The company veterans truly did not take Isabella seriously.They constantly pressured her and made things difficult for her.For those two years, Isabella walked on thin ice while her nerves stretched taut, never daring to relax for even a moment.It was only after she stabilized the situation and firmly established her footing that she began to gradually replace those old executives, letting them retire. After all, they were at that age anyway.Now, the senior management in the company respected her wholeheartedly.“Watching you walk this path, I know how much you’ve suffered and endured,” Delphine said, her voice thick with heartache.“In the end, it’s still because your dad and I were useless.“Look at your best friend, she doesn’t have any of these pressures. She does what she loves, gets married to the man she wants, and lives a carefree and happy life, full of joy.“She may not be as capable as you, and her status in this city can’t compare to yours, but I would rather yo
Isabella walked over and sat down beside her mother.Delphine shifted slightly, feeling somewhat awkward. “Let's go back outside. This is your bedroom, I shouldn’t have just come in like this.”She felt as though she had intruded into her daughter’s private space.“Mom, don’t be like that. We’re mother and daughter,” Isabella said, both amused and exasperated by her mother’s discomfort.“We’re not strangers to each other. You’re my mom, and I’m the one who let you in.”Perhaps it was because she had been so busy with work lately that she had not spent much quality time with her parents. She would be out the whole day till late and sometimes go an entire month without seeing them, despite living under the same roof.When she left for work, her parents were still asleep, and by the time she came home late at night, they had already gone to bed.On weekends when she could rest at home were the exception, but when work got busy, she did not go home even during then.However, now th
It was not that Delphine was selfish and wanted to tie her daughter to the O'Connor family to bear its heavy burdens. It was just that the risks of Isabella moving away were too great.When she had seen the two young ones embracing earlier, Delphine had paled, as if the sky were about to collapse.At that moment, she nearly screamed. She had to clamp a hand tightly over her mouth to stop herself.Once the two separated, she quickly turned away, not daring to linger at the staircase. She had wanted to pretend she had not seen anything, to return to her room and silently process the matter.But she could not. She needed to talk to her daughter.While she was torn with indecision, Isabella came upstairs.And now, here she was, sitting in her daughter’s room.After studying her mother for a moment, Isabella said, “Then, Mom, sit here for a bit. I’ll go take a hot shower.”Delphine nodded and Isabella left. While waiting, Delphine sighed repeatedly.Now that she had calmed down, sh
“Yeah, I’m back. I had some supper.” Isabella watched her mother’s expression, guessing that she had probably seen Austin and herself hugging.After a pause, she brought it up of her own volition. “Mom.”“Isa,” Delphine said at the same time. They both paused.“Mom, you go ahead.” Isabella walked up to Delphine. “You probably don’t feel like sleeping now, do you? Let’s go to my room to talk.”This was so that they did not wake her father and brother. Delphine followed her daughter into the room.Normally, she rarely entered Isabella’s room. She had stopped going into it without Isabella’s permission after Isabella started attending middle school. Now that her daughter was all grown up, Delphine respected that she needed her privacy and space.“Have a seat, Mom. Want some water?” Isabella could tell Delphine was restraining herself and invited her to take a seat on the sofa.“No, thanks. I’m not thirsty. Isa, you only just got back from your business trip this late at night.
Austin collected the dishes and said, “Well, there is a saying that goes, ‘East or west, home is the best.’ No matter how fun or beautiful another place is, it can’t beat the comfort of your home.”He went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Isabella sat for a few minutes before heading to the kitchen entrance to watch him work.“Why do you like doing house chores, Austin?”“No particular reason. I just like it. It’s just like how I love cooking. I started to like doing these things when I was young.”That was why he developed a career in a related industry after growing up. Austin thought it was great to earn money while doing what he liked. He washed his hands and wiped them dry before walking toward Isabella. “It’s late, Ms. Isabella. You should head upstairs to rest. I’ll prepare your favorite breakfast tomorrow morning.“Mr. Louis and Mr. Phillip had been asking me to cook something tasty for them, but I simply wasn't in the mood. They’ll probably be overjoyed when the
Isabella said, “Mr. Lee Johnson cooked. The food he made… wasn’t as good as yours. However, I was able to eat it.“I didn’t starve. I was also scared if I didn’t eat anything, your nana and the rest would be worried. It would’ve also made the Johnson family feel guilty about their hospitality.“The Johnson family members are nice,” complimented Isabella. “I know they are similar to the York family. To be honest, it’s rare to see a family as big as yours maintain a harmonious relationship, not to mention the Johnsons are also very wealthy.”If the members of a family were all capable and had their own careers, they were less likely to fight for the legacy inheritance their ancestors had left behind. On the contrary, they would think that taking over the family business was a burden and a role without freedom—it was because each of them had different interests. In most cases, they would not be interested in managing the family business and found it exhausting.“I’ll take you to
The bodyguards and driver said good night to Isabella and left. They had brought her home safely and were not worried since Austin would be with her. After everyone left, Isabella finally turned toward Austin, who was also looking at her. They met each other’s gaze. After some time, Austin boldly held her hand and pulled her into his embrace. “I missed you so much, Ms. Isabella. The past few days felt like years to me. I was so scared and worried that you’d get angry and ignore me after discovering everything.“I was afraid that what Zachary had experienced would happen to me. After all, I’ve hid many things from you.“You can get furious, hit, or scold me, but please don’t ignore me.“Ever since I liked cooking, I’d feel uncomfortable all over if I didn’t cook a few dishes a day. However, I really couldn’t bring myself to cook for the past few days.“I wasn’t in the mood to cook because you weren’t here. An absent-minded chef can never make delicious food.”Isabella lea
“I like your personality, Isa. It’s always better to communicate in person.”Grandma May complimented Isabella while putting her phone back in her pocket. She and Isabella continued walking and chatting.Isabella had gotten closer to Grandma May after obtaining her answer.Not only did Grandma May bring her around FC Manor, but she also offered to take her to the night market. Grandma May said Isabella definitely did not have time to go shopping.Tania and the rest were also summoned back to FC Manor by Grandma May. Tania was overjoyed to meet her future daughter-in-law. She was utterly satisfied with Isabella. Elizabeth was envious as she still had a few grandsons who were single. On the other hand, her best friend had personally chosen her granddaughters-in-law and arranged for her grandsons to woo them. Every couple Grandma May had brought together turned out successful, which made Elizabeth want to do the same. The young masters of the Johnsons who were still single d
Austin and Isabella spoke at the same time. They went silent.Austin broke the silence first. “You may speak first, Ms. Isabella.”Isabella said, “I’ve nothing to say. I can understand why you’ve done what you did.”“I’m sorry for keeping secrets from you, Ms. Isabella.”“There’s nothing to apologize for. I don’t know anything about you. If it weren’t for my friend, I wouldn’t have known you’re a young master of the Yorks. I couldn’t even obtain that information despite running a background check on you twice.”Isabella let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I know there are always people more capable than me. I probably couldn’t find anything about you because you or your family had found out and intervened.“I feel complicated now, Austin. I don’t know what to say. Give me two days to calm down. We can talk when I’m back, okay?”Austin replied, “Of course. I’m the one in the wrong. I’m grateful you didn’t get angry, scold, or fire me.“Are you going to stay there for a few more