Chapter 161: Does He Really Matter That Much?
William refused to back down, gripping Isabella's wrist even tighter instead of letting go.
One man desperately clutching Isabella while refusing to release her, the other trying to pry his grip loose—the scene was utterly bizarre.
In broad daylight, passersby couldn't help but stare and turn back for another look.
Isabella felt a sharp pain shoot through her wrist as William's grip threatened to crush her bones.
"When exactly will you be done with this nonsense?" Isabella demanded, her patience finally snapping.
"All I want is to finalize our divorce proceedings as quickly as possible. So why do you keep showing up in front of me?"
Isabella was desperately trying to escape this marriage, yet William kept appearing out of nowhere to torment her.
They had no love between them—this relationship brought nothing but endless pain to both of them.
Joseph let out a cold laugh. "Did you hear that? Isabella just made herself crystal clear. Why don't you let go already?"
Watching their synchronized unity, William found the sight particularly grating.
What right did Joseph have to interfere in his and Isabella's affairs? What was his position in all this?
"This is between my wife and me. It has nothing to do with you," William snapped.
"How many times do I need to remind you that you and Isabella are no longer married?" Joseph rolled his eyes.
This man was truly shameless, using the technicality of unfinalized divorce papers to still consider himself Isabella's husband.
"Just ignore him. He's completely unhinged," Isabella said calmly to Joseph.
This wasn't the first time William had lost it like this. Last time it was over Richard, and now it was Joseph's turn.
"You're doing this just to get my attention, aren't you? Scheming to find your way back into the Montague family?" William stared at Isabella intently, his voice dripping with cold mockery.
"I'm warning you—these tactics will only make Nathan and me more disappointed in you."
William's warning sounded like the world's biggest joke to Isabella's ears.
Who exactly wanted back into the Montague family?
The only person who truly wanted to become "Mrs. Montague" was Laura, wasn't it?
"If you're that confident in yourself, I suggest entering a beauty pageant. You might just win first place. Then you wouldn't need to run Summit Holdings Corporation anymore—you could focus full-time on being narcissistic."
Isabella couldn't resist the sarcastic jab at William.
She pinched his hand hard, and when he loosened his grip from the pain, she broke free from his restraint.
"Let me be absolutely clear with my own warning: I have zero intention of breaking you and Laura up, and I have even less interest in being that ridiculous 'Mrs. Montague's ever again. Let's get these divorce papers finalized as soon as possible. Whoever's interested can legally become 'Mrs. Montague's anytime they want."
Isabella had no idea where William got his confidence from. If she could, she'd finalize their divorce this very instant.
"Isabella, playing hard to get works once. Keep using the same trick, and it gets boring," William warned coldly once more.
His repeated shameless harassment finally ignited the fury that had been building in Joseph's chest.
"Go to hell!"
Joseph's patience snapped completely. He raised his fist and threw a solid punch straight at William's face.
Being a young man and a professional race car driver, Joseph packed considerable strength in his punch. It connected squarely with William's face, snapping his head to the side.
William's left cheek immediately swelled and reddened, making him look utterly ridiculous.
Isabella startled—she hadn't expected Joseph to suddenly resort to violence.
William recovered quickly from the blow and swung his own fist back at Joseph.
The two men traded blows back and forth, neither gaining a clear advantage in the brawl.
Even Isabella, who had been at the center of their conflict, was now sidelined as the scene transformed into a battle between two men.
Nathan stood frozen nearby, watching them fight. The violent scene terrified him, and his mouth trembled before he burst into tears.
"Daddy, please stop fighting! I don't want Victoria's autograph anymore, okay?"
The scene was already chaotic enough, but adding a child's plaintive sobbing made it impossible for even a passing dog to ignore.
The two men fought with increasing intensity, as if each was determined to destroy the other completely.
Nathan didn't dare get closer and could only stand aside crying.
The growing crowd of onlookers didn't dare intervene either.
Both men were tall and powerfully built—what if they got hurt trying to break up the fight?
Left with no choice, Isabella had to step in herself.
She grabbed one of Joseph's arms first. "That's enough! Stop it!"
"Isabella, don't hold me back. Today I'm going to teach this guy a lesson he'll never forget—make him realize that not everyone is pining after him!"
Joseph's blood was fully up, his eyes blazing red with fury.
His only thought was defeating William completely.
"Enough! Do you think fighting makes you look good?" Isabella shouted coldly.
The two men, who had been going at each other relentlessly, finally separated.
Both were breathing heavily and looked worse for wear.
Joseph had taken a punch to his right eye, which was starting to swell and bruise. William's left eye wasn't in much better shape. It appeared they'd fought to a draw—evenly matched with no clear victor.
Isabella looked at Joseph, her eyes filled only with concern and distress.
"It was just a trivial matter. There was no need to resort to violence. Look what you've done to yourself! When Samantha and Zack see this, they'll be heartbroken!"
Isabella couldn't help but scold Joseph.
Even though both men were injured, Isabella only had eyes for Joseph.
William felt as if his heart had been struck by a sledgehammer, leaving a gaping hole that bled profusely.
His voice was even more bitter when he spoke.
"We were both fighting—it wasn't like I was the only one throwing punches. How come you're not checking to see that I'm badly hurt too?"
Isabella frowned and turned to look at him.