Chapter 140: Bringing It into the Spotlight
Everyone's faces changed at Isabella's words. She had indeed gone too far, getting right in Nathan and William's faces while berating them.
If Nathan hadn't pushed things too far repeatedly, Isabella wouldn't have bothered arguing with a child.
Children might not understand the harm their words could cause, but the adults who stood by and did nothing were the real problem!
Nathan had never seen his mother this angry before, her eyes blazing as if she might throw him out the next second.
But he was still just a child. Frightened by Isabella's intimidating glare, his shoulders hunched, and he was about to burst into tears.
Only then did William finally move, striding over from the side.
Seeing him act, Laura dared to make her move as well, following behind and putting on a show of concern as she pulled Nathan into her arms.
when it came to crucial moments, their coordination was flawlessly smooth.
"How can you speak to Nathan like that? He is only six years old!" William's expression was dark.
Isabella shot back without hesitation: "Oh, so you do know your son is only six?"
In any reasonable person's eyes, a six-year-old child should never speak the way he did, shouldn't be so disrespectful.
His mouth was full of how Isabella didn't deserve to be his mother.
It was high time he learned to respect others.
"Since you know your son is only six, and since you were the one who fought for custody, then properly educate him!"
When Isabella was truly angry, she pulled no punches, leaving William and Laura speechless.
After all, they weren't in the right on this matter.
"You keep saying 'your son'—isn't Nathan your child too?" William frowned, keenly catching the implication in Isabella's words.
Just then, Joseph, who had finished several laps and had been listening from the side, finally stepped forward with a devastating blow.
"Nathan personally said Isabella doesn't deserve to be his mother, and that only Laura deserves to be his mom. So his mother is interchangeable—whoever benefits him gets the title?"
Isabella could barely suppress her laughter.
"Isabella, thank God you're getting divorced. I can't imagine how much misery such a terrible husband would bring to your marriage!"
Joseph pulled Isabella toward the exit, continuing his relentless mockery of William as they walked.
Once in the car, Isabella finally burst into laughter, covering her face with both hands. Her shoulders shook with mirth until her cheeks ached, and only then did she finally stop.
"Where did you learn to be so vicious?" she asked.
Joseph rested one hand on the steering wheel, grinning. "Samantha told me that when you're insulting someone, you should aim for their weak spots. Harsh words are meant to hurt—what, are they supposed to be blessings?"
This was completely in line with Isabella's memories of Samantha.
Her expression turned nostalgic. "I never mastered Samantha's techniques. What a waste."
Joseph shrugged. "What does it matter? If we run into more shameless people like that, I'll just tear them down for you!"
After the exhausting day, Olivia was tired when they got home. After her bath, she fell asleep on her bed before Isabella could even come tell her a bedtime story.
Isabella, however, wasn't sleepy. She sat at her computer, searching through her memories for a long time before remembering the social media account Samantha had set up for her.
Back when the team was at its peak, endorsement deals were flying in left and right. Samantha said Isabella had many fans and should maintain her own account to interact with them regularly.
But soon after the account was created, Isabella left the team.
For six whole years, she had never logged into that account named Victoria.
When she logged in, Isabella felt her computer lag noticeably, then get flooded with an endless stream of private messages that kept pinging for over three minutes before finally stopping.
Isabella clicked on the message interface. Most of the messages were sent when she announced her retirement, all from fans expressing regret over her departure.
Reading through them one by one, at the bottom of the message list, Isabella saw a familiar avatar.
It was Nathan's favorite cartoon character, and even the username was 'ChocolateCakeLover.'
He had sent several messages, each one expressing how much he admired Victoria.
Isabella had even personally helped him register that account back then.
Isabella was almost tempted by a mischievous thought: if Nathan knew she was his beloved Victoria, how would he feel? Happy or devastated?
Too bad there was no such "if."
Afraid someone might notice she was online, Isabella quickly logged off after glancing through the messages.
The next day, Isabella had barely settled into her office chair when Richard knocked and entered.
Richard casually extended an invitation: "Come with me to the annual awards ceremony today."
This was an official event hosted by Seaside City, and all major companies would send representatives.
Beyond its prestige, receiving official recognition was also a tremendous honor for them.
"I'm afraid I might not be suitable. Wouldn't Nina be a better choice?"
"We've already held a board meeting. You won a major award this year, and you're the principal researcher for our company's new lab. It's very appropriate for you to attend the awards ceremony."
Richard was generous with his praise for Isabella, speaking as if he were trying to persuade her.
After a brief hesitation, Isabella nodded in agreement.
Since the company's board of directors had no objections, Isabella naturally wouldn't refuse.
In the afternoon, Nina took Isabella to the styling studio.
Since it was a very formal awards ceremony, the stylist ultimately chose a khaki suit for Isabella.
It looked sharp and clean, perfectly accentuating Isabella's waistline—absolutely stunning.
The invitees were all leading companies from various industries. Isabella and Richard had just taken their seats when they saw Laura walking in through the front entrance, her arm linked with William's.
Laura was wearing a dress today—a white puffy dress that made her skin look porcelain pale. Very pretty, but completely inappropriate for this occasion.
It seemed William was ready to bring Laura into the spotlight. Isabella wondered to herself.
Many of the guests present, like Isabella and Richard, noticed William's intimate behavior with his female companion and couldn't help but whisper among themselves.