Seraphina interrupted him. “OK, stop right there. Isabel isn’t someone who’d stick around here. Don’t waste your time dreaming about it.”
She headed straight for Isabel’s room.
Isabel was already awake when Seraphina arrived.
Despite the long night, Isabel’s stamina and resilience meant she needed little sleep.
“You’ve worked hard, Isabel. I brought you some food,” Seraphina said, holding up a bag of takeout.
She placed the food on the table.
“From Savor & Spice?” Isabel asked, recognizing the packaging.
Seraphina grinned. “You bet! I had their head chef whip this up just for you. You’re welcome.”
“You’re too kind,” Isabel said with a light laugh.
Savor & Spice was one of the most prestigious restaurants in Ardenfall.
Even with money, arranging a custom meal from the head chef was a rare privilege.
Seraphina sat down with a dramatic sigh. “But seriously, Isabel, was it really worth it? Going to all this trouble for a crippled
man?”
20
Without hesitation, Isabel replied, “It’s worth it. A life is still a life.”
She didn’t mention that the task had been assigned to her by Baxter.
At that moment, Isabel’s phone vibrated.
Seeing the caller ID, Chris, she answered.
“Boss, I’m stuck outside the Elysian hospital gates! Getting in here feels like breaking into a vault,” Chris complained loudly over the line.
Isabel glanced at Seraphina. “A friend of mine is at the gates, but security’s holding him up.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Seraphina said casually.
A short time later, Chris made it upstairs.
Chris glanced at Isabel as their conversation shifted to hospital matters. “By the way, what are you doing at Elysian Hospital?
“This place is no walk in the park to get into. And who could possibly need you to personally step in?”
Isabel fixed him with a cold stare. “Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. Just handle your own work.”
Chris raised his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine. I get it.”
As Chris exited Elysian Hospital, he bumped into Caius Clyde just outside.
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Chapter 10
ૐ ૐ
“Mr. Jovian, I’ve finally found you!” Caius exclaimed, his tone overly enthusiastic, desperate to win favor.
Chris had been avoiding Caius recently, and Caius knew something must be wrong. So, he dropped his pride.
Chris didn’t even glance at him. “Mr. Clyde, I’ve already made things perfectly clear through my team. Why are you still pestering us?”
Caius took on a pitiful demeanor, practically groveling. “Sir, there must be some kind of misunderstanding.
“The Clyde Group and Oceania Group have always been close partners. You can’t just sever ties like this–it’ll destroy us!”
Chris sneered. “What happens to the Clyde Group isn’t my problem. Caius, let’s be clear: Oceania Group isn’t here to clean up after you.
“Do you even realize how much money we’ve lost because of your incompetence? Honestly, we’ve been itching to cut ties with you for years. If it weren’t for her…”
He stopped mid–sentence and waved dismissively. “Forget it. From this point forward, the Oceania Group and the Clyde Group are enemies. Don’t bother crawling back.”
“Sir, wait…” Caius stammered, sweat forming on his brow.
Chris’s cold, cutting words left him completely shaken.
His attitude towards Caius had changed suspiciously too much.
Nearby, Lucian Clyde stepped forward, trying to salvage the situation for his father.
He said, “Mr. Jovian, there must be some misunderstanding. If you’ve turned against us, at least tell us why. What did we do wrong?”
Chris brushed off Lucian’s hand with contempt. “The blame is on us. We shouldn’t get associated with trash like the Clyde Group in the first place.
“Do you even know how incompetent you are? Get out of my sight. I don’t want to see either of you ever again.”
Lucian’s pride was wounded by the blatant humiliation.
Furious, he clenched his fists, ready to retaliate.
Caius quickly restrained him. “Don’t, Lucian. If you cause a scene now, we’re done for.”
“Dad! What’s his problem? He used to grovel before us, and now he’s acting like he’s better than everyone else!” Lucian fumed, his face flushed with anger.
Caius let out a deep sigh. “Who knows? Chris is unpredictable. One day he’s cooperative, the next, he’s tearing us down.”
As they stood lamenting their downfall, Isabel emerged from the hospital, catching their attention.
“Isabel? What are you doing here? Were you following us?” Lucian snapped, his voice filled with irritation.
Isabel paused, clearly displeased by the encounter, but kept her composure as she met their gaze.
Lucian took her silence as an opening to berate her further.
“What’s wrong?” he teased, “Is your real family so pathetic that you’re trying to crawl back to us? Are you stalking us, hoping
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Chapter 10
we’ll take you in?”
Isabel’s expression didn’t waver. Her tone was calm yet cutting. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
She moved to walk past them, but Lucian blocked her path.
Isabel’s eyes narrowed as she slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze. “Get out of my way.”
Lucian’s face turned crimson with anger. “You… Isabel, how dare you? After everything our family did for you, after feeding and housing you, this is how you repay us? I was your brother once!”
“Brother?” Isabel’s voice was icy. “You think you’re worthy of that title?”
Lucian froze, rendered speechless by her disdainful glare, his face contorting with rage. “You… !”
Seeing the tension rise, Caius stepped in to diffuse the situation. “That’s enough, Lucian. Why waste your breath arguing with her? She’s not part of the Clyde family anymore.”
He turned to Isabel, his tone cold and dismissive. “Isabel, you’ll never be part of the Clyde family again. Amelia is our true daughter now. Whether you live or die means nothing to us.”
Isabel responded with a mocking laugh. “Remember those words.” Her message was clear: they shouldn’t dare seek her out in the future.
Caius watched as Isabel walked away, then turned his gaze toward the Elysian Hospital, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
“Why was she coming out of the Elysian Hospital?” he muttered to himself.
“What do you mean, Dad?” Lucian asked, stepping closer.
“I’m almost certain I saw Isabel leaving that hospital. It’s owned by the Flynn family, and ordinary people can’t just walk in there,” Caius said with a frown.
Lucian scoffed. “You must be mistaken. There’s no way she has connections like that. She’s just some countryside nobody
could she possibly know anyone important?”
abel had once been nominally part of the Clyde family, she had grown up in the countryside under the care of a
ad little connection to the rest of the family.
Caius and Rosy, Isabel seemed distant and cold, lacking the warmth they expected from someone they could call their
Caius and Rosy had never liked her.
A few years ago, they brought her to Ardenfall solely for an arranged marriage with the Swanson family. Even then, their treatment of her remained indifferent and dismissive.
Meanwhile, Back at the Clyde Mansion, Amelia was in her room.
She was surrounded by piles of gold and silver jewelry, carefully arranging and admiring each piece.
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Chapter 10
These treasures had become her source of security.
Every night, she clutched her jewelry boxes as she slept, afraid she might wake up back in the modest home of the Galvez family.
After arranging everything to her satisfaction, Amelia turned to her favorite pastime: taking selfies.
Flaunting her wealth had become a daily ritual.
Amelia’s routine was well–practiced. She snapped several photos, cranked up the beauty filter to its maximum, and posed with exaggerated pouts and playful expressions.
Then, she began crafting her Instagram captions.
First post: “Omg, so like, I told my parents that one car was totally enough, right? But no, they had to get me, like, FIVE luxury cars. Ugh, it’s such a struggle being this spoiled. #CarGoals #TooBlessedToStress”
Second
post: “So my brothers were like, ‘You NEED this jewelry,‘ and I’m like, ‘Guys, chill, I don’t need more stuff. But they insisted, “You’re our only sister, we HAVE to spoil you.‘ Fine, I guess I’ll take it. #SisterPrivilege #AllTheSparkle”
To cap it off, she added a faux complaint: “I literally don’t know what to do with all this money. Should I get another Birkin or just donate it? #RichGirlProblems #HelpMeDecide”
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