Chapter 493
No.1
Forgive them? Could she?
Five years ago, she attempted explanation. She claimed victimhood. Eleanor struck her before she finished speaking.
The Jordan family universally condemned her. They dismissed her pleas. Branded her a disgrace.
They exiled her barely conscious to Africa. Abandoned her to die. Only miraculous fortune spared her.
For five years, no contact. No concern. As if she never existed.
Returning to Westchester, they blamed her incessantly. Despised her presence.
Just yesterday, they disowned her. Seized her shares. Attacked her manor.
Isabella's eyes hardened recalling these injustices. "Leave. Your apologies are worthless. I require nothing from you. Nor will I retaliate."
“That only makes us feel more guilty, Isabella…” Eleanor clutched Isabella’s wrist desperately.
Isabella’s gaze turned icy as she stared at the hand restraining her.
Eleanor immediately released her grip under that frosty glare. She withdrew her hand, eyes reddening. Her voice came out hoarse and broken. “I know forgiveness can’t be earned overnight. We’ll spend our lives making it up to you. We’ll visit whenever we can.”
She took a shaky breath, pressing on. “But we have one request. Please do this for your Grandfather. He misses you terribly. He just wants one family meal together…” Eleanor trailed off, terrified of rejection. She looked up, pleading. “Don’t worry about the cost. I’ve sold all my jewelry. We won’t eat at the hospital. We can go anywhere you want. My treat.”
Her eyes begged for a sliver of hope. “Just one meal. Please?”
No.2
She braced for the inevitable refusal. Isabella’s cold demeanor offered no comfort.
Then, unexpectedly, Isabella spoke.
“I’ll come.” Her voice was flat, decisive. “I will also save the Montgomery family. And I will do everything in my power to save Benjamin’s life.”
Eleanor and Richard stared, utterly stunned. Was she serious? She agreed to return? She offered to save them without them even asking?
“Do not mistake this for forgiveness,” Isabella stated coldly, cutting through their shock. “This is solely for Grandfather Theodore and the Montgomery legacy.”
She remembered his unwavering support. When the entire family scorned her, he had insisted on granting her fifteen percent of the Montgomery shares. He treated her as his own. She would not abandon him now.
Eleanor nodded frantically, tears welling. “I understand! Truly, I do! This is more than we dared hope for! Your Grandfather already promised… if you save the family, everything will be yours. The entire Montgomery fortune. And my father… he vowed to give you half of the Kensington assets!”
Isabella frowned. She anticipated Theodore’s offer. The Kensington proposal, however, was unexpected. Her knowledge of the Kensingtons was limited to whispers. Eleanor never brought her along on visits.
Her impression was built from others fawning over Victoria. “She’s so lucky! Heir to the Montgomerys and the Kensingtons!” “The premier ceramics dynasty in the country! A living national treasure!” “Their pieces are commissioned by royalty! We commoners never even see them!” “Ugh! I’d kill to be born into that family!”
A family of such prestige was willing to hand her half their wealth? It made no sense.
After a moment’s consideration, her decision was firm. “I will accept the Montgomery shares. I refuse the Kensington assets.”
Eleanor’s face fell. How could she refuse such an immense fortune?
The Montgomery family’s shares were not particularly high, yet their global prestige was immense.
No.3
Even a simple ceramic vase crafted by the Montgomerys could fetch over a million dollars at auction.
Everyone longed for a connection to the Montgomery dynasty. Yet Isabella had just refused their offer?
“I’m helping the Montgomery family for Grandfather’s sake,” Isabella stated calmly. “I don’t require any reward.”
“I don’t need repayment from any of you. You should head back now. I need to pack.”
With that, she stepped inside the villa and shut the door. Though they were her biological parents, she hadn’t forgiven them. She wouldn’t allow them inside.
She couldn’t risk them discovering Nathaniel lived with her. Richard and Eleanor, still outside, didn’t mind. They were already overjoyed that Isabella agreed to return and save the family. Everything else could be mended over time. They were prepared to spend their remaining years making amends.
Back in the villa…
Isabella waited until Richard and Eleanor had driven away before entering the living room. Nathaniel was lounging on the sofa, doing nothing but waiting. Clearly, he was waiting for her.
When he saw her, he began to speak. “Isabella.”
“I plan to stay at Montgomery Manor for a while,” she interrupted. Nathaniel’s brow furrowed. Stay at the manor? Did that mean she no longer wanted to live with him? He stood up immediately.
“What’s wrong, Isabella? Talk to me. I dislike unresolved issues.” Distance would only create more distance between them.
Isabella met his gaze seriously. “It’s not about leaving things unsaid. I just believe we need space. Time to think clearly.”
“I have nothing left to think about. My position is clear. I have no connection to Sophia. I only need to find the antidote for the drug she took,” Nathaniel insisted.
No.4
“But I need time to think, Nathaniel. Please give me that,” Isabella argued, her voice heavy with fatigue.
Though Nathaniel seemed resolute, she needed to process everything. His history with Sophia seemed solid. Were it not for the Blackwoods’ interference, they might have been together. They even shared a son.
Sophia was Oliver’s biological mother. Nathaniel, Oliver, and Sophia were meant to be a complete family. Without Isabella, they might have found happiness together.
In this light, Isabella felt like an intruder.
She needed time to determine if she was the third wheel. To understand Sophia’s true significance to Nathaniel. She looked at him solemnly.
“If you’re certain of your choice, then let time prove it. True love won’t fade from a few days apart. I’ll be occupied with family matters. I hope you can resolve things with Sophia.”
Having said her piece, she marched upstairs.
Nathaniel watched her retreating figure, his expression heavy and conflicted. He remained rooted to the spot for a long time. Ultimately, he did not follow her.
On the second floor of the villa… Oliver was in his room, playing with his toys.
It was a tiny robot.
Nathaniel had somehow squeezed a Barbie dress onto the metallic toy.
He frowned, wondering if his baby sister would actually like something like this.
Ugh. It looked ridiculous.
No.5
He’d just buy her a brand new one.
Just as he was about to toss it in the trash, Isabella walked in.
She scooped Oliver into her arms and gently pinched his cheeks. “Is my sweet boy having fun?”
“Yeah! I wanted to give all my toys to my baby sister, but… they’re all kinda ugly.”
Most were Transformers, race cars, or battle bots.
Isabella understood when she spotted the frilly pink dress stretched over the robot’s chassis.
If things were different… she might have actually considered building a family with Nathaniel.
She pushed the thought away. “Oliver, I need you to promise me something.”
His smile instantly vanished.
Tears welled in his wide, fearful eyes.
Her chest tightened.
She’d grown so attached to him these past weeks.
Even though he wasn’t biologically hers, a deep, protective bond had formed.
No.6
The idea of him hurting felt like a physical wound.
But she had no choice.
She needed space. Time to breathe.
She needed to see what Nathaniel would do—how he truly felt about Sophia.
Time would reveal if their family could ever truly be whole.
If not… she would walk away for good.
She sat him on the bed, her voice soft. “You know Mommy’s family is in trouble, right? The Montgomery family… we’ve lost everything. My brother is in the hospital. I have to go back. I need to fix things, to fight off the bad people. When it’s all over, I’ll come back for you.”
“No! Waa… no!” He burst into sobs instantly. “Don’t leave me! Please, Mommy! Don’t go!”
His small arms locked around her neck, his whole body trembling against hers.
Tears soaked through her shirt.
Each cry felt like a shard of glass in her heart.
She held him tighter. “Sweetheart, listen. I’m not leaving you. I just need to handle some things at home.”
“You’re lying! I’m not a baby! I know you’re mad at Daddy! You’re leaving him! And you’re leaving me!”
No.7
He suddenly pulled away, scrambling off the bed. “I hate Daddy! He hurt you! How could he be with another woman? I’m gonna beat him up!”
He dashed toward the door, a tiny ball of fury.
Isabella’s heart lurched. She hadn’t expected him to see through it so clearly.
She caught him just as his little hand reached for the doorknob, pulling him back into her arms.
“Oliver, no. You misunderstood. I swear on my life, I will come back to you. I just need to save my family first.”
She prayed that by the time she dealt with the Montgomery crisis and Benjamin, Nathaniel would have resolved things with Sophia.
But Oliver kept crying, his small body shaking. “I don’t believe you! You’re lying! You won’t come back! You don’t love us anymore! Waa…!”