Chapter 35 While He Embraces Others
Richard twisted around and steadied Isabella with one arm, catching her securely.
Isabella was forced to look up, meeting Richard's eyes, which seemed to hold warmth for everyone they looked at. Her heart skipped a beat from the sudden nervousness.
The classic knight-in-shining-armor moment was always a crowd favorite.
Everyone who had just realized what had happened looked at the scene with knowing glances.
Especially the party crowd downstairs, who immediately surrounded the two and started whooping.
Someone pulled the strings on two confetti cannons, sending colorful streamers and paper bits floating down onto Isabella and Richard.
The scene was utterly romantic. With the atmosphere built up like this, people began clapping and moving closer, chanting in unison, "Kiss! Kiss!"
The awkward atmosphere reached its peak. Isabella felt embarrassed and gently tugged at Richard's arm, asking him to let her go.
"Kiss!" Seeing the two awkwardly separate, the onlookers became even more energetic.
They naturally assumed Richard and Isabella were a couple.
Isabella was so embarrassed that she just wanted to escape, but Richard stepped forward to calm the excited crowd.
"We're just friends."
Richard's explanation fell flat—the crowd clearly wasn't buying it and started cheering even louder.
After such a romantic scene, who would believe they were just ordinary friends?
"Kiss!"
Considering Isabella's feelings, Richard raised his hand to quiet the shouting crowd.
"All drinks are on me tonight."
The crowd erupted in even louder cheers and screams, launching into another round of celebration.
With someone willing to foot the bill for the night's drinks, no one paid attention to Isabella and Richard anymore. Quite a few people rushed straight to the bar counter. With someone treating them, this was the perfect chance to try all those expensive drinks they usually couldn't afford.
Finally freed, Isabella made her way upstairs rather disheveled. Once back in the private room, she let out a long breath.
"Thank you, Mr. Spencer," Isabella said gratefully.
Whether it was catching her fall from the dance floor steps or helping her escape the crowd's harassment, she owed Richard her thanks.
Richard wore a gentle smile, looking somewhat embarrassed himself.
"I should be the one apologizing. I was just thinking about catching you."
The private room upstairs wasn't soundproof—on the contrary, everyone in the room had clearly heard the crowd's chants. Their glances were somewhat meaningful.
The bolder ones directly looked toward William, carefully observing his reaction.
Few people could tolerate their spouse being intimate with someone else.
Although William had Laura by his side, in their minds, Isabella, as the subordinate party in this relationship, had no right to act inappropriately.
William's expression was dark, his displeasure written all over his face. The atmosphere in the room became particularly heavy, with everyone around afraid to make any sudden moves for fear of provoking William.
Isabella and Richard, the two people involved, acted as if nothing had happened, their faces calm as usual, completely ignoring William's expression.
Laura gently clung to William's arm, leaning against him, trying to regain some presence.
However, the result was disappointing—William's gaze was completely focused on Isabella, paying no attention to Laura's actions beside him.
Joshua was the first to react, raising his glass with a comment, "Come on, we rarely get together like this. Let's liven things up!"
With someone breaking the ice, others who couldn't stand the awkwardness naturally followed Joshua's lead.
"Exactly! Everyone, cheer up. We rarely get to gather like this—let's get excited!"
The atmosphere in the room became lively again. Isabella found an empty corner to sit in, holding a glass of juice, calmly watching this group of trust fund kids and their wild lifestyle.
Joshua moved over to Richard, and after whispering something to each other, Richard walked toward Isabella again, naturally taking a seat beside her.
"If you come sit with me, they won't dare talk to you anymore," Isabella said with a smile.
In terms of status and position, William was the main character of this gathering. The others weren't fools—seeing that William was unhappy, they naturally rushed to distance themselves from Isabella to curry favor with him.
With Isabella as the center, the surrounding area was empty, with no one daring to approach and chat with her actively.
Richard chuckled and proactively clinked his champagne glass with Isabella's.
"It's not that interesting anyway. I'd rather sit here quietly with you."
Soon, Joshua also walked over with his drink. Both he and Richard had good relationships with William, unlike the others, who had to constantly worry about not provoking William's anger.
Joshua had made the rounds on William's behalf and had quite a bit to drink. He'd casually undone the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing his well-defined collarbones, his fair skin flushed red from the alcohol.
He also raised his glass to Isabella, "Your dance was amazing."
Joshua was a Celestial Horizon University student, making him Isabella's alumnus, a senior who graduated two years before her.
Isabella had studied renewable energy, which belonged to the engineering department at Celestial Horizon University's School of Renewable Energy.
Joshua had followed his family's arrangements and studied finance in college, belonging to the Business School.
Isabella's eyes curved in a smile. Hearing Joshua's sincere praise, she accepted it graciously.
"Thank you."
"It's a shame that when I graduated, you were only a sophomore. We never had the chance to meet," Joshua smiled, looking at Isabella with somewhat complex eyes.
University was like a small society, with each school having its notable figures that basically everyone on campus knew about.
When he was at school, he'd heard of Isabella's reputation but never had the chance to meet her.
He never imagined that an alumnus from his school would one day become William's wife.
Joshua's sudden conversation starter already struck Isabella as odd.
Although they were from the same university, they'd never had any connection, let alone any so-called alumni sentiment.
Where did all this nostalgia come from for someone she'd never had any contact with?
Joshua casually lifted his chin in William's direction.
"He won't say it out loud, but he still cares about you quite a bit."
As a friend, Joshua still stepped forward to say a good word for William.
Isabella glanced over—William's face was grim and extremely unpleasant.
She snorted. "If he cared about me, he wouldn't allow Laura to be so close to him."
People shouldn't have one standard for themselves and another for others. Isabella looked down on William's behavior.
"He demands that I keep my distance from other people, while he embraces others," Isabella spoke with sarcasm, a wave of disgust rising in her heart. After saying goodbye to Richard and Joshua, she got up and headed to the restroom.