Chapter 172

No.1

With that, she strode confidently toward the cave exit.

Alexander lunged forward, grabbing her arm tightly. "How did you contact them? When? There's no signal here! It's impossible!"

"Do you genuinely believe my phone lacks a signal booster?" she shot back, her tone laced with amusement.

While the village itself was a dead zone, Isabella had personally modified her device. It could latch onto a signal and connect to the outside world from virtually anywhere, even the deepest ancient forest!

She effortlessly shook off his grip and marched toward the waiting helicopter.

The aircraft hovered about two meters above the ground. Without hesitation, Isabella took a running leap. She sprang upward with agile grace, her hand catching the landing skid with precision. Using her formidable core strength, she swung her body up and into the open cabin door.

Her movements were fluid, efficient, and utterly controlled.

Alexander watched her retreating, arrogant figure, his eyes clouded with fury and humiliation. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

She had known she could leave this place the entire time. She had just sat there, calmly watching him gather wood, start the fire, dry his clothes, and painstakingly build that stupid bed?

Her composure wasn't born from a willingness to spend the night with him. She was simply biding her time, waiting for her ride out! "Isabella! How can you be so heartless?!"

No.2

“Cold-hearted?” Isabella’s scoff echoed inside the helicopter as she glared down at Alexander. “I suppose I am. But nothing compared to you. So artificial, yet you don’t even come close to that phony girlfriend of yours! You both plotted to trap me, to win my trust and seize my fortune, didn’t you? Ha! Keep dreaming!”

Her voice, sharp and icy, cut through the night air as the helicopter climbed higher.

Alexander flinched at her words. She had known his scheme all along?

How had she become so perceptive?

The timid, foolish girl who once trailed after him—how did she transform into this shrewd, cautious woman?

His fists clenched as he watched Isabella being carried away. Why was she so merciless? Couldn’t she see his feelings had turned genuine lately?

One day… He would make her love him. He swore it.

Frustrated, he kicked a loose rock in the cave. His eyes fell on the makeshift bed of hay he’d prepared. He had been so close. They could have bonded. But it was all wasted.

Damn it. He wanted her desperately.

Images of her lean, proud figure haunted him.

No.3

Inside the helicopter…

Maxwell handed Isabella a fresh set of clothes. “Ms. Montgomery, please change. Don’t catch a cold.”

“Alright.” She took the clothes and moved to the helicopter’s small restroom.

As she showered, her bathrobe reminded her of standing before Nathaniel wearing nothing but that. Right. Nathaniel. Oliver.

She had promised Oliver she would call once things settled. She hadn’t contacted them yet. She wondered how they were.

She finished quickly and stepped out. “Any word from Nathaniel?”

“Well…” Maxwell avoided her gaze. “Ms. Montgomery, are you certain about him? Shouldn’t you reconsider what those four men told you?”

“What’s to reconsider? William is a good man, but you can’t force attraction. He’ll remain a colleague.” She towel-dried her hair and sat.

Maxwell sat beside her, insistent. “But Nathaniel slept with another woman five years ago! He has a son! You’d be a stepmother if you married him!”

“Sounds perfect. I skip nine months of pregnancy and get a ready-made child! Every woman’s dream. You’ll never understand the agony of childbirth.” She leaned back lazily and reached for her phone.

No.4

Maxwell was speechless.

It was hopeless. She’d lost all reason! How could she twist facts and turn disadvantages into advantages? Would William adopt a child immediately if he heard this?

Isabella ignored him, switching on her phone to contact Nathaniel and Oliver. Her screen flooded with countless messages and missed calls.

Her Do Not Disturb mode had been activated somehow. All notifications were silenced, hidden.

She opened the chat. Her screen was bombarded.

[Mommy! Mommy! Where are you?]

[Mommy! Daddy and I are searching for you! Please reply!]

[Mommy, Mommy! Waaa! Do you hate Momo now? Don’t you like us anymore?]

[Momo misses you! What did I do wrong…? Did I upset you? Mommy, please don’t vanish.]

Isabella frowned. Had she accidentally enabled Do Not Disturb?

No.5

She hadn't reached out to Nathaniel or Oliver all day. They must be frantic by now.

She immediately dialed Nathaniel's number, but only heard the automated message: "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."

Unavailable?

She tried Oliver's phone next. The same robotic voice answered.

That's when she knew something was wrong. She turned her sharp gaze toward Maxwell. "What did you do?"

"N-Nothing," stammered the nervous man, avoiding her piercing eyes.

"Nothing?" Isabella's voice turned icy. "I know Nathaniel better than anyone. Why can't I reach him? And why is my phone on Do Not Disturb?"

"Maybe... perhaps he wasn't trying to contact you? Could it be he doesn't care as much as you think? Or maybe you accidentally enabled Do Not Disturb yourself?"

"Really? Keep digging that hole!" She slammed her phone on the table and planted her hands on her hips, staring him down.

Her eyes held the sharpness of daggers, ready to slice through his lies.

No.6

Maxwell shuddered under her intense scrutiny. He jumped up abruptly. "I need to use the restroom."

"Africa seems like a lovely place for you. You'll be on a flight tomorrow," she stated with deceptively calm menace.

Terrified by the threat, Maxwell immediately sat back down and confessed. "Ms. Montgomery, please don't blame me! This was all Mr. Granger's plan!

"He wanted Nathaniel to believe you chose William over him. He made us erase all traces of your route with Alexander so Nathaniel would think you deliberately avoided him.

"Since Nathaniel and Oliver couldn't locate you, they've apparently stopped trying..."

Stopped trying?

That explained the unanswered calls!

Nathaniel must think she wanted to be with William. He might even believe she was reconciling with Alexander!

Knowing his possessive nature, who knew what wild conclusions he'd drawn?

She grabbed her phone, attempting to reactivate her location services.

No.7

"Won't work," Maxwell admitted. "Mr. Worthington had us monitoring Nathaniel and Oliver Blackwood closely. When we checked an hour ago, they'd gone completely off grid."

Off grid...

For the first time, Isabella felt genuine fury toward her team. How would she find them now?

What if Nathaniel hated her because of this? Just when she'd finally decided to be with him...