Chapter 157

Isabella paused briefly before taking Henry's test papers from him.

Henry had always been a bright student with solid fundamentals. She quickly scanned through the questions, offering him a few pointers. He grasped the concepts immediately.

"Wow, you're incredible! Thanks, Isabella!"

Once he understood, Henry casually crouched by the coffee table and started scribbling down his answers.

The moment he finished, he shoved the papers and pens aside. "Done! Now I can finally check my phone!"

Isabella smiled faintly, setting aside the newspaper she had nearly finished. Feeling slightly more energized, she decided to head upstairs to grab a book to pass the time.

Then Henry leaned in, lowering his voice. "My dream girl competed in another race recently, Isabella. She was even more amazing this time. I got the footage. Want to see?"

The smile on Isabella's face dimmed. "No, thanks. I'm not really into racing."

"Oh?"

Henry looked surprised. He'd brought it up because he thought she was interested. "You were watching the race through binoculars for so long that day. I assumed you liked it."

Isabella replied coolly, "I wasn't watching the race. Just some people I knew."

Seeing her clear disinterest, Henry dropped the subject. He turned back to Victoria's race replay, muttering to himself, "I heard she's skipping the next one. Shame. I was hoping to see her compete again. When will I get another chance if she's not racing this time?"

He sighed dramatically.

"I'm going upstairs for a book," Isabella interjected.

"Okay!" Henry beamed. "Glad you're feeling better, Isabella, but don't push yourself too hard!"

"Thanks. I won't."

Without another word, she stood and headed upstairs.

Alexander wasn't in the room when she returned.

She noticed the book he'd borrowed lying on the table. She picked it up and tucked it back into her bag.

She usually brought one or two books whenever she stayed overnight.

But she couldn't find the others in the room. Assuming they might be in Sophia's, she turned and walked toward her daughter's room.

Sophia hadn't closed the door.

Just as Isabella approached, Sophia's voice drifted out. "I'm so bored, Victoria! Stay and chat with me a little longer."

Isabella froze, leaning against the wall.

"Seriously," Sophia giggled. "Don't worry, Victoria. I'll make sure to have the soup ready!"

"Okay, bye, Victoria!"

She even blew kisses into the phone.

Sophia didn't leave her room immediately after hanging up.

Isabella's throat still ached from her illness. She coughed lightly before stepping into Sophia's room. Only then did Sophia finally look up.

She was sprawled across the bed, swinging her legs happily. When she spotted Isabella, she bounced up. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for a book," Isabella replied flatly.

Sophia skipped over and grabbed her hand. "Nana said the soup's ready. Want to go downstairs together?"

Isabella pulled her hand away. "I've already had mine. If you haven't, go ahead."

Still riding the high from her call with Victoria, Sophia didn't notice anything off about Isabella's tone.

"Alright, I'll head down now!"

Isabella only gave a quiet hum in response.