At the sight of this man, Louie furrowed his brows. He disliked the slick and polished appearance, especially after the scene in the parking lot, which had left Louie feeling repulsed.
Isabella also wore a look of disdain. Impatiently, she said, "No, Loren, please don't call me by my name. We are not acquainted."
"Thoreau, how can you say that? It hurts my feelings," Loren replied.
Isabella scoffed, "If you're hurt, it's your problem, not mine." She glanced to her side and noticed an enchanting young woman sitting about seven or eight seats away, casting her gaze in their direction. Isabella recognized her as the up-and-coming actress recently rumored to be involved with Loren Webster.
"Loren, your girlfriend is watching you. I think you should go back to her," Isabella raised her eyebrows and said with disdain, "I'm not interested in chatting with a playboy like you."
"Thoreau, you've misunderstood. She and I are just ordinary friends, not as the rumors suggest. These gossip stories are everywhere now, especially those tabloid reporters who would love to create a big scandal," Loren explained. He attempted to take the empty seat next to Isabella, but before he could, Louie had already taken the initiative to sit beside her. Loren frowned and gave Louie a disdainful look, asking, "Mister, have we met somewhere before?"
"Right in the parking lot," Louie crossed his legs, wearing a smile. "I almost got hit by your Ferrari."
"Oh, I remember now," Loren grunted. Unwillingly, he took the seat that Louie had just occupied.
Sam knew Loren, and he had never liked this dandy. Seeing Loren sitting across from him, Sam shifted his chair closer to the window. Isabella followed suit, and Louie moved along with them, creating a considerable distance between them and Loren.
Loren, pretending not to notice, chuckled, "Thoreau, do you have time this afternoon? How about we go play golf?"
"Golf? I don't know how to play, and I'm not interested. I'm much busier than you are," Isabella shook her head, rejecting him. "If you're busy, we can plan another day to play," Loren said, smiling. "I'll be at your service anytime."
Watching Isabella's disgusted expression, Louie thought, "This guy is really annoying." He deliberately asked, "Thoreau, you've been talking for so long, and you haven't introduced this 'handsome' man to me." Louie deliberately used the term 'handsome' to convey his lack of fondness for this person named Loren.
Isabella, who was figuring out how to reject Loren's advances, was reminded by Louie's sudden question. She had been frustrated enough by Louie, and she knew Louie's capabilities.
"This is Loren, the son of the president of Sradarc Investment Group. His family wealth is estimated to be in the billions," Isabella introduced Loren with a sarcastic tone. The 'billions' might be an exaggeration, but the exact wealth of the Websters was unknown to many. Sradarc Investment Group invested in various industries, even holding shares in Century International Group. If it weren't for Nelson's decisive action, promptly initiating a counter-acquisition, Century International Group might have faced an unknown fate by now.
"Oh, so rich! I'm scared," Louie exaggeratedly opened his mouth wide, wearing a disgustingly flattering expression. He suddenly hugged Loren and excitedly said, "Loren, you're so wealthy. How about giving me a few thousand dollars?" As he spoke, large drops of saliva flowed out of his mouth, wetting a large portion of Loren's white suit. Perhaps Louie felt that this wasn't expressive enough of his excitement, and he tried to squeeze out some mucus. Unfortunately, this idea didn't succeed. After a while of sniffling, not a drop of snot came out.
Loren found Louie repulsive, thinking, "My suit, it cost over a thousand dollars and was bought from Italy. And now it's ruined." However, in front of Isabella, he couldn't show excessive anger. He had to forcefully push Louie away, hastily took off his suit, and threw it aside.
Loren sneered at Louie, unable to comprehend why Isabella would sit with this seemingly unimpressive man. However, without understanding Louie's situation, Loren refrained from acting recklessly. Suppressing his anger, he forced a smile and said, "I don't have much money; it's all from my parents."
"This guy still manages to smile after what I did to him. I'm impressed," Louie thought. Leaning back, he casually wrapped his right arm around Isabella's shoulders. Isabella, caught off guard by Louie's action, hesitated for a moment. She had intended to shake him off immediately, but then Louie spoke, "I say, Master Loren, with all your wealth, why go after someone else's wife?"
"Am I seducing someone's wife?" Loren asked incredulously, "Whose wife am I seducing?"
"My wife," Louie raised his left hand, placed it on the table, and started tapping the surface, creating crisp sounds. His raised right leg swayed back and forth. "If it's not clear yet, let me be more direct. Isabella and I are married. As my fiancée, if you try to date her, you're seducing my wife, aren't you?"
Hearing Louie's words, Isabella wished she could kick him out of the window, letting him fall to his death. She hadn't agreed to be his fiancée, but now he was spreading the news. However, when she saw Loren looking at her with suspicion, she thought, "Let's get rid of this annoying guy first, and then deal with Louie later." Compared to Louie, Loren was someone Isabella found uncomfortable. She'd rather let Louie gain some verbal advantage now than let Loren continue bothering her.
With her plan set, Isabella raised her head, meeting Loren's gaze confidently, and replied, "That's right. My father has already approved of our marriage. In a few days, I'll be moving in with him."
Loren felt like he had been hit on the head. He couldn't believe it. No matter how he looked at Louie, he didn't seem impressive. No money, average looks—he was just an ordinary person. How could the Thoreau family agree to this marriage?
A heavy stone seemed to lodge in Loren's chest. If there were a man richer than him, he could still accept it. But now, no matter how he looked at it, it felt like a beautiful flower was stuck in the mud, making him unable to swallow this breath.
Isabella was indeed beautiful, but not to the extent that Loren would willingly give up his 'forest' for her. However, fueled by jealousy, Loren couldn't suppress the overwhelming flames of envy. Glaring at Louie, he sternly said, "If you have any sense, leave Thoreau as soon as possible. I've said it before—Thoreau is mine. I will never allow her to end up with another man."
"Wow, still angry," Louie laughed heartily. "Sissy, why get upset? I've done everything I need to with Thoreau. If you ask me to leave her, isn't that like slapping me in the face?" With that, Louie released his hold on Isabella's shoulder, leaned forward almost touching Loren's face, and continued, "Since I am Isabella's husband, her matters are my matters. I won't allow you to pester her in the future."
"Fine, you'll regret saying that," Loren, his face red with anger, stood up and walked away. Louie grabbed Loren's white suit and spat on it. "Sorry, I intended to spit on the floor, but it landed here. Don't mind, please." Saying so, he tossed the suit away. Loren didn't bother picking it up, leaving the revolving restaurant in frustration.