Chapter 53

Chapter 53

At this moment, countless guesses flashed through Isabella's mind.

William noticed her body stiffen and freeze. The desire inside him poured out like a flood, and he slowly deepened the kiss.

It wasn't until Isabella felt dizzy from the kiss that William finally let her go. His large palm cupped her face, his tone especially serious.

"I understand your concerns, but you can leave these things to me. I can send a special medical team to treat your mother. When she wakes up, I can also take you both traveling. These two things don't conflict with each other."

Isabella unconsciously opened her mouth. Looking at William's deep and handsome face, she couldn't make a sound.

She simply couldn't describe how she felt at this moment.

All her life, she had carried everything on her own. But now, suddenly, someone appeared, telling her she could put down the burden on her shoulders, that someone was willing to help her solve the problems she couldn't solve herself.

If she didn't know William's character, she would really think this was a free lunch falling from the sky.

But free things often mean paying an even higher price.

The price of being with William was something she couldn't afford.

Isabella pushed down the bitterness in her heart, reached out her hand, and pulled away William's palm, forcing a smile on her face.

"I really appreciate Mr. Brown's feelings for me, but I really have no plans to date. I've let down Mr. Brown's kindness. Please don't be angry, Mr. Brown."

There was no surprise in William's eyes. He had clearly expected Isabella to reject him.

"The reason you're unwilling—is it really because you have no plans to date, or is it because of Joseph?"

He was really afraid that Isabella's heart already belonged to another man. Wouldn't that mean he didn't even have a chance to pursue Isabella?

Isabella froze for a few seconds and finally couldn't help but laugh.

"Mr. Brown, why do you always misunderstand my relationship with Joseph? Joseph and I have had a few meals together, but to me now he's just a friend. He and I can't be together."

William had always been decisive at work, never affected by anything. But now, hearing Isabella's words, he felt relieved.

As long as Isabella hadn't fallen for someone else, there was still time.

Thinking this, William slowly stood up, and Isabella quickly stood up as well.

"It's getting late. I'll be going now. What I just said, you can think over carefully. Even if you keep thinking about it, I can wait."

With that, William didn't linger. He didn't let Isabella see him out either and turned to leave.

Isabella stood there stunned, her heart a jumble of feelings. For a moment, she didn't know whether to be happy or to sigh.

William had feelings for her—she was shocked. If she said she had no feelings for William at all, that naturally couldn't be true.

But between them, there was destined to be no good ending.

Isabella let out a soft sigh and shook her head with a bitter smile.

She used to hear people talk about "being well-matched in social status." Now, she deeply understood the meaning of this phrase.

Meanwhile, William had just gone downstairs and gotten in his car when he received a call from Zachary.

"Mr. Brown, we've all been waiting for you at the bar for almost half an hour. How come you're not here yet? You're never late."

William glanced up at the building above, his voice flat.

"I was just with Isabella. I can't make it tonight either. You guys have fun."

Just as he was about to hang up, Zachary's surprised voice came through the phone.

"You didn't really confess to Ms. Taylor, did you?"

William didn't speak, which was basically confirmation.

He couldn't very well say that his confession had failed.

Zachary's tone suddenly rose several levels.

"William, you've been like a block of wood your whole life, never even dated, and now you actually confessed to a woman? This is too unbelievable! What did Ms. Taylor say?"

William's thin lips pressed together slightly, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the steering wheel.

"She didn't agree. I just told her to think it over carefully."

The phone went silent for a few seconds, then Zachary's loud laughter came through.

"So, even you get rejected? Could it be that your confession sounded like coercion, so you scared Ms. Taylor away?"

William was getting a headache from the noise and rubbed his temples.

"If you're really that bored, I don't mind arranging some work for you."

"I was just teasing you a bit. Don't take it seriously. As a good friend, if you really have something you can't figure out, you must come find me..."

Before Zachary could finish, William hung up directly, feeling suddenly irritated.

Over the years, countless women had thrown themselves at him, but Isabella just didn't care about him.

Of course, this didn't trigger his competitive spirit. He simply wondered why Isabella didn't like him.

For the first time in his life, William felt deeply defeated.

Getting someone to like you was actually harder than closing a multi-million dollar deal.

A few minutes later, William drove away. On the third floor, Isabella leaned on the balcony, silently watching the direction he left, lowering her eyes with a sigh.

After being confessed to, how should she continue to face William?

Just then, there was a sound at the entrance. Isabella turned to look. Saskia came in with an excited expression.

Saskia first threw her bag on the sofa, then rushed toward her.

"I've successfully gotten into Stanley's company! Though I'm just a low-level employee. It's a bit hard to get close to him. I need to work harder."

As soon as she finished speaking, Saskia noticed Isabella's dejected expression.

"Isabella, what's wrong? Did William give you a hard time again? Or did you run into some trouble at work?"

Isabella stared at her for a while, then told her everything that had just happened.

After hearing it, Saskia couldn't help but widen her eyes.

"Looks like I guessed right before—he does like you! But you actually rejected him? Isabella, what are you thinking? Don't you have any feelings for him at all?"

Isabella couldn't explain the specific reasons to her.

After all, Saskia came from a good family and couldn't understand how inferior she felt when getting along with William.

"Anyway, we're not from the same world."

Isabella left it at that and said no more. She pulled Saskia to wash up and get into bed.

Isabella quietly listened to Saskia talk about how she got into Stanley's company today. Before she knew it, she felt sleepy.

That night, Isabella suddenly dreamed of William.

In the dream, William held her tightly, with a force as if he wanted to meld her into his bones.

She struggled hard to break free, but William kissed her, greedily taking her breath away.

Just as Isabella's breathing became erratic, she suddenly opened her eyes and found it was already past seven in the morning the next day.