Chapter 37

Ever since Michael suggested she meet Qiana, Isabella's anxiety had been through the roof. She couldn't sleep,just tossing and turning in bed.

Michael was also wide awake because of her restlessness. He asked."Isabella, remember the deal I mentioned when I agreed to switch rooms with Olivia?"

Isabella knew exactly what he was hinting at, and her face turned bright red. She mumbled sheepishly, "Aren't you tired? We went through so much today."

"Thanks for worrying about me, Isabella." Michael said, pinning her down and kissing her. "But thinking about you keeps me wide awake."

As he spoke, he used his knees to part lsabella's tightly closed legs and his fingers explored the mysterious area between them. The slick,sticky sensation pleased Michael.Without any further action, he entered her directly.

Isabella winced in pain and instinctively ared to push him away.He thrust in again forcefully, pinning her firmly beneath him.

The discomfort below made Isabella frown.and Michael noticed her reaction. He kissed her on the forehead and said. "Be good, Isabella. It'll be better soon. Just wait for me..."

His kisses fell on her face like snowflakes, while the storm below sent both of them to the peak of desire.

Isabella didn't even know how she fell asleep. When she woke up the next morning,she had only twenty minutes leftbefore she had to clock in at work.

She didn't have time to put on makeup, so she quickly washed her face

and had Robert drive her to the office.

Olivia was waiting for Isabella at the elevator. Seeing her, Olivia asked anxiously, "Isabella, are you okay? What did he do to you? He didn't hurt you,did he?"

Olivia looked Isabella up and down and accidentally noticed a few suspicious red marks under her collar.

Seeing Olivia's worried expression. Isabella felt warm inside and quickly explained,"It's nothing. Yesterday was a misunderstanding. The person he was with was his sister. Qiana. He rejected Ms. Foster on the spot."

Olivia said, "At least he has some sense. Why doesn't he just tell his family that he's already married to you? Does he want to keep you hidden forever? That's not right."

Isabella replied.′′It2s not that. Our marriage was very sudden.and he might be worried that his family won't accepe is. Yesterday, he suggested I meet Qiana, but I chickened out."

Olivia said, "Yeah, I get it. For a man from his background, marriage can be a way to gain benefits for the family. His family will definitely interfere in his marriage. It's better not to meet them until your relationship is more stable."

Isabella nodded.

After last night's drama, Isabella was sure that Michael was serious about their relationship. He must have his reasons for not introducing her to his family yet.

Her own background was nothing impressive, and in his family's eyes,she probably wasn't considered a suitable wife for Michael. So she decided not to dwell on it and let Michael handle it over time.

Olivia said, "Knowing that yesterday was a misunderstanding puts my mind at ease. Since the new manager hasn't arrived yet, let's go put on some makeup. We need to make a good impression on the new manager."

"New manager? Isn't it Mr. Allen?" Isabella was shocked. She had always thought that with Philip stepping down, Eric would definitely be promoted.

"Didn't you check the group chat last night?" Olivia asked.

Isabella shook her head and said softly, "No."

Thinking about last night's events, she blushed.

Olivia told her, "The new manager's last nameis Johnson. The group chat was buzzing about it last night. Some said Mr. Allen didn't want the promotion, some said he offended the higher-ups and his path to promotion was blocked, and others said..."

"Instead of gossiping, why don't you focus on your design proposals and not embarrass me?" Eric said coldly as he walked past them.

The two exchanged glances, both thinking how unfortunate Eric was.He was certain to get the promotion, but in the end, someone else took his place.

"The new manager is here!" someone from another department shouted.Eric led their department to the lobby to greet him.

The new manager looked very young and had a very attractive female assistant by his side.

Isabella couldn't help but feel that the new manager bore some resemblance to Michael. Maybe they were both from the Johnson family, so it wasn't surprising they looked alike.

"Wowv, the new manager is so handsome!"

"Yeah,and so young."

"Look how tall he is!"

Many young women in the crowd were discussing.

Olivia looked at the new manager's face and murmured, "Why do I feel like I've seen him before? But it doesn't seem like it. Isabella, what do you think?"

Isabella replied, "All handsome guys look the same. Youa feel like you've seen him because you've seen too many handsome guys."

Olivia agreed with Isabella's explanation. She had indeed seen too many handsome guys, which made them all seem familiar.

Isabella breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, no one else noticed the resemblance,or she would have had a hard time explaining it.

The new manager took the department heads to the conference room for a meeting.

Olivia closed the office door and told everyone, "Do you know? The new manager's name is Vaughn. I heard from colleagues at the head office that he was a vice president there. He offended an important client during a negotiation and was blamed by the board. Even the old chairman couldn't help him. Coming here was arranged by the young chairman,who grew up with him and is very close to him. They probably wanted to keep him away from the head office to avoid further trouble."

With Olívia's lead, everyone in the office started discussing and sharing the information they had gathered.

"Yeah, I heard that too. He's the grandson of the old chairman's brother.After his parents passed away, he was taken in by the old chairman and grew up with the young chairman, almost like a biological grandson."

"We'd better not offend him. With one wrong move, we might not be able to stay in Silvercrest City."

"Someone like him wouldn't even notice small employees like us. But I'm worried about Mr. Allen. I hope he doesn't get targeted by the new manager."

"That can't be. The new manager is so handsome; he must be a good person."

"A pretty face doesn't mean a good personality, let alone a pretty face from a wealthy family. Who knows what he does in private? They can cover up anything with money," an older employee concluded.

Isabella thought the older employee was right. Michael always used money to solve problems, but fortunately, he had good characer.

Then, muffled voices announcing the end of the meeting,followed with screeches of chairs scraping against the floor came through the door of the conference room.

Olivia quietly opened the door and saw the managers coming out one by one.

When it was quiet again, Eric still hadn't come out.

Olivia's heart tightened with worry. She wondered if Eric had been beaten up for not accepting the situation.

Olivia hid behind the door, quietly observing.

After a while, Vaughn returned to his office, but Eric still hadn't come out.

Olivia was extremely worried and wondered if Eric was so badly beaten that he couldn't get up.