Chapter 202 Threat
Isabella sneered inwardly.
She knew exactly why Hayden was asking this—he just wanted to see if she had any chance of getting close to William.
If there was such a possibility, Hayden would spare no effort to curry favor with William through her.
"I don't have any private contact with him," Isabella said.
Hayden frowned. "How could there be no contact?"
That day, he felt William's gaze at Isabella was clearly unusual.
Could he have been wrong?
"I know what you're thinking," Isabella looked at him and said bluntly. "You want to know if William likes me, right?"
Before Hayden could say anything, Isabella continued, "Unfortunately, William has no such feelings for me. I heard from Sophia that William already has someone in mind as his fiancée. He came to my birthday celebration because Sophia asked him to. William adores Sophia and listens to her, so he came."
Hearing this, Hayden felt somewhat disappointed. "I see."
He had thought William had those kinds of intentions toward Isabella, which was why he hadn't spoken up earlier when Isabella refused to marry Zachary downstairs.
If Isabella could marry William, then Zachary would naturally become unimportant.
But he hadn't expected that William already had someone in mind as his fiancée.
In that case, Isabella would just have to marry Zachary.
Hayden's eyes shifted as he said, "Isabella, you're not getting any younger."
"So I should find a good family to marry into, right?" Isabella said with a cold laugh. "Let's speak plainly. You want me to marry Zachary, don't you?"
Hayden paused before saying, "Dad wants you to marry Zachary after careful consideration..."
"Careful consideration? Like what? The Baker family has deep pockets and is giving you enough money? Are you at the end of your rope? Do you need money to help the company through a crisis?"
After losing the chance to compete for that project last time, Isabella had found out that Hayden hadn't secured any other projects.
The company had a bunch of employees to pay. Without projects, there was no profit, and without profit, there were only losses.
Even though they'd started laying people off, this wasn't a long-term solution. The Taylor Group definitely wouldn't make it past the end of this year.
Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Hayden's eyes.
Because Isabella had hit the nail on the head.
The Baker family had promised to provide money to help the Taylor Group—and it was a substantial amount.
"Are you curious how I know about the company's situation, Father?"
Isabella's dark eyes fixed on him as she continued, "Not only do I know the company's cash flow is about to break, I also know you searched my room."
Hayden's expression changed slightly.
Meeting Isabella's somewhat sharp gaze, Hayden felt displeased. "Isabella, how can you call it searching your room? I paid for this entire Taylor Villa. Every corner of this house belongs to me."
"Is it wrong for me to check your room?"
He said this to remind Isabella not to forget that he was her father.
A father is still a father.
Even if Isabella was the Brown family's lifesaver, she still had to listen to her father.
Hayden frowned and said, "Isabella, to be honest, the only reason I went to your room was to look for those gemstones. Those gemstones of yours are worth a fortune and could help me get through the company's crisis."
He thought Isabella would generously hand over the gemstones.
After all, he was her father. Blood is thicker than water. With the company in crisis, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
But unexpectedly, Isabella directly refused him. "I won't give you those gemstones."
Hayden was stunned.
"Why not?"
"They're my things. Why should I give them to you?"
"What kind of talk is that? I'm your father. They're just a few gemstones—can't you give them to your father?" Hayden felt Isabella must be joking. She wouldn't refuse to give him these gemstones.
Isabella laughed coldly. "You only contributed a sperm cell, yet you want me to give you gemstones worth eighty million dollars. What kind of logic is that?"
And now, even whether that sperm cell actually came from Hayden was questionable.
"You..." Hayden was angry after hearing Isabella's words. "What are you saying? The father-daughter relationship of blood ties, and you describe it so lightly."
"Don't talk to me about blood ties." Isabella looked at him mockingly. "Don't think I don't know—finding my whereabouts, bringing me back from Stratford-upon-Avon, you even left all these things to your subordinates to handle. In your eyes, I wasn't even worth a personal trip. And you talk about blood ties?"
"You—" Hayden looked at her angrily, wanting to say something but unable to get the words out.
He indeed hadn't personally handled these matters because at the time, he felt it was fine whether they found her or not. He didn't really care.
Hayden's expression darkened for a moment before he said, "Isabella, either you hand over the gemstones, or you marry Zachary to help me get the Baker family's support. You must choose one!"
Hearing this, Isabella's expression also darkened.
"What if I choose neither?"
Hayden glared at her. "Are you really this ungrateful?"
Before Isabella could say anything, Hayden continued, "I've already sent people to transfer your grandmother to another hospital. Whether to stop her medication is just one phone call away. If you want her to live a few more years, do as I say—marry Zachary or hand over the gemstones."
Isabella clenched her teeth. "You're threatening me?"
Hayden glanced at Isabella with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "How is this a threat? You should know that the imported medicine she uses costs quite a bit. Where does that money come from? Haven't I earned it all? Now the company isn't doing well, and I don't have money to treat your grandmother. If you won't help me either, then I have no choice but to stop her medication!"
Isabella's lips curved into a mocking smile. "Mr. Taylor, must we be so cold and ruthless with each other?"
"You're the one being cold and ruthless!" Hayden pointed at her. "You value a few gemstones more than me, your father? Isabella, haven't I been good to you?"
He had originally thought Isabella would readily give him the gemstones.
He hadn't expected Isabella to give him no face at all and refuse to listen.
He had no other choice.
Seeing Isabella's reaction, Hayden knew she truly cared about her "grandmother," so he continued, "Isabella, as long as you help Dad through this crisis, Dad will ensure your grandmother stays safe and sound. How about it?"
He knew that now, Isabella would definitely obey.