Chapter 245: Family Dinner
After signing the contract, they escorted William to the main entrance as a courtesy.
William's gaze remained fixed on Isabella, carrying an ambiguous undertone that was impossible to define.
Everyone else exchanged pleasantries about wishing the collaboration success.
Only Isabella locked eyes with William in warning. "I agreed to this cooperation solely to avoid dragging the company down. Don't play any tricks or make yourself more unbearable than you already are."
"You really think the worst of me." William's tone carried a hint of grievance.
Isabella shot him a cold glare. William shrugged defensively. "I'm not overthinking anything. You're the one who's so eager to distance yourself."
Isabella fell silent, quickly withdrawing her hand from William's handshake.
This facade of civility wasn't worth maintaining.
Back at the company, standing in the elevator with Richard, Isabella hadn't planned to speak, but he broke the silence first.
"William identified the company's vulnerabilities. The terms he offered were ones I couldn't refuse."
He wanted Isabella to understand.
Isabella nodded slightly. "As part of this company, we should do everything possible to keep it on track. I understand the decision."
"Isabella, if you hadn't wanted this, you could have said so. I would have assigned another researcher."
"William isn't like us. Right now, he's a madman who acts without considering consequences. What good would it do to antagonize a madman?" Isabella's voice remained calm as she analyzed the situation for Richard.
"Not only would there be zero benefit, but it might cost the company a major project. I wouldn't do something that stupid, and neither would you, Mr. Spencer."
Richard had no response.
Isabella was too perceptive and completely unwilling to pretend otherwise. Her thoughts lay bare on the table, leaving no room for counterargument.
"In business, isn't it all about maneuvering and outmaneuvering each other? You don't need to explain yourself, Mr. Spencer. What you did is what I would have done too. In your position, I might have been even more ruthless."
When two corporate giants collaborated, the result would inevitably generate unlimited potential. Who's to say Infinity Ventures wouldn't capture an even larger market share overseas in the future?
Compared to profits worth hundreds of billions of dollars, Isabella didn't consider her minor grievances significant.
On the contrary, making her owe this favor was the real mistake.
The elevator chimed as it reached the top floor. Without hesitation, Isabella walked out with steady steps.
Seeing her composed and straightforward demeanor, Richard felt like he was the guilty party instead.
Like someone who'd done wrong and desperately needed forgiveness to prove he hadn't erred.
But that was a fallacy to begin with. Richard couldn't use it to convince himself he'd been right.
The more he explained, the more he felt he'd been wrong all along.
Having completed a major project, Isabella became even more dedicated to her primary work.
Forced to participate in this collaboration between two corporations, she knew her workload would only increase. She'd inevitably have less energy for the projects she cared about most.
Of course she had to make the most of this time for in-depth research.
When closing time arrived, Isabella showed no signs of leaving. Emily came over and patted her shoulder.
"Isabella, no matter how busy work gets, don't forget to rest. Go home already."
Isabella rubbed her aching neck. Looking up suddenly, she remembered she'd promised to pick up Olivia.
If Emily hadn't kindly reminded her, Isabella would have forgotten.
She smiled and nodded at Emily.
"Alright, everyone head home early and rest. We'll continue tomorrow."
At the kindergarten entrance, Isabella encountered the last person she wanted to see—William.
Having run into him here several times, he'd figured out exactly where Isabella usually waited.
"What a coincidence," he said.
Isabella stood with her arms crossed, completely ignoring William's attempt at small talk.
The moment the gate opened, Isabella headed straight over. She picked up Olivia and immediately turned to leave, only to find William following shamelessly after collecting Nathan.
"Our family hasn't had dinner together in ages. Let's go out tonight," William suggested from behind Isabella.
Olivia's hand, clasped in Isabella's, paused slightly. She seemed interested in the idea.
Isabella looked at her daughter and finally, reluctantly, agreed.
The divorce terms had been clear—William was still the children's father.
Isabella wouldn't be cruel enough to deprive her daughter of the right to see her dad.
William had already chosen a restaurant—a seaside place they used to frequent.
When they arrived, the normally bustling restaurant was completely empty. A server personally escorted them to a table with an ocean view.
At dusk, they could see the bioluminescent waves on the beach. It was quite beautiful.
Yet Isabella had zero interest in appreciating the scenery.
She just wanted to finish dinner quickly and get away from William.
The premium steak tasted like sawdust in her mouth. Isabella occasionally glanced toward the ocean.
"Mom, the teacher praised my drawing from kindergarten today. Do you think it's pretty?" Nathan suddenly remembered something. He excitedly rummaged through his little backpack, pulled out a picture, and held it in front of Isabella.
Blue sky, white clouds, it appeared to depict children playing at the kindergarten.
For a child his age, being able to draw with this level of detail was definitely impressive.
But Isabella merely glanced at it without responding.
"Mom..." Nathan called out again, unwilling to give up.
"Didn't you say I wasn't your mother anymore? You've acknowledged someone else as your mom. Better not show me this."
Isabella's attitude was ice-cold. She was deliberately distancing herself from Nathan.
William saw Nathan pout, looking utterly dejected. He couldn't help but intervene.
"Nathan didn't mean it."
"Olivia has never, even carelessly, said she didn't recognize me as her mother. Some words probably fermented in his heart for a long time before he found an excuse to blurt them out during a heated moment, don't you think?" Isabella fired back emotionlessly.
Whether Nathan meant it or not, she'd genuinely been hurt by those words. Did that mean her pain should be erased, ignored?
Isabella refused to listen to such nonsense. They were getting divorced anyway—she might as well be herself.
The table fell into awkward silence. The comment was too uncomfortable for anyone to follow up on.
If the adults had no solution, the two children certainly had even less.
Just then, footsteps approached. Isabella looked up to see Laura, who had ignored the server's attempts to stop her and barged into the privately reserved restaurant.
"So you're all together," Laura said, pulling out a chair and seating herself too close to William. "You don't mind if I join, do you?"
Isabella's knife and fork paused. She simply raised her eyes, fixing William with a cold stare.
Laura's sudden intrusion into what was supposed to be a "family dinner" implied she'd already joined this family, didn't it?