Chapter 165: Just Stay Out of Trouble
"What do you think?" Watching Joseph's defiant expression, Isabella already had a pretty good guess about his answer.
Joseph pouted and let out a cold snort. "Make me apologize to him? I'd rather you just lock me up!"
His contempt for William wasn't new—it had been building for ages. He'd finally gotten all that pent-up rage off his chest. There was no way he was going to apologize now.
Absolutely not.
Isabella let out a soft sigh. "So you're refusing to cooperate, is that it?"
Joseph scoffed. "Then just throw me in a cell. I'll never apologize to that man!"
Even the officer looked stunned. "Are you sure about this?"
Isabella had seen this coming from a mile away.
Joseph might seem easygoing and cheerful most of the time, but he had the strongest principles of anyone on the team. Once he'd made up his mind about something, he'd never back down.
Given his personality, if he'd actually compromised with William easily, that would have been the real surprise.
The officer was about to say something more when William abruptly stood, kicking back his chair.
"Then let him rot in a holding cell for a few days. Maybe that'll teach him a lesson!"
He grabbed Laura's hand and stormed out.
With the plaintiff gone, there was clearly no room for negotiation. The officer looked at Isabella with sympathy.
"Try not to worry too much. What Joseph did isn't actually that serious. He'll be detained for seven days at most, then he'll be out."
The more the officer spoke, the heavier Isabella's heart grew.
Every single day before the race was precious. While other teams were training hard, their lead driver would be stuck in a holding cell.
She walked out of the station feeling utterly miserable. Standing at the entrance, Isabella felt her anxiety rising.
She shoved her hands in her pockets, then her phone rang—it was Mary.
"Ms. Capulet, I just picked up Olivia and brought her home. She wanted me to ask when you and Joseph will be back."
Isabella's brow furrowed deeply.
Whether they'd even make it back today was still up in the air.
"You and Olivia go ahead and eat. Don't wait for me and Joseph."
She kicked at a small pebble on the ground, mentally running through everyone she could possibly ask for help.
Daphne was just an ordinary office worker. Telling her wouldn't accomplish anything.
At the moment, the only person with the resources to help seemed to be Richard.
Isabella hesitated for a long time before finally calling him.
Finding someone who could actually do something had to be better than sitting around doing nothing.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" Richard hadn't heard anything for several seconds and was checking if something was wrong with his phone when Isabella finally spoke.
She sounded a bit embarrassed. "Mr. Spencer, is this a good time? There's something I need to ask your help with."
"Just tell me what's going on—no need to be so formal with me." Richard gave a light laugh.
Standing in the shade of a tree in front of the police station, Isabella explained everything that had happened that afternoon in detail.
"Joseph does have an impulsive streak. I already gave him an earful just now. But with the race coming up so soon, we can't afford to lose another key driver. I wanted to ask if you might have any way to... pull some strings?"
Whether it meant posting bail or finding some other solution, she just needed to get him out.
Richard chuckled softly on the other end. "Understood. Send me your location. I'll be right there."
Within half an hour, Richard had pulled up in front of Isabella.
Seeing her worried expression, he gave her a reassuring look.
"Just leave this to me."
He strode confidently into the station. Isabella stayed outside, pacing anxiously.
Not knowing what was happening inside, she felt her nerves being pulled tighter and tighter with every passing minute.
The sky gradually darkened, the horizon tinged with the pale colors of dusk. Richard had been inside for quite a while now with no sign of coming out.
Isabella was on the verge of just barging in to see what was going on.
Then, finally, she spotted Richard and Joseph emerging into view.
"Mr. Spencer, this wasn't a terribly serious incident, but Joseph's impulsive nature is a real problem. If he's not careful, next time he won't just be in a holding cell!" The officer stood at the top of the steps, offering earnest advice.
Richard wore a polished smile and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"We posted bail. Everything's sorted out." Turning to Isabella, Richard explained.
Despite being released, Joseph still looked indignant.
From start to finish, William had been the one in the wrong first—yet somehow Joseph was the one who'd gotten punished.
He still wasn't convinced.
"Get in the car. I had my secretary book us a table. Let's get dinner first, then we can talk."
Richard drove while Isabella sat in the passenger seat, with Joseph alone in the back.
He studied Richard for a moment, then pulled out his phone and sent Isabella a message.
[Isabella, I think Mr. Spencer really cares about you. You'd be way better off with him than with that William guy!]
Just thinking about how Isabella had spent six whole years with William—even given birth to twins for him—made Joseph's blood boil all over again.
Glancing down at the message, Isabella's expression instantly changed.
She shot Joseph a warning look through the rearview mirror.
Rather than being chastened, Joseph just grinned even wider.
Now that felt right.
This was exactly how Isabella always kept him in line.
At the restaurant, the moment the afternoon's events came up, Joseph couldn't contain his anger.
"I should've kicked him a few more times while I had the chance. Maybe then he'd finally learn his lesson and stop harassing Isabella!"
Richard watched him with an amused smile.
"With a friend like you looking out for her, Isabella, I can rest easy."
Joseph had ended up in this mess because he'd been defending her. Isabella couldn't exactly scold him for it. She reached over and patted his back gently.
"If you get arrested again, they'll throw the book at you. The Canvia Championship is coming up soon. We need to focus on training. The best way you can help me is by staying out of trouble."
This was Aetheria—William's territory. If they really pushed him too far, making Joseph's life difficult would be child's play.
Joseph would be the one to suffer the most in the end.
Richard nodded gravely in agreement.
"Isabella's right. The race has to be our top priority right now."
Joseph's eyes glinted mischievously as he looked back and forth between them, a knowing smile curving his lips.
"Isabella, Mr. Spencer—you two are pretty in sync, aren't you?"
Isabella's face flushed. She gave Joseph a light tap on the head.
"What are you going on about? Stop teasing me and Mr. Spencer like that!"