At the party, the farce embarrassed David, and he was furious when he returned home.
Relatives who had a good relationship with Isabella’s mother, Eleanor, were sympathetic towards her, and they expressed their discontent. For the sake of their reputation, David sought her out the next day.
“Dad, I think I’ll stay away from home for now. So I won’t cause trouble for Aunt and my sister. Even though it’s the vacation period, I can still stay in the student dorms, so I’m moving there today.”
David’s expression darkened a bit, and he reprimanded her, “What nonsense! You’re my daughter; you don’t need to worry about what others think. Don’t be stubborn; come home with me.”
Under David’s authority, she obediently returned home with him.
On the way back, they passed by the open park in the city center. She glanced out the window and suddenly shouted, “Stop the car.”
The driver was puzzled, thinking something serious had happened. He slammed on the brakes, parking the car on the side of the road.
“What’s wrong?” David asked, frowning.
“Dad, there’s cotton candy for sale at the park entrance. Could you buy me one?” she asked with an innocent look.
“You’re a grown-up; you shouldn’t eat children’s stuff,” David said coldly, but he still ordered the driver to buy it.
She took the white cotton candy from the driver, looking charming. “I remember when I was little, Dad and Mom used to take me to the park every weekend. I would ride on Dad’s shoulders and eat cotton candy. In the summer, the candy would melt and get Dad all sticky.”
With her seemingly casual words, it seemed like Isabella had brought David back to the past.
When she was young, he was just a small government employee, and his work wasn’t as busy. David has a good relationship with her mother Eleanor, and on weekends, they would take her to the park together.
Looking back, those were truly beautiful and comfortable times.
She squinted her eyes, looking at the touched expression on David’s face. She knew she had achieved her goal.
She lowered her head and quietly took a bite of the cotton candy, but she couldn’t tell if it was sweet or bitter.
Clearly, he was her biological father, but he could only evoke a trace of family affection through memories. It was indeed a sad situation!
The black iron gate slowly opened, and the car came to a stop in front of the villa.
She got out of the car with David, and Charlotte was waiting at the villa’s entrance. She still had a refined appearance, but she couldn’t hide her weariness. She accompanied them with a forced smile, showing a strained expression.
“Dad, I’m a bit tired. I’ll go to my room first,” Isabella said. She couldn’t be bothered to pretend with Charlotte.
David nodded, his face stern, and he ignored Charlotte.
Charlotte had been managing the Harris family for many years and had two daughters by her side, so her position was stable. She didn’t entertain any fantasies about easily toppling her. She had to plan for the long term, gradually making her fall out of favor.
Isabella was worried about finding Charlotte’s weakness, but Emily willingly handed it to her. Yesterday’s incident was just the beginning, and they had inflicted their share of pain on her in the past.
At this moment, someone burst into the room.
Emily walked in, furious, pointed her finger at her, and sternly asked, “Isabella, did you play a trick on me yesterday?”
Faced with Emily’s intimidating demeanor, Isabella’s response was too calm. She casually tossed a tissue into the cartoon-shaped trash can on the table and replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Isabella, don’t play dumb. You intentionally replaced a similar necklace to make me misunderstand and embarrass James, causing our family to lose face. What’s your real intention!”
She squinted her eyes and looked at her, unable to resist a cold smile. Emily was really good at shifting blame.
Seeing that she remained silent, Emily became even more aggressive. “Why aren’t you talking? Are you feeling guilty? If you don’t speak up, I’ll take your silence as confirmation.”
“I haven’t done anything, so there’s nothing to say,” she said with a faintly mocking smile, suddenly reaching into Emily’s pocket and swiftly pulling out her phone.”
Emily was caught off guard and tried to stop her but was too late.
She held her phone and indeed found it recording. She turned off the recording function and then disdainfully returned the phone to Emily.
“It’s all leftovers from my little game. Do you think it’s fun?”
Emily was exposed on the spot, and her face contorted in anger. She yelled at Ava, who had been standing by, “You, get out!”
Ava ignored her, acting as if she hadn’t heard. In this household, the only person who could boss her around was Isabella.
However, shortly after, Isabella said, “Ava, you can leave for now.” While speaking, she exchanged a subtle glance with Ava.
Ava understood and quickly left the room.
Now, there were only Isabella and Emily in the room, and the atmosphere was tense.
“Isabella, where’s my necklace? Give it back to me right now!”
“Necklace?” Isabella replied with a mocking tone. “Sister, is there any reason to take back something that’s already been given away?”
“I don’t care. You give me the necklace back immediately,” Emily said, her eyes filled with anger.
Isabella, however, shrugged calmly, looking regretful. “I’m truly sorry, but the necklace definitely won’t come back. I’ve already sold it. The platinum was melted down for its weight, and it didn’t fetch much. But the gem’s quality was quite good. Even though I sold it at a low price, I exchanged it for several limited edition bags. If you like, I can give one to you.”
“You!” Emily was so angry that she couldn’t speak. She raised her hand to hit Isabella.
Isabella, however, was quicker and grabbed her hand first, delivering a slap back with force.
Emily held her face in pain, staring at Isabella in disbelief. Isabella seemed fragile and quiet, never raising her voice. Emily never dreamt that Isabella would slap her.
“You, you dared to hit me?”
“You raised your hand to strike first, and I can’t defend myself? This is the Harris family, and I’m the true heir of this family.”
She said with a deliberate tone. She was reminding Emily that she was the true mistress of this family, and she and her mother were mere intruders.
Emily’s cheeks were swollen, her emotions were on the verge of losing control, and she clung to Isabella, shouting, “My mom and dad were genuinely in love. Your mom is just a shameless homewrecker. What right do you, this illegitimate child, have to flaunt your power here…”
“Emily, you shut up!” David’s angry voice suddenly interrupted Emily’s hysteria.
Earlier, Isabella had signaled to Ava to bring David in, but along with David came Charlotte.
Charlotte didn’t waste any time. She walked up to Emily and lightly slapped her. She raised her arm but brought it down gently, merely posturing.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Isabella is the true heiress of the Harris family. We’re just guests here. If you cause any more trouble, I’ll kick you out.”
“Mom!” Emily, with her face in her hands, began to cry, feeling extremely wronged. “I didn’t say anything wrong. It’s a fact that you and Dad were truly in love, and you even had me and my sister. Someone with power forcefully separated you.”
Charlotte’s eyes reddened, but she scolded, “It’s not your place to comment on the affairs of your elders.”
“Mom, you won’t let me speak? Are we supposed to endure this in silence for the rest of our lives? It’s clear that Isabella took my necklace. When I asked her for it, she not only refused but also slapped me. She just admitted that she sold my necklace. That necklace was a birthday gift from James!”
“It’s just a necklace, and Isabella is your sister. If she likes it, you should consider it a gift to her,” Charlotte said softly.
She had a way with words, easily entangling people. Her statement, while sounding elegant, actually solidified the accusation of theft against Isabella.
Indeed, upon hearing this, David’s face darkened, and his gaze at Isabella changed somewhat.
“Isabella, did you really take your sister’s necklace and slap her?” David questioned.