Chapter 177

Chapter 177

The night was deep, but the banquet was still going strong.

Isabella's mind had long since drifted far away. She was desperate to fly over there right now and see what had become of the place she once called home.

Michael could read her thoughts perfectly. He turned and walked away with her.

The two of them disappeared from everyone's sight in no time.

Martin couldn't resist taking a jab, as usual. "I really don't get what's so special about Isabella. She's just a woman, yet he can't get her out of his head. After all these years, why does it have to be her? On top of that, doing this is going to offend the Bailey family."

Joseph fired back without missing a beat. "Maybe others worry about offending the Bailey family, but do you really think the Johnson family does?"

The Bailey family was undeniably one of the top names among the elite.

But compared to the Johnson family, they were in a completely different league.

Michael had always done whatever he wanted and never cared what anyone thought — let alone a family like the Baileys. The only reason he hadn't acted more freely was that the two sides still had a number of things left to work out.

Joseph patted Martin on the shoulder. "I know you're in a bad mood. We all grew up together, and that's exactly why we've been easy on you. But that doesn't mean you can just say whatever you want. I hope you understand one thing — we don't owe you anything, and Isabella is not someone you get to push around."

It looked like Michael and Isabella were going to patch things up soon. When that happened, forget everything else — they would all have to call Isabella "sister-in-law" out of respect. To avoid things getting awkward down the road, it was better to get their heads straight now instead of being passive-aggressive every time.

Martin understood this perfectly well. He just couldn't bring himself to accept it.

Juan took it all in without a word and quietly slipped away.

Michael was gone. Isabella was gone.

The two of them had left without making a sound, yet plenty of eyes had been watching.

Luna, standing in a corner showing off her jewelry, caught the whole thing.

She couldn't believe it. When she'd arrived at the banquet, she had assumed Michael would at least come over and say hello. She had been quietly waiting for that moment all evening.

But how long had it been?

The banquet was nearly over, and Michael hadn't come near her once. Instead, he had walked out with Isabella.

What was that supposed to mean? He had zero regard for her as his fiancée.

Or was he trying to tell everyone that no matter what, Isabella was the one he truly loved?

He hadn't left her even a shred of dignity.

Luna's face twisted with rage. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, her eyes practically bulging out of her head.

The people around her caught the look on her face and quietly backed away without another word.

Meanwhile.

Isabella and Michael drove over to the Taylor family's old estate without delay.

The old gate looked just as it always had — clean and well-kept, exactly as it was the day they had left.

Isabella stood at the entrance, struck by a feeling that the place remained the same while the people had changed. She couldn't bring herself to step inside. She took a deep breath and stood there for a long moment before finally walking in — and the moment she saw what was inside, tears began to fall freely down her face.

Exactly the same. Not a single thing had changed.

The gate swung open slowly. The fountain was still there. And the flowers and plants throughout the garden were just as she remembered.

She walked further in and opened the door. The sofa in the living room, the rug, all the decorations — nothing had changed.

She ran her fingers lightly across a small table, and her tears spilled over completely.

"Do you remember this? Your family had one exactly like it. When I was little, I had no idea you could buy these at a store — I thought it only existed in my house. The first time I visited yours, I tried to take your table home with me..."

It really was quite a coincidence.

The two families had lived close to each other, and their elders often went shopping together.

Both grandmothers had spotted the table at the same time and fallen in love with it, so they had each bought one.

After that, the two households ended up with quite a few identical items. Every single time, little Isabella would stubbornly insist that Michael's things belonged to her and try to take them home.

It had caused no shortage of funny moments.

Looking back on those sweet little memories, she found them almost embarrassingly childish.

The same sofa. The same things. All of it unchanged.

She sat down and took in everything around her, drinking it all in without blinking, afraid it might be a dream — afraid that if she looked away, it would all be gone.

After a while, Isabella pinched herself on the leg. It hurt. "So this isn't a dream. The house really hasn't changed. Does that mean..."

Something clicked. Her gaze shifted to Michael.

"You did all of this?"

She couldn't think of anyone in the world besides Michael who would pour so much time, money, and effort into preserving this house.

Michael didn't deny it. He gave a small nod. "Your family had taken on too much debt back then. The house was auctioned off. I found out by chance, so I had someone buy it."

After that, he had spent a considerable amount of money keeping everything exactly as it was.

But seeing Isabella moved to tears made it all feel worthwhile.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, his voice carrying a rare softness. "A lot of things from back then can't be undone. But that doesn't mean they can't be restored."

"Take this house, for example. With enough care and effort, it can be made to look just like it used to. People change — but why can't they change for the better?"

There was an unmistakable note of something probing in his voice.

Isabella froze for a moment, then caught on. She let out a self-mocking laugh.

So that was it.

No wonder he had brought out this gift so quickly. He had an ulterior motive — he wanted things to go back to the way they were.

How could that ever happen?

Isabella lifted her head and forced her tears back. "You know what? During all those years abroad, I thought about so many things. I kept asking myself — if I could turn back time, what would I do differently?"

"I played it out in my head countless times, but the answer was always the same. If I had the chance to do it over, I would never have gotten close to you. I would have been the daughter my parents hoped for — studied hard, and one day built a life that could support them."

Instead of following Michael around like a fool.

All those years. All that effort. What had it amounted to?

"In everyone's eyes, I was always orbiting around you — wherever you were, whenever it was, I was right there beside you. But I have my own life too."

"I have my own abilities. Look at what I've done without you. I became a skilled auditor. I spent years abroad working and studying at the same time, earned a master's degree, graduated at the top of my class, and built a better life for my family."

She regretted it.

If she could go back, she would never let herself make those same mistakes again.

Michael's gaze burned into her, sharp and unrelenting. He pulled her close, his eyes darkening. "So you regret it?"

A strange silence fell over the room.

After a long pause, Isabella was about to speak — but Michael suddenly pushed her back onto the sofa, his tall frame pressing down over her.