Chapter 252: She's Just a Good Person
Isabella went back to grab her things.
The moment she stepped into the lab, the junior researchers scattered like she'd walked in carrying a live grenade. Every single one of them pressed against the walls or suddenly found something fascinating to stare at on their workstations—anything to avoid being in her line of sight.
Apparently, they all assumed she was about to start handing out consequences.
Isabella almost laughed. She caught herself imagining William ever looking at her the same way—retreating, flinching, doing everything in his power to avoid her. If he actually did that, she wouldn't have to work so hard to keep pushing him away.
She was still entertaining that thought when someone sidled up beside her.
"Mrs. Montague." One of the braver ones had materialized at her elbow, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "So what exactly were you two doing up there for that long? Please tell me you didn't actually assault the man."
Isabella didn't smile.
"Honestly though? I've never seen Mr. Montague look like that before." The researcher's eyes were wide with delight. "It was kind of incredible. Any chance you could come back and do it again sometime?"
The flattery buzzed around her like static.
Isabella set the wrench down on the nearest surface—deliberately, precisely—and looked at the room. "For the record, William and I are getting divorced."
"Well, you're not divorced yet, are you?" the researcher pressed on, apparently immune to social cues. "My mom always says the couples who fight the hardest are the ones who can't actually let go of each other. Maybe all this tension is just—"
"Does that sound romantic to you?" Isabella asked. Genuinely. "Because it doesn't to me."
She collected her bag and walked out without looking back.
Why does everyone here act like William Montague is some kind of prize no one in their right mind would walk away from?
She thought about Laura as she stepped into the elevator—Laura, who had apparently won this supposed prize. And look how that was going.
If William could fall out of love with someone who had bent herself completely out of shape trying to keep him, Isabella genuinely could not imagine what anyone thought was worth holding onto.
She let the thought go. Some people needed their illusions.
By the time she walked back through the doors of Infinity Ventures, the tension in her shoulders had already started to ease.
Richard appeared within minutes, concern written plainly across his face. He studied her for a moment before speaking.
"You don't have to go over there anymore, not if you don't want to."
Isabella laughed—soft, but real. "The contract has my signature on it. I knew exactly what I was agreeing to." She shook her head. "If I made this mess, I'm going to clean it up with a smile. That's just how it works."
Something shifted in Richard's expression. Quiet admiration, maybe.
"You don't have to put yourself through this for the company."
"It's not for the company." She said it without hesitation. "It's for me."
She paused, making sure she was saying it right. "William and I are going through the divorce process—it's straightforward, there's nothing to hide from. I agreed to the partnership because it made business sense. But honestly? I also want to prove something. To myself, mostly." A beat. "I want him to see that I'm doing just fine without the Montague name behind me."
Richard nodded slowly and didn't push further. He stood to leave, then turned back and held up a thumbs-up—simple, sincere.
Isabella shook her head, a reluctant smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.
That afternoon, a reporter from one of the major outlets came in for a scheduled interview. Apparently, she'd asked for Isabella specifically.
Over her lunch break, Isabella touched up her makeup—something camera-ready, but not heavy.
"Ms. Capulet, this is our first time meeting, so I'd like to start with something a little more casual, just to warm up." The reporter smiled across the low table between them. "Sound good?"
"Of course."
"We know you're a leading materials researcher—but you're also one of the top competitive racing drivers in the country. How do you manage to balance both?"
Isabella leaned back against the sofa cushion, tilting her head slightly. "I turned both of them into work. So there's nothing left to balance."
The reporter blinked. Then laughed. "So what you're saying is—I should be developing my photography hobby and just... monetizing it?"
"Why not?" Isabella smiled, and it was genuinely warm. "Using your free time to build a skill and eventually turning it into a career—that's a real achievement in itself."
She added, almost as an afterthought: "Just don't approach it with too much pressure. I tried to learn watercolor painting for a while. I was impatient, wanted results too fast—and I have absolutely nothing to show for it."
The reporter leaned in. "What led you to racing professionally in the first place? That feels like such a different world."
Isabella thought about it—actually thought about it, the way she did when a question deserved a real answer.
"Honestly? It wasn't some big dramatic turning point. A friend of mine was putting together a team, told me to come try it out." She shrugged. "So I did. And then it just... kept growing."
The reporter stared. "Wait. Victoria Racing started as a dare among friends?"
"More or less." Isabella's expression stayed composed, but her eyes were amused. "Nobody planned it."
"Before I forget—" She straightened slightly, her tone becoming more serious. "I'd genuinely encourage anyone who's interested in motorsport to prioritize safety above everything else. Having natural talent doesn't make the risks go away. Don't try to replicate what you see professionals do on a closed track."
The camera kept rolling. She said it like she meant it, because she did.
"Last question—if your children ever wanted to follow in your footsteps, either in research or racing, how would you feel about that?"
"I have kids," Isabella said, and something in her expression went soft for just a moment. "But I don't think it's my place to make that decision for them. Whatever they want to become, whatever direction they choose—that's theirs. I'm their mother, not their author." She paused. "I'll support them. Whatever they decide."
The interview aired that same week.
Isabella already had a fanbase from her years racing under the Victoria team name, and the clip spread fast. But what surprised even longtime followers was the comment section—not just fans, but people who'd never heard of her before that afternoon.
Can we talk about how she has KIDS and is still doing ALL of this? I need her energy.
Wait—she said "them." More than one kid. Some children are just born lucky.
The painting thing got me. She's accomplished at everything she does AND she's honest about the stuff that didn't work out? Rare.
Seeing so many people discover Victoria is genuinely making me emotional. She's just a good person. She's always just been a good person. She deserves every single one of these new fans.