Chapter 83

As soon as Isabella disappeared from sight, Jeremy swiftly locked the door behind her, yanking Michael out from under the table.

The cramped space had left Michael's legs painfully numb. Jeremy helped him into a chair.

Right now, Michael was like a ticking time bomb. His angry eyes tracked Jeremy's every move.

Knowing he had ticked Michael off, Jeremy scrambled to make peace.He made him a cup of coffee, set it ina front of him, then squatted beside him and gently massaged his calf, asking, "Are your legs still numb?"

Michael was livid. Since he was a kid, apart from that one time he got kidnapped, he had never been this humiliated.And back then, no one saw him,but now, it was in front of Jeremy. He wanted to strangle him.

Feeling the murderous vibes from Michael, Jeremy quickly raised his hand and swore, "Michael, I swear, I was just messing with her. No hidden agenda. You know my heart belongs to Qiana. I did itto see if she was easy. Turns out, she's nothing like Stella. She's got principles and totally has your back. Michael, you've got good taste."

Jeremy's praise for Isabella seemed to calm Michael down a bit.

Michael lifted his head proudly and said, "My woman is the best in the world. Do I need your help to test her?"

Talking about Isabella, Michael felt his demeanor soften.

Jeremy let out a sigh of relief. When he first pulled Michael out from under the table. Michael looked terrifying. It was the first time he had seen Michael like that since they were kids.

Seizing the moment, Jeremy remembered something and asked,"Michael,are you and Isabella legally married?"

Michael stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked out. Just before .leaving, he tossed back, "Do I look like a criminal to you?"

Jeremy pondered his words, unsure if he was being truthful or just messing with him.

Michael had always been like this since they were kids, seeming harmless but always scheming,speaking in riddles that made him hard to figure out.

Isabella returned to the design department with the documents Jeremy had signed, her mind still grappling with the rapid and confusing turn of events. She decided not to dwell on it. As long as Jeremy wasn't using her to get back at Michael, she'd just keep doing her job.

To avoid any mishaps, Isabella didn't give the documents to Bronte but took them straight to Cecilia's office. She reported, "Ms. Thorne, Mr.Wright has signed the documents. Please review them."

Cecilia took them, first checking Jeremy's signature to confirm it was legit,then browsing through the document terms to ensure there were no issues,and had her assistant send them to the client.

Cecilia felt something was off. This didn't match Jeremy's usual behavior.She couldn't help but ask, "Did Mr. Wright say anything?"

"He did," Isabella recalled Jeremy's parting words and thought she could use them to scare off those in the office who were giving her a hard time."He told me that if anyone gives me trouble in the future, I can go directly to him."

Saying this, she waved the business card Jeremy had given her.

"Aren't you Eric's girl? Mr. Wright doesn't mind?" Cecilia asked,looking

puzzled.

Isabella was thrown off and explained, "Mr. Allen and I are just regular colleagues. He introduced me here, but that's it. Plus, I'm married.Mr.Wright signed the documents because he knows my husband."

Cecilia was taken aback and asked, "It's not you? Then who is it? Eric's turned down all blind dates, promotions, and doesn't want to come to the headquarters, all for some girl. Is there someone prettier than you at the branch office?"

Isabella felt awkward and said, "Ms. Thorne, everyone has their own idea of beauty."

Cecilia still seemed skeptical. "Are you really married? Not to Eric?"

Isabella looked up at Cecilia and confirmed, "Ms. Thorne, I am indeed married, but not to Eric. We're really just colleagues."

Then she said goodbye and left.

Cecilia muttered to herself, "If it's not you, then who is it?"

From Cecilia's words, Isabella picked up that Eric's crush was in the branch office. If what Cecilia said was true, she had a pretty good idea who it was.

At noon, she sent a message to Olivia to set up a lunch meeting.

After arranging with Olivia, she called Michael, who was sitting with Jeremy in a small private room in the company cafeteria.

Michael's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he quickly answered.

Before Isabella could speak, he bombarded her with questions, "Isabella,have you eaten? How's work today? Is anyone giving you trouble?"

Isabella chuckled, "It's just lunchtime. I haven't eaten yet. Michael, don't worry. I'm fine. The company isn't a dangerous place. My colleagues are all nice, and everything is going smoothly."

"I'll come to you, and we can have lunch together!" Michael suggested.

"No, it's too much trouble for you to come back and forth. Stay at home! I'Il have a simple meal with my colleague Giselle in the cafeteria. I have to work in the afternoon," Isabella said.

"Alright, but it's no fun eating alone if you're not coming back," Michael said pitifully.

Isabella couldn't stand him being like this and said, "Michael, lunchtime is too short. I'll come back early tonight to keep you company."

As soon as she said this, Isabella regretted it. She had called to ask for leave, but now she ended up saying she'd come back early to keep him company!

She quickly added, "Michael, after work, I'm having dinner with Olivia. I'll come back after that."

"You just said you'd come back early to keep me company!" Michael complained.

"How about you join us?" Isabella suggested, "I'll tell Olivia to invite Mr.Allen. You two can talk while I chat with Olivia."

Michael agreed, "Alright, I'll talk to Eric, even though I don't really want to."

Recalling some office gossip, Isabella decided to give Michael a heads-up,"When you talk to Mr. Allen, be careful. They say he's dating Mr. Johnson.He might be into guys, so be cautious."

Michael laughed. "Isabella, are you seriously worried about this? My heart belongs to you. No one else can arouse my desire."

Isabella blushed and quickly hung up the phone without even saying goodbye.

On the other end, Michael laughed happily. Seeing Isabella hang up,he called Aaron to book a restaurant and order the dishes.

After sending the location to Isabella, he contentedly put down his phone and noticed Jeremy sittingacross from him, looking at him in shock.