"Do you think I'm that easily fooled? If you're really planning to marry Sandra, I'll tell Mom and Dad that you've only known each other for a day." Isabella did not buy his excuses at all.Isaiah unlocked his phone and handed it to her, saying, "Go ahead."Isabella was almost driven to madness by him. He probably knew she would not say anything!"You have one minute to think about it. If you haven't called Mom and Dad in a minute, you will help me.""No way." Isabella stood up and left the study. She grabbed her bag and phone, leaving the mansion quickly.Seeing her leave, Sandra glanced at Isaiah, who was descending the stairs."She declined," Isaiah approached and informed her of the result. Their conversation and interaction were emotionless. "I'm afraid I won't be able to help you."Setting down what she was holding, Sandra remained composed and said, "There's no rush, as there are still three months. If it doesn't work out after three months, we'll consider other options
"Just in case you take screenshots of our chat and send them to Mom and Dad," Isaiah stated directly.Isabella knew Isaiah could be infuriating when he wanted to be, but she did not expect him to be so calculative. "Well, unfortunately for you, your precautions won't work. I'll copy the dashcam footage and send it to them.""Thanks for the heads up," Isaiah said.Isabella was even more puzzled."I've deleted it already. Next time, remember to back it up before telling me about this kind of thing," Isaiah informed her."You're so annoying!" Isabella scolded him and hung up in frustration.[Isaiah: If you help me this time, I'll delete all your embarrassing videos.][Isabella: Whatever.]If he dared to reveal her embarrassing videos to Luther, she would tell her parents about him!Thinking this, Isabella promptly booked a flight to Jiverton since there was not much for her to do in Nexuria. Moreover, the project she had previously been responsible for was running smoothly.She
Joshua was not surprised to see Isabella in the office. Clearly, he had learned about it in advance, probably from Roderick. "What brings you here?""Just bored, so I came over to hang out with you guys." Isabella replied as she stood up from the chair and sat on the nearby sofa, "I heard from Roderick that Luther took leave. What's going on with him?""He went for a project inspection," Joshua said calmly, handing her a glass of water. Isabella raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Isn't he on leave?""Externally, yes. Only he and I know about this. The project is confidential, and we can't afford any leaks," Joshua lied with a straight face. "Not even Roderick?" "Mmhmm.""What's the project about?" Isabella asked. "You hold positions in all three of your family's companies; I can't let you know," Joshua said. His tone was gentle, treating Isabella like his own daughter. "Boo," Isabella booed at him, not pressing further. After all, these are business matters that should not be
Luther visibly relaxed, and his reaction did not go unnoticed by Isabella, who grew more suspicious. "Luther.""Hmm?" Luther was always ready to answer her questions."Are you hiding something from me? Don't lie to me; be honest." Isabella was always straightforward, not liking things to be left unspoken.Luther paused in the midst of eating, evidently surprised by her question. Isabella kept her eyes on him."There is something, but I can't tell you right now," Luther, aware of her personality, confessed with some reservations. "Why?" Isabella pressed for an explanation.Luther said, "I can't say."Isabella stared at him, her mind beginning to wander. Something that needed to be kept from her… could it be a proposal?"Is it a proposal?" Isabella tentatively asked.Luther was shocked but did not show it. "No. Do you want me to propose to you?""No, not yet. So, what are you keeping from me?" Isabella, thinking about her own proposal plans, decisively shifted the topic to
Luther was stunned, clearly not expecting her to bring this up. Isabella urged him, "Why aren't you saying anything?""It won't be long before we are married. Why not wait until our wedding night?" Although he had agreed earlier, her bringing it up made him hope it would be on his wedding night. After all, beautiful things should happen on beautiful nights.Isabella gave it a thought and responded, "I just want to check if you're able to do it."Luther was confused.Did they not prove he was not last time?"Last time..." Luther attempted to remind her."Last time was just to see if you can have an erection. Even though you can have one, it doesn't mean you're capable of doing the deed. Do you get it?" Isabella teased.Luther stayed silent."So, will you agree to this little request?" Isabella asked him tentatively.Luther was not good at discussing such matters and uttered, "No." "Why?" Isabella was puzzled. She had made it so obvious, so why was he not giving in?
Joshua was caught off guard, and his mind went blank for a moment. His initial reaction was that Luther could not possibly have revealed his secret proposal plans to Isabella. If he had, he would not be dropping her off here."Did he tell you this?" Joshua quickly calmed himself down and asked her in a composed manner."Mmhmm. He said he took leave to prepare for a proposal." Isabella kept the details vague, wary of potential slip-ups.Joshua chuckled.Isabella was confused. "Why are you laughing?" "If you really want Luther to propose to you, I can discreetly convey the message. I can also let him hand over his work to me," Joshua assured her.Isabella got to the point. "But didn't you say it's important?""It is, but no matter how important, it's not more significant than the happiness you desire. The company is stable now, and taking a short break won't cause much loss," Joshua replied. "Is he really busy with work?" Isabella was surprised.Joshua looked at her and teased
"Mmhmm," Joshua admitted."What kind of marriage did you guys have..." Isabella could not comprehend their relationship and curiously inquired, "You didn't even go through any of the standard procedures. How did Grandma Katherine and Grandpa Jonathan agree?"Joshua remained quiet. Sensing his expression, Isabella knew the answer. Before she could ask, Joshua said, "When your mom and I got married, Grandma Katherine was no longer with us.""As for Grandpa Jonathan…" Joshua paused here, afraid of jeopardizing his position in Isabella's heart; he continued, "He doesn't know."Isabella gave him a big thumbs up.Impressive. Getting married without the family knowing! "I won't comment on your affairs as you're my elder," Isabella said. She was not directly involved and did not know exactly what had happened back then. "But I do hope Luther can free up a bit for me."Not necessarily for him to propose to her, but at least when she decides to propose, he would have the time.Tak
"No problem, I can wait." Isabella did not mind at all.That evening, Luther called Isabella when he got home. Initially, they chatted casually, but then Isabella brought up Isaiah.Luther's advice was straightforward: help and support Isaiah. Isabella did not expect Luther to advise her to help Isaiah without learning more details. She exclaimed, "But they just know each other for a day!" "Whether a day or half a day, it's his choice, and he's not wrong. Isaiah is emotionally and intellectually intelligent," Luther explained. Isabella was doubtful and asked, "He has emotional intelligence?"Luther affirmed, "Yes."Isabella could not help but wonder if Luther misunderstood something about Isaiah. Isaiah, who, apart from excelling in studies and researching his interests, never engaged in small talk with girls.How could someone like that be described as having emotional intelligence?"Trust him," Luther added. Back then, Luther also thought Isaiah was just an outstanding