The waiter was terrified and nodded numbly.
Ryan casually handed him off to one of his men, giving a nonchalant order, “Take his hand off, so he won’t take money that he shouldn’t in the future.”
The waiter turned pale with fear and screamed, pleading, “I’m innocent! It really has nothing to do with me. I don’t even know Mr. James or that woman. I just took a little money…”
Ryan ignored him.
“You,” Ryan directed another subordinate, “go with Mr. Toren here to check the restaurant’s surveillance footage. I’ll give you a day at most to find that Ormsby. If you can’t, you’re fired!”
As he spoke, Ryan’s gaze remained fixed on Toren, who broke out in a cold sweat under the scrutiny. Toren wasn’t foolish; he knew Ryan was making an example out of him. If Ormsby wasn’t found, Toren would be in serious trouble.
Having given his orders, Ryan strode out of the private room.
Meanwhile, the door to the adjacent room remained closed, with Ryan’s two men standing guard. Ryan lit a cigarette and leisurely smoked it, asking, “The boss isn’t out yet? Must be a fierce battle in there.”
The two men blushed and coughed awkwardly. Only Ryan would dare to speak so casually; they wouldn’t dare even if they had the guts.
As Ryan finished his cigarette, the door opened. Andrew emerged, carrying Isabella in his arms. She was wrapped in his suit jacket, curled up against his chest with only her long white legs visible.
“Did she pass out?” Ryan asked, tossing his cigarette butt aside.
“Yes,” Andrew nodded, his expression dark and brooding.
Andrew was wearing only a thin shirt, several buttons missing, revealing his bronzed chest.
“Tsk, tsk, must have been intense, boss. Be careful not to overexert yourself,” Ryan teased with a wicked grin, reaching out to straighten Andrew’s shirt.
Andrew ignored him, holding Isabella tightly. “Is the car ready?”
“It’s right outside. You two go back; I’ll handle the rest,” Ryan replied.
Andrew gave a grunt of acknowledgment and left with Isabella. He drove directly to the seaside villa.
He personally bathed Isabella, changed her clothes, and then carried her to the bedroom.
Just then, Andrew’s phone rang.
“The investigation is complete. I’m driving over to your place now,” Ryan said on the other end.
“Good. Bring a box of emergency contraceptives,” Andrew replied and hung up.
Half an hour later, Ryan arrived, swaggering in with a box of pills, which he tossed to Andrew. “Read the instructions yourself.”
Andrew set the pills on the coffee table and went to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of cold beer for Ryan.
Ryan took the beer, sat on the solid wood sofa, and crossed his legs. “Today’s incident…”
“Thomas’s doing, I assume,” Andrew cut him off coolly.
“You got it.” Ryan shrugged with a smile. “Thomas is trying to take you down in one move. Can’t he come up with something new?”
“This move is quite effective,” Andrew said with a cold, twisted smile, his deep eyes icy and intimidating.
Thomas had once set up Scarlett to cheat, nearly pushing Andrew to the brink.
Now, using the same tactics, if not for Isabella’s quick thinking, Thomas would have succeeded.
Thomas hadn’t bet wrongly. If Isabella was ruined, it would indirectly ruin Andrew too.
Thomas just lacked a bit of luck, which is why he failed this time.
“Thomas is relentless and unpredictable. The restaurant waiter was bribed by a man named Ormsby, Stella’s cousin. I’ve already detained him. What do you want to do?”
“Handle it however you see fit,” Andrew said, uninterested in dealing with the small fry.
Ryan nodded. He was known for his straightforward methods, often involving breaking limbs before sending people away.
Andrew bent down, picked up the cigarette pack and lighter from the coffee table, and asked coldly amid the spreading smoke, “Ryan, did you bring the person I asked for?”
“Don’t worry. By tomorrow at the latest, they’ll be delivered to the Turner family without fail. I’ve arranged for your schedule to be clear tomorrow so you and Isabella can go see the fun.”
“Well,” Andrew replied, picking up the medication from the coffee table and heading upstairs.
…
Isabella slept soundly until the evening.
When she woke up, Andrew was sitting by the bed, smoking, and the room was filled with choking smoke.
She turned over, feeling as if her whole body was falling apart, sore and aching. Her throat was very dry, and her voice was hoarse.
“Andrew, I’m thirsty,” she murmured with her eyes half-closed.
Andrew stood up, walked to the table, and poured her half a glass of warm water.
Isabella struggled to sit up in bed and drank most of the water, finally feeling a bit more alert.
Her beautiful brow furrowed as she clenched her fist and tapped her forehead a few times. She slowly recalled the recent events, with images of the shattered lamp and James lying on the ground, his face covered in blood flashing through her mind.
“Where’s James? Is he okay?” Isabella asked urgently. She had hit him pretty hard, and if she had accidentally killed or seriously injured him, it would be a big problem.
Andrew didn’t answer. He took the box of medication from the bedside table, opened it, and handed her a pill.
Isabella knew what the pill was and took it without hesitation. The medicine was bitter, and she frowned as she drank another half glass of water. She then continued to ask, “Is James alright? Andrew, don’t hide it from me.”
Isabella looked very anxious, worried that James might have died. How many years would she get for manslaughter? And Mrs. Brown would be heartbroken and blame her!
“James is in the hospital, but he won’t die,” Andrew said, his eyes deep and cold.
Isabella visibly relaxed, as long as he wasn’t dead.
She felt a bit tired and lay back on the bed. “Andrew, I want to sleep a little longer. Can you cook me some noodles? Wake me up when they’re ready.”
She spoke with her eyes half-closed.
Andrew didn’t respond, sitting by the bed and staring at her intently.
Isabella, not getting an answer, instinctively opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
He stared at her, his aura cold and rigid.
“Isabella, do you know how dangerous it was today?”
“Nothing happened, so why are you so serious? It’s scary,” she muttered, turning over.
“Do you want to wait until something happens to regret it?” His voice was icy to the extreme, his hand hanging by his side tightly clenched into a fist.