Chapter 116

“I hope you won’t work with the Stout family in any way. Consider it payback for me saving your life,” Isabella said calmly. Xavier’s lips curved slightly, as if with a touch of teasing.

Ivana’s face changed completely. She couldn’t believe Isabella actually dared to say that. A wave of panic surged in her heart, but she looked at Isabella somewhat pitifully and said, “Isabella, you can’t do this. Dad cares about you so much.”

Isabella was shocked by what Ivana said. She felt revolted, as if she had swallowed a fly. Hudson ignored her wishes, made her marry Cameron, and even used vile means to put her in his bed. These could all be called “caring” by Ivana.

Only then did Ivana look at Xavier, with a hint of apology on her face. She said graciously, “Sorry, Mr. Cox. My sister is clueless. Please be patient with her.” She nodded slightly, confident that such poise would surely gain Cox’s approval. The contrast between her and Isabella’s pushy demeanor was obvious.

A hint of malice appeared in Ivana’s eyes as she laughed inwardly, ‘Isabella, you never knew how to win a man’s heart before, and you still don’t now!’

But just as she was feeling pleased with herself, Xavier turned to Isabella with a slight smile and said, “How can I refuse you? It’s all up to you.”

Ivana was lost for words. She quickly looked up at Xavier, her eyes full of disbelief, her fists clenching tightly. She couldn’t believe it. Xavier had clearly been watching her the entire time, obviously showing interest in her.

Ivana, trying to stay calm, sweetly said again, “Mr. Cox, how about we discuss the details of our partnership? You won’t regret it.”

Isabella slowly curled her lips into a smile and remained silent, but the mockery in her eyes was almost more than Ivana could bear, making her heart tremble.

Seeing Xavier and Isabella about to leave, Ivana panicked and quickly followed. “Mr. Cox!”

Xavier stopped in his tracks and looked back at Ivana with a cold and harsh voice, “Please have some self-respect.”

His words left Ivana rooted to the spot. Many people around them turned their gazes towards them, and the meaningful looks made Ivana’s face turn red with embarrassment. She was clearly discussing a business collaboration. But Xavier’s comment made it seem like it was related to something physical.

Ivana was fuming with rage. Yet Xavier no longer looked at Ivana. He turned to Isabella and softly said, “Let’s go.” Isabella nodded, and they both started walking towards their private room.

Ivana’s face was contorted with anger as she glared at Isabella’s retreating figure. She cursed inwardly, “Isabella, you witch!”

Right then, Isabella turned back to look at Ivana, her eyes full of defiance. With just one glance, she turned and walked into the private room.

Ivana was about to explode with fury. She shouted inwardly, “Ahhhh!!! That witch was deliberately trying to get on my nerves!”

Ivana stomped her foot hard, determined to make Isabella’s life unbearable one day. Furious and unable to find a way to let it out, she glared at everyone watching and shouted, “What are you staring at? Move along!”

Many people rolled their eyes at Ivana, scoffed, and walked away.

Chapter 116

At that moment, Ivana’s phone suddenly rang. She took a deep breath, looked around, and headed for the exit.

As soon as the call was connected, Ivana started complaining. “Dad, I was just about to close the deal with Xavier, but Isabella told him not to partner with us.”

“What?” Hudson’s head spun with anger. He grasped a nearby pillar and grumbled through clenched teeth, “How did you run into her again?” It was like Isabella turned up everywhere he went.

Ivana’s eyes flickered. She couldn’t let Hudson know about Isabella’s connections with the Cox family. She was afraid if Hudson dragged Isabella back to take over the Stout family.

Ivana’s voice sounded even more pitiful, as if it was hard to speak. “Isabella saw me having dinner with Mr. Cox and deliberately badmouthed our family. She flirted with him on purpose in the restaurant.” She wanted Isabella to be worthless in Hudson’s eyes.

Ivana continued speaking, sniffing as she said, “Mr. Cox stormed off and told me to tell you that he doesn’t like us at all.”

Hudson was so angry that he almost couldn’t catch his breath. If he hadn’t been holding onto the stone pillar, he might have collapsed right then.

Hudson’s face turned icy as he gritted his teeth. “That witch. She’s more trouble than she’s worth. How did I even father someone like her?” He thought Isabella was a complete failure, never caring about the Stout family’s interests.

Ivana’s eyes gleamed with smugness when she heard Hudson was angry. Yet she still acted delicate and said, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault for not making the deal.”

Hudson finally caught his breath and sounded impatient. “What does this have to do with you? That witch Isabella should have died with her mother.” He was still cursing Isabella.

Ivana kept comforting Hudson until he calmed down a bit. He even praised Ivana for being sensible. Feeling pleased with how things turned out, she finally hung up.

She thought, Isabella, so what if you’re close to Mr. Cox? You’ll never come back to the Stout family. Without a good family background, you’re nothing. Which wealthy family doesn’t care about status? Her eyes glinted with a cold, intense light.

Back at the private room, Xavier and Isabella took their seats. Xavier looked at Isabella with a slightly serious expression and asked, “Have they always treated you this way?”

Even though Xavier had previously looked into it, actually witnessing Ivana’s pretense allowed him to imagine what everyday life was like for Isabella.

Isabella pulled out a tissue and gently wiped her hands, nonchalantly curling her lips. “It’s no big deal. Don’t worry.” Compared to the incident where they tried to drug her and send her to Cameron’s bed, this was almost nothing.

Darryl’s gaze fell on the two of them, puzzled. “Did something happen?”

Isabella stayed silent while Xavier recapped the recent events for Darryl.

Darryl slammed his hand down on the table and snorted, “The Stout family really can’t hold their own.” Darryl found it outrageous. He couldn’t believe that they were actually after his family.

He looked at Isabella and asked, “Ms. Stout, is there anything we can do to help you?”

Isabella knew that Darryl wanted to stand up for her. She gave a light smile and shook her head. “No need. I have a way to handle matters with the Stout family. Thank you for your kindness.” Some grudges were best settled personally.

Darryl noticed Isabella didn’t want him to intervene, so he nodded. “Okay.”

Chapter 116

The three of them chatted casually about other topics, and half an hour later, the dinner ended.

Isabella glanced at her watch and stood up smiling. “Thank you for today. I’ll be leaving now.”

Darryl and Xavier stood up, and Darryl quickly said, “Ms. Stout, let us see you off.”

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Isabella didn’t want them to know Samuel’s address, so she chuckled and shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ll walk home to unwind.”

Darryl and Xavier exchanged a glance and didn’t press her further.

Darryl smiled and nodded. “Okay. Thank you so much.” Luckily, they met Isabella, or else Xavier’s illness might not have been cured yet.

Tabella smiled and shook her head. “You’re too kind. It’s my…”