Chapter 168 Imprisoned Isabella

Chapter 168 Imprisoned Isabella

Astrid listened in silence, gently scooping a spoonful of shaved ice into her mouth. The cool, slightly sweet taste was refreshing.

Even Rachel could tell that Rolf's behavior was unusual—there was something off about him. Despite pretending not to care about anything all these years, he had no other business ventures, so it was impossible for him to know anything about what was going on inside Prescott Jewelers.

So why was he deliberately pushing Prescott Jewelers to the edge of a cliff? What was he really after?

When Rachel didn't hear a response from Astrid, she pulled out her phone to check it, then asked cheerfully, "Tomorrow is Michelle's birthday. She sent my family an invitation. Will you come with me?"

Astrid lowered her eyes and said softly, "Even if you didn't invite me, I couldn't avoid it anyway."

"Oh, right!" Rachel's expression showed she understood.

"My mom's calling me home. See you tomorrow."

They'd finished most of their desserts and were getting tired, so they headed home separately.

The next day, Silas left work early to pick up Astrid and take her back to The Montgomery Manor.

Although the Montgomery family's internal situation was complicated, on the surface, everyone maintained harmony.

When Astrid and Rachel saw each other, they chatted for a while, but before long, Rachel was called away by her family.

Michelle's birthday party had a nice atmosphere. Astrid stayed by Silas's side, exchanging pleasantries with the Montgomery family members. During this time, she noticed Michelle looked somewhat tired, though it wasn't too obvious because of her heavy makeup.

Half an hour later, Astrid finally figured out why.

At such an important occasion, neither Isabella nor Oliver was present.

Speaking of Oliver, Astrid hadn't seen him in a long time. He was such a playboy—had he really stopped coming home just to avoid getting married?

Silas was discussing a company project with a family elder. After listening for a bit, Astrid found it boring and quietly told him she wanted to go outside for some fresh air.

"Will you be okay by yourself?" Silas asked softly.

He rarely came back, and Astrid wasn't very familiar with the other Montgomery family members.

"I'll be fine," Astrid answered, glancing at the elder beside Silas, a bit shyly.

Winter in Cypress Bay was damp and cold.

Astrid put on her coat and, seeing a holly plant in the garden, walked over happily. She leaned forward, closed her eyes, and caught the faint fragrance in the air.

"You bitch!" A woman's hoarse, desperate voice suddenly came from behind her.

Astrid turned around in surprise and saw Isabella.

Her voice was somewhat raspy, her expression vicious and manic, as if she'd been through some kind of shock.

"You ruined me!" Isabella grabbed Astrid's wrist hard. Her grip was strong and cold, nearly pulling Astrid off balance.

"I'm not crazy! Not crazy!" Isabella's eyes widened as she clutched Astrid's wrist, seemingly unsure what to do next.

"Isabella, you can't run out here." The Montgomery family's butler, along with a doctor, rushed out through the door in a panic.

"Don't be afraid, we'll take care of her right away." The butler gave Astrid a perfunctory smile, then waved his hand. Two servants behind him stepped forward aggressively and restrained Isabella.

Even though Isabella struggled with all her might, she was no match for them.

The doctor standing nearby was already prepared and stepped forward to give Isabella an injection.

"Mrs. Montgomery, I'm sorry you had to see that." The butler waved again, and the others dragged Isabella back to her room.

It all happened so fast that Astrid only realized after everyone had left that Isabella had probably been injected with a sedative.

Not understanding why this had happened, Astrid looked somewhat dazed at their retreating figures, then noticed Catherine looking around anxiously from the doorway.

Seeing Isabella being dragged by the servants, completely drained of energy, Catherine's brow furrowed deeply.

"Isabella, Isabella!" she called out nervously.

Unexpectedly, Catherine didn't ask the servants to bring Isabella to her. Instead, she walked toward Astrid.

Astrid had only come out for fresh air, yet she'd run into both Isabella and Catherine.

When Catherine got closer, Astrid could see tears on her face.

"Astrid, can you help me get Isabella out of The Montgomery Manor?" Catherine, who usually presented herself so elegantly, wore no makeup, had lost her usual commanding presence, and looked exhausted.

Astrid watched her with interest.

Catherine was actually willing to humble herself in front of her. How rare.

"You two tried every trick in the book to get Isabella married into the Montgomery family, and now you want me to take her away? Where to? Are you okay?"

Astrid's tone was mocking.

Oliver was unfaithful in relationships, but if Isabella had controlled herself, he wouldn't have succeeded either.

If Catherine had raised her daughter properly, knowing that Oliver was dating Astrid, she should have kept Isabella in check.

Although Astrid had completely let go of the past, she still found it disgusting.

With that, Astrid moved to leave.

Catherine grabbed her wrist, speaking in a humble tone.

"Isabella isn't sick, and she hasn't gone crazy. The Montgomery family can't keep her locked up like this. You just saw—they're about to drive Isabella insane."

Astrid suddenly understood.

On the wedding day, Isabella had pointed at her and cursed viciously. Silas couldn't stand it and handed Isabella over to Michelle to deal with.

Michelle's way of dealing with it was to keep Isabella confined. So many days had passed, and she was still being held. From what Catherine was saying, they were telling everyone that Isabella had a mental breakdown.

Saying Isabella had mental problems was better than admitting Oliver had run away from the wedding.

"Astrid, I've never asked you for anything." Seeing Astrid standing still, Catherine saw hope and continued, "For the sake of how I've helped your mom and looked after your dad all these years, please help me."

"Isabella is my life." Catherine broke down crying.

Her commotion would soon attract the attention of the Montgomery family.

Astrid didn't want her family matters to become public knowledge. She just wanted to leave quickly, so she suggested, "There's a simple solution, if you're willing."

"What solution?" Catherine looked at her with hope.

"As far as I know, when Isabella insisted on having a wedding with Oliver, they never actually got a marriage certificate," Astrid said calmly.

"You could just tell everyone that Isabella and Oliver never got legally married. Then the Montgomery family would have no choice but to let her go."

The light that had just appeared in Catherine's eyes gradually dimmed.

Astrid's suggestion was indeed workable. The Montgomery family had no legal standing to restrict Isabella's freedom, but saying such a thing would mean that the Montgomery family and Isabella would have no relationship whatsoever.