Chapter 1894
No.1
Arabella's eyes were red and swollen, yet she managed to pull herself together. She straightened her posture. "Penelope, that's enough. Let's go."
She was more than satisfied with how things had unfolded. There was no reason to stay any longer. Reporters were swarming toward them, closing in fast. Penelope had no choice but to help Arabella make a quick exit.
They avoided all interviews. But articles about the incident exploded online almost instantly.
(Harrison Winslow Lied to the Entire World!)
(Arabella Was Cheated Out of Her Money and Body!)
(Harrison's Offshore Company Is a Sole Proprietorship, Involving Marital Fund Transfers!)
(Arabella Slashed Her Wrist and Refused Treatment to Avoid Accusations!)
The news spread like wildfire, shooting straight to the top of the headlines. The comment sections were flooded.
(Did Harrison Winslow deceive us all? Was Arabella actually wronged?)
No.2
(That gentle, cheerful food lover endured so much pain these past few days. And she didn't deserve any of it!)
(Her heart must be shattered. The man she loved deeply turned out to be married. He cheated on her for so long! She was even terrified of attempting suicide, afraid people would accuse her of faking it.)
(Harrison is a complete monster! Sources say his offshore companies were set up behind Genevieve's back. He must have been planning to divorce her. That's why he started moving the money!)
(That's fraud! It's illegal! He can be sued!)
(He stole a hundred million from Arabella! He belongs in jail!)
(Rumor has it Boss Isabella already filed a report. An investigation is underway!)
The public opinion shifted dramatically. The tables had turned completely.
Meanwhile, inside the hospital room...
Genevieve's eyes were red and swollen. She held her daughter tightly in her arms.
No.3
Harrison rushed to the bedside, frantic. "Genevieve, darling, please believe me. It's all fabricated! Everything is fake! They doctored that recording."
Slap!
Genevieve struck him hard across the face before he could finish. "Why?" she snarled. "Why did you do this? Why do you keep lying to me?!"
"Genevieve, I—" Harrison clutched his stinging cheek, trying to speak.
She grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him with force. "What about your offshore companies? How do you explain the suspicious activity in our joint account? You were planning to leave me, weren't you? You lied to steal my money, right?"
"Waa... Bad Daddy! Bad Daddy!" Their daughter ran toward Harrison, hitting him with her small fists.
Instinctively, Harrison shoved her away. She fell to the floor.
Genevieve's eyes burned with fury. She ripped the IV from her arm and scrambled off the bed to scoop up her child. She glared at Harrison, her gaze sharp as daggers. "Harrison Winslow, are you even human? I had my youth and my career back then. I believed your sweet words and gave up everything to marry you!"
"Whenever you needed money or anything else, I went to my parents and got it for you. I gave you my all to support you. And this is how you repay me? This is how you treat our daughter?!"
No.4
"Enough! Shut up! Don't you dare mention your parents again! I'm sick of it." Harrison's eyes turned venomous. "Do you really think you're blameless for the state of our marriage? Yes, you were perfect back then. But I was already a vice president when I married you. Just because my family isn't as wealthy as yours doesn't mean I deserve your constant condescension!"
“Every family gathering, every holiday...we always had to be there with your relatives. And when money got tight, you’d just go ask them for more. Your parents—every time they see me, it’s ‘Take care of her,’ ‘Don’t disappoint our daughter.’ But the way they look at me…like I’m some kind of failure. I have my pride, Genevieve. I’m the man in this relationship!”
Harrison slammed a fist against his own chest, his voice shaking with bottled-up rage.
Genevieve stared, completely stunned. All these years, she thought his willingness to join her family events was a sign of his devotion. She had felt so grateful, so lucky. She would have done anything for him. She never imagined this resentment was boiling underneath.
Their daughter, frightened by her father’s outburst, buried her face in Genevieve’s shoulder, trembling.
Just then, Harrison’s phone buzzed loudly. He answered, and his assistant’s panicked voice came through clearly. “Sir, Arabella is suing you. She’s demanding a hundred million for fraud. The police are on their way to the hospital right now.”
His expression darkened instantly. Without another glance at his wife, he turned and stormed out of the room.
Genevieve stood frozen, watching him leave. Silent tears began to trace paths down her pale cheeks.
Meanwhile, at GoldenPhoenix…
No.5
After dispersing the angry crowd and arranging for the damaged cars to be fixed, Isabella returned to her office. She studied the pregnant woman before her with a curious gaze. “To what do I owe this visit, Ms. Kensington?”
“Mr. Blackwood sent me. He thought it was a smart move. Anyone else handling that mob might have gotten hurt. But me?” She gently rested a hand on her rounded belly. “Nobody’s going to hit a pregnant woman. I could say anything out there, and they’d just have to take it.”
Isabella had to admit, Nathaniel’s logic was sound. Those people, though paid to cause trouble, still had a strong sense of right and wrong. They despised home-wreckers. Attacking a pregnant woman was a line they wouldn’t cross.
Mr. Blackwood? So it was Nathaniel’s doing after all…
Wendy continued, a warm smile on her face. “He had me come out, and he’d already deployed hundreds of his staff to sift through those phone records long before you even started looking. He treats you exceptionally well, my dear. He respects you deeply. You should cherish a man like that.” She gave Isabella’s shoulder a gentle, knowing pat and a wink before taking her leave.
A faint blush rose to Isabella’s cheeks. A peculiar, warm feeling blossomed in her chest. Harrison and Arabella had met frequently at the office, but their phone calls continued for hours even after work. Over the years, there were over a thousand calls. Some long, some short, most conversations seemingly trivial. Finding the crucial evidence meant listening to each one, often multiple times. That’s why her team, working through the night, had hit a wall.
Without Nathaniel’s intervention, she might not have found the evidence until the next day. She had explicitly told him not to interfere in her affairs. Yet, he had helped her silently, from the shadows.
The thought of all his quiet support made her expression grow solemn. If not for the incident five years ago… she would have given him a whole brood of children without a second thought.
But first, she had to settle the storm raging inside her.
No.6
She could only repay him with her gratitude for now. She turned to Adrian and Julian. “Handle things here. Keep an eye on Arabella. I might be tied up for the next couple of days.”
“Don’t worry about a thing,” Adrian said, thumping his chest confidently. “You handled the big crisis. I can manage the clean-up. It’s under control!”
With a nod, Isabella left.
Julian watched her go, his thoughts drifting to the retired, pregnant Wendy Morrison. His gaze darkened. It seemed Nathaniel Blackwood had stepped in to help again. Was Isabella finally opening her heart to love once more?
Isabella stepped out of the building only to remember her car had been impounded for repairs.
It would take days before she could get it back.
She pulled out her phone to call a ride when a sleek black sedan pulled up beside her.
The window rolled down to reveal Oliver’s excited face beaming from the backseat.
“Mommy! Get in, get in!”
No.7
Both Nathaniel and Oliver were inside.
Isabella’s lips pressed into a thin line. They came to pick her up? How did they know about her car?
She scanned the area cautiously before slipping into the vehicle.
Oliver had already claimed the window seat. That left the middle spot open—right next to Nathaniel.
“Sorry, Mommy,” Oliver said with an innocent shrug. “I get carsick. I need the fresh air.”
Isabella almost laughed. Since when did Oliver get carsick? And in a car this luxurious with perfect air circulation?
Nathaniel’s calm voice broke through her thoughts. “Did everything get resolved?”
“Thanks to you, it did,” she replied, offering rare praise.
Oliver clapped enthusiastically. “Daddy’s amazing! So amazing! Mommy, what are you giving Daddy as a thank you?”