If he was only irritated before, now he was thoroughly provoked by Isabella.
He was not someone who easily made promises. What he gave her wasn’t just a flimsy wishing card; it was a commitment.
He grabbed her arm. Her wrist was delicate, so he refrained from exerting too much force, fearing he might hurt her.
“Let go!” She struggled to break free from his grip.
But he turned her around, pressing her against his chest, his voice restrained. “Isabella, do you ever think before going out? Do you know who those people are? If they had taken advantage of you, there wouldn’t have been a place left for your tears!”
The only thing Andrew was grateful for now was that the private club was their family’s property, and Ryan happened to be there today, only then discovering that Isabella was mixing with Brandon and his associates.
Brandon wasn’t from Ithaca town; not much was known about him. But he was well aware.
Like him, Brandon had a military background, held a decent position, and had a significant family background. Such a person could easily manipulate the daughter of a deputy mayor.
But Isabella never anticipated the danger. She thought she could easily extricate herself by playing a little smart. If he hadn’t arrived in time, hadn’t restrained Brandon, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
If she had really suffered, what would be the point of him getting rid of Brandon?
He was angry, frustrated, but mostly frightened. Yet Isabella was like a hedgehog, not only unable to protect herself but also bristling with thorns toward him.
Did she really think he had nothing else to do, that he enjoyed meddling in her affairs?
He had always been protecting her in his own way.
Suddenly, Andrew felt somewhat powerless. Their silent conflict had been going on for a long time, and he found it exhausting. She was his mate, and as a werewolf, he found it difficult that she didn’t resonate with his intentions. Sometimes, he wished to forcefully possess her, imprison her so she could only see him. But he knew her character very well, so he convinced himself to give her more time, to let her fall in love with him. When that time came, he could confess everything without frightening her.
Andrew’s gaze darkened a bit, and his grip involuntarily loosened a little. Taking advantage of this moment, Isabella forcefully shook off his hold and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
She angrily dashed into the elevator and only realized that she had forgotten her phone and wallet after walking out of the building.
She couldn’t help feeling regretful. She stood at the building’s entrance for a while, secretly hoping that Andrew would come after her so she wouldn’t feel as angry.
But after waiting for some time and not seeing his shadow, she left in frustration.
Meanwhile, inside the apartment, Andrew was soothing Asher.
Their argument had been too loud, waking up the baby. Asher’s wolfish nature was gradually awakening. He had sharp hearing and was deeply connected to his mother. Sometimes, the wolf cub could sense changes in his mother’s mood.
Asher was in a foul mood, crying loudly with a red face. Amelia couldn’t soothe him, and only when Andrew held him did he calm down a bit.
Watching the baby with red, teary eyes, Amelia sighed deeply, feeling a pang of heartache. “What’s the problem between you two? Quarreling damages relationships the most. Isabella is young, occasional temper tantrums are normal. Other girls her age are still cuddling in their parents’ arms, yet she has become your child’s mother. For this reason alone, you should be more understanding towards her.”
Andrew hugged the child, silent and deep in thought.
After he managed to put Asher back to sleep, he noticed Isabella’s handbag left on the sofa.
Without a second thought, he immediately put on his coat and went out to search for her. The security in Ithaca town at night was not foolproof. If she encountered someone with ill intentions and without her phone and wallet, it would be extremely dangerous.
He worried about Isabella’s situation. His pupils dilated from tension. A werewolf’s vision at night was highly acute. He drove around the entire area searching for her, yet he couldn’t find a trace of Isabella, not even a scent, could be discerned.
Helpless, he called his assistant Nathan, instructing him to run to the police station and utilize the surveillance videos set up on various roads to find her.
At that moment, Nathan was snuggled in warm blankets with his wife. Boss’s call meant he couldn’t afford to delay. He promptly got out of bed in the dead of night to disturb the deputy director of the police department. The deputy director couldn’t afford to disregard Andrew, but Nathan, as the assistant, received quite a bit of his displeasure.
Sigh, being Andrew’s assistant wasn’t easy.
However, the police department worked efficiently. They quickly identified the target.
Nathan reported the investigation results to Andrew in great detail. After listening, Andrew only replied blandly, “Got it.”
…
Back at the Harris family, Isabella was sitting on the bed playing with her phone.
Damn it, she was suffering from insomnia again.
The screen had tired her eyes as she rubbed them with one hand while closing the game interface with the other.
The phone screen went dark, restoring the room to silence.
From last night until now, twenty-four hours had passed without Andrew making a single call to her. In the evening, she had a video call with Asher, and Amelia told her he hadn’t come home, probably busy with work.
She had no idea what Andrew was so busy within his briefcase company. Maybe he was avoiding her.
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became, glaring at the serene phone, feeling increasingly agitated, almost losing control and wanting to throw the phone away.