Roland did not say anything.Soon, the car stopped at the hotel entrance.The bellboy at the entrance came forward to open the car door for them.After getting out of the car, Roland took Isabel’s hand and walked in.The staff guarding the entrance of the venue most likely knew from the Internet that Isabel and Roland were together. When they saw her and Roland coming, they did not ask her for an invitation and simply stepped to the side, letting them go straight in.Many people had already arrived at the venue at that point.Isabel had only met Master Rockwell, Decker, Isabel, and a few other familiar-looking senior shareholders of Rockwell Corporation. She did not know anyone else.When Roland and she came in, those people stopped talking and looked at them. Their eyes were filled with mockery and ridicule.No one came forward to greet them.Only Clarice came up while holding Decker’s arm.Decker smiled and looked at Isabel. His eyes were slightly mocking as he sized her up
Isabel pouted. “I want wine.”Roland’s expression was stern. “Drink the juice first.”Fine.Isabel reluctantly took two gulps of juice. Her empty stomach was filled, making her feel much better.Now that she was no longer hungry, she stopped munching on the toast and looked at the table of drinks behind Roland.Roland pursed his lips and brought her a glass of red wine.Isabel smiled and drank the wine immediately.The others saw this scene.The expressions of the Rockwell relatives surrounding Master Rockwell and Decker all turned cold.“He’s the young master of the Rockwells and the largest shareholder of Rockwell Corporation, but he’s completely wrapped around the finger of a woman from the entertainment industry. How embarrassing.”“This woman is very clever. I wonder how she coaxed Roland into being so considerate.”“It must be dirty tricks.”...Although Master Rockwell was unhappy with Roland’s action of pouring wine for Isabel, his lips also curled when he listened
Isabel stared back at Roland before answering the phone. She immediately heard Amanda’s frantic voice, “Isabel, are you at a dinner party with Roland right now?” Isabel cocked an eyebrow and asked, “Yeah, why?” “There are people sneaking pictures of you two together! You should get out of there as quickly as you can. They are posting pictures of you and Roland online right now. Those ridiculous discussions that you managed to squash last week are back up on the trending charts again!” Isabel scowled. So, this was why Clarice texted her and hinted at her to bring Roland here. This was the plot she had weaved the entire time. She answered with a brisk smile, “Don’t worry about a thing, Amanda. Something spicy is coming up later tonight, so make sure you stay tuned.” "Huh? What do you mean by that?” "You'll find out soon enough." Without bothering to elaborate, Isabel hung up. While Roland was still in the middle of his phone call, he looked at Isabel with a
One of them, who seemed like a rather mannered man nearing his forties, expressed in a scornful voice, “Roland, have you seen what people are saying about her? They’re starting to make fun of you as well because you’ve been getting involved with her. What are you even thinking? Why are you getting associated with a woman with no self-respect who messes around in the entertainment circle?” Immediately afterward, his other relatives began to chatter as well, “Look what happened to Rockwell Corporation's stock prices now. Is this what you want? Are you going to ruin our family business for a woman like her?” One of them glared at Isabel with an offended look as if she was the carrier of a deadly disease. His eyes were stark with contempt and disgust. “How dare some wench like you try to slither into our family?! Don’t even think about ever becoming Madam Rockwell! I’ll have you know that even if Roland stubbornly insists on being with you, none of us will ever acknowledge your statu
Everyone seemed to have completely forgotten about tormenting Isabel and Roland as they crowded toward the entrance as well. Isabel calmly took Roland’s hand and unhurriedly paced toward the entrance. With that, a sizeable crowd formed by the entrance. Isabel immediately recognized her parents as well as her eldest brother stepping into the bright hall. They were escorted by the group of Master Rockwell, Decker, and many others. Odell was dressed in a black suit. Even at his age, he still stood a head taller than most people and exuded a fine, elegant air about him. Sylvia walked next to him, dressed in a beautiful dress with a shawl thrown around her. She adorned herself only in simple, non-flashy jewelry, but even so, it did little to conceal the dignified air that set her apart from any other woman present at the scene. Liam was dressed in a suit as well. He was lean, tall, and even intimidating due to the stoic expression he wore on his face constantly. Several me
Master Rockwell turned as pale as a sheet of paper while he shifted his attention back on forth between the expressions of Odell, Sylvia, and Isabel. His lips seemed to quiver like he had something to say, but no words were produced from him. Clarice had turned so white that it looked like she was going to faint. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. How could this be? Isabel Ross, the third-rate actor who should never deserve a place in the spotlight was the daughter of the chairman of the Carters of Westchester?! Decker was stiff and quaking all over, his face colored entirely with shock and disbelief. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought that the same woman he had once slapped and abandoned when he decided to get with the Houstons to climb up the social ladder was the daughter of the Carters. Everybody else was extremely silent. The venue turned into a graveyard in the dead of the night in an instant. Even the two older shareholders, who were supportive of Roland
A stiff silence hung over them. Then, Isabel poked Odell's arm. "Dad, don't be angry." Odell made a face and ignored her. Isabel poked at Sylvia this time. While Sylvia took a deep breath, she could relate to how Odell was feeling. Even now, she was rather upset about the things she read online, and what people were saying about her dear daughter. "Isabel, your father and I have talked about this and decided that we are fine with you continuing your career as an actress, but only on the condition that you cannot keep hiding the fact that you are our daughter. If you are not okay with that, you’ll have to come home and take over the family businesses instead.” Sylvia’s tone was stout. Isabel was slightly troubled to hear this. Still, she understood that they were deeply bothered by what people were saying online about her. After a while, she answered, “Alright, I understand.” They sat in silence together for a while again until Liam, who was in the middle row,
Isabel turned to Liam, making sure to not neglect him. “Thank you too, Liam.” Liam turned around to give her a faint smile before turning back to face the front. Without warning, Odell suddenly addressed Roland, "Roland, what’s your plan after this?” Roland was silent for a moment, then he said with a resolute look, "Uncle, I will make sure to do right by Isabel.” Odell cocked an eyebrow and remarked, “Alright, I’ll be patiently waiting.” Roland nodded. “Sure.” With that, he cast a look at Isabel with a faint smile. Isabel smiled back at him. … Shortly after that, the car parked outside the seaside mansion. Martha must have received a heads-up from Roland and knew that Isabel’s parents and brother were on the way. As soon as the group got out of the car, they saw Martha striding toward them with a warm, welcoming smile. She even put on a cute dress for the occasion. Roland introduced his mother to Isabel’s family, “This is my mother.” Then, he walked