Fresh air instantly filled Isabella’s lungs, overwhelming her with a euphoric sense of rebirth. She was so exhilarated that as soon as she relaxed, she sank like a heavy weight back into the sea.
Panic-stricken, Isabella quickly held her breath, managing to stop her descent.
Gradually, she began to grasp some techniques. Holding her breath, she paddled forward in the water, surprisingly gliding a significant distance ahead.
When she could no longer hold her breath, she surfaced desperately, gasping for fresh air before floating back on the water, swimming toward the shore.
At that moment, a piece of driftwood was pushed by the waves and brushed past her. She quickly reached out and grabbed it, finally able to lie on the wood and catch her breath.
Thus, she drifted along, holding onto the wood as the waves propelled her toward the coast. Isabella realized, without even n
Lucius turned around and saw Caleb rushing over.“Caleb, do you have any news about Isabella?” He quickly approached Caleb.Caleb shook his head and said, “I’ve already sent people to search the entire beach, but we haven’t found her.”Lucius was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at the vast ocean.Could it be true, as they said, that Isabella had taken the kayak out to sea?Suddenly, Lucius felt a tightness in his scalp, and his heart skipped a beat, feeling disordered and chaotic. He grabbed Caleb by the collar, his face filled with urgency and even frustration. “Check everywhere—on the beach and in the sea! Don’t leave anything out!”Just then, someone came up to report to Caleb. “President, we just received news that a tourist's kayak has sunk in the sea. We’ve found a leaking kayak.”“A kayak?” Lucius’ eyes widened i
Lucius stared at the girl in front of him, unable to respond for a long time.Caleb and Lysander, standing nearby, both wore expressions of disbelief, at a loss for words.Isabella felt a bit awkward under everyone's gaze. She nodded at Caleb, the delivery guy, and forced a smile, saying, “What a coincidence! Caleb, you’re delivering packages this late?”Turning her head, she noticed that Lysander was also present, and was taken aback. She quickly greeted him, “Vice President, you’re here to watch the competition too? It’s quite late; you’re really enthusiastic.”She glanced at the helicopters circling overhead and the bright searchlights and asked in confusion, “Is there some big performance going on tonight? It’s so lively.”After speaking, she glared at Lucius, asking angrily, “I waited at home for a long time and came to see what you were up to. I can’t believe you
The next morning at the Training Camp swimming department, trainees arrived one after another.The sound of splashing water could be heard in the pool.Everyone wondered who was training so early when they spotted Isabella swimming gracefully in the water.Her curves were elegant, and her long, fair legs splashed through the water. Her shiny hair resembled blooming flowers in the water.With fluid movements, she was like an envious mermaid, playing freely in the water.The trainees couldn’t help but be mesmerized, especially a few boys who stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with amazement.This made Cecilia and Karrie feel dissatisfied.Overwhelmed by jealousy, Cecilia rolled her eyes hard. Standing by the pool’s edge, she coldly snorted. “Showing off so early, as if everyone doesn’t know she just learned to swim. How emba
“Just be more mindful. Don’t confront them directly; you need to be wary of those two. They’re up to no good,” Isabella reminded Masha as she watched Cecilia and Karrie walk away.“Isabella, you’re amazing! You spotted their scheme right away. I really envy you,” Masha exclaimed.Isabella shook her head and sighed. “This is all forced out of me by a difficult life situation. When you encounter danger often, you naturally become cautious. There’s nothing to envy about it.”As they chatted, they headed toward the training room.In the afternoon, they had a training session focused on flexibility exercises.Isabella and Masha paired up to practice basic movements on the parallel bars.Karrie moved over from the gymnastics area.Karrie looked up at the two practicing balance and flashed a mask-like smile. “Excuse me, ladies; I’d
The doctor put on a melancholic expression, nodding gravely. "Even if we manage to save her this time, she'll still need heart surgery. If things get worse, she may even need a heart transplant."Upon hearing this, Cecilia broke down in sobs, her tears streaming uncontrollably. "Karrie, it's all Masha's fault."She looked up and angrily confronted Masha, saying, "You deliberately hurt Karrie, kicking her so hard she's now seriously injured. You're about to be arrested, and you’re responsible for all the medical bills, including the cost of the heart transplant."The crowd gasped—those medical bills were astronomical.At this point, someone suggested notifying Karrie’s parents, but Cecilia stepped in and stopped them. "I’ve already told Uncle and Auntie, no need to call again. Anyway, Masha won’t get away."Masha turned pale with fear. Jail? Paying for a heart transplant
Cecilia, still trying to salvage the situation, stubbornly shouted, "Karrie really did get kicked into a heart attack! The emergency doctor said her condition was dangerous...""The doctor? He’s gone!" someone in the crowd shouted.Everyone looked over and saw that the supposed emergency doctor had already grabbed his medical kit and run off, taking the stretcher bearers with him.Cecilia was speechless now. The doctor she had arranged in advance had sensed the looming disaster and bolted.Masha, seething with rage, pointed at Cecilia and Karrie, shouting, "You two heartless liars! You staged this whole scene at the company to frame me and ruin my reputation! You’re despicable!"The crowd erupted in an uproar, realizing they had witnessed just how shameless people could be."It seems like Karrie never actually fainted, and she certainly doesn’t ha
“People like her are just so hard to guard against.” Although the tricks that Cecilia and Karrie had just pulled off were insignificant and easily resolved, Isabella understood that both of them had a lot of malice brewing inside.She had scammed Cecilia out of five hundred, and Cecilia would definitely find a way to get revenge.With that in mind, Isabella warned Masha, “Be careful over the next few days. Try to avoid them and don’t get into any conflicts.”“Sure! If I can’t provoke them, I can at least avoid them. They won’t be able to cause me any trouble,” Masha replied eagerly.However, the next day, she still fell victim to Cecilia and the others’ schemes.While Isabella was training, she noticed a crowd gathered around, making a ruckus. As she approached, she discovered it was Cecilia and Karrie bullying someone again.“Here’s the evidence—
Cecilia was right; if that watch was truly worth over eight million, then Masha could face some serious legal trouble due to the false accusations.However, Isabella immediately saw that the so-called South African pink diamond watch in Cecilia’s hand was not real.“Masha did not steal your watch,” Isabella said, looking directly into Cecilia's eyes as if she were watching a clown’s performance, remaining calm and composed while enjoying the spectacle.Cecilia was infuriated by her attitude.“Of course, you can be so nonchalant since it doesn’t involve you. Helping Masha just means you’re both trying to talk your way out of this. If we called the police right now, Masha would be eating prison food tonight!” Karrie, standing beside Cecilia, echoed her disdain for Isabella’s demeanor.“Are you both completely clueless about the law? This watch is perfectly intact in your
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
Seeing that the crowd was about to be won over by Isabella, Samuel couldn’t hold back his frustration any longer. He turned and walked away, almost fleeing, and his back looked utterly defeated.“I do not regret choosing Aetheron Film Academy; it has always been my dream school because it is open-minded and inclusive, a place where all aspiring performers wish to be. So today, I will not shy away from being broad-minded and accommodating of everyone’s opinions. Now that I stand on this stage, I am not just myself; I am embodying a character whose image is open to any judgment. Thus, I welcome all your doubts.”“However, I also hope everyone can think critically and analyze dialectically. It’s best to bring strong evidence before questioning me. When you defame me, don’t just follow the crowd; have your own insights. If you have grievances against me, feel free to confront me directly; I am never afraid.”“Lastly, I
Clearly, Isabella's powerful presence had intimidated them.In the audience, surrounded by so many people, it was easy for them to hurl defamatory remarks and throw a few paper balls without fear of being immediately identified by Isabella. They felt shielded by their large numbers.But when Isabella asked who among them could replace her, no one dared to speak up. Many of them bowed their heads, afraid to meet her gaze, fearing that if they made eye contact with her, they might be called up to the stage.However, not everyone present was without courage. Some were accustomed to bullying Isabella under the cover of numbers, while others genuinely disliked her due to the rumors circulating about her. One of these was Molly.Glancing around, Molly noticed that those who had thrown things the hardest were silent, not daring to contradict Isabella. Without fear, she stood up, becoming the center
After wrapping up the matter, Isabella went to Aetheron Film Academy for classes.Today was her opening ceremony, and due to her excellent grades, she had been chosen to represent the freshmen and give a speech.Such things had always been routine for Isabella.Having excelled academically throughout her life, Isabella was not intimidated at all; she delivered her speech as the representative of the new students with great fluency. “I’m very happy to enter Aetheron Film Academy and become a diligent student of Aetheron. In the near future, we will surely be the creators of this glorious era.”However, just as she was concluding her speech, someone in the audience threw a rotten egg at her, hitting her squarely.Wearing a pure white dress that day, the foul-smelling egg not only covered her in a terrible odor but also instantly stained her dress, causing the crowd to eru