Chapter 10

Seraphina interrupted him. "Okay, stop. Isabel wouldn't stick around here. Don't waste your time dreaming about it."

She went straight to Isabel's room. Isabel was already awake. Despite the long night, her stamina and resilience meant she needed little sleep.

"You've worked hard, Isabel," Seraphina said, holding up a bag of takeout. "I brought you some food."

She placed the food on the table.

"From Savor & Spice?" Isabel asked, recognizing the packaging.

Seraphina grinned. "You bet! I had their head chef whip this up just for you. You're welcome."

Isabel laughed lightly. "You're too kind."

Savor & Spice was one of Ardentall's most prestigious restaurants. Even with money, a custom meal from the head chef was a rare privilege.

Seraphina sat down with a dramatic sigh. "But seriously, Isabel, was it really worth it? All this trouble for a crippled man?"

Without hesitation, Isabel replied, "It's worth it. A life is still a life." She didn't mention the task had been assigned by Baxter.

At that moment, Isabel's phone vibrated. Seeing the caller ID—Chris—she answered.

"Boss, I'm stuck outside the Elysian Hospital gates! Getting in feels like breaking into a vault," Chris complained loudly. Isabel glanced at Seraphina. "A friend's at the gates, but security's holding him up."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Seraphina said casually.

A short time later, Chris made it upstairs. He glanced at Isabel as their conversation shifted to hospital matters. "By the way, what are you doing at Elysian Hospital? This place is no walk in the park to get into. And who could possibly need you to personally intervene?"

Isabel fixed him with a cold stare. "Don't ask questions you shouldn't. Just handle your own work."

Chris raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. I get it."

As Chris exited Elysian Hospital, he bumped into Caius Clyde.

"Mr. Jovian, I've finally found you!" Caius exclaimed, overly enthusiastic and desperate to win favor. Chris had been avoiding him, and Caius knew something was wrong. He dropped his pride.

Chris didn't even glance at him. "Mr. Clyde, I've made things perfectly clear through my team. Why are you still pestering us?"

Caius adopted a pitiful demeanor, practically groveling. "Sir, there must be some misunderstanding. The Clyde Group and Oceania Group have always been close partners. You can't just sever ties like this—it'll destroy us!"

Chris sneered. "What happens to the Clyde Group isn't my problem. Caius, let's be clear: Oceania Group isn't here to clean up after you. Do you even realize how much money we've lost because of your incompetence! Honestly, we've been itching to cut ties with you for years. If it weren't for her…"

He stopped mid-sentence and waved dismissively. "Forget it. From this point forward, the Oceania Group and the Clyde Group are enemies. Don't bother crawling back."

"Sir, wait…" Caius stammered, sweat forming on his brow. Chris's cold words left him shaken. His attitude had changed suspiciously.

Nearby, Lucian Clyde stepped forward, trying to salvage the situation for his father. "Mr. Jovian, there must be some misunderstanding. If you've turned against us, at least tell us why. What did we do wrong?"

Chris brushed off Lucian's hand with contempt. "The blame is on us. We shouldn't get associated with trash like the Clyde Group in the first place. Do you even know how incompetent you are! Get out of my sight. I don't want to see either of you ever again."

Lucian's pride was wounded. Furious, he clenched his fists, ready to retaliate. Caius quickly restrained him. "Don't, Lucian. If you cause a scene now, we're done for."

"Dad! What's his problem? He used to grovel before us, and now he's acting like he's better than everyone else!" Lucian fumed.

Caius sighed. "Who knows? Chris is unpredictable. One day he's cooperative, the next, he's tearing us down."

As they lamented their downfall, Isabel emerged from the hospital, catching their attention.

"Isabel? What are you doing here? Were you following us?" Lucian snapped, irritated.

Isabel paused, displeased but composed. Her tone was calm yet cutting. "Don't flatter yourselves." She started to walk past, but Lucian blocked her path.

He took her silence as an opening. "What's wrong?" he teased. "Is your real family so pathetic that you're trying to crawl back to us? Are you stalking us, hoping we'll take you in?"

Isabel's eyes narrowed. She slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Get out."

Lucian's face turned crimson. "You… Isabel, how dare you? After everything our family did for you, after feeding and housing you, this is how you repay us? I was your brother once!"

"Brother?" Isabel's voice was icy. "You think you're worthy of that title?"

Lucian froze, speechless. Caius stepped in. "That's enough, Lucian. Why waste your breath arguing with her? She's not part of the Clyde family anymore."

He turned to Isabel, cold and dismissive. "Isabel, you'll never be part of the Clyde family again. Amelia is our true daughter now. Whether you live or die means nothing to us."

Isabel responded with a mocking laugh. "Remember those words." Her message was clear. Caius watched her walk away, then turned his gaze toward Elysian Hospital, thoughtful.

"Why was she coming out of Elysian Hospital?" he muttered.

"What do you mean, Dad?" Lucian asked.

"I'm almost certain I saw Isabel leaving that hospital. It's owned by the Flynn family, and ordinary people can't just walk in there," Caius said, frowning. "I must be mistaken. There's no way… she's just some countryside nobody now. How could she…"

Isabel had once been nominally part of the Clyde family, but she had grown up in the countryside under a nanny's care. To Caius and Rowena, Isabel seemed distant and cold, lacking the warmth they expected. They had never liked her. A few years ago, they brought her to Ardentall solely for an arranged marriage with the Swanson family. Even then, their treatment of her remained indifferent and dismissive.

Meanwhile, back at the Clyde Mansion, Amelia was in her room, surrounded by piles of gold and silver jewelry, carefully arranging and admiring each piece. These treasures had become her source of security. Every night, she clutched her jewelry boxes as she slept, afraid she might wake up back in the modest home of the Galvez family.

After arranging everything, Amelia turned to her favorite pastime: taking selfies. Flaunting her wealth had become a daily ritual. She snapped several photos, cranked up the beauty filter, and posed with exaggerated pouts and playful expressions. Then, she began crafting her Instagram captions.

First post: "Omg, so like, I told my parents that one car was totally enough, right! But no, they had to get me, like, FIVE luxury cars! Ugh, it's such a struggle being this spoiled. #CarGoals #TooBlessedToStress"

Second post: "So my brothers were like, 'You NEED this jewelry,' and I'm like, 'Guys, chill, I don't need more stuff.' But they insisted. 'You're our only sister, we HAVE to spoil you.' Fine, I guess I'll take it. #SisterPrivilege #AllTheSparkle"

To cap it off, she added a faux complaint: "I literally don't know what to do with all this money. Should I get another Birkin or just donate it? #RichGirlProblems #HelpMeDecide"