In my impression, although Isabella comes from a wealthy background, she has never adorned herself with ostentatious jewelry, presumably because she doesn’t like it.
“Well, then gift her some sexy lingerie; it’s the best gift. Although it’s given to a woman, the one who ultimately benefits is you,” Ryan said, wearing a lecherous grin.
Andrew’s gaze grew colder, his deep blue eyes lowering as he opened the files on the table. “There’s nothing; you can leave.”
“…” Ryan felt like he had been taken apart and dismembered. “Alright, Alpha.”
At the same time, Isabella’s car had already stopped in front of the Harris family villa.
Even the weather was not favorable; halfway through the drive, it started to rain.
A chilly autumn rain, she opened the car door, and a chill hit her face.
Instinctively, she raised her eyes, looking at the villa in the wind and rain. The few steps in front of the building seemed to exude a sense of chilliness.
And on the steps stood a tall man.
At the same time, he saw her, holding an umbrella, steadily walking down the steps.
The black umbrella covered her line of sight, and the air around was filled with a faint scent of cologne.
Isabella had never liked the scent of perfume on men, but the fragrance on him was clean and elegant, to be honest, not unpleasant.
“Uncle Robert,” she politely smiled at him. Politeness masked with a touch of coldness and distance.
She instinctively disliked Charlotte’s relatives. As for Robert, she didn’t have much contact with him, not enough to be considered familiar. The only impression was that this man was shrewd and had some tricks up his sleeve.
For someone like him with no background, without tricks, it would be impossible to stand firm in Moonlit Art Inc.
“Go in; it’s getting cold outside,” his slightly hoarse voice came from above.
Isabella nodded and ascended the steps with him.
The two stood on the porch of the villa, and Robert lowered the umbrella.
She bowed politely, thanking him for sheltering her from the rain.
One large hand held the umbrella, and his gaze, somewhat elusive, looked at her. Then, from the pocket of his jacket, he took out a black jewelry box and handed it to her.
“I heard today is your birthday. I came in a hurry, so I didn’t prepare much. Take this with you.”
She opened the jewelry box, revealing a diamond necklace. Judging by the size and quality of the diamonds, its value was estimated to be around two hundred thousand. For Robert’s current net worth, this gift was not considered expensive. Sending a diamond necklace as a birthday gift from an elder to a younger one was quite appropriate.
Isabella had no room to refuse.
“Thank you, Uncle Robert,” she said indifferently.
Robert nodded, still not showing much emotion.
Silence lingered between them. Unacquainted and standing on opposing sides, they truly had no common ground.
Just as she was thinking about how to end this awkward situation, Robert spoke again.
“Caleb Mitchell, are you familiar with him?”
Robert’s tone and expression were both indifferent, making it difficult for her to guess the purpose of his question. So, she could only speak the truth, “I’ve met him a few times, not enough to be considered familiar.”
“That’s good,” Robert seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Caleb is not a good person. The farther away you stay from him, the better.”
Robert had interacted with Caleb a few times, and his impression was very poor. Despite being born into the Mitchell family, wrapped in the glamorous outerwear of a wealthy family, Caleb was a downright villain.
As for Robert’s warning, Isabella frowned slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled. She naturally knew that Caleb was not a good person, but as for Robert, she couldn’t tell if he was genuinely friendly or hypocritical.
In her mind, Robert was, after all, Charlotte’s cousin, and she didn’t think he would be genuinely friendly towards her.
“Thanks for the reminder, Uncle. I wonder if you’ve told Victoria about this? She has quite a close relationship with Caleb,” her tone carried a hint of chill, deliberately emphasizing the words ‘close relationship.’
After saying this, without waiting for Robert’s reaction, Isabella, in her high heels, briskly walked into the villa.
Meanwhile, Robert remained in place, sighing silently.
He knew a bit about the secret relationship between Victoria and Caleb. However, Victoria was strong-willed, and he couldn’t control her nor was he interested in doing so.
Robert just didn’t want Isabella to get involved in this mess. In his heart, she had always been the pure moonlight outside the window, untainted by the mundane dust of the world.
“Why aren’t you going in? You’ve been standing here since morning, waited for over two hours. Everyone is inside now. Who are you pretending to be sentimental for?” A lively figure appeared in front of the villa, a woman in her early thirties, fashionable and pretty, her words laced with sarcasm.
Robert gave her a disdainful glance and raised his leg, stepping up the stairs, brushing past her.
Such disregard infuriated the woman.
“Robert, I know you don’t fancy me. Unfortunately, the person you have in mind is probably out of reach for your entire life. What’s the point of giving that custom-made necklace? She probably won’t even wear it,” she said, seeing Isabella holding the jewelry box when she came out.
She had seen that jewelry box before, always kept in a drawer under Robert’s desk. She once thought it was meant for her until she peeped into his secrets and realized she was being delusional.
Robert halted, turning to look at her. “Alice, if you weren’t so harsh, perhaps we wouldn’t have reached the point of mutual disgust today.”
Regarding Alice, besides not loving her, he didn’t have much dissatisfaction initially. But after three years of marriage, he slowly discovered that Alice was just a spy placed by Charlotte by his side, to better control and use him. His cousin had shown him kindness, but that didn’t mean he willingly became her pawn.
Alice, with a cold smile, said, “Even if you disgust me, I’m still your legal wife. You won’t be able to get rid of me in this lifetime. No matter how much you care about Isabella, she’s nominally your niece. Even without blood ties, you two are engaging in incest.”
Robert tightly pursed his thin lips, looking at her with cold eyes. He had nothing to say.
Seemingly accustomed to his cold gaze, Alice didn’t care. Instead, she became more caustic, even threatening, “You went through so much trouble to suppress the rumors about Isabella and Caleb. Your sister and Victoria probably don’t know about it, right?”
“What do you want?” Robert’s face suddenly became sinister.
“For now, I don’t want anything. Just reminding you. You better treat me well. Otherwise, I won’t mind letting your sister and Victoria know about your dirty thoughts about her,” Alice, for once, found Robert’s sore spot. After speaking, she left with her head held high.
Robert still stood on the steps, half of his body already soaked by the rain. The palm hidden under the sleeve gradually clenched into a fist.
On the other side, Isabella hadn’t entered the living room yet when she heard Emily’s coquettish voice.
“James, you promised to accompany me to Paris for shopping this weekend. Why aren’t you keeping your word?”
Emily had always been a loyal fan of luxury goods, flying to Paris regularly for shopping sprees. Fortunately, her family was wealthy, and they could afford this extravagance.
James, patiently trying to placate her, spoke softly, “I have a business trip this weekend. Be obedient, I’ll accompany you next week.”
“But I’ve already made plans with a few friends,” Emily pouted.
Helpless under her relentless charm, James took out a check from his wallet, took her hand, and placed it in her palm. “Be good, I really don’t have time this week. Go with your friends; buy whatever you want.”
Emily tightened her grip on the check, smiling as brightly as flowers. She then extended her arm, wrapped it around James’s neck, and actively offered a sweet kiss.