Chapter 967

Brad and Ethan stood frozen in disbelief.

They'd never witnessed Josh act this meekly before.

Even in front of their father, Josh had only ever shown respect but never this level of submission.

It seemed the world never ran out of surprises.

"Daniela?" Josh's voice trembled with unease.

Daniela's lips curved in a faint; controlled smile. She glanced at Carol and instructed, "Hold off on releasing the news for now."

The moment she said "for now," Josh's eyes flickered with murderous intent, his fury almost tangible.

It was gone in seconds, replaced by that same obedient mask. "Thank you, Daniela. Now that everything's settled, I'll be going."

Just moments earlier, Josh had worn a friendly smile.Now,standing tall,that warmth vanished,replaced by a steely,cold stare.

.The sudden shift left the McCoy brothers rattled. Ethan called out, "Hamilton, Brad, can you believe this is the same Josh we grew up with?"

A chill ran down Brad's spine. "l've got chills. Seriously."

Hamilton, however, remained stoic. What caught his attention was the growing animosity between Daniela and Josh. Knowing how deeply Josh could hold a grudge, he figured this wouldn't be the end.

As Josh strode past the three McCoy brothers, Ethan called after him, "Josh."

Josh's glare was fierce, seething with anger and resentment. He fixed them with a cold stare and spat out, "So this is how it is? Teaming up with Daniela to ruin me, even planning to drive me into bankruptcy?Alright, I get it. From now on, I'm done being your brother. I can't call myself your family,not when Loyalty means so little to you!"

Without so much as a backward glance,Josh strode out of the room.

The three McCoy brothers remained rooted in place,stunned by what had just happened. Only after Josh disappeared down the hallway did they rush over to Daniela, awe written all over their faces.

"Unbelievable!" Brad exclaimed. "Daniela,how did you pull that off? In less than thirty minutes, you managed to flip Josh's attitude and even squeeze that much cash out of him?"

Ethan stood there, gripping the bank card, at a loss for words to express just how grateful he was to Daniela.

"You're my hero, Daniela! Seriously, you're incredible!"He flashed a huge thumbs-up. "There's no one better than you!"

Hamilton, always the skeptic, narrowed his eyes."What's your secret? I've never seen Josh back down from anything, let alone this quickly."

Thinking back over the years,Hamilton couldn't recall anyone but Daniela who had ever managed to put Josh through anything like this,

Before the questions could pile up, Cedric interrupted,"Let's eat, Daniela. Lunch is ready."

He didn't wait for a response, simply guiding Daniela away,leaving the McCoy brothers more curious than ever.

Determined to get answers, Hamilton turned to Carol."So,what exactly did Daniela have you do?"

Brad jumped in, eager for details. "Seriously, how did Daniela get Josh to hand over the money?"

Ethan turned to Carol, anticipation written all over his face.Carol didn't hesitate. "Daniela had me reach out to the press and leak the news about Josh's affair."

The news hit the McCoy brothers like a thunderbolt.

Hamilton's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Who's having an affair?"

Carol nodded, unfazed. "You heard me."

Brad let out a laugh. "That's impossible! Just last week,Josh was showing off about how much he loves his wife. Their fortieth anniversary is coming up, and he's planning some extravagant celebration. Everyone in Oiscoll knows him as the perfect husband. Seriously,every woman here says, 'If you're going to marry,marry someone like Josh.' How could he possibly have an affair? Carol, are you sure about this?"

Ethan looked equally doubtful."I can't wrap my head around it either. Didn't Josh always talk about how he wanted to spend this life and the next with his wife?Cheating just doesn't fit."

Carol answered coolly, "If he's really that loyal,why do you think he was so desperateto pay us off?"

Both Brad and Ethan fell silent, left with no comeback.

"Let's, not forget, Daniela runs the world's largest intelligence network. Do you honestly believe Josh's little secrets could stay hidden from her?" Carol continued, her voice sharp. "The whole 'devoted husband' thing? Please. He has six daughters from his mistress."

The truth hit the McCoy brothers like a tidal wave.

"So... you were actually planning to blow up this scandal online?"

Carol nodded.

"Now that Josh paid up, you're going to keep this all under wraps?"

A faint smile played on Carol's lips as she crossed her arms. "Hamilton, you really think Daniela would just let it go? Secrets never stay buried forever.All Daniela promised was not to leak the story to the media,but she never said a word about keeping quiet. In fact,she already told Josh's wife everything this morning and lined up the best legal team to handle her divorce."

Hamilton took a shaky breath. "Then his wife's going to get half his assets, isn't she?"

Carol shook her head. "That's not all. Daniela's already made a deal with her. She'll help Josh's wife take over as head of McCoy Group. Once she's got all the shares, she'll sell them to us for fair value. Cedric will become the new leader and majority shareholder.And you three? The shares you hold in McCoy Group are pocket change. You all thought Daniela was naive, but she's been ten steps ahead from the start. This was never about revenge-it was about making sure you had no choice but to follow her lead. She's nearly finished tying up loose ends. With her pregnancy getting further along, she's got better things to do than keep sparring with you. Still, she'll keep her promise about those shares-you'll get what you were told. She never cared about those crumbs anyway."

Carol's gaze turned icy as she looked each of them in the eye. "You owe Daniela an apology. For years,you left her motherless, and later, someone made her lose a child. That's not something she'll ever forget. This score must be settled!"