Chapter 12

Heather played with the hem of her shirt, looking awkward. "Dad, don't say that about Bell…"

Isobel cut her off. "Thanks for offering, Heather."

She sat at the table and smiled. "That's not quite right, Dad. Heather lives and eats here for free—she should do a little something to earn it, don't you think?"

Anna's and Heather's expressions darkened at her words. However, Anna immediately composed herself and smiled at Vincent. "Bell is right, Vincent."

Vincent had an ugly look on his face as he glared at Isobel. "Get lost if you're not going to eat."

Isobel's smile widened. "Of course, I'm going to eat. This is my home, and the food is my family's. It'll all end up in the mouths of outsiders if I don't eat, right?"

Her words carried an unmistakable edge.

She turned to look at Heather, who was still standing. "Sit, Heather. Look at how mad Dad is. Anyone who isn't in the know would think you're his actual daughter."

Then, she looked at Laura Brown, the housekeeper. "Why are you still standing there? Why aren't you getting me a set of cutlery? You don't actually expect the second daughter of the family to do it, do you?"

She emphasized "second daughter" as she spoke, making Heather falter before taking her seat.

The mood at the dining table grew heavy with Isobel's presence. However, she didn't seem to notice. She ate her breakfast happily.

Finally, Anna broke the silence. "I heard Ethan was hospitalized after getting into an accident last night, Bell. Is he okay?"

Isobel glanced at her and smiled amicably. "You can go visit him if you're so curious about his condition."

Anna was taken aback but still smiled. "Oh, you. Why would I need to visit him? I'll have Laura buy some ingredients to make chicken soup later. If you and Heather don't have anything to do in the afternoon, you can go visit him together."

"I'm not going. Heather can do it. This is the perfect chance for them to get to know each other better."

That was exactly what Anna wanted, but she couldn't admit it. She turned to Heather and said, "That reminds me. Tell us what exactly happened between you and Ethan, Heather."

Heather stammered, "N-Nothing. I swear Ethan and I didn't do anything. I wouldn't get involved with Bell's boyfriend."

Tears filled her eyes, and she turned to look at Isobel. "I swear nothing happened, Bell. Please stop being mad at Ethan. I won't see him from now on."

Isobel continued eating as she silently watched Heather's act. At her silence, Anna sighed and said, "Bell, please stop being mad at Heather. You must've been mistaken—she wouldn't dare take Ethan from you."

She smiled. "Don't be mad at Ethan because of Heather."

Isobel still didn't speak. Anna and Heather had always been good at pretending to be pure and innocent. The exchange had washed Heather of any blame. At the same time, they'd also made it sound like Isobel had falsely accused Heather.

This amused Isobel.

Unfortunately, Vincent lapped the whole thing up. He slammed his cutlery on the table and turned to glare at Isobel. "Stop with this nonsense. This isn't the first time you've falsely accused Heather of something. I don't care what you're up to now—your engagement with Ethan has to proceed as planned."

He stood up. "I've heard enough. I need to head out to deal with something, so you and Heather should visit Ethan at the hospital this afternoon. Don't make the Goode family think we're not united as a family. I don't want us to turn into laughingstocks."

Isobel narrowed her eyes and watched as he left. She tightened her grip on her spoon, making her fingertips turn white from the force.

Once Vincent was gone, the smile on Anna's face disappeared. She eyed Isobel with a sneer and said, "Stop framing Heather from now on, Bell."

Isobel snorted and mouthed something. It made Anna's and Heather's expressions turn hideous—they'd read her lips and understood what she'd called them.

Isobel's mood lifted at the sight of that. She threw her cutlery aside and headed upstairs to her room. She checked her phone to see she'd received a new message.