Chapter 118: The Gap Between People

Before the person could even finish their rebuttal, a chubby man nearby turned red in the face and snapped back.

"Shut your mouth! Don't you know that Isabelle was seriously ill not long ago? She was in a coma for over twenty days, and they went to every major hospital — not one of them could treat her condition!"

Someone nearby looked puzzled. "You mean that Ms. Isabelle — the one who was in a coma for twenty-plus days — was cured by this young man right here?"

"Wow, if that's true, this guy is basically a miracle doctor!"

"Obviously. Just look at how calm and composed he is. He's got this powerful presence about him."

"The best part? He just turned down that luxury property without even blinking. Honestly, who here could do that?"

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

A man in his thirties gritted his teeth. "Look, if someone handed me a luxury suite for free, there's no way in hell I'd say no..."

"Same," another person chimed in. "Turn down a free place? Come on, you'd have to be out of your mind."

"Please. With that kind of short-sighted attitude, Ms. Isabelle wouldn't waste her time giving you anything."

Just then, Isabelle's eyes grew warm, her face full of gratitude.

"Mr. Bruce, you absolutely earned this. My best friend was the one who recommended you to my parents — I was unconscious at the time and had no idea what was happening. Without your incredible treatment, I wouldn't be alive today. A property is the least I can do."

"But that night, everything happened so fast, and it was already late. After you treated me, you just said a quick goodbye to my friend and left — you didn't even give us a chance to pay you."

"I was planning to find you in the next day or two, once I'd dealt with these crooks at the sales office. I never expected you to show up here yourself, looking to buy a place. Mr. Bruce, you don't need to buy anything — I'll give you our finest unit, free of charge."

"That's not necessary. I already have somewhere to stay."

"Mr. Bruce, having a place to live and accepting this property are two different things. This is my way of paying you for your treatment."

"If you really don't want the property, just name your price and I'll write you a check."

"Well..." Anthony scratched his head, looking a little helpless. It was pretty clear — whether he wanted it or not, he was walking out of here with a property today.

He shook his head, almost speechless. She was being downright pushy about giving him something.

At this point, staying silent any longer would make it look like he was trying to squeeze money out of her.

"Alright then, Ms. Isabelle. Thank you — I'll accept the property."

Hearing Anthony finally agree, Isabelle quietly let out a breath of relief.

"I should be the one saying thank you. You saved my life — this property is just a small token of my appreciation. I still owe you so much more, Mr. Bruce."

"That's not necessary." Anthony raised a hand casually. "Ms. Isabelle, if you keep this up, I'm going to have to say something."

"Mr. Bruce, if I've done anything wrong, please tell me directly. I'm happy to take the feedback."

Seeing Isabelle act so respectful and deferential, some of the onlookers who knew her well were absolutely stunned.

"Wait — Ms. Isabelle is always so proud. She barely gives most people the time of day, let alone lowers herself like this. Am I actually seeing this right?"

A curly-haired man rubbed his eyes in disbelief, still staring ahead in confusion.

"Ms. Isabelle, now that I've accepted the property, let's consider the matter of your treatment closed. Please don't keep bringing it up — it makes me uncomfortable."

"I see." Isabelle looked surprised but nodded. "After I woke up, I was so amazed by your skill that I wanted to talk more, but you'd already left."

"Are you free now? We could go inside and have a proper chat."

Faced with Isabelle's warm invitation, Anthony turned it down without a second thought.

"No need. I have something to take care of right now. We can catch up another time."

The people around them looked taken aback.

"Did I hear that right? He just turned down Ms. Isabelle's invitation? She reached out to him, and he's playing hard to get?"

"Yep. You got a problem with that? Go ahead and try it yourself."

Anthony paid no attention to the chatter and kept his easy smile.

"Ms. Isabelle, I didn't come here today to buy a place. I came because of these two." He gestured toward the father and daughter nearby. "This girl is a classmate of mine. They came here with money to buy a home and were treated unfairly. Your sales manager even threatened to have them arrested. I wasn't going to stand for that."

"Ah, I see — your classmate is the one looking to buy."

Isabelle's gaze shifted to Poppy, and she was immediately struck by what she saw.

The girl was simply dressed — almost plainly so — yet she had a natural, delicate beauty that stood out. Fresh and sweet, about the same age as Isabelle herself.

But there was a purity about her that clearly hadn't been touched by the world's cynicism. Her eyes were bright and alive, and right now they were fixed on Anthony with unmistakable warmth.

No question about it — this girl was Anthony's number one fan.

And on top of that, they were classmates.

It seemed like her best friend would have some real competition if she wanted to win Anthony over.

Things were about to get interesting. A sly little smile crept onto Isabelle's lips.

"Since your classmate wants to buy here, let her take her pick — wherever she likes. Out of respect for you, I'll give her half price."

The moment Isabelle said that, the potential buyers around them were floored.

"Half price?!"

"Unbelievable. Anthony's got serious pull — and Ms. Isabelle is not messing around. Half price, just like that."

"That kind of discount is more money than most people will ever earn in their lifetime."

A young man nearby let his head drop with a defeated look.

"I just scraped together enough for a down payment. I was so excited I couldn't sleep for three days. And then Ms. Isabelle drops that announcement, and I completely fall apart. God, the gap between people really is something else."