Chapter 119
Lucas was showing off pictures of his car design to his friends when he heard a scream coming from Scarlett's room.
Annoyed, Lucas put on his headphones to drown out the noise.
"A jealous woman in love is seriously scary," he muttered.
He started envisioning himself showing his friends the sports car Isabella had designed.
Meanwhile, Michael's plan was already in action.
A young guy walked out of a bar with two glamorous women. Just as he led them into a nearby hotel, some guys lying in wait threw a sack over his head and carried him off.
A big guy, hearing that his buddy had been bullied, armed himself and went to help, only to get ambushed and beaten up badly.
A woman found her bar on fire.
All these victims had one thing in common-they were from the Brown family!
Early in the morning, a meeting was held at the Brown Villa. Paxton's siblings and other family members sat around the table, all looking grim.
"Paxton, this has to stop. Our family's been attacked, our businesses destroyed, our overseas investments targeted, and our stock's in freefall. Cut it out," a bearded man in a gray vest said coldly, staring at Paxton.
Paxton stayed silent, his face dark.
A middle-aged woman at the table sobbed, "My son's got broken bones and is now recovering in the hospital! You wanted to avenge your daughter, but why are we the ones suffering?"
A man with a grim face slammed the table. "I told you not to go against Mason rashly. We still don't know who hurt Pearl, and Isabella's family is already destroyed-they couldn't have done this. Mason warned us it could be the other two families behind this. We should be looking into this, not keep provoking him! Damn it, my nightclub was burned, and I almost ended up bald!"
Paxton's face stayed dark, his hands trembling slightly, showing his inner rage.
The family members were sending a clear message: leave Isabella alone for now and don't provoke her anymore.
Everyone stared at Paxton, waiting for his response.
The room fell into a long silence until Paxton finally sighed.
"I will withdraw all people targeting Isabella. As for Pearl's situation, I will hire a private investigator to look into it," Paxton said, looking at the family members. This was his biggest concession.
The family members exchanged glances and eventually agreed to Paxton's proposal.
John, who had been keeping an eye on things, immediately got the news and informed Mason about the agreement between Paxton and the other Browns.
Mason, who hadn't gone to bed yet, frowned slightly when he heard the news.
"Was this your doing?" Mason asked, eyeing John.
John quickly shook his head. "Grandfather, I'm a decent man. I wouldn't do something like this! Besides, this method can't solve the problem completely. I've always thought nabbing the one who hurt Pearl is the only real way to settle things between the Browns and us."
Mason narrowed his eyes, a suspicion forming in his mind. This kind of thing wasn't done much at home, but it was pretty common overseas.
"Could it be the group that took Pearl? They might want to escalate the conflict, hence attacking the Brown Family's assets?" John speculated.
Mason glanced at John and shook his head. "Alright, this ends for now."
John's eyes widened in surprise. "Why? If we don't find the real culprit, won't Isabella always be in danger?"
Mason raised an eyebrow, looking at John. He smiled and asked, "Haven't you always hated Isabella? Why are you suddenly on her side?"
John awkwardly smiled. "it's 'cause you care about Isabella. I'm just trying to make you happy by helping her."
Mason's smile hinted at something deeper. He could see that John had genuinely developed feelings for Isabella.
"If you like Isabella, try to win her back. If not, don't hurt her," Mason advised John before heading back to his room.
Once in his room, Mason's expression grew serious. "Who exactly is Isabella's secret husband? Could it really be him?"
Mason sighed. If his suspicions were correct, things would get complicated.
The next day, Isabella went to her new job.
To her surprise, the company had assigned her a personal driver. Isabella thought this was a perk for all department heads, but the driver, Leo Schmidt, explained it was a special compensation for the unfair treatment she received during the selection process.
"Thank you, Leo. Pick me up after work," Isabella said with a smile as she got out of the car, waving goodbye to Leo.
Leo gave a professional smile, nodding at Isabella.
After watching Isabella enter the building, Leo immediately called Michael. "Mr. Williams, Mrs. Williams has safely entered the company. No suspicious vehicles were spotted. She's safe for now."
The response from the other end was brief before the call ended.
In reality, Leo was not just a driver but also a bodyguard assigned to Isabella by Michael. Despite their warning to Paxton, necessary precautions were still needed.
Dwayne Larson, Isabella's direct superior, personally greeted her and showed her to her office.
Dwayne gestured towards the office and the young woman inside. "Here's where you'll be stationed. Meet your assistant, Juliet Larson. You'll manage the key responsibilities, and Juliet will help out with simple tasks like delivering documents."