"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, “
Finally unable to resist, she approached and peeked through a crack in the door. Taking a deep breath, she was astonished by what she saw.Lucius was chasing a live fish around the kitchen with a knife...Lucius, being cautious of oil splatters, was honing his basketball skills by tossing lobsters into the hot oil...Lucius was putting on a show, smashing eggs with flair, yolks splattering...Lucius, pinched by a crab, was hammering away at it...But the most heart-stopping sight was Lucius's unique chopping technique, dangerously close to chopping off his own fingers...Unable to bear it any longer, Isabella shouted, "Stop!"Lucius paused, turning to look at Isabella, confidently saying, "Turns out, I've got quite the knack for cooking. Just hold on a bit. If you're hungry, you can try the two dishes I've already whipped up."He gestured towards the two plates on the table."What on earth..." she muttered, noticing they were charred black and still smoking."Charcoal?"Isabella cough
Lucius opened the lottery app, checked the winning numbers, and nodded confidently. "That's right. The numbers I bought match the winning numbers."Isabella stared in disbelief before joy took over. She ran around the room and patted Lucius on the shoulder, laughing. "Haha, I didn't expect you to be so lucky! Since you won us the prize, I'll let go of all our past grievances."She wore a magnanimous expression, as if forgiving all past wrongs.With that, she picked up the spoon from the table and excitedly finished her bowl of soup. She was so happy that she couldn't help but eat.Lucius lazily leaned back in his chair, casually glanced at Isabella, and said, "That's the spoon I used. It has my saliva on it. You're indirectly kissing me."Ew—! If you don't say anything, no one will consider you mute.Isabella quickly ran to rinse her mouth.At night, when it was time to shower, the inevitable dispute over who would use the bathroom first ensued between them.Unable to compete with the
Isabella drew a line down the middle of the bed and sternly warned Lucius, "This is the boundary. If you dare cross it..."She paused, making a chopping gesture at his neck, her face serious, "I'll show no mercy!"Lucius glanced at her nonchalantly and said in a tired tone, "You better control yourself and not get any ideas about me."And so, she inexplicably ended up sharing a bed with Lucius. Isabella couldn't help but cry out in her heart, "Oh, God, what are you doing to me?"Lucius, on the other hand, was very relaxed and soon his even breathing indicated he was sleeping soundly. Isabella was not so lucky; she stared wide-eyed and couldn't fall asleep.She sneaked a glance at Lucius and saw that he was sleeping soundly without any impure thoughts, which reassured her a bit. Gradually, sleepiness overcame her and she drifted off.In her dream, her grandfather was back, lovingly calling her, "Bella, come eat."Her grandfather had made delicious Beef Shank, and she happily went to ea
The hexagonal tower gleamed in the sunlight, its streamlined architecture looking modern and grand.This was the Knight Entertainment, the high-end palace for entertainers in Elaris. The most influential film stars globally took pride in signing with Knight Entertainment.And Knight Entertainment was just the tip of the iceberg of the Knight business sphere.Knight's business sphere was the most powerful and robust in Elaris and even globally.In Elaris, Knight's name was synonymous with dominance in the business world. Knight Entertainment had branches worldwide, and even the prestigious Golden Awards were hosted by Knight.No financial conglomerate could match it, and no company could shake its position.In Elaris, Knight had its hand in everything from electronics, finance, insurance, biopharmaceuticals, construction, chemicals, medical, aviation parts... Hence the moniker ‘Knight Empire.’The 'Knight Empire' played a crucial role in the economic lifeblood of Elaris.This enormous
Thalia stepped forward, her tone light and dismissive. “The results for today’s interview have already been finalized, and all positions have been filled. Therefore, the interviews are over.” Isabella’s eyes were steely as she stared at Thalia. “I am one of the candidates. I haven’t been interviewed. Why are the interviews concluded?” Thalia chuckled, condescendingly. “We’ve already selected the best candidates. With all positions filled, there’s no need to continue the interviews.” “Oh, really?” Isabella’s voice was sharp and unyielding. “Are you telling me that a prestigious company like Knight Entertainment doesn’t follow proper procedures? That a mere secretary can manipulate the process for personal gain? Does your boss know about this?” “You...” Thalia’s face turned red with anger, but before she could argue further, the main interviewer intervened. He addressed Isabella. “I haven’t received your resume. It might have been misplaced. I’ll go check.” He turned back to the o
Thalia snorted coldly and produced a document endorsed by the head of the HR Department. "See this? The list of recruited personnel for this interview has already been finalized by our HR Department's Director Thorne. The document has been enacted and cannot be changed." The chief interviewer looked at the list, his face darkening. "Elara Hawke..." He glanced at the overweight woman standing outside the door, peering inside. She was Elara Hawke. During her interview, this woman had shown no sense of method, a complete novice to the performing arts. She had no acting skills whatsoever. He remembered giving her the lowest score; how could someone like her possibly appear on the list of recruits? Pointing at the overweight woman, The chief interviewer retorted, "How could someone with such a low score be hired? Has your HR Department made a mistake?" Thalia swiftly put away the document, unabashedly asserting, "How our HR Department operates is none of your concern. In any case, th
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
“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, 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
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
“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 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
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
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
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