Chapter 436

After Carol got a call from Michael, she started worrying about where Isabella might be.

"The factory where they make the clothes had some problems today. Looks like the workers are on strike. Ms. Taylor went to deal with it. The factory's in a pretty remote spot, so she might not have any signal," Carol explained.

"Give me the location of that factory, now," Michael demanded, sounding really anxious.

Without missing a beat, Carol told Michael where the factory was.

"What's going on? Is Ms. Taylor in danger again?" Carol asked, clearly worried.

Michael paused for a second, took a deep breath, and said, "Paxton might have figured out the truth. He could hurt Isabella at any moment. I need to go protect her."

With that, Michael hung up, leaving Carol looking stressed out.

"Damn, how did this get exposed so suddenly?" Carol muttered, pacing back and forth in the office before finally picking up the phone.

She dialed the same number she had called last time, and soon a familiar voice answered.

"Why are you calling me again? What's happening?" the man asked, sounding confused.

Carol filled him in on what Michael had said, and he went quiet.

"What do we do now? Should we protect Isabella?" Carol asked.

The man on the other end thought for a moment and then said no. "We might not have enough people to go up against Paxton. Let Isabella's husband handle it. He'll protect her. We need to focus on something else."

"Like what?" Carol asked instinctively, then suddenly realized something.

"Are you planning to do that? Isn't it too soon?" Carol asked, nervous.

The man chuckled. "If Paxton really loses it and attacks Isabella, do you think her husband will let him get away with it? This might be our best chance to take over the Brown Family's company."

Carol took a deep breath. "Are we using Ms. Taylor as bait?"

The man sighed, "What does that have to do with us? Pearl ending up like that wasn't our fault. All we can do now is cooperate. Let's just wait and see how things play out. But I don't think Ms. Taylor will be in any real danger."

Carol gave a bitter smile. "Your uncertainty isn't very comforting."

The man said, "Do you have a better idea? No, you don't. All we can do now is wait. Maybe Paxton won't do anything today? We have to stay positive but be ready for the worst. If Isabella really dies, who are you going to pick as the successor?"

Carol went quiet, thinking about the current state of the Taylor Family. There was no one more qualified than Isabella with the Taylor Family bloodline.

The man seemed to get that too. He didn't rush Carol, letting her think it over, then hung up.

Meanwhile, Isabella found out about the workers' strike at the clothing factory because of wage issues.When Jasper was the CEO, he cut the workers' wages and promised to pay them back later. But even after Jasper went to prison, the wages never went back to what they were, and the workers were getting more and more frustrated.

After getting the full picture, Isabella fired the manager right in front of everyone. Turns out, some of the money that was supposed to go to the workers ended up in Isabella's hands because the manager had been embezzling it.

"Please trust me," Isabella told the workers with a smile. "From now on, I'll make sure you get paid on time, and this won't happen again. I'll pick a new manager from among you. We'll use a fair voting system. You tell me who you think is right for the job, and I'll promote the person with the most votes."

The workers calmed down after getting their money from Isabella. When they heard they'd get to choose the new manager, they started talking among themselves.

In the end, they picked an older employee who had been with the factory since Isabella's grandfather, Patrick, started it.

Isabella had a lot of respect for this older employee and promoted him right away. Seeing the workers' satisfied faces, Isabella knew he would make the factory better.

"Mr. Barnett, you don't need to see me off. I'll leave the factory in your hands," Isabella said respectfully to Harlan Barnett as he walked her out.

Harlan looked at Isabella with emotion. "I see your grandfather in you."

"That's a huge compliment," Isabella smiled politely.

Harlan looked down, a hint of hesitation in his eyes, like he had something to say. But just then, a car horn blared.

Isabella looked puzzled at the approaching convoy until all the cars stopped in front of her.

Michael jumped out of the car, followed by some bodyguards from the car behind him.

Harlan immediately lowered his head when he saw Michael and swallowed back whatever he was going to say.

Michael breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Isabella was safe.

Isabella, confused, walked up to him and asked, "What's wrong? What's going on?"

Michael hesitated for a moment, then pulled Isabella aside and whispered, "I'm here to protect you. I heard Pearl died in the hospital. Paxton's gone mad; he said he wants to make everyone who hurt his daughter pay. I'm worried he might come after you, so I came to protect you."

Isabella's eyes widened. "Pearl is dead? When did this happen?"

Michael was about to tell her when he suddenly saw something glinting.

"Oh no, it's a sniper rifle!" Michael immediately pulled Isabella down. A bullet whizzed over their heads, hitting one of the bodyguards behind them.