Chapter 66

Isabella's thoughts snapped back to the present at Sophia's words.

Yesterday, when she'd fallen, Alexander hadn't lifted a finger to help.

When she'd been hurt, his indifference had been palpable.

His behavior wasn't just about not caring—it was about ensuring Victoria wouldn't misunderstand.

In his heart, only Victoria's feelings mattered.

Whether Isabella lived or died was irrelevant to him.

Otherwise, how could he have been so cold when she'd fallen and injured herself?

Her expression hardened. Just as she was about to refuse, Alexander spoke first.

"Ask your mother," he told Sophia.

Sophia turned to Isabella. "Mom, Dad wants to know if you'll talk to him."

Isabella pressed her lips together briefly. "No. I'm busy."

Sophia relayed this to Alexander. "Dad, Mom said no."

"Okay," came his clipped response.

Sophia sighed. "Okay, Mom. Bye."

"Bye."

After hanging up, Sophia set down her phone and turned to Alexander. "Dad, I think Mom's upset about something." Her voice wavered slightly.

Alexander barely glanced at her. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah. I don't know why, but I just feel it."

"Okay."

And that was that.

Over the next few days, Isabella continued working from home.

Sophia called daily to check on her injury, but as Isabella expected, she never mentioned visiting.

The project she and Nathaniel had submitted was reviewed by Frederick two days later.

Their core technical analysis—something most would treat as confidential—was torn apart by Frederick and dismissed as worthless.

For the next few days, Isabella and Nathaniel revised their presentation based on Frederick's scathing feedback while juggling their regular workload.

By Monday, Isabella's ankle had mostly healed. Though driving still made her wince, she returned to the office.

There, Nathaniel said, "It seems Alexander genuinely wants to collaborate with us."

Alexander hadn't reached out personally, but someone from his team had contacted Nathaniel last week.

Nathaniel had kept it from Isabella, worried it might upset her.

Later that day, a representative from Alexander's company was scheduled to visit their office. If discussions went well, they could finalize the initial partnership terms.

Maxwell Sterling, Alexander's technical director, represented his private tech firm—not the Whitmore Group.

It was Isabella's first time meeting him.

Learning Isabella was also in tech, Maxwell greeted her politely. "Hello, Ms. Sinclair."

"Hello," she replied.

The meeting progressed smoothly.

At noon, YodaVision hosted lunch for Alexander's team.

As they stepped out of the car at the restaurant, they collided with Alexander and Victoria, who had just arrived.

Isabella froze.

Nathaniel rubbed his temples. This was one coincidence he hadn't anticipated.

Maxwell's face lit up. "Mr. Whitmore!"

Alexander and Victoria turned.

Both seemed mildly surprised to see Isabella and Nathaniel.

After a brief nod to them, Maxwell hurried over to Alexander and Victoria.

Since they'd been spotted and had an ongoing collaboration, Isabella and Nathaniel reluctantly followed.

Maxwell clearly knew Victoria. "Ms. Kensington," he said warmly.

"Hello," Victoria replied coolly.

Maxwell didn't mind. Given Victoria's status as Alexander's favored companion—and likely future wife—her aloofness was expected.

Turning back to Alexander, Maxwell explained, "I was at YodaVision discussing our collaboration. Mr. Graves and his team invited us to lunch."

Alexander nodded and shook Maxwell's hand. "Thank you for your hard work."

"My pleasure," Maxwell said with a smile.

Alexander's gaze shifted to Nathaniel and Isabella. He acknowledged Nathaniel with a nod. "Mr. Graves."

He didn't address Isabella.

Nathaniel returned the nod, then suddenly suggested, "Since we've run into each other, why not join us?"

Alexander declined. "No, this is a personal outing. Next time, I'll treat you to a proper meal."

A personal outing—code for his date with Victoria. Clearly, he didn't want interruptions.

Nathaniel internally scoffed but outwardly smiled. "You're too kind, Mr. Whitmore."

Victoria, meanwhile, was pleased. While she wouldn't have minded more time with Nathaniel, her priority was always Alexander.

His protectiveness of their date thrilled her. She said nothing and left with him.

After they'd gone, Nathaniel asked, "Maxwell, you know Ms. Kensington?"

"Only met her a few times," Maxwell replied. "As you know, Mr. Whitmore dotes on her. He's brought her to the company several times."

So that was it.

Despite being married to Alexander for years, Isabella had never once visited any of his companies. He'd never allowed it.

But for Victoria, there were no such restrictions.

While Maxwell was distracted, Nathaniel leaned closer to Isabella. "Since the charity gala fiasco and last week's tech expo, the Kensington family has gained quite the network in Salzburg. Rumor has it they've secured several major projects in days."

Once those projects were completed, the Kensingtons would be firmly established in Salzburg.

Thanks to Alexander's backing, they'd achieved in days what took others years. Envy was inevitable.

Isabella lowered her gaze. "I see," she murmured.