Chapter 115: She's the Champion
Nathan still refused to believe it, staring intently at the contestant. He even thought the man was joking: "Sir, did my mom bribe you to lie for her? How could you possibly lose to my mom?"
The contestant couldn't help but frown, studying Nathan for a long moment.
He was starting to wonder if this kid was actually Isabella's child.
Every sentence that came out of Nathan's mouth calling her "mom" was so strange—as if he didn't want to see his own mother win.
Looking at Laura standing behind Nathan, even someone as obtuse as he was could piece together what was happening.
He snorted with laughter. "From the start of the competition until now, Ms. Capulet has only said two sentences to me, just a moment ago."
He genuinely respected Isabella, and his face showed nothing but admiration as he spoke.
"You haven't seen the competition results yet, have you? You can find them online anytime—your mother is this competition's champion. They already gave her the trophy!"
Isabella had found the trophy too conspicuous and had casually stuffed it into her tote bag.
Hearing this, Olivia immediately took the bag from Isabella's hands, pulled out the gleaming golden trophy, and waved it in front of Nathan like she was showing off.
"See this? It says 'champion' right on it! Mom won today's competition fair and square, recognized by everyone. Even if you don't believe it, it doesn't matter!"
The solid trophy was heavy—Olivia needed both hands just to hold it up.
Now that she'd brought out the actual trophy, Nathan had no choice but to face reality, no matter how much he didn't want to believe it.
Seeing Olivia's triumphant display filled him with malicious anger, and he struck her hand hard!
Smack! Olivia's hand immediately turned red, and she instinctively let go from the pain.
The trophy was about to crash to the ground—possibly even landing on Olivia's foot—when William reacted quickly, bending down to catch it by the handle, preventing a potential accident.
After steadying himself, he handed the trophy back to Isabella with a stone-cold expression, then looked down at Nathan, who had nearly caused serious trouble.
Nathan knew he'd done wrong, but his character was so rotten that even under William's glare, he stubbornly refused to admit his mistake, defiantly turning his head away with his chin raised.
Olivia's fair skin showed five bright red finger marks on her hand, making it obvious how hard Nathan had hit her.
Isabella's heart ached seeing this. She quickly tucked the trophy back into her bag and crouched down to check on Olivia.
Olivia's eyes had welled up with tears, her little face scrunched in hurt—a sight that could break anyone's heart.
Daphne immediately lost her temper, glaring at Nathan as she rolled up her sleeves. "Looks like today you really do need to learn a lesson!"
Before this, Nathan had been cold and distant like William, but he'd never behaved so rudely.
How had Laura managed to transform Nathan into this, completely undoing six years of Isabella's careful parenting?
Seeing Daphne about to physically confront Nathan, Laura—who'd been pretending to stay out of it—suddenly intervened, pulling Nathan behind her with an apologetic smile toward Isabella.
"Kids just bicker sometimes—it's perfectly normal. Nathan just has a quick temper—"
"Shut up!" William's roar cut through her excuses, instantly silencing Laura's attempts at damage control.
She stared at William in shock, completely unprepared for his explosive anger over what she considered a minor incident.
"Losing to Ms. Capulet—I accept it wholeheartedly. Ms. Capulet's abilities are absolutely top-tier in this country. Winning this competition's championship is well-deserved, without question!"
The contestant, who'd been watching this drama unfold, spoke up to defend Isabella's honor.
He looked at Nathan with obvious disdain. "Kid, the first thing you need to learn is how to respect your mother!"
With that, he called another elevator and left without looking back.
Isabella held Olivia close, gently patting her back and cooing softly.
Olivia held back her tears and managed a smile through her red-rimmed eyes.
"Mom, congratulations on winning! We absolutely have to celebrate properly tonight!"
Nathan stood frozen in shock from what the contestant had said. When he finally snapped out of it and tried to say something to Isabella, William shot him an icy look.
"We're going home. Now."
He bit out the words coldly, then turned toward the underground garage.
Being publicly dismissed by William in front of Isabella was utterly humiliating for Laura.
But she had no time to salvage her dignity—her priority was figuring out why William was so furious. She hurriedly grabbed Nathan and followed after him.
With the drama finally over, Isabella breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the restaurant Daphne had pre-booked.
After a satisfying meal, Olivia hugged the trophy for a long time, her mind replaying Nathan's shocked expression when he'd learned the truth.
She suddenly started giggling.
"Serves Nathan right for rushing over here to mock us—he got a reality check from Mom!"
Daphne shook her head in exasperation. "Nathan's eyes were full of hatred today. If we hadn't been there, you would've been bullied again! Things are different now—Laura's turned him into that mess. Stay away from him from now on, or he might actually hurt you."
Daphne's position was simple: she'd been kind to both children before, only because of Isabella.
For her, Isabella would always come first. Even if Nathan crossed Isabella, Daphne would kick him out of her protective circle without hesitation.
After chatting a bit more, Isabella felt warmth spreading through her chest.
Just then, her phone rang. Looking at the screen, she was surprised to see Joseph calling.
He'd been so quiet lately that she'd nearly forgotten he was back in Seaside City.
"Isabella, I caught today's competition—congratulations on taking the championship!"
There was a lot of background noise on Joseph's end—the sound of roaring engines. He was obviously at a race track.
Isabella laughed. "You were never this formal before. Can't even rest after coming back home? Found yourself a practice track?"
He hummed in agreement. "I knew nothing gets past those sharp ears of yours. I'm at the race track in Galaxy District. If you've got time, come hang out—consider it a way to unwind and celebrate your victory today."
Isabella was in such a good mood that when Joseph suggested it, she agreed with a smile.
"Sure, I just finished dinner. Let me get ready, and I'll head over."
Hearing that Isabella had evening plans, Daphne checked her phone and shook her head.
"I'm afraid I can't join you two. The company just picked up a new project and work's been crazy—I've got a meeting when I get back."
She tossed her car keys to Isabella. "Galaxy District is pretty far—you'll want to drive."