Chapter 19

Despite Christopher's awful personality, you couldn't deny he was a looker!

Ever since they reunited, Isabella had always been icy and distant toward him.

Whenever they did interact, she acted prickly, never showing him any kindness.

But today, she was surprisingly well-behaved. Just thinking about why made Christopher feel a bit annoyed.

"You're staying here tonight. Tomorrow, you can head straight to the office," he said.

Before Isabella could object, Christopher added, "You're halfway up the hill. Feel free to try calling a cab if you want."

He was effectively cutting off any escape route for her.

Luckily, Christopher didn't bother her after that.

Isabella lay on the bed in the guest room of the villa, her mind racing.

Today, Christopher had shown up and saved her.

It made her feel like she was back two years ago when they first met.

Back then, Christopher had already taken over Nexus Technologies, but whenever he had free time, he would sit at the coffee shop where Isabella worked part-time all day.

He was handsome, exuding an air of nobility and distinction.

At that time, Isabella was just an ordinary student and never thought her life would intersect with someone like Christopher.

One day, as she was about to start her shift, she encountered the coffee shop manager's brother. He didn't know Isabella and tried to flirt with her because she was pretty.

Christopher appeared just in time, beating the guy up and saving her, just like today.

Isabella was grateful and made him a cup of coffee.

From then on, whenever Christopher came by, Isabella would greet him and sometimes chat a bit.

One afternoon, just as she was about to finish her shift, Christopher approached her and asked, "Have you eaten? Wanna grab a bite together?"

Even two years later, Isabella could almost hear her heart pounding at that moment.

But she knew they were from two different worlds.

With her heavy coursework and part-time job, she had no time for such dinners.

When Isabella finished cleaning up, Christopher was leaning against his expensive car, playing with his phone, seemingly waiting for her.

Looking back now, Christopher had always been self-centered.

But at that time, Isabella was definitely attracted to him, so she didn't overthink and ignored his inherent arrogance.

Christopher took Isabella to a fancy restaurant, where they ran into Irene.

Christopher led Isabella over to Irene and greeted her.

Irene's eyes darted between the two of them, a sly smile playing on her lips as she teased Christopher, "Christopher, is this your girlfriend?"

"You two look pretty good together!"

Isabella noticed a man sitting next to Irene, his hands shamelessly draped over her shoulders.

They seemed to be lovers.

Christopher didn't answer the question, simply greeting the two of them.

But Irene was clearly curious about Isabella and invited, "Christopher, we haven't eaten yet. Why don't you join us?"

"She gets shy. It's her first time meeting you all, so she might feel a bit awkward," Christopher said, using Isabella as an excuse.

Irene didn't push it and turned back to whisper something to her boyfriend before the two started making out.

As Isabella sat down, she recalled seeing Irene before.

Outside their coffee shop was a park, and whenever Christopher visited, there were always people sketching outside.

Christopher's gaze often lingered on those sketchers.

Isabella had once been curious and observed them. A few times, Irene was among the crowd.

She seemed to have glimpsed some secret of Christopher's, but Isabella knew her place and never asked.

Instead, it was Christopher who spoke up, "Do you think they make a good couple?"

Thinking of how affectionate they were, Isabella replied honestly, "Yeah, they seem well-matched. Both are lively and cheerful. They won't get bored, and that guy is quite good-looking too."

Christopher chuckled, seemingly mocking.

His deep eyes lifted to Isabella, and he suddenly asked, "What kind of man would you choose?"

"Choose?" Isabella was puzzled by the word. "I don't get why feelings need that word. You either like someone or you don't."

Christopher scoffed at Isabella's response.

In his world, feelings were like a fair trade.

He knew his worth and would weigh if the other person measured up.

The man Irene was recently seeing came from a humble background. Every time Christopher met him, he could sense the guy was only interested in what he could get from Irene.

There was hardly any genuine affection.

Christopher didn't want to delve deeper into this topic with Isabella.

He changed the question, "What kind of man do you like?"

Isabella thought for a moment and answered earnestly, "I like someone gentle and dependable, someone who enjoys simple meals and occasional trips. That's enough for me."

She had no desires, no ambitions, and no luck.

After her parents died in a car accident years ago, Isabella longed for a simple life.

Christopher laughed and shook his head, thinking she was just an innocent girl with a fairytale-like view of love.

Such a view made him scoff.

After dropping her off at home, Christopher casually handed her a jewelry box from the back seat, "This is for you."

The box was small, and Isabella didn't recognize the brand, but she didn't plan to accept it.

Before she could speak, Christopher said, "That coffee you made for me was great. Consider this a thank you."

With that, he drove off!

The next day, Christopher came to the coffee shop again, this time with Earl.

When Isabella brought their coffee, she was wearing the earrings Christopher had given her.

Christopher glanced at them, as if everything was going according to plan.

Earl, however, stared at the earrings intently.

After they left, he whispered, "Aren't those the earrings you were going to give Irene?"