Chapter 251: Maybe Being This Foolish Forever Isn't So Bad
The laboratory fell into dead silence. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, but not a single person dared to speak. Who would dare? They were all terrified that Isabella's wrench would come crashing down on their heads next.
Isabella slammed the wrench directly onto the table, the impact reverberating through the room with a deafening crash.
"If no one's going to claim responsibility, then don't send anyone from Infinity Ventures over here again!"
Isabella was deliberately issuing a warning to William.
If this continued the way he was going—sending people to Infinity Ventures for "problem-solving", it would eventually turn into the boy who cried wolf. This time it was Emily whose confidence had been shattered. Who would it be next time?
Isabella had no intention of watching her lab team lose their self-assurance one by one.
Still, silence. No one dared to claim responsibility. There wasn't even anyone brave enough to try to calm her down. Everyone just stared at Isabella, stunned.
The corner of Isabella's lips twitched upward. "In that case, tell your boss that if he keeps manufacturing problems out of thin air, next time this wrench is going straight for his skull!"
She hefted the heavy wrench again and turned to leave. She'd barely taken two steps when a voice called out from behind her.
"I'm the one who had them call you over."
William emerged from the back of the lab.
He was dressed in an impeccable suit, looking entirely formal, clearly here to inspect his employees' work.
The moment he positioned himself in front of her, all Isabella felt was a bitter sense of irony.
"So you're the one who had your people keep reporting fake errors and pressuring us to come over for inspections? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Even in front of outsiders, Isabella didn't hold back one bit. When she had a temper, she let it fly loud and clear.
For someone like William, not cursing him out would be a waste of a perfectly good opportunity.
The corner of William's lips lifted slightly, as if being berated actually pleased him somehow.
"Yes. That was me."
The strange way he was staring at her made Isabella's skin crawl. She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the lab.
Summit Holdings had plenty of employees, and many of them had heard that Isabella was here and had gathered outside to watch the show.
They hadn't expected the drama to come straight to them—Isabella barreling out with William in tow gave them all quite a shock!
The crowd scattered in all directions, desperate not to be targeted.
Isabella had no choice. She hauled William straight up to the top floor and into his office.
At least in his office there wouldn't be any gawkers. In the sudden quiet, Isabella fixed William with a death glare.
"If you're that bored, go find yourself a private island and take a vacation. I don't have the energy to play these idiotic games with you."
Isabella was practically shouting in exasperation.
William didn't respond. Isabella's dissatisfaction with him only intensified, her eyes boring into him with fury.
"You don't even love me, so why are we torturing each other like this?"
William's gaze remained dark and intense, fixed on Isabella.
Being looked at like that felt increasingly unsettling.
Isabella finished speaking and turned to leave. But William suddenly grabbed her wrist with force, yanking her back hard.
His other hand clamped down on her arm, and he pulled her into an awkward embrace, his grip like iron—impossible to break free from.
"I didn't love you before. But only with you can I feel real."
This was a sensation William had never experienced before, not as a CEO, not as someone who stood at the pinnacle of power.
For the longest time, his heart had felt frozen, unable to detect whether he felt anything at all. Everything seemed to proceed according to some predetermined program.
William was human. Eventually, he'd grown sick of that kind of existence and tried to find some spark of genuine feeling in his otherwise dull life.
Isabella was the spark he had found.
"Whether you're happy or angry, you express it directly. No hidden agendas, no games. With me, you're the exception."
William's voice was rough, almost hoarse.
After hearing his words, Isabella only became more convinced that William had lost his mind.
The constant high-pressure lifestyle had driven him insane, and now he was trying to project his emotional needs onto someone he didn't even love.
"We have children. We used to have a perfect family—"
Isabella cut him off coldly. "The family I thought was perfect belonged to me alone. You were never part of it."
William had been a stranger in that home. And now, Isabella naturally cast him out of it.
She wrenched herself free from William's grasp and strode toward the door. But William once again relentlessly closed the distance between them.
Just then, the office door suddenly swung open from the outside. Laura stood frozen in the doorway, looking stunned.
Her feet seemed glued to the floor.
Laura told herself that if she had even an ounce of self‑respect, she should turn around and leave immediately, not even giving William a chance to explain.
If she were a proud woman, perhaps she should march over and slap William across the face to punish him for his infidelity.
But those scenarios only flashed through Laura's mind for a brief moment.
Laura knew all too clearly that in this relationship, she had no dignity—not even an independent will.
The only thing she could do now was walk forward.
And that's exactly what she did.
She walked over and looped her arm intimately through William's, as if she were completely oblivious to what she'd just witnessed. She forced a sweet smile onto her face.
"Sophia asked me to bring you lunch. She said you'd definitely love what we made today."
Laura's smile was saccharine. Isabella found it bitterly pathetic.
Throwing away your dignity for the sake of so-called love—could that kind of relationship really be worth it?
"Isabella, thank you so much for being willing to help William with this project and giving Summit Holdings the opportunity to participate."
Laura had clearly positioned herself as William's wife.
Isabella, upon hearing this, only responded with a look of pity.
Maybe if Laura could just keep being this foolish for the rest of her life, it wouldn't be so bad.
Just keep pretending not to notice William's revulsion. Keep putting on this lovey-dovey act in front of others.
Isabella simply couldn’t imitate that kind of behavior. That's why she almost admired Laura.
She's the one who truly chose money over love.
“I wish you both all the happiness in the world.”
Before leaving, Isabella offered her blessing once again, without a hint of impatience.
To William, that blessing sounded more like a curse.
But Laura was happy. Her face shone with an expression of pure bliss—so much so that one had to wonder if Laura’s mental state was still sound.
William irritably pushed Laura’s hand away, not even sparing her a glance.