Chapter 112
If Isabella wanted to play the virtuous wife, she should have smiled politely at this moment and walked away to the side.
Giving them space.
But Isabella just smiled and didn't leave.
Isaac Scott saw Isabella standing there without moving, his brow furrowed. As expected, she was just a decoration with no sense of timing at all.
He turned his attention back to Matthew.
"Matthew, let's talk about work somewhere else."
Isaac brought up the question again.
Isabella found it amusing inside, though she didn't show it on her face.
"Alright, let's go to the lounge area."
Matthew spoke up.
Isabella pushed him in that direction.
Seeing Briar arrive, Faye came over with a smile to greet them.
Isaac treated Faye like an elder would treat a promising younger person, his attitude quite warm.
"Briar mentioned on the way here that you came back from abroad."
"I didn't expect to see you here today."
Faye looked at Briar and said with a smile, "Mr. Scott, I wasn't planning to come originally, but Isabella asked me to come along."
She glanced over at Isabella.
Briar's eyes flickered slightly. Faye's attitude toward Isabella seemed to have improved quite a bit.
Isaac also glanced at Isabella, but didn't focus the conversation on her. Instead, he continued asking about Faye's situation.
"You're graduating soon, right?"
"What are your plans after graduation? Why don't you come work at our company?"
As he said this, Isaac looked at Matthew.
"I really like this girl, Faye."
Matthew's expression remained calm, saying nothing.
But Faye quickly shook her head. "Mr. Scott, please spare me."
"I see Matthew busy with work every day, it looks so exhausting. Having one tired person in our family is enough."
"You really leave me speechless, but he's your brother, so you could rely on him for life and it wouldn't be a problem."
Isaac's gaze inevitably fell on Isabella again.
Isabella thought to herself that middle-aged men's words were really unpleasant.
But on the surface, she smiled sweetly, playing the role of a decoration well.
Seeing Matthew say nothing, Isaac cleared his throat and smiled at Faye.
"Faye, take Isabella to the side. We have work matters to discuss with Matthew."
This time he made it explicit.
Isabella finally looked at Isaac. Clearly, the ones who needed to leave were Faye and her—Briar could stay.
She felt like laughing. If outsiders didn't know better, they'd think Isaac was an elder of the Moore family.
Faye took Isabella's arm with a smile.
"Isabella, let's go over there."
Isabella smiled lightly. "You go ahead."
She still showed no intention of leaving.
Faye got a bit anxious, thinking Isabella hadn't understood Isaac's subtext, and tried to signal her with her eyes.
She was also worried that being too direct would make Isaac and Briar laugh at Isabella.
"Faye, you go."
"Isabella is staying to keep me company."
Matthew spoke up.
Faye blinked. She quickly glanced at Isaac, sensing a hint of awkwardness in the air.
She nodded with a smile.
After she left, Isaac smiled, though his eyes looking at Isabella weren't very friendly.
But he didn't say anything to Isabella directly, and actually did discuss the current project between the Scott Group and the Moore Group.
Very basic stuff that even Isabella could understand.
It seemed Isaac had deliberately wanted her to leave earlier.
After casually talking for five or six minutes, someone came to find Isaac, and he left.
Isabella found it even more amusing.
Matthew also frowned slightly.
Seeing this, Briar said gently, "Mr. Moore, don't mind Uncle Isaac. That's just his personality."
"The work matters are just missing some details."
Matthew glanced at her and nodded, but his attention wasn't on her. Instead, he turned to Isabella. "Aren't you tired standing?"
Isabella thought to herself that he was still being fierce with her.
With Briar still there, she wouldn't throw a tantrum at a time like this.
"Of course I'm tired."
Isabella turned him around and sat down herself.
Briar's gaze fell on the two of them, her emotions unreadable.
Her phone lit up. After saying something to Matthew, she left.
Watching her back, Isabella stopped pretending and said in a low voice, "Has Mr. Scott always been like that?"
Or did he simply dislike her, which is why his words earlier were so unpleasant?
"Don't worry about him."
As soon as he finished speaking, thinking of Isabella's tendency to overthink, he added, "Just think of him like Uncle Liam at home."
Isabella understood. "Then next time he's passive-aggressive with me, I'll be passive-aggressive right back."
Matthew looked at Isabella with amusement.
"Anyone is fair game."
Isabella was delighted inside, but said, "Even Grandpa?"
"What about Grandpa?"
Faye saw there was finally no one else around and came over. As soon as she arrived, she heard Matthew and Isabella discussing Hayden.
She stared at them with curious, wide eyes.
Isabella and Matthew exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.
Faye snorted lightly.
"You two are ganging up on me."
Isabella smiled.
Matthew, seeing a smile finally on her face, relaxed his expression.
In the distance, Briar and Isaac stood together, their gazes falling on Isabella and Matthew through the crowd.
Isaac said quietly, "Liam's family is making moves to rise up. Matthew is being foolish—are you going to be foolish too?"
"There are plenty of capable men in the world. Are you really not considering switching?"
Briar smiled down. "Uncle Isaac, what are you saying? I'm just thinking about the family."
Hearing this, Isaac laughed mockingly.
"Thinking about the family? When I asked you to consider Liam's family before, why didn't you agree?"
"The Morris family is interested now, but Matthew is still as clueless as before, not wanting to cooperate. Then there's no need to share the risk together."
Briar understood Isaac's meaning, and his thinking was perfectly normal.
"You think Matthew will lose?"
"You think he'll win?"
At this point, Isaac laughed again, looking at Briar with something like an elder's advice.
"Briar, you're one of the more capable ones in our younger generation."
More capable?
Briar's eyes held a trace of mockery. Her brothers hadn't accomplished anything at the company, while she had succeeded in her own business and then joined the company.
Throughout history, people have been more lenient with boys.
Families like theirs even more so!
Having seen various men's inherent flaws, Briar couldn't forget Matthew.
Perhaps if Matthew had agreed when Isaac said those things, she would have disliked him. But he didn't agree. He remained detached, as if watching a clown perform.
Perhaps at the time, he saw her as a clown too, but Briar didn't mind.