260

In the mall, the shop assistant was taking Isabella’s measurements.
After the measurements were done, Isabella sat down next to Olivia and started chatting.
“Isabella, what’s with those two ‘guardians’ at the door?” Olivia asked, glancing towards the entrance.
At the entrance, two tall and sturdy bodyguards in black suits stood like door guardians.
Isabella shrugged helplessly and replied, “Andrew sent them. After the Mitchell family scandal, he was worried that Victoria would act like a mad dog and attack randomly, so he sent two bodyguards to protect me.”
In fact, Andrew had said: “Victoria is insane and ruthless. She didn’t hesitate to harm a man she shared a bed with for years, let alone you. I feel more at ease with two skilled bodyguards following you.”
Isabella didn’t think much of it. Caleb had used Victoria for years, even making her sleep with other men for benefits. It was only fair that he was bitten back. Isabella had no dirt on her that Victoria could use, so she wasn’t worried. Besides, with her skills, dealing with ten Victorias would be easy.
But to ease Andrew’s worries, Isabella reluctantly kept the two bodyguards with her.
After chatting with Olivia for a bit, the shop assistant had recorded the measurements and other important details.
“The dress will be delivered in a week. Miss Isabella, we’ll need you to try it on then. If there are any adjustments needed, I’ll make them promptly.”
“Alright, thank you.” Isabella picked up her handbag. “Olivia, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go home to be with my child.”
As soon as she walked out, the two bodyguards automatically followed her, keeping about two meters distance.
Just as Isabella entered the elevator, she received a call from Andrew.
“Isabella, today’s social event has been canceled. I’m coming to pick you up.” On the other end was Andrew’s deep and gentle voice.
“Sure, I’ll send you the address.” She was delighted. The weather was nice in the afternoon, and they could take Asher out to enjoy the sun.
Andrew’s blue Porsche Panamera smoothly stopped in front of Isabella.
She happily got into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.
Andrew drove, and the car smoothly made its way back to the apartment.
“This morning, Amelia took Asher to the play area, so there’s no time to make lunch. Andrew, how about you cook? I’d like your ribs,” she said, her head leaning over to rest lightly on his shoulder, a tone full of affection.
He kept a steady grip on the wheel, glanced at her, and smiled, “Okay.”
But as soon as he spoke, a silver minivan suddenly sped out from a side street, heading straight for their car without slowing down.
Andrew reacted quickly, turning the wheel to avoid the incoming car. However, it was clear that the other vehicle wouldn’t stop until it hit them. The driver also turned the wheel and accelerated.
Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Andrew made a quick decision. He turned the wheel to position the car sideways, using the rear end to absorb the impact. Then, he quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and threw himself over Isabella, shielding her with his body.
Before Isabella could react, she heard a loud crash, and the car shook violently. Her mind went blank for a moment, and her vision blurred.
When she regained consciousness, their car was already deformed and had come to a stop at the side of the road.
Andrew was still tightly protecting her in his arms. The small space of the car was filled with the strong scent of blood.
“Andrew, Andrew!” Isabella frantically reached out to push him, but he didn’t respond.
Her face turned deathly pale with fear. She held his face in her hands, crying out his name continuously. However, he lay over her, his eyes tightly shut, lifeless.
Isabella was trapped in her seat, unable to move at all. She could only keep banging on the car window. “Help, please, please help my husband!”
By now, people had gathered outside the car. Some were calling for an ambulance, while others were trying to pry open the car door. However, the door had been deformed by the crash, and the lock was jammed, making it impossible to open.
Isabella, trapped inside the car, clung to the unconscious Andrew. Despair and fear grew within her as time passed.
She didn’t know how long it had been, but finally, the fire department arrived. They removed the car door entirely, freeing her and Andrew.
Both she and Andrew were then loaded onto an ambulance.
Andrew lay flat on a stretcher, still unconscious. Isabella stayed by his side, holding his hand tightly, never letting go.
The ambulance sped to the hospital. Upon arrival, the medical staff quickly transferred Andrew to a gurney. Doctors and nurses pushed the gurney swiftly toward the emergency room.
Isabella continued to hold Andrew’s hand, following mechanically. At the door of the emergency room, a nurse stopped her.
“Family members must wait outside,” the nurse said.
Reluctantly, Isabella let go of his hand, watching helplessly as the unconscious Andrew was wheeled inside. The doors of the emergency room closed in front of her, and the light above the door turned on.
Isabella stood rigidly at the door, not moving an inch, her hands hanging limply by her sides, feeling as if her heart had been suddenly hollowed out. Her mind kept replaying the moment the car came crashing toward them-the silver van that was originally aimed at her side. It was Andrew who forcibly turned the car and shielded her with his body in that life-and-death moment.
Shortly after, Dr. Samuel rushed over. Seeing Isabella standing dazedly at the emergency room door, he anxiously asked, “Isabella, how is Andrew?”
Isabella stared blankly at him, as if she had gone completely numb and couldn’t speak. Knowing it was pointless to ask her, Samuel went straight into the emergency room.
He didn’t come out for a long time. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hannah and Layla hurried in.
Layla, having just gotten off the plane, was stunned upon hearing about Andrew’s car accident.
“Isabella, how is Andrew?” Layla grabbed Isabella’s arm and asked.
Isabella stared blankly at her, too frightened to speak. She looked utterly disheveled, her hair messy, face pale, clothes stained with blood, and her arm had cuts. She stood there, trembling slightly.
“She doesn’t know how Andrew is. Don’t worry too much, we’ll know once the doctors come out,” Mrs. Hannah, keeping her composure, pulled Layla aside.
“Isabella, don’t be afraid. Andrew will be alright. You’re hurt too, let’s get your wounds treated first,” Mrs. Hannah said with concern.
Isabella shook her head numbly and remained rooted to the spot.
Unable to do anything else, Mrs. Hannah stayed with her, waiting outside the emergency room.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait too long before Samuel came out.
Mrs. Hannah and Layla were about to step forward to ask, but Isabella suddenly rushed up and grabbed Samuel’s hand tightly.
“Samuel, is Andrew alright? He’s alright, isn’t he? He promised to make me ribs for lunch…” Isabella cried like a child.
Samuel sighed helplessly and comforted her, “Isabella, you definitely won’t be having braised ribs today.”
He then looked at Mrs. Hannah and Layla and said, “He has a moderate concussion, but otherwise just some minor injuries. He should be fine after a week or two of rest.”
“Thank goodness, we were so scared,” Mrs. Hannah sighed in relief.
“I’ve already asked the nurses to prepare a VIP room. Go ahead and handle the admission procedures,” Samuel added.
Isabella, coming to her senses, quickly nodded and said, “I’ll go, I’ll handle the admission procedures.”
She took the paperwork and quickly ran out, not even hearing Samuel calling after her.
“Hey, you should get checked too. Internal injuries can be serious if not treated promptly,” Samuel called out, but Isabella had already disappeared.
“Young people are so impetuous,” Mrs. Hannah sighed, “I’ll take her for a check-up later.”
“Don’t delay, it’s important,” Samuel reminded.
After Isabella completed the admission procedures, Layla insisted on dragging her for a check-up.
Samuel reviewed the various test results and found nothing serious.
“Fortunately, it’s all just minor injuries. You just need to go to the surgical department to get them treated.”
“She was shielded by Andrew, of course she’s alright,” Layla remarked coolly before turning and walking out of Samuel’s office.
Luckily, Andrew was a werewolf with a strong healing ability.
Isabella pressed her lips together tightly, looking down in embarrassment.
“Isabella, don’t mind her. Layla is just like that-harsh on the outside but soft-hearted,” Samuel said with an awkward smile.
Isabella smiled and pursed her lips. She understood well enough. Layla just had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dragged her to get checked up.
“Andrew should be awake by now. I’m heading back to the room,” Isabella said, standing up from the chair and leaving Samuel’s office. She took the elevator back to the hospital ward.
When she returned to the room, Andrew was already awake, and Ryan was there too. The two were talking.
“Boss, your head is wrapped up like a mummy. Did you get knocked silly?” Ryan joked, resting his chin on his hand with a playful grin.
Andrew shot him a cold glare, holding his forehead with one hand. His head still hurt terribly.
“It’s a good thing your fully imported car has top-notch safety features. Otherwise, a concussion would be the least of your worries-you might have split your head open. Boss, we’ve known each other for so many years, and I never knew you had such a spirit of self-sacrifice for love,” Ryan teased, sitting on the chair beside the bed with his legs crossed.
Andrew frowned slightly, annoyed by Ryan’s rambling. He asked impatiently, “What did you find out?”
“The driver has been detained. He’s a drunkard who caused the accident under the influence and has already confessed,” Ryan replied casually.
“A drunkard?” Andrew snorted, “He seemed pretty sober to me. He must have been waiting at that intersection for me. When I turned to avoid him, he turned to hit me. Clearly, he wasn’t going to stop until I was dead.”
Ryan nodded. “I inspected the scene. The tire marks are clear. He indeed deliberately crashed into you. Besides, his blood alcohol level wasn’t high enough to impair his vision that badly. But a drunkard having a grudge against you? That’s a stretch. Our worlds don’t even intersect.”
“The police didn’t get anything out of him?” Andrew asked.
“He’s playing dumb. The police’s best interrogators took turns questioning him, but all he admitted to was drunk driving,” Ryan shrugged.
“Stop beating around the bush. Just tell me what you found. I need to rest,” Andrew said impatiently.
Ryan chuckled proudly. “Andrew, thanks to my keen instincts, I investigated everything about this drunkard, from his ancestors to his daily life, leaving no stone unturned. It turns out he’s a fervent admirer of Victoria. This whole thing was likely her doing. But the guy is so infatuated with her that no amount of pressure can make him implicate Victoria. We can’t let her keep getting away with this. Boss, what should we do next?.”
Andrew frowned deeply and asked, “Does this guy have any family?”
“He does. A wife and kids. His wife works as a shelf stocker in a supermarket. His son is about seven or eight and goes to primary school,” Ryan said, suddenly having an epiphany. “I’ll have his wife and kid brought in right away.”
Andrew remained silent, which Ryan took as approval.
Clearly, the man was so in love with Victoria that he was willing to risk everything and go to prison for her. If anything could counterbalance love, it would be family.
Even for Andrew, if he had to sacrifice his life for Isabella, he would do so without hesitation. But if he had to choose between Isabella and Asher, that would be the most difficult decision.