Chapter 9: Woman, You Have Quite the Nerve

Theodore Davis's face lit up with joy upon hearing Isabella Gomez's words, "just friends."

"Oh, I've heard from everyone that you're still single. I was a bit skeptical; how could such a pretty and adorable girl like you not have a boyfriend? So it's true," Theodore Davis said.

Isabella Gomez's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Theodore Davis's intentions were becoming increasingly clear. It seemed she needed to find an appropriate moment to let him know that she wasn't interested in a relationship right now.

Meanwhile, the "just friend" mentioned by Isabella Gomez, after being hung up on, listened to the busy signal on his phone, his mood turning sour.

Great, hanging up on him—no one had ever dared to do that before.

He couldn't count how many "firsts" Isabella Gomez had broken with him. She had crossed several of his boundaries, even telling him to "get lost" yesterday.

This woman really had some nerve.

In fact, Isabella Gomez was also quite troubled. Theodore Davis was always around her, showing concern and offering help without caring about what others thought. This made their relationship seem increasingly ambiguous to their peers.

Isabella Gomez felt very awkward and wished she could just be straightforward with Theodore Davis. However, since he hadn't explicitly expressed his feelings, doing so might make her appear overly self-important.

"Janet Rusk, does our Editor-in-Chief have feelings for Isabella Gomez?"

During a break, as Isabella Gomez was about to leave the restroom, she overheard this conversation and froze in place.

She never imagined that she would become a topic of gossip in the restroom.

"Probably, Editor-in-Chief has been making it pretty obvious," Janet Rusk replied.

"No way, Editor-in-Chief actually likes Isabella Gomez? I heard she was in prison before!"

Hearing these words, Isabella Gomez's face turned pale, and a cold sweat trickled down her forehead. As if remembering something terrifying, her legs gave out, and she collapsed in the stall with a thud.

The people outside, sensing something was wrong, knocked on the door, "Is anyone in there? What happened?"

After a long while, when they were about to call someone to break the door down, Isabella Gomez emerged, her face as white as a sheet, devoid of color.

Her hollow eyes glanced at the two who had been talking about her, but she said nothing.

The gossiper hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, Isabella, I didn't mean it. I only heard those things. I won't say them again. Please don't take it to heart, okay?"

Isabella Gomez ignored them and walked past, leaving the restroom.

During the rest of the hike, Isabella Gomez was listless. Although she had developed a strong resilience, it didn't mean she could enjoy herself after hearing such comments. Each time those painful memories were brought up, it felt like reopening a wound.

After descending the mountain, Isabella Gomez had no interest in joining the group for dinner and said she wanted to go home.

Theodore Davis, concerned, insisted on driving her back.

At this moment, his care was both touching and overwhelming. She had a less-than-glamorous past, and anyone who was kind to her despite it seemed to shine with a gentle light.

Isabella Gomez looked at Theodore Davis, "Editor-in-Chief, don't you care about the rumors?"

Theodore Davis was taken aback. He had indeed heard the prison rumors and had struggled with them. But seeing Isabella Gomez's question, he stood tall and declared, "I don't care!"

Tears welled up in Isabella Gomez's eyes. She lifted her head, barely holding back, and turned away to compose herself before saying, "Alright, then, thank you for driving me home, Editor-in-Chief."

Theodore Davis's face broke into a wide smile, "Sure, sure, I'll go get the car. Wait here, I'll be right back. Don't leave without me!"

Watching Theodore Davis run to get the car, Isabella Gomez suddenly realized she was at the age where women should think about marriage. Perhaps she would end up marrying a regular man like Theodore Davis and live a normal life. The important thing was that he didn't care about her past.

On the drive home, Theodore Davis tried to cheer Isabella Gomez up, but she could only manage polite smiles, unable to truly laugh.

"I'm here." The car stopped in front of Isabella Gomez's building, and she got out to say goodbye to Theodore Davis.

But Theodore Davis followed her out and turned off the engine. "Isabella, you don't look well. Can I come up and chat with you?"

Casual relationships were common, and Isabella Gomez wondered if Theodore Davis intended to stay the night. She knew she had no such intention and shook her head, "It's late, and I don't feel like talking."

This was a clear refusal, but Theodore Davis walked around the car to her side, smiling, "How about I come up for a cup of tea? No other intentions, I promise. I just want to see your place. I bet it's as comfortable as you are. You know, I'm alone too, and I have nothing to do at home. It gets pretty boring."

With so many seemingly irrefutable reasons, Isabella Gomez thought she might consider it if her brother weren't at home. After all, Theodore Davis didn't seem like a bad person.

But with her brother, who was always critical and temperamental, Isabella Gomez absolutely couldn't let Theodore Davis come up.

Seeing her firm refusal, Theodore Davis nodded reluctantly, "Okay, I'll wait until you're ready next time."

"Alright," Isabella Gomez agreed.

Theodore Davis said he wanted to watch her go upstairs to ensure she was safe. Isabella Gomez awkwardly went up, under his watchful eye.

Opening the door, she was met with a sharp gaze from Jonathan Sanders, who scrutinized her from head to toe multiple times.

"What... what are you looking at?" Isabella Gomez felt uneasy under his intense stare.

"You're back earlier than expected," Jonathan Sanders said.

"Yeah, I didn't join the dinner," Isabella Gomez replied, putting down her keys and heading to the bathroom without mentioning the incident on the mountain.

Jonathan Sanders could clearly see that she was in a bad mood. A woman who had spent the day out usually wouldn't return in such a sullen state.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Isabella Gomez, in the bathroom, assumed it was the neighbor, Mrs. Murphy or Lucy Murphy, and asked Jonathan Sanders to answer it.

Jonathan Sanders slowly opened the door and saw a man.

Jonathan Sanders recognized him immediately as the man who had picked up Isabella Gomez in the morning and tried to make a move on her.

His eyes narrowed, filled with a piercing scrutiny.