Chapter 236: Calling the Police
Isabella let out a sharp, bitter laugh at Tammy's ridiculous excuse.
"Go ask Sophia—when she was setting up those family trust funds for Nathan and Olivia, when she was handing out allowances and little gifts, why didn't she remember that Olivia is also a Montagu? That she's part of this family too?"
Now they suddenly wanted to talk about bloodlines? The hypocrisy was laughable.
Tammy stood there with her mouth hanging open, utterly speechless.
"Legally speaking, grandparents cannot override biological parents when it comes to custody rights. So even Mrs. Montagu has no authority to take Olivia away from Isabella," Richard stated firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Tammy looked genuinely torn. "Ms. Capulet, Mrs. Montagu pays my salary. Whatever she tells me to do, I have to do."
Isabella took a step back, forcing herself to remain polite. "I understand. So I'm not going to make this hard for you. Just open the gate and let me in."
Tammy simply stood there in silence, her refusal clear in her stony expression. She drew her paycheck from Sophia—that was all the answer Isabella needed.
As the standoff continued, Isabella suddenly heard William's voice cutting through the tension.
"Why did you bring Nathan back here?"
Isabella whipped around in surprise to see William standing a short distance away, his face rigid with barely controlled anger.
So Sophia hadn't just taken Olivia—she'd brought Nathan back to the manor as well.
The realization hit Isabella like a punch to the gut. She understood exactly what the Montagu family was doing. They were using the children as leverage, forcing both parents to comply with their demands. It was a tired, manipulative tactic—but devastatingly effective. Sophia knew Isabella would never be able to refuse.
"Go tell your mother right now that I'll agree to the divorce. You want it, I want it—fine. But I'm seeing Olivia today!" Isabella's voice cracked with barely restrained fury, each word dripping with desperation.
Olivia was her treasure. Her only treasure. If they kept her daughter from her, Isabella would never forgive William. Never.
William looked momentarily stunned before his expression softened into helpless resignation.
"You think if they listened to me, they would've taken Nathan in the first place?"
Even William—their own biological son—had been stripped of his rights to see his children.
Sophia's tyranny knew no bounds.
"That's your mother in there. If you won't talk to her, who will? You think she's going to suddenly develop a conscience and listen to me?" Isabella's voice was ice-cold.
She should have disappeared completely when she had the chance. Should have taken Olivia and built a quiet, peaceful life somewhere far away—not stayed in Seaside City to be tormented by this family.
Just as Isabella was applying maximum pressure on William, the estate gates finally swung open. Sophia emerged, walking toward them with infuriating composure.
From fifty feet away, Isabella felt her heart hammering against her ribs with desperate urgency.
Olivia must be terrified after being forcibly taken like this. All Isabella could think about was holding her daughter, comforting her, making everything okay again.
Sophia approached them slowly, her cold gaze fixed on Isabella's obvious distress.
"I have one demand, and one demand only. Go file for divorce immediately, and let William marry Laura." Sophia didn't waste time with pretense. Her terms were brutally clear.
"Mom," William's voice came out hoarse and broken. For the first time, he lowered his proud head in supplication. "Please. Give me back my children."
Sophia let out a derisive snort. "Let me make something perfectly clear. If you continue down this stubborn path, I can arrange it so you never see Olivia or Nathan again. You know I always keep my promises."
Isabella knew she did.
The Montagu fortune had been inherited over generations, but by recent decades it had been nearly depleted—nothing left but the hollow shell of a prestigious name.
Sophia—the woman everyone had looked down on—had single-handedly shouldered the family's burden. Together with Henry, she'd rebuilt the Montagu empire from the ground up.
Now the Montagu family could rightfully claim to be Seaside City's most powerful dynasty.
A woman who'd clawed her way back from the brink of ruin? Of course her methods were ruthless. Anything less would have meant failure.
"Mom, why are you forcing my hand like this?" William's voice was dangerously level.
"Someday you'll understand that everything I've done has been to help you," Sophia replied with practiced martyrdom. "Besides your father and me, who else in this world would go to such lengths to plan out your future?"
"These children share your blood. Everything we do is for your benefit. Laura has already agreed to accept both children. If you're willing, you could build something powerful together. Isn't that better than clinging to Isabella?"
"Don't pretend you're doing this for my sake. Don't use that excuse to justify forcing me into compliance," William ground out through clenched teeth.
Sophia took another step forward, her face a mask of wounded disappointment. "You think it doesn't break my heart to see you suffering? You think I enjoy this? I'm your mother! Everything I do is out of love. You should understand that."
"Isabella has zero feelings for you anymore. You're deluding yourself if you think otherwise. One day you'll realize I was right all along."
Isabella watched this grotesque performance with cold detachment.
Sophia was desperately trying to convince William, but her efforts were futile.
This so-called love was nothing but an elaborate web, wrapping around William like silk threads—gentle but suffocating. And Sophia genuinely believed this was devotion.
"This is your mess, William. You need to clean it up yourself." Richard's voice was equally cold as he let out a quiet sigh.
This kind of thing happened constantly in their social circle.
Controlling parents who genuinely believed their manipulation was love, completely blind to the fact that nobody wanted—or needed—their interference.
"I'm saying this one last time. Bring Olivia and Nathan out here right now, or I swear—"
"You can say it ten more times for all I care. The answer is still no." Sophia's refusal was absolute.
The standoff between mother and son reached a breaking point. Isabella felt despair creeping in like ice water through her veins.
William was the one refusing the divorce, not her. So why was Sophia punishing Olivia?
All Isabella wanted was a quiet, peaceful life with her daughter. But Sophia wouldn't even allow that—she'd orchestrated this entire hostage situation to force William's hand.
After roughly three minutes of tense silence, William suddenly pulled out his phone without hesitation.
"Hello? I need to report a kidnapping. My daughter and son have been taken against their will. The address is..."
William was actually calling the police on his own mother.
Isabella's head snapped toward Richard, their eyes meeting in mutual shock.
This family was absolutely unhinged.
And apparently, the apple didn't fall far from the tree when it came to ruthless tactics.