Chapter 174

Chapter 174

In the restaurant.

The commotion on their side was pretty loud, and quite a few people looked over at the same time.

Isabella's face stiffened, and she had no idea what to do.

Whatever the case, it was clear that this middle-aged woman was the new nanny Eric had hired for Clea. She looked quite old, and more importantly, she seemed to have the same hostility toward the women in Eric's life.

But what kind of luck did Eric have? The nannies he hired all seemed a little off. Was this just how things were for him?

While Isabella was still puzzling over this, Clea started acting cute, "Will you help me? I don't want to go home, and I don't want to go back with this woman."

"Sure, of course. I'll call your dad right now."

Isabella had never been a mother, but she could never say no to a child's request. So she called Eric right there in front of the middle-aged woman.

On the other end of the video call, Eric saw Clea sitting in Isabella's lap. He looked a little surprised, but mostly just resigned.

"What's going on? Didn't Dad tell you? I'm on a business trip abroad for two days, I won't be around. What are you doing? Why are you making things difficult for Isabella? Please don't cause trouble for other people, okay?"

Eric's voice was soft, his face full of gentle warmth.

Clea started whining, "I don't want to. I don't want to stay with this nanny. She's mean, and she keeps saying things I don't understand. You're away on your trip—can I stay with Isabella? I like her."

Clea was smart. She held onto Isabella and wouldn't let go, pouting and acting adorable, clearly not going to give up until she got what she wanted.

Eric was completely helpless on the other end.

He was eager to calm Clea down, but people on his end kept rushing him.

It was obvious he was in the middle of a busy business trip abroad.

Isabella spoke up, "You've helped me a lot since I came back. Let me take care of Clea for a few days. Don't worry, she'll be fine with me. And if you're not sure, you can call and check in anytime."

After all, the two of them were working on a project together. On top of that, Eric was a veteran in the industry, and his connections alone made it worth it.

No matter how she looked at it, she wasn't losing anything.

Then she caught herself and felt a wave of self-disgust.

She'd only been back for a short while, and she'd already turned into this—calculating things around a child for the sake of her own career. She started to look down on herself.

On the other end, Eric was clearly caught off guard for a moment, then quickly agreed, "Sorry about this. Thanks for handling it today. Don't worry, I'll come get her as soon as I'm back."

The call ended.

Clea stuck her tongue out at the nanny, "See? Daddy trusts my new mommy the most."

Isabella corrected her with a sigh, "How many times do I have to tell you—call me by my name."

"No problem. I'm the best little kid in the whole world. I can call you by your name, that's fine."

Clea agreed without any fuss.

Stella looked at this adorable little girl and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

After dinner.

Isabella got some bad news. It turned out Clea's school was dealing with a bad flu outbreak and had to close for two days. That meant she couldn't drop Clea off at kindergarten—she'd have to keep her around.

Isabella was a bit stuck and didn't know what to do. She could find somewhere else for Clea to stay for a couple of days, but she didn't have the heart to do that.

Clea, sharp as ever, noticed Isabella's hesitation and grinned, "You don't have to worry. I'm really good. I promise I won't cause any trouble at all. Just put a chair next to your desk and I'll sit there and draw. That's all I need."

There wasn't really a better option, so Isabella agreed for the time being.

That afternoon, back at the office.

Isabella set some drawing supplies on the table, "Draw for a bit. If you need anything, come find me. I need to get some work done."

"No problem."

Clea agreed right away without any fuss.

And so a surprisingly peaceful scene unfolded in the office.

Isabella was deep in her work at her desk, while Clea sat beside her, chin resting in her hands, glancing over at Isabella every now and then before going back to her drawing. Both of them were busy.

That was exactly what Michael walked in on.

In the afternoon sunlight filling the office, the two of them—one big, one small—sat bathed in the warm glow, getting along perfectly.

Each was busy with her own thing, neither bothering the other, yet somehow the whole scene felt cozy and warm.

It would be nice to have a child.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Michael's expression shifted.

Maybe deep down, he did want to have a child with Isabella. If they had one, everything between them would be completely different.

As for Clea, though, he still felt a bit resistant. Sure, the kid was cute—but she had an annoying father.

He cleared his throat and walked in, about to say hi to Clea, when she suddenly turned her face away.

Michael was fuming. Isabella laughed.

"Don't take it personally. She's not happy with the new nanny at home. Eric's away on a business trip, so she's staying with me for a couple of days. Just two days."

Worried Michael might say no, Isabella walked over and linked her arm through his, her voice taking on a soft, coaxing tone, "Besides, it's just one little kid—it won't get in the way of anything. Don't worry, she won't cause you any trouble at all."

Feeling the warmth in Isabella's voice, Michael let out a low huff but didn't say no. Instead, he pulled her close by the waist and sat down on the sofa, "Remember that banquet I mentioned? Come with me tonight."

Isabella slapped her forehead, "Are you sure you want me to go with you? I feel like it might not be appropriate. Maybe we should..."

"There's nothing inappropriate about it. I've already started calling off the engagement with the Bailey family. It just needs a little more time."

Breaking off an engagement between two major families wasn't something that could happen overnight.

The Bailey family hadn't agreed yet, but it was pretty obvious they were just holding out for more. They wanted to squeeze out as many benefits as they could.

Michael didn't care about giving up those things, but the Johnson family saw it differently, so the two sides had been locked in a back-and-forth ever since.

He held Isabella tighter, his grip firm, his tone leaving no room for argument, "I don't care what's going on in your head, but a promise is a promise. And besides, this banquet—your family's old house will be there. Don't you want to buy it back?"

That house was the Taylor family's ancestral home.

Back then, the Taylors had been forced to give it up with no other choice. If there was a chance to get it back, of course that would be the best outcome.

Still, the house had been sold off for so many years now. Things change. Even if they got it back, it probably wouldn't look anything like it used to.