Chapter 214 I Especially Like Him
Hearing this, Clarence finally felt the weight lift from his chest.
He looked at Isabella in disbelief.
Who exactly was Isabella?
"Mr. Fisher, do you have any other questions?" Isabella glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "If not, let's sign the contract."
"Of course, no problem at all."
Clarence quickly had his secretary bring over the printed contract and handed it to Isabella. "Ms. Taylor, I've signed and stamped all the necessary parts. Now you just need to sign it too."
Isabella took the contract. "Okay, I'll take it back to the company for the stamp. Once it's stamped, I'll have someone deliver your copy."
With that, she stood up. "Mr. Fisher, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave."
"Sure, see you another time."
Clarence walked Isabella all the way to the elevator.
When Isabella walked out of Ascend Global Group, Stanley was still there.
Seeing Isabella come out, he immediately spotted the contract in her hand, and his expression changed. "Clarence actually gave the project to the Taylor Group?"
Isabella let out a cold laugh and ignored him.
Stanley watched the girl's back, frowning. "The Taylor Group's methods are really dirty! The only reason Clarence gave you the project must be because you slept with him, right?"
He figured Isabella probably had no other skills besides seducing men.
Besides, Isabella did have some looks.
Isabella stopped in her tracks, her expression darkening. "What did you say?"
Stanley snorted coldly, looking at Isabella with contempt. "I said you're a prostitute. So what?"
"You must be really seductive in bed, right? Otherwise, how could you get Clarence to give you the project so easily?"
Stanley looked at the girl's face with disdain. "I've seen plenty of women like you. Disgusting."
Before Stanley could finish, Isabella's slap landed right across his mouth.
His mouth swelled up immediately.
Everyone around them froze, staring at Isabella in disbelief.
Stanley was stunned too. He never expected Isabella would actually hit him.
"You dare hit me?"
Stanley clenched his fists.
"You're asking for it!"
He raised his fist to strike, but before he could touch Isabella, she threw him over her shoulder and slammed him hard onto the ground.
Stanley screamed in pain, feeling like every bone in his body had come apart.
Isabella's movements were smooth and fluid. After throwing him to the ground, she didn't even look at him and just walked away.
Stanley was in so much pain he couldn't get up.
His people had to help him up.
Only after Isabella left did people dare to speak.
"Mr. Ortiz, that Ms. Taylor is way too bold, treating you like that! Should we call the police?"
Stanley was furious. He stared in the direction Isabella had left, his eyes filled with rage.
He said through gritted teeth, "Isabella, I'll remember this!"
"..."
Isabella returned to the Taylor Villa and went into the study, throwing the Crown District project contract directly onto Hayden's desk. "Here's what you wanted."
Hayden quickly picked up the contract and looked it over.
After reading it, he broke into a genuine smile. "Haha! Good! Well done! That's my daughter."
Isabella glanced at him coolly and tossed over another agreement.
The transfer agreement for Celestial Jewels.
Hayden didn't hesitate. He signed it right away and handed it to Isabella, then said to Chase nearby, "Chase, you've been managing the jewelry store. From now on, it's Isabella's. Help her get familiar with the business these days and teach her what she doesn't know."
Chase didn't say much and just nodded in agreement.
——
With not many days left until the SAT, Isabella went straight back to school the next day.
Zachary came out of the school store and immediately spotted a familiar figure in line buying water.
Isabella stood straight, playing with her phone while waiting in line. Her appearance stood out in the crowd, making it hard to look away.
Zachary pressed his lips together, quietly watching Isabella's movements. When she finished buying water and walked this way, he called out her name: "Isabella."
Isabella stopped and turned around.
"Can we talk?" he asked.
Isabella looked puzzled. "What do we have to talk about?"
As far as she was concerned, she and Zachary had no connection, and they'd barely even spoken.
She'd thought about Zachary breaking up with Bianca these past few days and could understand it—Bianca's image had completely reversed, and she was no longer the shining Bianca of before.
But she still couldn't figure out why Zachary would agree to let Grace switch the engagement from Bianca to her. It couldn't possibly be because he liked her.
Zachary walked a few steps toward her and asked seriously, "Do you have some misunderstanding about me?"
"Why do you say that?"
"My mom went to your house to propose marriage, but I heard from your older brother that you don't want to marry me." Zachary said directly, "I didn't expect you to refuse."
He didn't understand why Isabella would refuse.
Was he not good enough?
He didn't think so. He was handsome and rich.
So he was thinking maybe Isabella minded that he'd been with Bianca.
After all, he'd attended the birthday party with Bianca as his girlfriend.
"So you think I still have feelings for Bianca, right?" Zachary asked. "You can't be with me with peace of mind?"
Isabella looked at him, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Was this about whether Zachary had feelings for Bianca?
Seeing her silence, Zachary thought he'd guessed right, so he continued, "Isabella, I have no feelings for Bianca anymore. My heart is empty now. I'd welcome you into my heart."
Isabella pressed her lips together, her voice cold. "Zachary, it's not that I misunderstand you. You misunderstand me."
"What?" Zachary was startled, his brows furrowing.
"From what you're saying, I can tell you seem to assume I must like you."
"Don't you?" Zachary asked back, confused.
He was excellent enough. It wouldn't be hard for Isabella to fall for him. Even if she didn't like him now, after marrying him, she'd fall in love with him day by day.
Isabella laughed coldly. "Zachary, you're still as confident as ever."
She pulled at the corner of her mouth, looking at him with mocking coldness. "I don't like you. I have someone I like."
She realized that with someone like Zachary, unless she said she liked someone else, he wouldn't believe she didn't like him.
Sure enough, Zachary's expression changed.
He looked at her in disbelief. "You really have a boyfriend?"
"I don't have a boyfriend, but I do have someone I like."
Zachary frowned. "Who?"
Isabella thought for a moment and said innocently, "William, the head of the Brown family, one of the four major families. I really like him. I fell in love with him at first sight. Now that's a real man, a hundred times better than you!"
To make sure Zachary believed her, Isabella deliberately showed some infatuation when talking about William.
Zachary's face indeed turned ugly.
He hadn't expected that Isabella really didn't like him.
She actually liked William!