"Cynthia is your biological sister. These past few days, she has been pleading for you every day in front of your father, hoping to bring you back. She treats you with all her heart, but how do you treat her?"
Isabella saw the look of disappointment on Samuel's face, as if he regarded her as a bully who picks on the weak.
Seeing Samuel's expression, Isabella felt as if her ears had suddenly gone deaf; she couldn't hear his scolding.
All she could see was Samuel's face filled with anger and disappointment.
Today, she truly witnessed what it meant to turn black into white and to accuse the victim.
The one who betrayed first was acting all righteous and wronged, scolding her; she was framed by Cynthia, kicked out of her home, left homeless, and in the end, Cynthia was portrayed as some kind of saint.
Isabella felt so angry she wanted to laugh.
Seeing Isabella's pale face, Samuel felt that his tone just now might have been too harsh and softened his voice, "How are you doing now? Do you have a place to stay?"
Cynthia, seeing Samuel's lingering affection, pouted unhappily: "Yes, Isabella. Just admit your mistake to Dad. He won't mind too much about you staying out all night with those men. We're all family."
These words, on the surface, seemed to be for her own good, showing understanding and sisterly love. But in reality, they were emphasizing in front of Samuel the reason why Isabella was kicked out.
Ever since Cynthia framed her, making it look like she spent the night with several men at a hotel, causing a scandal, Samuel had used this reason to mock her, justifying his own cheating.
It was laughable because he had already been cheating with Cynthia long before!
Isabella's eyes turned icy as she stared at Cynthia. "If you're so concerned about me, why don't you tell Dad how you tricked me into going to the hotel that night and forged those photos?"
Cynthia looked extremely wronged, on the verge of tears. She blushed and looked at Samuel. "Sam, you know I didn't. I was with you all night that day."
Samuel carefully wiped the tears off Cynthia's face, gently comforting her, "I know it wasn't you."
In fact, Samuel never believed the scandal about Isabella. He had always wanted to take his relationship with Isabella further, but she refused every time, insisting on waiting until after marriage.
How could a woman with such principles do something so reckless?
It was for this reason that he fell into Cynthia's charms and fell in love with her.
Moreover, despite being the eldest daughter of the Rivera family, Isabella had never been favored by their father over the years.
In the future, the Riveras would inevitably belong to Cynthia. For the sake of family interests, choosing Cynthia was naturally more sensible than choosing Isabella.
Samuel reproached Isabella. "Why have you become so petty? I know I wronged you, but don't always take it out on Cynthia. She's pure and kind, and I couldn't help falling for her. It's my fault, and I'll make it up to you."
With that, he handed Isabella a check for 10,000 dollars "Here’s 10,000. Find a place to stay for now, and come back after your father calms down."
He believed that Isabella's resentment towards Cynthia was because she couldn't let go of him and was taking it out on Cynthia.
Isabella didn't move. She glanced at the check, let out a cold laugh, and said dismissively, "I find it disgusting. Move aside, I don't want to waste any more words."
Samuel frowned. Her stubbornness was still the same.
She abruptly pushed past them and got ready to leave on her bicycle.
Behind her, Cynthia mocked, "Isabella, why are you riding a bicycle? Let Sam drive you."
Samuel added, "You're the daughter of the Riveras. Riding a bicycle is so undignified. Take my car instead."
‘For goodness' sake, being with you two is what's truly undignified. Can you stop disgusting me?’
Isabella felt a surge of anger but kept her face calm. "No need, I’ve called for a car."
She looked down at her phone to order a ride.
She couldn't stand being around these two repulsive people for another minute, or she felt she might die from the toxicity of their presence.
Before she could complete her request, a sleek silver sports car stopped next to her. The driver, dressed impeccably, looked extraordinary. He stepped out and respectfully asked, "Are you Miss Isabella Rivera?"
Isabella was taken aback but nodded.
"The car your man ordered has arrived. Please get in," the driver said, opening the door for her with a respectful gesture.
Isabella was bewildered. "Which man?"
The driver smiled and didn't elaborate.
‘Could it be him? Impossible, why would he order a car for me?’ Isabella was full of doubts.
As she hesitated, Samuel suddenly called out to her, "Isabella..."
She turned to see him looking astonished, as if he wanted to reach out and stop her.
Feeling a deep sense of revulsion, she quickly escaped into the car.
The car started and sped away.
Cynthia and Samuel stared at each other, bewildered.
Samuel was utterly shocked, staring at the departing car.
That sleek, high-end car was definitely not an ordinary luxury vehicle. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a CCXR, one of only six in the world, worth over two million.
The key point was that such top-tier cars couldn't be bought just with money. They were only sold to royalty in Dubai and the UK, as well as a few top global tycoons and dignitaries.
He had never seen such a car in Elaris.
Cynthia pouted dismissively, "It's just a ride-share service. We're so good to her, but she just can't appreciate it. How can sitting in that unknown car be better than your Porsche?"
Samuel choked; his Porsche couldn't even compare to the CCXR.
A ride-share service?
Who drives a milion-dollar car to earn money as a driver?
Such cars weren't seen in this country, so it wasn't surprising Cynthia didn't recognize it.
Samuel coughed, not wanting to explain.
Cynthia, meanwhile, gushed about the driver. "What a pity that such a handsome driver is just running a ride-share service."
Seeing Samuel's expression, she realized she misspoke and quickly added, "Of course, he's nowhere near as good as you. I just thought the driver looked a bit like Caleb Reed."
Samuel thought the same. He pondered and realized the driver did indeed resemble Caleb Reed, the eldest son of the Reed family.
Caleb Reed was at the helm of the Reed Group's wealth.
The Reed family was the second richest in Elaris, dominating the global electronics industry, second only to the Knights, the kings of the business world.
A disgraced, homeless girl was picked up by a top-tier global luxury car, driven by none other than Caleb Reed, the renowned eldest son of the Reed family.
This was insane!
To reassure himself he wasn’t losing his mind, Samuel put his arm around Cynthia’s shoulder and said, “That’s impossible, dear. We must have both seen it wrong.”
Cynthia would rather believe she was blind than think that Caleb Reed would be driving a top-tier luxury car as Isabella’s chauffeur.
When Isabella got home, the car that had brought her quickly drove away.
She pushed open the door, intending to ask the injured man what had happened.
But the house was eerily quiet.
Hmm?
Where did he go? Could he have already left?
***
Isabella wondered. His injuries weren’t healed, and he had a fever—where could he have gone?He had no one to rely on, was suffering from a terminal illness, and like her, was homeless. Now, with his injuries and amnesia, his situation was truly dire.Earlier, she had driven him away out of anger. Maybe the saying ‘a sharp tongue but a soft heart’ really did apply to her.Calming down, she realized they were both in similarly difficult situations, and she felt a sense of empathy.Deep down, Isabella still felt sympathy for this man.She decided to go out and look for him, but then she heard the door open.The man stood at the doorway, dressed in casual sportswear. The sunlight from outside cast a golden glow on his tall figure. With a gentle breeze, he looked distinguished and elegant, exuding a noble aura.Isabella was momentarily dazed.Lucius slightly curled his lips into a smile and walked into the house with his long legs. “You’re back? It was stuffy inside, so I went out for a w
Lucius, unperturbed, responded, “Mm-hmm.”Isabella finally couldn't contain the overwhelming urge to punch him. She raised her small fists threateningly in front of him.Lucius, seeing the small, fair fists, blinked and coolly refused, “Arm-wrestle with me? No way, I’m still injured.”This statement reminded Isabella: was he deliberately provoking her to make her fall into a trap? If she accidentally hurt him more, he’d have an even better excuse to stick around.Catching herself just in time, Isabella grinned and continued shaking her fists, “Keep trying, you’ll remember eventually.”But she couldn't let him get away with everything. Smiling sweetly, she said, “You need a name. Since you can’t remember your past, I can’t just call you ‘hey,’ right?”After thinking for a moment, she suggested cheerfully, “I found you at the entrance of my house, so how about we call you Mucky?”Lucius’s face darkened, “Mucky?”He caught on quickly. Isabella stifled her laughter and switched tactics, “
"I didn't leak any of the family's business secrets. The massive losses of the company have nothing to do with me; it was her!" Isabella's eyes were slightly red as she defiantly stared at her father, Carlos, her fingers pointing at her stepmother, Regina.She had heard with her own ears how her stepmother colluded with an insider to embezzle ninety million from the family business. But before she could report it, her stepmother preemptively accused her, framing her for the crime. But she had no evidence, and her father didn't believe her at all.Now, she just wanted to gamble with her fate. Would her father choose to believe her, considering their father-daughter relationship all these years?But...‘Smack!’Father's slap came down hard, causing Isabella to fall to the ground. Half of her cheek immediately swelled high and red, with a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth."Get out, just get out of here! The Riveras don't have a daughter like you!" Carlos pointed angrily toward
The room was suddenly illuminated when Isabella switched on the light.The man lay on the bed, his eyes tightly shut, the glaring light shining on his face.Isabella was instantly captivated.She shouldn't be staring at this time, but this man was just too handsome.His wet hair hung over his forehead, but it didn't detract from his handsome brows and eyes, his straight nose, and smooth lips... His facial features melded together, flawless and perfect.Despite his pale complexion, it somehow accentuated his handsome face with a sickly beauty.Although his clothes were smudged with mud and stained with blood, they couldn't conceal the powerful aura emanating from him, making Isabella inexplicably feel that he exuded a noble king-like temperament.Suddenly, she noticed something sticking out of his chest pocket, and she was curious. She pulled it out and found two soggy pieces of paper.The papers were soft and damp. Isabella gently peeled them apart and carefully identified them. One t
Lucius was stunned, staring at her for a while before answering, "I don't know.""Ahem, you don't know?" Isabella was choked by saliva, seeing him so serious, it didn't seem like a joke.Did he have amnesia?She suppressed her ominous feeling and patiently coaxed, "Think about it, how did you get injured? Why were you lying at my doorstep? Where did you live before?"Lucius looked at her blankly, rubbed his forehead in contemplation for a while, and finally realized, "Oh right, I remember now."Isabella finally relaxed and comforted him, "Don't rush, take your time."Lucius looked at her innocently and replied, "Before, you tripped over my head, and I woke up. But now I really can't remember why I was lying in the rain."In other words, he blamed her for his amnesia because she tripped over his head.Isabella widened her eyes, clenched her fists, and shouted angrily, her voice ninety degrees higher, "You liar, are you a scammer?!"Not only did he have amnesia, but now he's also blamin
"Ah!" Isabella screamed, covering her eyes, then hurriedly covered him with the blanket, her face burning red with embarrassment. "You... you pervert!"Lucius 's voice sounded aggrieved. "You uncovered me, exposed me, and then call me a pervert. My clothes were cut off by you, my underwear is wet and bloody, so I had to take them off."Isabella, feeling both ashamed and furious, asked, "Then why didn't you say it earlier?""Why didn't you say you were uncovering me earlier?" Lucius retorted unapologetically.Isabella was completely defeated by this man. She raised her hands and nodded. "Fine, fine, I'm the perverted one here. So, for your innocence and safety, please leave, okay?"This time, the man closed his eyes and remained very quiet."Don't pretend!" Isabella walked up to him, shaking him gently. She noticed an unusual flush on his face and touched his forehead. It was burning hot. He had a fever.Isabella wrung her fingers in distress. He was burning up, and it didn't feel righ