erupted into laughter, contrary to Samantha’s fears, and she relaxed, but did not let go.

"It’s okay, Samantha dear, Gabriel is still a child and will grow to understand with time." Shelby gently pried Samantha away from Gabriel, as Brad shot Gabriel a glare, but smirked at the TV, "Checkmate!" he whispered.

The family was all relaxed with each other, trying to catch up on more useful things, such as Ian and Shelby’s absence and what had happened during that time, unlike the two sisters in the live studio.

Sally, knowing her strengths, knew that she was less calculating and her sister had more brains than she did, but even she could see that with proof from the grave, they were toast!

And most damning of all?

The audience didn’t gasp. Maybe they were too stunned at the audacity of the sisters.

They simply watched—still, cold, and shocked. The crowd wasn’t on their side anymore.

Well, they never had been.

"This... this is... fabricated..." Sally whispered. Molly had yet to say anything at this point.

"You mean, the family that did not know of this exclusive news fabricated the DNA test that you ran?" The assistant host hammered on. It felt more like an interrogation than a live TV show with guests.

The cameras kept rolling, just as the audience began to react.

Shouts that were unclear as they spoke over each other, mixing murmurs of curses and the like. However, not a single person stood up to defend them. The host also made no move to soften the blow.

"Are... are we watching a legacy die in real time?" one of the equipment staff muttered, blinking in disbelief.

Another leaned forward, brows furrowed. "This changes everything. If they’re not related to the Thornston family—legally, socially—they’re nobodies."

The audience was stunned. Viewers at home flooded social media with clips, reaction memes, and stunned comments.

#SistersUnrooted #AsRidiculosascanBe! #BringingThemselvesDown #FamilyFraudExposed #HeirPlayOfTheYear #PlanYourDemise

Even the cameraman seemed to zoom in with less sympathy and more intrigue, the screen split with close-ups of the two women frozen on stage. Molly’s hand was still clutched tightly like it was her lifeline to keep her composure. She stood up abruptly.

Her heels clicked awkwardly as she stood, trying to gather whatever pride remained.

Sally followed, slower, that eerie soft laugh still bubbling in her throat—half hysteria, half marvel at being outplayed so completely. Her makeup was lightly smudged from the tears that she could not control, but she walked with her back straight.

They walked down the aisle of judgmental eyes. The new silence from the audience was deafening—not one cheer, not one sympathetic sigh. Just the heavy weight of truth and humiliation.

Near the exit, a voice rang out.

"Guess you never expected to be bitten back so badly! Huh?"

Laughter burst from a corner. A few couldn’t help but clap—not for the sisters, but for their downfall. They walked away from the live TV, still under the camera’s roll, and the assistant host just watched. After all, their work was done, with evidence provided by the victims themselves.

As the doors shut behind the ex-Thornston sisters, so too did the last shred of influence they thought they had.

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