Chapter 85
Isabella, using the excuse that the private room felt stuffy, asked Olivia to accompany her for a walk outside. Before they left, she shot Michael a look that said, "Watch out and don't let Eric charm you."
They found a small pavilion in the backyard and sat down. Isabella got straight to the point. "Olivia, do you like Mr. Allen?"
Olivia's face turned bright red. "Isabella, what are you talking about? No way! You know I'm into those hot guys in the entertainment industry."
"But Mr. Allen likes you," Isabella cut in.
Olivia's face got even redder, and she quickly denied it, "No way! He's thought I was dumb, lazy, and greedy since college. He's always badmouthing me."
Isabella was stunned. She had no idea they knew each other from college.
But there was no time to dig into that. Isabella quickly told Olivia about how Cecilia had misunderstood her at the headquarters over the past couple of days. She finished with, "Mr. Allen refused to go on blind dates,didn't seek promotions, and declined a transfer to the head office all for a woman. Do you think who she is?"
"Isabella,are you serious?" Olivia asked, frowning.
"Of course. I just dealt with those women at the headquarters. Do you think I'd joke about this?"
Olivia sat there,deep in thought.
Isabella stayed quiet, just keeping Olivia company.
Suddenly, a burst of cursing broke the silence. "You bitch, I warned you,don't mess with Mr. Martin but sos cin
teach you a lesson today."
Neither of them liked getting involved in other people's drama, so they were about to leave.
Another woman shot back, "Who Mr. Martin likes is his business. He wants to be with me, and that's not something I can control. You can go to ask him."
Isabella recognized the voice and turned her head. It was Bianca!
Seeing the two girls about to hit Bianca again, Isabella quickly shouted, "Stop!"
The girls turned and asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm her sister, Isabella," she replied.
One of the girls pinched Bianca's face, scrutinizing her. "Bianca, Isabella is way prettier than you!"
Bianca hated when people said Isabella was prettier. "She's not my sister!"she screamed and ran out of the yard.
Isabella sighed and was about to chase after her when she heard a man's angry voice from outside the backyard, "Are you blind? How dare you bump into me."
Isabella quickly ran out and saw Ryan Martin slap Bianca to the ground.
Bianca covered her face, her eyes red, and said to Ryan, "I'm sorry, Mr.Martin. It's my fault. You can hit me."
Isabella rushed over, pulled Bianca up from the ground,and confronted Ryan,"Why did you hit her?"
"It's none of your business." Ryan said coldly and raised his hand to slap
Bianca again, butIsabella shielded her and grabbed his wrist.
Ryan finally got a good look at Isabella. He licked his lips, looked at her,and asked flirtatiously,"Who are you?"
"I'm her sister," Isabella said firmly. "I'm taking her away."
"You're not my sister. You already cut ties with my family," Bianca shouted.
Isabella wished she could shut her up. Bianca was really useless.
"Shut up!" Isabella glared at her angrily and said in a low voice, "Bianca,come with me now."
Bianca had never seen Isabella like this, scared, obediently following Isabella out.
Ryan's creepy gaze never left Isabella, but she was too mad to notice.
"Isabella, I didn't expect you to become so temperamental after being with a rich man!" Bianca still couldn't resist mocking Isabella.
"Bianca, I know you don't like me. I don't like you either. I'm only helping you this tíme for Grandma's sake. Since we were kids, Sophia always wanted you to be better than me. She put so much effort into you,not for you to be bullied like this. If you have any self-respect left,leave here immediately."
Bianca shouted, "It's all because of you. You sold yourself to a rich man,and my mom nags me every day to find a rich man too. I know I'm not as pretty or smart as you. Where can I find a rich man? I finally met Mr.Martin, but you took me away. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be suffering like this."
As Bianca spoke, she lunged at Isabella.
Olivia hugged her from behind, and the restaurant's security also came over to help control Bianca. Isabella hailed a taxi, told the driver the Taylor Family's address, and shoved Bianca inside.
"Isabella, are you okay?" Olivia asked and came over to support Isabella.
Isabella felt all her strength had been drained. She leaned on Olivia and returned to the private room.
Michael had been active with Jeremy all afternoon, consuming a lot of energy, and was eating non-stop. Eric had no appetite and was drinking water.
After finishing his meal, Michael opened a pack of wet wipes and slowly wiped his hands. He said to Eric, "Because of you, Isabella was given a hard time at the headquarters for two days."
"Why?" Eric was puzzled.
Michael continued to explain, "They thought Isabella was the one you liked and made things difficult for her."
Eric smiled bitterly. "I owe her an apology."
Michael reminded, "You should make plans soon. Once they find out Isabella isn't the one, they'll start looking for a new suspect. Despite being so clueless, Isabella even suspects you like Olivia."
Eric downed a glass of water and replied, "Thanks for telling me this. I'll do my best to protect Olivia."
"If you need help, just come to me," Michael offered, which was rare for him.
Eric gave him a grateful look, knowing that Michael's help would be anything but simple.
"What are you guys doing?" Isabella asked as she entered and saw Eric looking at Michael with deep affection. Sensing the intensity of Eric's gaze,Isabella instinctively moved to stand directly in front of Michae1,effectively intercepting the soft look.
Michael was very pleased with Isabella's behavior. He held her hand and gently stroked it.
"Let's go." Eric suggested.
Olivia called the waiter to pack the leftovers.
Eric stopped her, saying, "If you like it, I'll bring you here again."
Olivia said puzzledly, "You're so weird. Why do I need you to bring me here if I want to eat? You're not even my..."
Eric's eyes deepened as he stared at Olivia and asked, "What am I not to you?"
Isabella chuckledI secretly, pulled Michael, and said to Eric, "Mr. Allen, we're leaving now. Olivia is in your hands. Make sure to get her home safely!"
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