"Cynthia is your biological sister. These past few days, she has been pleading for you every day in front of your father, hoping to bring you back. She treats you with all her heart, but how do you treat her?"
Isabella saw the look of disappointment on Samuel's face, as if he regarded her as a bully who picks on the weak.
Seeing Samuel's expression, Isabella felt as if her ears had suddenly gone deaf; she couldn't hear his scolding.
All she could see was Samuel's face filled with anger and disappointment.
Today, she truly witnessed what it meant to turn black into white and to accuse the victim.
The one who betrayed first was acting all righteous and wronged, scolding her; she was framed by Cynthia, kicked out of her home, left homeless, and in the end, Cynthia was portrayed as some kind of saint.
Isabella felt so angry she wanted to laugh.
Seeing Isabella's pale face, Samuel felt that his tone just now might have been too harsh and softened his voice, "How are you doing now? Do you have a place to stay?"
Cynthia, seeing Samuel's lingering affection, pouted unhappily: "Yes, Isabella. Just admit your mistake to Dad. He won't mind too much about you staying out all night with those men. We're all family."
These words, on the surface, seemed to be for her own good, showing understanding and sisterly love. But in reality, they were emphasizing in front of Samuel the reason why Isabella was kicked out.
Ever since Cynthia framed her, making it look like she spent the night with several men at a hotel, causing a scandal, Samuel had used this reason to mock her, justifying his own cheating.
It was laughable because he had already been cheating with Cynthia long before!
Isabella's eyes turned icy as she stared at Cynthia. "If you're so concerned about me, why don't you tell Dad how you tricked me into going to the hotel that night and forged those photos?"
Cynthia looked extremely wronged, on the verge of tears. She blushed and looked at Samuel. "Sam, you know I didn't. I was with you all night that day."
Samuel carefully wiped the tears off Cynthia's face, gently comforting her, "I know it wasn't you."
In fact, Samuel never believed the scandal about Isabella. He had always wanted to take his relationship with Isabella further, but she refused every time, insisting on waiting until after marriage.
How could a woman with such principles do something so reckless?
It was for this reason that he fell into Cynthia's charms and fell in love with her.
Moreover, despite being the eldest daughter of the Rivera family, Isabella had never been favored by their father over the years.
In the future, the Riveras would inevitably belong to Cynthia. For the sake of family interests, choosing Cynthia was naturally more sensible than choosing Isabella.
Samuel reproached Isabella. "Why have you become so petty? I know I wronged you, but don't always take it out on Cynthia. She's pure and kind, and I couldn't help falling for her. It's my fault, and I'll make it up to you."
With that, he handed Isabella a check for 10,000 dollars "Here’s 10,000. Find a place to stay for now, and come back after your father calms down."
He believed that Isabella's resentment towards Cynthia was because she couldn't let go of him and was taking it out on Cynthia.
Isabella didn't move. She glanced at the check, let out a cold laugh, and said dismissively, "I find it disgusting. Move aside, I don't want to waste any more words."
Samuel frowned. Her stubbornness was still the same.
She abruptly pushed past them and got ready to leave on her bicycle.
Behind her, Cynthia mocked, "Isabella, why are you riding a bicycle? Let Sam drive you."
Samuel added, "You're the daughter of the Riveras. Riding a bicycle is so undignified. Take my car instead."
‘For goodness' sake, being with you two is what's truly undignified. Can you stop disgusting me?’
Isabella felt a surge of anger but kept her face calm. "No need, I’ve called for a car."
She looked down at her phone to order a ride.
She couldn't stand being around these two repulsive people for another minute, or she felt she might die from the toxicity of their presence.
Before she could complete her request, a sleek silver sports car stopped next to her. The driver, dressed impeccably, looked extraordinary. He stepped out and respectfully asked, "Are you Miss Isabella Rivera?"
Isabella was taken aback but nodded.
"The car your man ordered has arrived. Please get in," the driver said, opening the door for her with a respectful gesture.
Isabella was bewildered. "Which man?"
The driver smiled and didn't elaborate.
‘Could it be him? Impossible, why would he order a car for me?’ Isabella was full of doubts.
As she hesitated, Samuel suddenly called out to her, "Isabella..."
She turned to see him looking astonished, as if he wanted to reach out and stop her.
Feeling a deep sense of revulsion, she quickly escaped into the car.
The car started and sped away.
Cynthia and Samuel stared at each other, bewildered.
Samuel was utterly shocked, staring at the departing car.
That sleek, high-end car was definitely not an ordinary luxury vehicle. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a CCXR, one of only six in the world, worth over two million.
The key point was that such top-tier cars couldn't be bought just with money. They were only sold to royalty in Dubai and the UK, as well as a few top global tycoons and dignitaries.
He had never seen such a car in Elaris.
Cynthia pouted dismissively, "It's just a ride-share service. We're so good to her, but she just can't appreciate it. How can sitting in that unknown car be better than your Porsche?"
Samuel choked; his Porsche couldn't even compare to the CCXR.
A ride-share service?
Who drives a milion-dollar car to earn money as a driver?
Such cars weren't seen in this country, so it wasn't surprising Cynthia didn't recognize it.
Samuel coughed, not wanting to explain.
Cynthia, meanwhile, gushed about the driver. "What a pity that such a handsome driver is just running a ride-share service."
Seeing Samuel's expression, she realized she misspoke and quickly added, "Of course, he's nowhere near as good as you. I just thought the driver looked a bit like Caleb Reed."
Samuel thought the same. He pondered and realized the driver did indeed resemble Caleb Reed, the eldest son of the Reed family.
Caleb Reed was at the helm of the Reed Group's wealth.
The Reed family was the second richest in Elaris, dominating the global electronics industry, second only to the Knights, the kings of the business world.
A disgraced, homeless girl was picked up by a top-tier global luxury car, driven by none other than Caleb Reed, the renowned eldest son of the Reed family.
This was insane!
To reassure himself he wasn’t losing his mind, Samuel put his arm around Cynthia’s shoulder and said, “That’s impossible, dear. We must have both seen it wrong.”
Cynthia would rather believe she was blind than think that Caleb Reed would be driving a top-tier luxury car as Isabella’s chauffeur.
When Isabella got home, the car that had brought her quickly drove away.
She pushed open the door, intending to ask the injured man what had happened.
But the house was eerily quiet.
Hmm?
Where did he go? Could he have already left?
***
As if reading her thoughts, Lucius embraced her and held her face, looking into her eyes. “I love you,” he admitted, his gaze unwavering. “I always have. Ever since the first time we met, I admired your strength and your passion. I wanted to be someone you could rely on, someone who would stand by you, even if it meant hiding who I was.”Isabella searched his eyes for any sign of deception, but all she found was raw honesty. The realization settled within her like a weight being lifted. The anger that had flared between them now seemed trivial compared to the bond they had forged through adversity. “No more secrets, okay?”“Agreed,” he said, relief flooding his features. “I promise to be honest with you from here on out. And please don’t worry about the Rivera Corporation. I’ll help you resolve everything.”“You know?” Isabella blinked, startled once again.“I said I was on a business trip because I’m helping you solve the problems at the Rivera Corporation. Your father is critically i
When Isabella finally finished her work and could take a moment to rest, she remembered that someone was waiting for her at home. She quickly took out her phone to send a message.She had expected to find numerous missed calls and messages from Lucius, given his personality, but to her surprise, there was only one message.“Bella, I’ll be busy traveling with my boss for the next few days, so don’t worry about me.”Of course, Lucius had his own life and couldn’t revolve entirely around her. Yet, for some reason, Isabella felt uneasy upon reading that message.As fatigue set in, she had no choice but to rest in the office for a while.She slept soundly until night fell and was awakened by Nate shaking her.“Miss, there’s a banquet tonight where you need to attend as the representative of the Rivera Corporation. We can't let others see us in a bad light; it’s best if you can bring in some investment for the company,” Nate said, immediately arranging for a stylist and a wardrobe for Isabe
"Are you sure it’s not needed?"“Miss, what do you mean?” Nate, perceptive and sharp, immediately understood after hearing Isabella’s words—Regina was involved.Isabella nodded and said to Nate, “Before, when I was slandered, I had a huge argument with my father because I discovered that Regina was behind the losses of the Rivera Corporation. But I only heard fragments of her conversation; I had no evidence.”“I’ll go retrieve the accounts! As long as there are financial transactions, we should be able to uncover the truth,” Nate said, quickly heading towards the company.After all, with Carlos in his current state, only the doctors and nurses could help him now.Once Nate left, no one else appeared outside the hospital room.Isabella dialed Regina’s number.
As Isabella listened to their conversation, a realization struck her. She stepped forward, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Is this the woman you saw?”Barely able to contain her excitement, she pulled out a photo of her mother and handed it to the person who had been speaking.“Yes, yes, that’s her!” The person, startled by Isabella’s sudden appearance, nodded in recognition. After all, such a beautiful woman was unforgettable after just one meeting.“I clearly remember that she was kidnapped by a man living in this building, and Regina was being chased by debt collectors. She even tried to confront that man, provoking him and putting herself at risk with those pursuing her for money.”“Oh, isn’t that just typical of her? Deep in debt and not even trying to earn her way out,” one person scoffed.“I can’t believe it!” Isabella clenched her fists in anger, her eyes wide with disbelief.Her mother had only mentioned her benefactor once,
“You don’t even share the Knight last name, and you dare to argue with me in front of my parents, and my own nephew? You really have some nerve!” Giselle coldly shot a glance at Lydia, not holding back her disdain for her. When it came to matters of interest, she didn’t even want to pretend anymore.“What do you mean I don’t share the last name? I’ve carried a Knight family member in my belly! My poor Lily is still in the hospital, all alone, receiving treatment while her mother is being bullied like this. It’s really inhumane!” Lydia put on her usual act, crying and making a scene, appealing to everyone’s sympathy for her sick daughter.Lydia was merely the daughter of a subordinate of Lucius’ father—Jay. At a banquet, she climbed the social ladder and successfully became Jay’s mistress, even getting pregnant.She gave birth to a daughter, Lily Knight, but the child was born frail and weak.
“Did they send you as a negotiator?” Hearing Lysander mention the Knight family, Lucius couldn't help but sneer, dismissively saying, “They’re all useless leeches clinging to me. None of them genuinely care about my well-being.”The reason Lucius had been gravely injured in front of Isabella was recently revealed to be the work of a business competitorBut at that time, some members of the Knight family weren’t in a hurry to find him; they even tried to take advantage of his absence to seize control of the Knight Group.The ‘useless’ people Lucius referred to included his stepmother—Lydia, his aunt—Giselle, and Lydia's brother, Hans.They all had their eyes on the Knight Group, clearly incompetent and unable to do anything, yet they harbored grand ambitions of taking it for themselves.Over the years, Lucius had cleaned up many of their messes.Fo