Filed To Story: Watch Out! She's a Mastermind Heiress (Isabella Patton) Book PDF Free
Upon reaching the villa’s gate, Isabella noticed Howard in the garden. He managed to rise from his wheelchair but quickly sat back down, clearly exhausted and perspiring from the effort. Despite this, he persistently repeated the exercise, which stirred a sense of sadness in Isabella.
“Howard,” she called out, smiling as she entered.
“Isabella,” Howard replied, his expression brightening with a warm smile that reminded her of the first hint of spring sunshine. “You’re done with work? How was your day?”
“It was good. Howard, you’re improving so quickly! It usually takes people at least ten days to start standing, but you’ve already managed it. Have you been focusing a lot on your rehabilitation exercises?”
“Yes, I’m determined to get better as quickly as I can.” Howard nodded, his gaze filled with fondness. “The medication you provided is truly effective. Are you sure you’re not a doctor, Isabella?”
“I’ve learned a bit about medicine here and there.”
“That’s impressive,” Howard praised her. “Would you like to stay for dinner? I’ve been trying my hand at cooking some new recipes lately.”
Despite his limitations, Howard was keen on living life to the fullest. Isabella accepted his invitation.
The living room was impeccably clean. Howard busied himself in the kitchen, insisting that Isabella take it easy and not bother assisting. She settled onto the sofa and switched on the TV.
The first show that came on was a singing program. Isabella saw Giana on the screen. Giana had transitioned from being a singer to serving as a judge, offering critiques on the contestants’ performances.
Isabella frowned. Giana seemed the same as ever. Her shortcomings were still plainly visible. However, despite her clear shortcomings and the shallow feedback she offered, no one seemed daring enough to critique her, given her stature in the industry.
Isabella quickly changed the channel. To her astonishment, the next show featured an interview with Tatiana.
“Tatiana, may I pose some bold questions?” the interviewer asked.
Adorned in a chic white gown and lavish earrings and rings, Tatiana tossed her hair back with a smile. “Of course,” she responded.
The interviewer asked, “There’s buzz online about you and Corbett. Is there any truth to these rumors?” With a proud smile, Tatiana said, “Yes, we’re together.”
“‘That’s quite candid of you. It seems like things between you two are pretty serious, right?” the interviewer remarked.
“Absolutely, we’ve been together for some time now, and everything’s going wonderfully. We’re even talking about marriage,” Tatiana said, her smile broadening with evident joy.
Watching this, Isabella felt so irritated she wanted to reach through the screen and wipe the smugness off Tatiana’s face.
Just then, she noticed Howard standing at the kitchen doorway. She wasn’t sure how long he had been there. Isabella panicked. “Howard, I was just watching TV. I didn’t mean to stumble upon this. I’ll turn it off immediately.”
In her haste, she fumbled with the remote, accidentally turning the volume up instead. Tatiana’s voice boomed louder as she said, “I really love Corbett, and he loves me back.”
Isabella froze, overwhelmed with guilt. Seeing his former fianc?e, whom he had once heroically saved, openly declare her love for another man on TV must be crushing for Howard.
“No need.”
Howard approached Isabella, patted her hand reassuringly, and said softly, “I don’t have feelings for her anymore.”
Seeing how kind Howard was and how he took the time to comfort her, Isabella felt a pang of sadness. How could such a good man be abandoned?
Howard had prepared dinner, and Isabella took a bite, pleasantly surprised. She had assumed that since Howard wasn’t well, his cooking might not be great, but his skills were comparable to those of professional chefs.
“Howard, you’re incredibly talented. You can cook, and you’re a scientific research doctorate. What flaws could you possibly have?” Isabella asked earnestly.
“There are many.”
Howard paused to think and then added, “Sometimes, I’m out of touch with the way the world works.”
“That’s perfectly fine. You don’t need to worry about that,” Isabella reassured him immediately. Being straightforward was not a fault.
They continued talking into the evening. After bidding Howard farewell, Isabella returned to the main house.
In the living room, Elaine stopped Isabella and asked, “Did you have dinner at Howard’s tonight?”
“Yes.”
Elaine sighed and said, “Howard doesn’t want to see us, but he’s happy to see you. It’s clear he really cares about you, Isabella. Try to visit your brother more when you have the time.”
“Mom, I will,” Isabella smiled.
Elaine was now content, looking forward to the day Howard would regain his confidence. Isabella then returned to her room to rest.
The next day, upon arriving at the office, Isabella noticed Teresa arranging flowers on her desk.
“Wow, Teresa, who sent those to you?” Everyone nearby was visibly envious.
Teresa smiled but remained silent.
“Only a wealthy man would send flowers to Teresa,” commented someone nearby.
“Not necessarily,” Teresa replied nonchalantly, yet her eyes twinkled with joy. She was clearly pleased with the sender of the flowers.
This piqued everyone’s curiosity further. Isabella glanced over briefly but quickly looked away, uninterested in delving into personal matters. After finalizing details with the brand, she took Evie to the photo shoot.
Upon entering the studio, Isabella and Evie encountered two familiar faces.
“Who’s this?” Eliza removed her sunglasses and scrutinized Isabella’s face. With a mocking grin, she said, “Oh, after being let go by Natural Beauty, have you become a junior employee somewhere else? Isabella, what’s happened to you? You’re a master of dance. Couldn’t you just teach dancing? To chase after a man, you’ve really let yourself go. I have no respect for that.” Eliza shook her head, displaying evident disdain.
Giana observed Isabella intently. She hadn’t imagined Isabella would end up like this. In her memory, Isabella had always been assertive and clever. Yet now, in pursuit of Dane, she had followed him to the Patton Group headquarters. It was Teresa who had spilled this piece of gossip. Since she started hanging out with Eliza, Giana had gotten close to Eliza’s group.
“You still enjoy poking your nose into others’ affairs. It’s no wonder you’re disliked,” Isabella retorted coolly to Eliza, without a hint of anger.
This caught Eliza off guard, and she said, “Who doesn’t like me? Who said that?”
Isabella didn’t respond and walked past her with Evie.
Annoyed, Eliza persisted, “Isabella, tell me, who said that?”
Isabella simply ignored her.
“You infuriate me! Bitch!” Eliza was livid.
Giana observed Isabella and noticed that no matter the circumstances, she maintained her composure, effortlessly leaving Eliza at a loss for words with just a few comments.
As soon as Isabella and Evie stepped into the photographer’s office, they were warmly welcomed by the brand team. Upon seeing Evie, the director was visibly impressed. “I knew Evie was pretty from the photos, but she’s even more stunning in person!”
Evie’s beauty wasn’t the typical, ubiquitous kind seen online; she had a distinctive allure, with an edgy yet mesmerizing quality that drew people in. The director was particularly captivated by Evie, unable to look away.
“Hello, Mr. Ruiz,” Isabella said.
Elliot Ruiz looked puzzled when he saw Isabella. “Who are you? We were only expecting one star, right?”
Isabella, equally striking, stood next to Evie without being overshadowed. What a pleasant sight! Elliot’s spirits lifted. “But you’re welcome to join us if you’d like…”
“I’m the one who arranged this meeting,” Isabella said.
Ah, so she was from the marketing department.
“Alright, let’s get ready to start shooting,” Elliot said, continuing to admire Evie.
Evie felt uncomfortable. Elliot’s gaze seemed slightly inappropriate. However, considering the difficulty of securing this opportunity, she decided it was best to proceed with the shoot.
“Wait!” a voice interrupted.
It was Eliza, who approached Elliot with a self-assured grin.
The expression on Elliot’s face suddenly changed when he saw Eliza and Giana. Then, a flattering smile appeared on his face. “Miss Chapman, it’s you. What a pleasant surprise! Is there anything I can do for you?”
Eliza glanced at Isabella with contempt in her eyes and said scornfully, “You’ve been doing well recently. Since we think highly of you, we want Giana to be your spokesperson in the next quarter.”
“Really?” Elliot’s eyes lit up, and he was obviously delighted. However, Giana’s rate was high. They couldn’t afford to hire her. With this thought in mind, Elliot felt depressed again. “Of course, we would really love to have Giana as our spokesperson. But…”