Chapter 96: An Irresponsible Man
Isabella instantly felt the weight of that domineering stare boring into her.
Ever since they'd put divorce on the table and laid everything bare, William had never bothered to hide his possessiveness toward her.
This possessiveness didn't stem from any romantic feelings—it was something far more primal and simple, just a raw desire to keep Isabella tethered to him.
It sent chills down her spine.
Isabella quickly averted her gaze. The man sitting across from William finally sensed something was amiss and turned to look over his shoulder.
When he spotted Isabella laughing and chatting with an unfamiliar man, he looked equally stunned.
Assuming William was upset about some breach of protocol, the man took it upon himself to rise and approach Isabella's table.
"Mrs. Montagu, if I'm not mistaken, you're Mr. Montagu's wife, aren't you?" The slightly portly middle-aged man gave Isabella a polite bow, his expression courteous to a fault. "I'm here discussing business with Mr. Montagu today, and what a delightful coincidence to run into Mrs. Montagu as well!"
His accent revealed he wasn't local, so he clearly hadn't heard about Isabella and William's divorce proceedings.
Having only met Isabella briefly once before, the man earnestly invited her to join their dinner, his manner so sincere it would be difficult to refuse.
Isabella found herself at a loss, her expression turning noticeably uncomfortable.
William strode over, smoothly inserting himself into the conversation. "Isabella and I are in the middle of divorce proceedings. Strictly speaking, she's not Mrs. Montagu anymore."
William's gaze then dropped momentarily, skimming coolly over Joseph's face with a hint of barely concealed assessment and mockery.
What did this guy have to offer besides youth? Was Isabella with him purely for the thrill of it?
Joseph watched William put on his polished act in front of the stranger, remembering how he'd treated Isabella so harshly just days earlier.
The contrast was striking.
"Oh my goodness, Ms. Capulet, I had no idea you and Mr. Montagu had already... I'm terribly sorry for the intrusion. Please forgive me," the businessman stammered, clearly mortified as he continued apologizing to Isabella.
William kept his eyes fixed on Isabella while Joseph smoothly interjected: "Now that you know they're no longer married, maybe you could avoid bothering Isabella in the future. That kind of behavior is quite rude."
"We're here trying to enjoy a quiet meal, and suddenly, some stranger interrupts our conversation. It's really putting a damper on my mood."
Isabella caught the underlying message in his words and laughed softly before telling him, "Don't mind them. Let's just pretend nothing happened."
William's face turned ashen. The businessman, realizing his initiative had caused trouble, quickly pulled William back to their table, continuing to apologize profusely once they sat down.
From her seat, Isabella could clearly see that William's expression remained thunderous—he was simply refraining from making a scene.
Their food arrived shortly after. Joseph took a bite and shook his head. "This doesn't hold a candle to my mom's cooking. Isabella, she's been asking about you constantly these past few years, wondering when you'll visit Valeria again. You really must go see her this time—she's been perfecting all sorts of new recipes just for you!"
Isabella smiled and nodded. "Of course, absolutely. I promise."
Halfway through the meal, Isabella accidentally splashed some sauce on her collar and got up to head toward the restroom.
Just as she was about to enter, a hand suddenly grabbed her from behind.
This scenario wasn't new, and Isabella turned around with visible irritation to face William.
"What exactly do you want? I've said everything there is to say, both appropriate and inappropriate, countless times. You even publicly acknowledged in front of your client that we're getting divorced. Why do you keep harassing me?"
Isabella yanked her arm twice, but William maintained his iron grip on her wrist.
One day, William was going to break her wrist at this rate, Isabella thought grimly.
"How often are you cycling through men for dates? I never realized you were such a player. What made you choose this young guy this time? Is it because he's young and energetic? Where did you pick him up—some nightclub? Did he chase you, or are you the one pursuing him?"
William's questions grew increasingly offensive, and Isabella had heard enough.
She raised her hand to slap him across the face, but William caught her wrist and held it fast.
"You're not even pretending anymore? In public, you're still my Mrs. Montagu, and you have the audacity to flaunt your dates with other men? Have you forgotten what my mother is capable of?"
William's voice was ice-cold, low, and ruthlessly indifferent.
Isabella felt like she'd been plunged into an arctic wasteland.
She lifted her chin with a cold smile. "If you can't stand it, then hurry up and announce our divorce! Do you have any idea how many people are waiting for us to split up? Announce it today, and tomorrow you'll have countless socialites and heiresses lining up at your door. Isn't that exactly what you want?"
Isabella struggled again to pry William's fingers loose, but he was angrier today than she'd ever seen him, his grip on her wrist tightening further.
"The way you're behaving, what makes you think you deserve to fight for Olivia's custody? You don't even deserve visitation rights, let alone the right to call yourself her mother!"
William's eyes reflected Isabella's image, his bloodshot gaze filled with pure hatred.
His words cut even deeper than his grip.
"I have faith in the legal system! And I'll never hand Olivia over to a despicable father like you. You think you and Laura are so clean? When you abandoned me on that mountain overnight, left me to face a pack of wolves alone, nearly got me killed—where was all this talk about me being Olivia's mother then?"
Isabella laughed bitterly, seeing William for what he truly was—utterly cold-blooded.
This was the man who didn't deserve to be Olivia's father!
"You had an affair during our marriage, and you still have the nerve to judge Isabella?" A clear, strong voice suddenly rang out from the side. William turned with a cold stare.
Joseph stood just a few steps away, looking at him with open contempt.
"And you nearly got Isabella killed by abandoning her on that mountain. You, irresponsible excuse for a man!"
The moment Joseph appeared, William exploded with rage, finally finding an outlet for all his pent-up fury.
Isabella seized the opportunity to struggle violently and broke free from William's restraints.