Chapter 297

The afternoon meeting was in full swing when Isabella's phone buzzed with an incoming call from Sophia.

Her finger moved automatically to decline the call before she even processed the name.

The moment the screen went dark, it lit up again with the same caller ID. Isabella's brow furrowed, but she still didn't answer.

This time, Sophia didn't call back.

Isabella refocused on her presentation.

Five minutes later, her phone rang again - Alexander's name flashing across the screen.

She pressed her lips into a thin line and powered off the device completely.

Only after the meeting concluded an hour later did she turn her phone back on.

The first thing she saw was a text from Alexander: Sophia fell down the stairs at school. We're at St. Mary's Hospital.

Her blood ran cold.

Grabbing her purse, she sprinted from the conference room toward the parking garage.

En route, she called Alexander for the room number. He picked up on the first ring and directed her to the pediatric wing.

When the elevator doors opened on the VIP floor, she practically ran to the designated room.

Inside, she found Alexander seated beside the hospital bed where Sophia lay.

Her daughter's face was ghostly pale, a white bandage wrapped around her forehead. Sophia's eyes lit up weakly when she saw her. "Mommy-"

Isabella rushed to the bedside. "What happened? What did the doctors say?"

Alexander answered calmly, "Mild concussion. Nothing too serious."

She exhaled sharply in relief.

"Have you eaten?" Alexander asked suddenly.

She hadn't. The marathon meeting had run through dinner time. Isabella shook her head.

Without another word, Alexander pulled out his phone and placed a food delivery order.

Sophia, who hadn't seen her mother in weeks, immediately curled into Isabella's arms without speaking.

Isabella stroked her daughter's hair gently. "Try to sleep if you're tired, sweetheart."

"Okay," Sophia murmured.

She clung to Isabella's hand as her eyes fluttered closed, but her forehead remained creased with discomfort. It took nearly thirty minutes before her breathing finally evened out in sleep.

Just then, the food Alexander ordered arrived. "You should eat," he said, offering the takeout bag.

Isabella recoiled slightly. "I'll order my own."

Their eyes locked for a tense moment before Alexander set the food aside. Isabella pulled out her phone to place a separate order.

As Sophia slept, the room fell into heavy silence.

Alexander stepped out to take a business call that lasted nearly twenty minutes. When he returned, he took the chair opposite Isabella.

She could feel him wanting to talk, but deliberately focused on her phone screen instead.

The message was clear. Alexander acknowledged it with a faint, knowing smile before retreating into his own silence.

Night deepened around them as they maintained their separate vigils.

When Alexander finally broke the quiet, his voice was firm. "I'll stay tonight. You should go home and rest."

Isabella's gaze remained fixed on Sophia's sleeping form. She didn't move.

Alexander studied her for a long moment before adding, "Be angry with me all you want. But from now on, answer Sophia's calls - even if you won't answer mine."

The unspoken warning hung between them: Their daughter needed her mother, regardless of whatever stood between them.

Isabella froze - so he knew she'd been deliberately ignoring their daughter's calls?