Chapter 410

No.1

She retrieved four slips of paper.

Numbering them from one to four, she crumpled each into a ball.

Placing them in her palm, she announced, "Draw your lots. Your number determines the order."

"Brilliant idea! Our dear Isabella is truly the smartest!" Uncle Lawrence praised.

Isabella shook the paper balls and scattered them across the table.

The elderly men immediately scrambled for the lots.

Uncle Lawrence from Esports drew number one.

Uncle Reginald with the infrastructure issue got number two.

Uncle Alistair from the Go Association received number three.

Uncle Silas from scientific research ended with number four.

No.2

Uncle Silas collapsed onto the sofa, utterly dejected.

Isabella offered comfort. "Scientific research is the most time-consuming field. It requires over a decade of dedication anyway! After I finish the others, I'll devote all my time to researching with you, alright?"

"Alright. You promised!" Uncle Silas instantly brightened.

Isabella's words, however, dismayed Uncle Lawrence. "So you're saying my issue is least important because it's first?"

"Not at all! Bringing pride to our nation is never trivial! Don't worry, I'll make you proud tonight," Isabella reassured.

Since sleep seemed unlikely, she might as well play a few games.

Uncle Lawrence grabbed Isabella's arm and hurried her upstairs to the computer room.

"Quickly, quickly! Let's begin immediately! I want Takashi Yamamoto utterly defeated! Show them we're not losers!"

The other three elderly men enjoyed watching Isabella play.

Although Uncle Alistair, Uncle Reginald, and Uncle Silas typically disliked gaming, they found immense entertainment in Isabella's flawless executions.

No.3

They gathered around her, watching intently.

Isabella had forgotten her previous username and password.

She used the new account created at Blackwood Estate: Boss.

A young woman using such a bold name!

"Excellent!" Uncle Lawrence exclaimed. "I adore this name!"

The three men nodded in agreement with Lawrence Chamberlain's statement.

Eternal Champions was a worldwide game that required team formations. The top-ranked player would earn the coveted title 'Eternal Sovereign'.

The game interface clearly displayed the current highest-ranked player as Takashi Yamamoto from Westhaven, though he was offline at that moment.

Competitive gaming was their specialty, and they vastly outperformed players from Westchester. Only one Westchester player had made it into Eternal Champions' global top ten, while five hailed from Westhaven.

Isabella Montgomery opened Takashi Yamamoto's profile and clicked a specific button: [Challenge]

No.4

The 'challenge' feature was a unique aspect of Eternal Champions, permitting players to challenge anyone provided they staked a cash deposit. If the challenger lost, the money was forfeited.

Isabella deposited one hundred million.

Instantly, Eternal Champions' global chat flooded with reactions to the challenge.

[OMG! Someone just staked one hundred million to challenge Takashi Yamamoto!]

[This is only the second challenge against Takashi Yamamoto in five years!]

[The last challenger was 'kill', but that user vanished. Probably dead by now.]

[This is a new player! So audacious! What makes them think they can challenge the Eternal Sovereign?]

[That's one hundred million. Incredibly bold!]

The four elderly men seated behind Isabella simply smiled. They knew their Isabella always possessed such daring.

Besides, Takashi Yamamoto stood no chance of winning that money. Isabella could obliterate him effortlessly!

No.5

Unfortunately, Takashi Yamamoto remained offline that night. As the hour grew late, Isabella turned to them. "You should all get some rest. I'll update you when I hear back."

"Absolutely not! I came prepared to pull an all-nighter! I even brought my supplements!" Silas Granger produced an ordinary-looking pill and swallowed it.

"We already settled this," Isabella sighed. "It's very late."

"Settled? We have more urgent matters. Didn't I have Maxwell speak to you recently? What's your answer?" Lawrence Chamberlain pressed.

Isabella was taken aback. "Huh?"

"See? You didn't even notice William checks on you constantly!" Silas Granger said indignantly.

Isabella felt a jolt of alarm. They were here to pressure her into marrying Frederick Ashford!

"That... Ah! I'm exhausted, I really need to sleep..."

She stood to leave, but the four men blocked her path and firmly reseated her.

Reginald Thornton spoke gravely. "Isabella, we've learned about your developments with Nathaniel Blackwood since your return. Nathaniel is undoubtedly a good man, worthy of you, but his family is far too chaotic."

No.6

"Precisely. Consider the situation with the child. He isn't accepted by the rest of the Blackwood family. Marrying Nathaniel would make you a stepmother. Furthermore, Nathaniel's parents won't make things easy for you. It will be difficult."

"You'll be dragged into their toxic dynamics. You won't have time to realize your full potential! Such a waste, don't you agree?"

"Additionally, a mysterious force is monitoring the Blackwoods. Even we haven't been able to identify them. Being with Nathaniel won't be simple."

The four men spoke in rapid succession.

Isabella frowned. "A mysterious force? How do you know about that?"

"Because we care about you. We exhausted all resources investigating the Blackwoods. Beyond their business rivals and internal family conflicts, a mysterious force was involved five years ago with unknown motives. This same force delivered Christopher to Nathaniel," Silas Granger explained.

Isabella's eyes darkened. "Mysterious force? Didn't Christopher come from a surrogate mother?"

Nathaniel himself said Christopher was from a surrogate. What did a mysterious force have to do with it?

Lawrence let out a heavy sigh. “How can someone so brilliant be so blind about this? Do you honestly believe that child came from a surrogate? If that were true, why would his own grandparents despise him so deeply?”

Isabella’s pulse quickened. So Christopher wasn’t born from a surrogate after all?

No.7

Had Nathaniel been hiding the truth from her?

The way Lawrence spoke suggested Christopher’s birth was shrouded in secrets.

“That surrogate story was just a cover fabricated by the Blackwoods,” Alistair explained. “Five years ago, an unknown force orchestrated Nathaniel’s encounter with a mysterious woman. That same winter, Christopher was delivered to the hospital where Sebastian was being treated. The timing was too perfect to be coincidence. But what does it matter if the child was given to the Blackwoods? The mother could have been anyone. A family of their status would never accept her.”

“Nathaniel’s parents assumed Christopher’s mother was some common woman. Perhaps a prostitute or a gold digger trying to trap their son. That’s why they resented the boy. They refused to acknowledge him as family.”