Chapter 8

Growing up, she and Nora had been exploited by Hugo more than enough.

But Hugo was like a leech—impossible to shake off. He kept clinging to them and sucking their blood, and yet she had absolutely no way to deal with this scoundrel.

If she could throw caution to the wind, she could drag Hugo down with her, but she still had Nora to take care of.

Right now, she has too many concerns.

Even after Hugo left, Isabella sat by Nora's hospital bed, her body still trembling, her icy fingertips unable to warm up for a long time.

The one million problem remained unsolved... This wasn't a small amount. Even if she worked hard for several lifetimes, she couldn't come up with it.

Right now, she had only two choices: either deal with Hugo, this troublemaker, or somehow get her hands on one million dollars.

Between the two options, Isabella leaned toward the first, but with her current abilities, she probably couldn't pull it off.

Isabella looked at Nora sleeping and suddenly felt helpless, her eyes welling up with tears.

What should she do?

Isabella stayed at the hospital until dark, then left in a daze. When she got home, she suddenly remembered the suit issue.

Two problems coming one after another were suffocating Isabella. She barely slept all night. The next day, she went to work with dark circles under her eyes.

As soon as Nora got to her desk and put down her bag, she casually looked up and caught a glimpse of a figure passing by in the office.

It was William's office. Was William already here?

Isabella built up her courage, preparing to go confess to William about the stupid thing she'd done. But when she knocked on the office door several times, no one answered.

She clearly saw a figure in the office—could William have fallen asleep?

Isabella hesitated for a while, but eventually pushed open the office door and went in. The office was empty. Documents were neatly arranged on the desk; there were no signs of anyone sitting on the sofa, and the air didn't carry the scent of William's favorite cologne.

Isabella felt confused for a moment.

Had she been seeing things earlier?

She shook her head and was about to turn and leave when her forehead suddenly bumped into a solid, firm chest.

"Mr. Brown?"

Meeting William's cold gaze, Isabella's shoulders trembled with fright. She instinctively lowered her head, guilt showing in her eyes.

Seeing her panicked expression, William sensed something unusual and immediately surveyed the office environment. Everything was exactly as he'd left it yesterday.

William frowned, one hand in his pocket, his eyes looking down at Isabella, his tone turning cold.

"What are you doing here? As an employee, when you arrive at the Brown Group, shouldn't the first thing you do be getting to work?"

Isabella instinctively shrank her neck. Thinking of that suit, she wanted to confess directly, but her throat felt blocked, unable to make any sound.

William had never been a patient person. He walked past Isabella to his desk and sat down, his slender fingers casually picking up two documents from the side. But suddenly noticing something, his frown deepened.

His computer... seemed to have been touched by someone.

William's eyes darkened, his sharp gaze suddenly locking onto Isabella, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Did you just touch anything in my office?"

Isabella snapped back to attention and quickly shook her head.

"Absolutely not! You instructed before not to let anyone touch any of your things. I've always kept that in mind!"

William looked at her with deep eyes. After a moment of silence, he spoke again in a low voice.

"So what are you still standing here for?"

Isabella took a deep breath. After struggling internally for a long time, she finally took small steps to William's desk.

"Mr. Brown, yesterday I accidentally stained your suit. You asked me to bring it this morning, but I ruined it when I washed it..."

By the end, Isabella's voice grew quieter and quieter, her anxiety and unease magnified.

She kept her head down, biting her lip, her fingers clutching the hem of her clothes, and besides being nervous, the dark circles under her eyes were particularly obvious.

William watched her silently, unconsciously playing with the pen on his desk, his eyes unreadable.

He suddenly remembered what Chase had said to him yesterday—

"Mr. Brown, if you give the suit to Isabella, she'll definitely ruin it."

He hadn't expected Isabella to actually ruin the suit.

That suit was quite valuable. Even if he really made Isabella pay for it, with her current meager salary, she couldn't afford it.

Besides, right now, the suit wasn't the most important thing.

William withdrew his gaze, not sparing another glance, his cold voice calm and emotionless.

"I've already had someone custom-make a new suit. Go pick it up at noon, and we'll consider this matter closed."

The thing she'd worried about for a day and night was just brushed aside like that?

Isabella could hardly believe it, but she didn't dare push her luck.

Since William had given her an out, she'd obediently follow through and keep her job first.

"Thank you, Mr. Brown!"

Isabella's face lit up with joy. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly thought of something and paused.

She turned back to look at William, who had already opened his computer and whose gaze seemed somewhat heavy, and said a bit sheepishly.

"Mr. Brown, I know I've caused you a lot of trouble before, but please believe me—I will work hard and create more value for the Brown Group!"

Although she wasn't clear about what exactly Lily had said to William, William probably wasn't someone who couldn't tell right from wrong.

As long as she worked hard, William shouldn't make things too difficult for her.

William's gaze moved from the computer, casually glancing at Isabella. Her bright, round eyes were full of determination and confidence, quite different from her usually timid appearance—like two different people.

He'd already had Chase investigate. The proposal Lily presented in the conference room that day was actually done by Isabella.

Isabella was indeed a very capable person, and capable people could usually work longer at the Brown Group.

William narrowed his eyes, his gaze seeming to have the ability to see through people's hearts, as if it could pierce straight through Isabella.

"If you can create value for the Brown Group, the Brown Group will naturally value you. But if you do anything to betray the Brown Group, the Brown Group absolutely won't tolerate you."

What did that mean?

Isabella was confused, just assuming William was warning her. Without thinking too deeply about it, she turned and left the office.

William stared at her slender figure, recalling that night's intimacy. His lower body began to stir again. His eyes showed restraint and forbearance, his large palm unconsciously clenching.

Just then, Chase happened to walk in.

William's dark gaze swept over to him.

"Call a meeting with the Brown Group executives!"

The entire morning, Isabella focused on working with her team members to prepare for the Starlight Mall project.

Finally able to catch her breath, she was about to get a cup of coffee. As she passed by the employee break room, she vaguely heard a discussion inside.