Chapter 434 Ms. Isabella Powell: Should She Bear Responsibility?
Kennedy knocked the knife out of Orville's hand and sent him flying with a kick.
With just one kick from Kennedy sent Orville crashing to the ground, unable to get back up.
Orville screamed in despair, his voice filled with hopelessness.
Watching this scene, Theodosia glared at Kennedy through gritted teeth. "Kennedy, just because you've gotten in good with the Powell family, you think you can treat us like this?"
Kennedy smirked. "I used to treat you like my real sister and brother, but didn't you repay my kindness with betrayal? What I'm doing now is just taking back what's mine."
"You bitch—"
Before Theodosia could say more, one of the guards slapped her across the face.
Stunned, Theodosia stared in disbelief at the guard who had hit her.
The guard showed no remorse. He glared at her fiercely, then grabbed her by the hair and said coldly, "How dare you insult the family head? Get out of here now, or you’ll get more than just a slap!"
"Quick, drag them out! Don't let them offend the family head's eyes!"
Theodosia and Orville were thrown out of the Hope family castle by the guards like garbage.
Theodosia was furious, her hatred for Kennedy burning deep.
"Kennedy, how cruel you are to treat us like this!"
Kennedy looked at her with a faint smile. "Then how did you treat me before?"
Theodosia choked on her words, her face twisting into anger.
She clenched her teeth, a vicious gleam flashing in her eyes.
Keeping Kennedy alive had always been a risk.
She should have killed Kennedy long ago, leaving no chance for survival.
And that bitch Isabella, too!
It was all Isabella's fault. Because of Isabella, she had fallen into this state.
Theodosia's hatred burned.
One day, she would kill both Isabella and Kennedy with her own hands!
——
News of the changes within the Hope family spread quickly among the nobles.
"Garth is actually dead?"
"I heard he died at the hands of the Powell family."
Everyone vaguely guessed that Garth had been eliminated for offending the Powell family, but no one knew the real reason.
The news that Kennedy, the only daughter of the Hope family's former head, Eldridge, had returned to inherit the position of family head, took everyone a long time to process.
Because Kennedy was the youngest family head in history, this caused quite a stir among the nobles for some time.
Meanwhile, at the Powell family, after Walter voluntarily withdrew from the competition, Isabella had Tristan fill the vacancy and continued supervising their daily training.
In the two months leading up to the ancient martial arts competition, Isabella spent every day from morning to night sparring with Wilmer.
Since Walter wasn't competing, Isabella couldn't rely on anyone else. She could only try to improve her own skills, hoping to defeat the main competitors from the other major families on the field.
Especially Phaedra.
On the mountain behind the Powell family castle.
"Wilmer, don't hold back on me. Even if you accidentally kill me, I won't blame you," Isabella said to Wilmer, her eyes blazing with determination.
"Even if you don't blame me, Ms. Gwyneth Powell will."
"I'll speak up for you."
Hearing this, Wilmer smiled. "Alright, Ms. Isabella Powell, with your word, I'm relieved."
"Let's begin."
The moment she spoke, Wilmer blurred forward, striking so fast that Isabella barely had time to react. His palm sent her flying into the mountainside, creating a crater in the rock.
Isabella actually coughed up blood.
She climbed out of the dirt, covered in dust. "You're really ruthless."
"Ms. Isabella Powell, on the competition field, your enemies won't waste words. They'll just keep hitting you until you can't speak."
Before he finished, another palm strike sent Isabella reeling.
Isabella felt like her internal organs were about to shatter but forced herself to steady and counter his moves.
That evening, Isabella appeared before Gwyneth with a bruised and swollen face, startling Gwyneth. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"Mom, it's me."
Recognizing Isabella's voice, Gwyneth was shocked, then her face turned cold with anger. "Who did this?"
Wilmer pursed his lips guiltily.
Isabella quickly explained, "Mom, don't be angry. It was Wilmer, but—"
Before Isabella could finish, Gwyneth slapped Wilmer and sent him flying.
Isabella froze.
——
One week before the ancient martial arts competition.
The Powell family.
Council hall.
Several elders were discussing the ancient martial arts competition, and everyone's eyes fell on Isabella.
"Ansley, the ancient martial arts competition officially starts tomorrow. How's your training going?" Gwyneth asked.
Isabella answered, "Winning the championship won't be a problem."
Hearing this, Patrick laughed coldly. "Does Ms. Isabella Powell speak without thinking? Before the competition even starts, the Powell family has already lost its main fighter. How can we win this match?"
The main fighter Patrick referred to was Walter.
Walter was also present, his hand still wrapped in bandages, sitting in the back with a gloomy expression, silent.
Some took the opportunity to stir up trouble. "Walter just wanted to be the team leader, but Ms. Isabella Powell refused, causing us to lose our main fighter. If we lose the competition, shouldn't Ms. Isabella Powell take responsibility?"
Another added, "That's right. Everyone knows how important this ancient martial arts competition is. Ms. Isabella Powell seems completely unaware of her role in the Powell family. Does she understand what it means to be part of this family?"
Isabella's identity had just been made public, and not everyone in the Powell family recognized her abilities. Many even suspected that after all those years outside, Isabella might just be useless.
If that were the case, it would be better to let Walter lead! At least with Walter, the Powell family had a ninety percent chance of winning.
Isabella narrowed her eyes. "Does everyone doubt that I can lead them to victory?"
Patrick immediately sneered, "Ms. Isabella Powell, you probably don't know how strong Phaedra from the Fife family is, do you? She's nearly as good as her father, Rocco, and two years ago, Rocco almost beat Ms. Gwyneth Powell. At such a young age, Phaedra's strength is about to surpass Rocco's—her talent is truly remarkable!"
"If Walter were here, he might be able to fight Phaedra, but now that Walter's out, who else among the Powell family's younger generation can match Phaedra?"
"If we really lose to the Fife family, that would be utterly humiliating!"
As the recognized number one family, the Powell family had to win first place in this competition, or they'd be laughed at by the people of the Northern Ice Empire!