CHAPTER 25

Chapter 25

“What’s the date today? How do you know when I’m going back to campus?” Isabella looked at Clayton in confusion.

Clayton looked so dashing in a white shirt and pants that Isabella was astounded. She sighed internally. “If only his good looks could be exchanged for money!”

He was unbeknownst to her inner thoughts and grinned. “You’re my wife. Of course, I know everything about you.”

His words gave her pause. She’d been fully prepared the day before to discuss with him about the divorce. However, her gaze traveled from the bed to herself, and she shrieked while burying herself back under the covers, “Shiti He’s seen everything,‘ she cursed discreetly.

Clayton pulled back the covers to study Isabella, whose blush had spread to her neck. “You have ten minutes more to get dressed and freshen up, or you will be late. The wardrobe on the left is full of your clothes. Feel free to pick whatever you like. I’ll wait for you downstairs to have breakfast before sending you to campus.”

He then gave her a peck on the lips and exited the room before she could react.

Isabella swiftly bolted to lock the door. Another surprise awaited her when she opened the closet door. ‘Since when was this stocked with women’s clothing such as lingerie, coats, and various socks and scarves?‘ she wondered.

Isabelle rummaged through them and chose a white collared T–shirt and navy blue jeans, mainly because they covered her hickeys. Besides,

it also suited the occasion.

Clayton was at the dining table perusing his documents when he noticed Isabella coming downstairs and nodded. “You look great! Come and

have breakfast”

“It’s getting late, so I’ll pass.” Isabella eyed the clock on the wall anxiously.

Clayton pulled her to the table and urged her to sit. “Have your breakfast. Trust me, we have time.” He then handed her a fork..

Isabella had no choice but to eat a piece of bread. “Can we go now?”

“Finish this.” Clayton pushed the milk in front of her.

In response, Isabella gritted her teeth and downed it in one gulp. “Happy?”

“All right. Don’t wander around after classes, as I’ll pick you up.” Clayton stood up and wiped her mouth with a tissue.

Isabella jolted at that. She’d planned to take advantage of this opportunity to abscond after school. Little did she foresee him cutting off her

escape route.

“It’s fine. Just send me your address, and I’ll hitch a ride there! You should focus on your work,” Isabella refused, stalling for time.

“Are you worried about me, Mrs. Murray?” Clayton teased. He picked up the tablet and phone beside him.

She ignored him. “What’s the address of this place?”

“Cityview Manor.” Clayton hooked one hand around her shoulder and walked out.

“What?” Isabella halted mid–step to regard him, astonished.

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Chapter 25

Clayton followed suit and inclined his head. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you filthy rich? She surveyed him apprehensively.

Clayton pondered and chuckled. “This question sure is a first. I guess I’m pretty well off.” His answer was straight to the point.

::35%會

“Damn it. Of course, he’s rich if he lives in Cityview Manor, the most expensive residence in the city! How dare someone so loaded rob 150 thousand dollars from me?” She ground her teeth.

“What’s the matter, Mrs. Murray?” Her sudden glumness didn’t escape him.

“Return me my 150 thousand dollars!” she muttered, extending her hand below his chin.

Her fury elicited a laugh from him,

and

he grabbed her hand to plant a kiss on it. “Mrs. Murray, you’ll be late if we don’t make a move now.”

150 thousand dollars!

Isabella withdrew her hand and wiped it on her clothes in disgust. She howled while striding out, “Give me back my 150 Why rob me when you’re so rich?”

“Don’t forget that you still owe me 898.5 thousand dollars,” Clayton replied. This little lady sure is hung up on such a measly amount,‘ he

thought.

Isabella offered no retort, as calculating her debt was becoming increasingly confounding. ‘Either way, let’s settle this after leaving home,”

she decided internally.

Once they’d reached the campus entrance, Isabella unbuckled her seat belt and was primed to spring out of the car.

“Be good and wait for me. Don’t go running about.” Clayton ruffled her hair and stared into her eyes deeply.

She averted her gaze in panic to disguise the feeling of her heart skipping a beat.

He chuckled, pulling her over to kiss her gently on the forehead. “You will be punished if you try anything mischievous.”

At once, she shoved him away and leaped out of the car. ‘We’re at the main entrance, for goodness sake!” Her face felt on fire as she sprinted into the campus grounds without looking back. “Goodbye, Clayton! Only an idiot would do as you say. Do you think I’d follow you home and continue this endless back and forth?” she thought.

Isabella pushed all thoughts of Clayton away and sped up walking to school. She’d suffered a terrible loss this time around. 300 thousand dollars had turned into 150 thousand dollars, and she’d become married.

Isabella ran to a tiny grove by the road and paused to catch her breath. She then turned her phone on to discover more than a hundred missed calls. Nathan, Yvonne, Zachary, Terence, and Lorelai had been looking for her. Thankfully, she hadn’t picked up, as it was obvious what they wanted to say.

A familiar number caught her eye when she scrolled down, and it belonged to Gwendolyn, Isabella had been wanting to reach her. Gwendolyn was the only one willing to take her in, as she had nowhere else to run.

Gwendolyn’s assistant, Tiana, answered her call back. “Isabella, Gwen is filming right now. She wanted me to tell you to head to her house after class today. The key is at the usual location. Gwen is attending a movie premiere today and will be home late, so you need not wait for

her.

Isabella hung up and punched her fists in the air. “Yes! I can finally escape from Clayton’s grasp.”

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Chapter 25

Mon, 24 Jun

Kayson whispered to Hendrix and Weston while working, “Have you all noticed that Mr. Murray is in an unusually good mood today? They nodded in agreement.

Kayson sighed. “I’m so curious about Isabella and am itching to meet her in person.”

Weston rearranged his glosses and uttered, “She looks rather ordinary judging from the video, I doubt she’s prettier than Ms. Vaughn.”

“She feels pretty normal to me and doesn’t seem to be favored by the Ingram family either. They hardly mention her in public. Her experience reminds me of Cinderella.” Hendrix nodded.

Kayson replied disapprovingly, “Ms. Vaughn is out of the question. Mr. Murray has never grown any closer to her for all these years. Why hasn’t he married her by now if he likes her?”

“That’s true. But I’d consider Ms. Vaughn special. After all, she’s the only woman outside our company who’s been on this floor!” Weston declared seriously.

“I dislike her anyway. It feels like she’s got a pair of eyes behind her head.” Kayson curled his lips.

“Hendrix rolled his eyes. ““What does your preference have to do with this?“”

There wasn’t much for Isabella to do on campus. The most pertinent thing for her was to obtain her scholarship and the form she needed to bring to her internship department.

Thus, she returned to her dormitory first, as there were some books she hadn’t had time to remove. The senior–year students were expected to move out with all their belongings the following semester.

Isabella, Scarlett, Elina, and Sienna were her roommates.

Elina and Sienna both hailed from other cities. They’d grown up together since they were family friends. As such, they shared a close relationship and rarely interacted with anyone else. They lived together harmoniously with Isabella.

Yet, they inexplicably disliked Scarlett and always ignored her whenever Isabella wasn’t around.

Isabella caught sight of Sienna sitting on the bed through the glass above the dormitory door, who yelled, “Isabella, come quick!”

She waved at her.

The sight of Zachary at the dorm entrance stupefied her.

ཞི་ཆེ་རྗེ་ཏྲྰཾ་བྷོཎྚི་ཨཽ

Zachary was supporting Scarlett in the middle of the dormitory and directing two maids to pack up her things.

Several suitcases occupied most of the space on the ground. Hence, Sienna and Elina could only sit on their beds dumbly due to the limited

space.

Scarlett’s delicate voice instructed the two maids, “Place this in the blue suitcase. Get rid of this. This belongs in the white one.”

She was dressed in a yellow, knee–length A–line skirt. The clothes around her

r waistline were loose, and the color of her flats matched her

skirt. Her long hair hung loose, making her appear graceful and delicate.

On the other hand, Zachary donned a set of white casual attire. He was tall and dashing, yet Isabella wasn’t mesmerized. Any other man

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Chapter 25

seemed ordinary after she’d been dazzled by Clayton that morning.

Nevertheless, they were a perfect match standing together, Isabella looked down at her T–shirt and jeans and thought they didn’t complement Zachary. It seemed like they’d never sulted one another. Even everyone else believed so. The realization ripped at the bloody gash in her heart.

“Isabella!” Zachary stepped forward subconsciously and called her name when he saw her.

Isabella’s heart twinged, and she took a step back.

Elina jumped out of bed and held Isabella’s arm. “Isabella, you’ve grown even more beautiful since I last saw you before the holidays. You seem to have lost weight. You have no idea how much I envy you. Cicl and I tried our best to lose weight, yet we can’t seem to achieve the same results,”

Sienna took hold of her other arm. “Precisely. Tell us your secrets.”

Right then, Isabella was immensely grateful that the two girls understood her relationship with Zachary and Scarlett and were helping her avoid potential tension.

She had been closest to Scarlett while Sienna and Elina were mere acquaintances. But her acquaintances turned out to be the ones who

ere acquain cared about her.

“Isabella,” Scarlett addressed her timidly. Her eyes glistened with tears as they stared at her pitifully.

Isabella took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Scarlett retreated, horrified, and put her hand on her lower abdomen. Zachary also moved subconsciously to shield her with a frown. “Isabella, what are you doing?”

Isabella’s heart shattered, and she raised her face to smile lightly. “Excuse me. You’re blocking my desk.”

Zachary froze briefly before shifting to let Isabella through. His hand never left Scarlett.

Isabella opened her drawer and retrieved several books, thanking Sienna who handed her a bag.

idn’t go home.”

“Isabella, where have you been these days? Your phone was off when I tried calling you. Mr. Ingram and Yvonne said you didn’t go Zachary couldn’t help asking.

Isabella paused briefly only to continue cleaning up without answering him. She bit her lips hard facing away from them, her movements unfaltering. Isabella would never reveal how upset she was in their presence.

Scarlett approached Isabella and attempted to pull her, but she reflexively ducked and shoved her instinctively.

Scarlett exclaimed before Isabella’s shove even landed and fell backward.

Zachary hastily pushed Isabella away and queried anxiously, “Scarlett, are you all right?”

Isabella was caught off guard, her elbow colliding with the bedside ladder. The pain almost made her shed tears.