Victoria was naturally unaware that Isabella was inwardly applauding her at that moment. What a well-crafted strategy of using both hard and soft tactics. If Asher weren’t her and Andrew’s biological child, she might have really been caught in Victoria’s trap.
“Victoria, your words are so reasonable and well-founded that I am almost convinced by you. However, Andrew is a man who separates personal affairs from business, and I can’t guarantee that what I say will necessarily work.”
Victoria smiled knowingly upon hearing Isabella’s agreement. She then stood up and whispered a few words into Isabella’s ear.
After listening, Isabella felt an inexplicable mix of emotions. Victoria had taught her how to control a man in bed.
According to Victoria, men are easiest to manipulate in bed when their adrenaline is high and their IQ inevitably drops. Though some of Victoria’s tricks seemed disgraceful, Isabella thought they might come in handy someday.
For once, Isabella and Victoria found a rare moment of harmony before both left the cafe.
Returning home, Isabella flopped onto her bed, exhausted from the mental sparring with Victoria. She sprawled out, closed her eyes, and comfortably lay there without even taking off her shoes. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she felt someone removing her shoes.
Instinctively, she sat up and saw Andrew squatting by the bed, carefully taking off her shoes.
“It’s rare for Mr. CEO to come home this early,” she said lazily, rubbing her eyes.
After removing her shoes, he sat by the bed, habitually reaching out to tousle her hair. “Isabella, you look very tired.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “It’s exhausting to outwit Victoria.”
“She came to see you?” he asked indifferently, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
He never thought highly of Caleb. A man should stand on his own in his career; if he couldn’t manage it, he shouldn’t spread himself so thin. Pushing a woman to be his shield was despicable.
“She came to me, using Asher’s background to threaten me, asking me to put in a good word for the Mitchell family,” Isabella answered truthfully.
“The Mitchell family is a bottomless pit. It would take at least a billion to fill it. Victoria thinks too highly of you, doesn’t she?” he said with a playful smile.
She lazily rested her head on his shoulder, “She does have some skills. She even taught me many ways to handle a man. Want to try them?”
Isabella raised an eyebrow, looking provocative.
Andrew, being the astute man he was, immediately understood that handling a man meant in bed. His arm discreetly wrapped around her waist, and with a slight exertion, they both fell onto the bed. He lifted her chin with one hand, his lips curling up ambiguously.
“How about trying now?”
“Andrew, stop it,” Isabella blushed, scrambling out from under him. “I have a lot to do.”
She sat by the bed, smoothing her slightly tousled hair. Then, she took out her phone and called Oliver, instructing her on several matters.
After hanging up, Isabella took a coat from the closet and put it on, ready to leave.
“Going out so late?” Andrew asked.
“Yes,” Isabella nodded. “Olivia got me a spot on a very popular variety show. I’m meeting the director today. If it goes well, I’ll start recording tomorrow and won’t be back for a week.”
“Aren’t you afraid Victoria will get desperate while you’re gone?” Andrew sat on the bed, gazing at her warmly.
“I only promised to speak to you about it, but I never guaranteed it would succeed or gave a specific timeframe. Once I leave, Caleb will completely lose hope of benefiting from the Turner family foundation and will seek another way out.”
And this new way out, Isabella had already planned for him.
When Isabella was filming before, she met a factory owner who was extremely wealthy, with assets comparable to the Turner family foundation. However, this owner was over fifty, overweight, and exuded a greasy, sleazy uncle vibe from head to toe.
This wealthy, greasy uncle happened to be an ardent fan of Victoria, to the point of obsession. He even claimed that he would be willing to spend all his wealth just to become Victoria’s lover.
Isabella had already instructed Oliver to find a way to connect this factory owner with Caleb. The owner wanted a woman, and Caleb wanted money; the two were likely to hit it off perfectly. Given Caleb’s penchant for playing matchmaker, Isabella was very curious if he would go so far as to send his own woman to another man’s bed for the company.
Isabella finished doing her hair, turned to look at Andrew, and suddenly recalled Victoria’s words.
Victoria had said, “In his eyes, you are now a pure angel. But once he knows about your scandal of having a child out of wedlock, he will immediately despise, resent, and even be disgusted by you.”
“Andrew, if Asher was a child I had with another man before I met you, would you mind?” she asked, rather curiously.
Andrew pondered for a moment before replying, “If I knew about it before falling in love with you, I would keep my distance because no man wouldn’t mind, and I’m no exception. But if I found out after falling in love with you, I would be uncomfortable but wouldn’t want to let you go. After all, the heart is the hardest thing to control.”
Even someone as calm and rational as Andrew couldn’t control his heart.
“My dear husband, you’re still the greatest,” Isabella gave him a brief kiss on the cheek.
She could forgive his past but would never accept if that past left behind a child. Between a man and a woman, as long as there is shared blood, it’s impossible to fully sever ties. She and Andrew were the best example of this. Without Asher, they would have been strangers long ago, just a fleeting encounter.
So, no matter how much she loved him, no matter how much it pained her, Isabella would never be magnanimous enough to accept a child he had with another woman.
Andrew wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled at her, “Looks like I love you more.”
“That’s good, keep it up,” Isabella said with a smile, kissing him again as encouragement. Then, she grabbed her handbag and quickly left.