Filed To Story: Watch Out! She's a Mastermind Heiress (Isabella Patton) Book PDF Free
“We’ve been waiting for you. Who were you talking to? Don’t keep him waiting any longer!” Susan’s stepmother, Mara Riggs, snapped, her voice dripping with mockery. “Susan, it wasn’t easy finding you a good man to marry!”
A wave of bitter irony washed over Susan as she heard this. “If he’s such a good man, why don’t you marry your own daughter off to him?”
“How dare you!” Mara’s voice grew loud as she raised her hand to hit Susan. But Susan stared back with steely resolve. “Go ahead, slap me. Let everyone witness just how mercilessly you treat me at home!”
Mara hesitated, her thoughts shifting to the man Susan was about to meet. She couldn’t afford to jeopardize such a promising opportunity. Lowering her hand, Mara sneered, “You’ve really become bold, speaking to me like that!”
Susan’s expression remained unfazed. “Anyone who’s been mistreated by you for years would turn out like this,” she replied.
After her biological mother passed away, Susan’s father remarried, transforming her life into a living nightmare. Though she was her father’s legitimate daughter, her situation was even worse than that of an illegitimate daughter. She had persevered through the years, focusing on her career, only to be pressured into marriage by her family. They even used her grandfather’s medical bills as leverage. Since her mother’s death, her grandfather’s health had declined, leaving him reliant on costly medication. Susan couldn’t afford such expenses. Where could she get so much money? The only option she had was to accept the marriage. In that moment, she found an odd sense of relief in the fact that Dane didn’t have feelings for her. A bitter smile touched her lips.
“Let’s go. Don’t keep him waiting.” Mara snorted.
Susan descended the stairs and found her father, Esteban Riggs, seated on the sofa. When he saw Susan, dressed so much like his late first wife, his eyes briefly softened with emotion.
Susan locked eyes with him, her gaze icy and unyielding. “Once I get married, I’ll cut all ties with this family.” Esteban’s heart ached at her words, but he kept his expression stern. “If that’s what you want, so be it.” His pride prevented him from yielding to his daughter. Without saying another word, Susan turned and walked out.
Esteban watched her leave, a mix of emotions flickering across his face. Seeing his distress, Mara sat beside him and said, “Look at her, darling. She’s more and more unruly now. This marriage is a blessing for her, yet she talks about cutting ties with you. Doesn’t she realize how hurtful that is? What an ungrateful girl.”
“Let her be. When she’s out of money, she’ll come to appreciate what she has given up,” Esteban said coldly.
“Exactly,” Mara agreed.
Susan arrived at a hotel to meet her prospective husband, a young man from a wealthy family. They were both outcasts, brought together by forces beyond their control. At least he wasn’t an old, unattractive man. Throughout most of the meeting, Susan sipped her coffee in silence, hardly talking.
Suddenly, a familiar voice from behind made her heart race. Susan spun around but saw no one. Was she losing her mind, imagining that Dane might appear? That was impossible!
Susan let out a bitter laugh, feeling as if a cold wind had sliced through her heart, leaving her in torment. “Excuse me, I need to use the washroom,” Susan said, rising to escape the stifling atmosphere.
In the washroom, she splashed water on her face, trying to regain her composure. Her heart ached with such intensity that it felt numb. She reminded herself that her relationship with Dane was over—though, in reality, they had never truly begun dating.
“Did you really think you could run away from me?” A familiar, icy voice pierced her thoughts.
Susan turned in shock to find Dane standing there, his usually composed face now showing intense emotion. For a moment, Susan was too shocked to speak. Then she managed to ask, “What are you doing here?”
“Who was the man sitting across from you?” Dane struggled to restrain his anger, his voice low and tense.
“Didn’t I tell you I had to go back to my hometown for a blind date?” Susan’s response was barely audible as she averted her gaze.
In a swift motion, Dane seized her wrist, and Susan couldn’t help but step back. “I had no idea that my delicate and pitiful girlfriend is actually a member of the prestigious Riggs family. Susan, why did you lie to me?” A flicker of anger sparked in Dane’s dark eyes as he scrutinized her.
Feeling cornered, Susan curled in on herself and whispered defensively, “I didn’t lie to you. You never asked.”
“So, after toying with my affections, you came back home, planning to marry another man?” Dane’s words came out almost as a hiss, his teeth gritted in barely contained fury. For years, he had been the one others sought to please, and now, he felt fooled for the first time. This realization stoked the fires of his anger.
Susan’s voice was a mere whisper, her head bowed. “We were never officially together, were we?”
“We weren’t?” Dane’s voice rose in disbelief. “Are you telling me that despite our kisses and the night we shared, we were nothing?”
Susan could only shake her head. “That was an accident.” Indeed, it had been an unexpected twist of fate. That day, a drugged Dane had crossed paths with Susan. When he asked if she was willing to help, she hadn’t known how to respond before he made his move.
In the aftermath, Dane had insisted on taking responsibility. He had been attentive, picking her up from work and whisking her away on holidays—that marked the happiest period of Susan’s life, during which she had secretly fallen in love with him.
“But I told you that I would be responsible for you. Why are you planning to marry another man? Do you believe the Patton family is unworthy of you?” Dane’s piercing gaze bored into Susan as he awaited her response.
Susan bit her lip, a mixture of defiance and resignation coloring her tone. “That’s enough, Dane. I don’t need you to be responsible for me.” She knew he didn’t like her. She had overheard his conversations with others in his office.
A nearly visible crack appeared in Dane’s usually imperious demeanor. After a long, tense moment, he slowly released Susan’s wrist. “So, you are serious? You would rather marry someone you barely know than be with me?”
The pain in Susan’s heart was palpable, as if it were physically tearing her apart, yet she nodded firmly.
“I see,” Dane muttered. After a pause, he added in a murmur, “Susan, remember what you said today.”
Turning on his heel, he strode away. Watching his retreating figure, Susan collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her face. A sudden wave of nausea overcame her, and she rushed to the sink, her body heaving though nothing came up. It was strange…
After composing herself, she returned to her table. The man seated there looked up with concern. “What’s wrong? Do you feel unwell?”
Looking into the eyes of the man who had the same fate as her, Susan replied, “I’m sorry, I’m fine now.”
“It doesn’t matter. If you feel unwell, let’s leave,” he suggested with the demeanor of a true gentleman.
Susan simply nodded in agreement.
On the way back home, Susan gazed out of the car window, her expression numb. She reflected on her fianc?—certainly not a bad man. What more could she desire?
Suddenly, spotting a familiar face on the street, she panicked and quickly rolled up the window.
On the roadside, Isabella noticed a Porsche speeding past right after her meeting with a client. The figure inside the car looked strikingly like Susan.
“What are you staring at?”
Andrew’s deep, magnetic voice broke her concentration as he stepped out of his Rolls-Royce and approached her. “I think I saw Susan in that Porsche,” Isabella responded.
Andrew glanced in the direction of the now-distant car. “Are you sure?”
“It looked like her, but I can’t be certain,” Isabella admitted, her voice tinged with doubt. In her mind, it was unlikely for Susan to be in such a luxurious car. A suspicion came to Andrew’s mind. “Susan Riggs…”
“What’s wrong?” Isabella queried, noticing the change in his expression.
“Nothing, it’s just… her surname is ‘Riggs,’ which is quite a coincidence,” Andrew remarked nonchalantly. “There is a prestigious Riggs family in Ansport, right? But that can’t be connected to Susan. If she were from such a wealthy family, how could she have attended high school with me? And we even worked part-time together back then,” Isabella reasoned.
Andrew remained silent, perhaps thinking he might have been overthinking the situation.
“Let’s go. You mentioned wanting to buy a gift for my grandpa, but honestly, he doesn’t need anything. What he really wants is a granddaughter-in-law.” Andrew’s gaze lingered on Isabella.
Isabella said a little shyly, “It’s my first time visiting your grandfather, so I must bring a gift. You once told me your grandfather likes to collect antiques, right? Well, there’s an antique market nearby. Let’s go and have a look.”
“Okay,” Andrew readily agreed.
Soon, Andrew’s Rolls-Royce pulled over in front of the shabby market, looking out of place. Isabella and Andrew walked along the street hand in hand. Antique stores lined up on both sides.
It was said that the items in these shops were of high quality and genuine antiques, so the prices were also exorbitant. Isabella entered one shop and looked around casually. Then, she checked a few more stores. Finally, she reluctantly settled on a painting. She asked the store owner about the price.
“This one is eight million,” replied the store owner.
“Wow! Eight million for this painting? Why don’t you just rob me?” Isabella said helplessly.
The store owner replied confidently, “Miss, the antiques in my shop are all genuine. Look how well-preserved they are. Eight million is definitely not too much for this masterpiece. Nowadays, Atley’s works are being sold at around ten million or higher.”
“Yes, I know that Atley’s works are very expensive. But are you sure this one is real?” Isabella said, smiling faintly.
The way Isabella looked at him made the store owner feel guilty. Although this painting was not real, it was not fake either. This was an imitation by Atley Prescott’s student. It had a long history and looked good, so ordinary people could not tell the difference. That was why the store owner was confident in selling it at Atley’s price.
“If you don’t want to buy it, just put it down and go elsewhere. Don’t talk nonsense.” The store owner was obviously displeased with Isabella’s remarks.
Knowing the store owner was dishonest, Isabella decided to visit another shop. But when she was about to leave, she heard a familiar voice behind her. “Sir, let us have a look at it.”
She turned and saw Courtney and Tatiana approaching.
The store owner quickly took the painting and greeted the two women. “Hey, ladies! I can tell at a glance that you two are noble and distinguished women. You have good taste. This is one of Atley’s works. Everyone knows how much this work is worth. I was willing to sell it to this lady for only eight million. However, she thinks it’s too expensive. Only those who understand art know it’s a reasonable price.”
Even Courtney was surprised to hear that the painting’s price was eight million. Her family only earned several million a year, but their expenses were quite high. Fortunately, they still had the dividend from the Patton Group to barely maintain a wealthy lifestyle. But spending eight million on a painting was too much for them.
Tatiana, on the other hand, admired the painting. She said appreciatively, “This painting is indeed good. It must be genuine. We are lucky to have it for only eight million.”
Then, she looked at Isabella and said sarcastically, “Unfortunately, some people are ignorant. They can’t recognize genuine things even if they are already in front of them.”
As a painter herself, Courtney could tell that the painting in front of her was genuine. She looked at Isabella and said, “Isabella, you are planning to visit Mr. Damari Klein, right? Are you here to buy a gift for him? If he knows you are not even willing to buy something worth only eight million for him, how sad will he be?” She deliberately said these words for Andrew to hear. She wanted to sow dissension between Isabella and Andrew, thinking that if Andrew knew Isabella was a stingy woman, he would realize she didn’t deserve to be his wife.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.