Chapter 33

Isabella rolled her eyes, not even trying to be polite to John and Bianca.

"Seriously, you have the worst memory. Mason always had a seat for me at the main table every year. Don't you remember?" Isabella shot John a challenging look.

Mason's smile faded as he could tell Isabella was over John.

John frowned, clearly annoyed by Isabella's attitude. He remembered when she used to be so respectful.

Bianca coughed, grabbing John's attention again.

John squatted down, looking worried. "What's wrong? You feeling sick? Should I take you home?"

Bianca shook her head, but there was a smug look in her eyes, showing off how much John cared for her.

Isabella smirked and shook her head, thinking that Bianca was really dumb to use John to provoke her; it seemed both her kidneys and brains were failing.

Mason looked at Bianca and John, his voice deep. "I don't remember inviting her."

Mason had set up Isabella's engagement with John. Even if they didn't love each other, Bianca's behavior towards John in front of everyone was humiliating for Mason.

Bianca's face went pale, looking helplessly at John.

John stood in front of Bianca, pleading, "Grandpa, Bianca meant well. How can you say that about her?"

Watching this, Isabella suddenly remembered the first time Michael had protected her. As a mid-level leader of the Williams Family, he had to be at the banquet. She scanned the hall, hoping to spot him.

But to her disappointment, Michael was nowhere to be seen. Mason's voice snapped Isabella back to reality.

"Isabella, Bianca is your cousin, a member of the Taylor Family. Whether she stays or leaves, it's up to you," Mason handed the decision to Isabella.

Everyone's eyes were on Isabella, John, and Bianca.

Mason wanted to show everyone that Isabella was the hostess of the Williams Family, with the power to make big decisions.

Under Mason's encouraging gaze, Isabella nodded slightly. "Mason, I'd like to ask them a few questions."

Mason nodded. "Go ahead."

Isabella walked towards John, step by step. As she got closer, John couldn't look her in the eye.

'Damn, how can Isabella have such a strong presence? It must be because of my grandpa.' John reluctantly raised his head, staring into Isabella's eyes.

But Isabella ignored him, looking down at Bianca instead.

Bianca nervously held John's hand, feeling intimidated by Isabella.

"Bianca, tell me. Do you really love John? Or is it just out of respect?" Isabella asked with a smile.

Bianca was stunned, not expecting Isabella to ask such a question in front of everyone.

Everyone knew Bianca liked John, but being put on the spot like this made her panic. She could feel Mason's stern gaze.

Bianca looked at John in a panic. John wanted to step forward but was blocked by Mason.

"Isabella wants to talk to Bianca. What's your business? Step aside!" Mason glared at John.

John stepped back, sulking and not daring to speak again.

"Is it so hard to answer? Are you in love with John, feeling like a mistress and too embarrassed to admit it?" Isabella said sarcastically.

Bianca's lips turned pale. The pressure from Isabella and Mason was too much. She hurriedly explained, "You misunderstood, Isabella. I only respect John. I've always seen him as a brother."

Isabella patted Bianca's shoulder, smiling. "So I misunderstood you, Bianca. But sometimes, you do make me feel insecure. Why not swear in front of everyone to put my mind at ease?"

"What?" Bianca had a bad feeling about this.

Isabella locked eyes with Bianca and said in a heavy tone, "If you marry John, not only will you never recover from your illness, but you'll face misfortune every time you step outside!"

Bianca's hands clenched so tight her fingertips turned white from anger and resentment. Her silence made Isabella's cold smile reappear.

"What? You don't really want to marry John, do you?" Isabella suddenly raised her voice, making sure everyone heard.

Trembling, Bianca looked to John for help, only to meet Mason's icy gaze.

"It's just a simple oath. What's so hard about it? Say it to reassure Isabella. Or do you really want to steal a man from her?" Mason frowned, putting immense pressure on Bianca.

Bianca bit her lip tightly. Under everyone's scrutiny, she was sweating bullets.

"I, Bianca, swear that if I marry John, not only will I never recover from my illness, but I will also face misfortune every time I step outside!" After speaking, Bianca raised her head, staring at Isabella with resentment in her eyes.

Isabella was very satisfied. If Bianca wanted her to die, then she would make sure Bianca could never marry John in her lifetime. Even if Banic had married John, she wouldn't have gained a good reputation.

"Bianca, my dear cousin, today is Mr. Williams's birthday. Since you're unwell and have already come, why not stay?" Isabella took Bianca's hand and led her to the table to sit down.

After doing all this, Isabella looked at John and said, "John, thanks for taking care of Bianca during this time. It's difficult to manage a household without a man."

Isabella displayed the elegance and demeanor of a hostess. Mason smiled at Isabella for handling the situation. When Isabella sat down, he whispered, "Isabella, you are still too kind."

Mason was a ruthless man in his youth, or else he wouldn't have his current status.

Isabella smiled and whispered back, "It's your birthday today. I can't be too harsh. There will be other opportunities."

Satisfied, Mason nodded.

Watching Isabella's smile, John felt annoyed. Instead of sitting in his seat, he turned and headed towards the backstage.

"Where's my uncle?" John asked the butler.

The butler smiled, "Mr. Williams is resting in the backstage lounge."

"Okay, I see," John said.

In the lounge, Michael sat on the sofa, watching the monitor screen. Leaning back on the sofa, he swirled a can of cold beer in his hand, a slight smile appearing on his face as he watched Isabella on the screen.

The door to the lounge opened, and John walked in, heading straight to the fridge.

John adjusted his collar, took a can of cold beer from the fridge, and took a few sips, cooling down his anger, before saying, "Michael, did you see that? That woman, Isabella, actually forced Bianca to make an oath. I've never seen such a malicious woman in my life!"

Michael looked up at John with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

Compared to other women, who could be more ruthless than Bianca? Due to the rivalry, Bianca even wanted Isabella to die on the operating table.

"Compared to other women, she's already quite gentle. If it were me, I would be even more ruthless than her." This was Michael's response, clearly siding with Isabella.

John looked at Michael discontentedly, "Michael, are you kidding me? A woman as malicious as Isabella? She's a disaster, and marrying her won't change that. Who knows when she'll stab me in the back?"

Michael looked at the foolish John in silence. Even if he told John the truth, John wouldn't believe that Bianca was a malicious woman. Bianca had already assessed John's intelligence and held it in her grasp.

Michael didn't want to deal with the foolish John. He touched his chin and suddenly felt the stubble on it prickly. He remembered he had forgotten to shave before going out today.

Michael asked his subordinate to bring his razor from the car, and soon, the subordinate returned with it.

As Michael shaved, John suddenly approached him, staring at the razor in his hand. "Why does this razor look so familiar?"