Chapter 12 We're not getting divorced
966 Words
The large room suddenly became very quiet, so quiet that Isabella could hear Joseph flicking cigarette ash and see sparks falling from his fingertips. Isabella rarely saw Joseph smoke, or more accurately, Joseph rarely smoked in front of her because he wanted to take care of her.
Isabella suddenly felt uneasy. She had been happy today because she accidentally saw a text message on Joseph's phone last night. Ada wanted to divorce Joseph. Isabella also knew that Joseph went to see Ada this morning. She thought he was eager to get divorced, but now he looked gloomy, as if it wasn't what she had imagined.
"Joseph, let's eat," Isabella forced herself not to cheer up, implying that she shouldn't be afraid. Joseph loved her for so many years, not some shitty arrogant woman like Ada could take him away from her.
Joseph came to the table and looked at the dishes Isabella had made. In a short time, she had made three dishes and one soup, with both meat and vegetables, and they looked good, but they were still not as good as Ada's cooking skills.
Why the hell did he start thinking about that woman again... Joseph gritted his teeth and forcefully shoved those images out of his mind.
Isabella sat across from him, holding her bowl and taking small bites. Every now and then, she sneaked glances at him, and a few times it looked like she was about to say something, but she kept quiet in the end.
She was anxious and scared, afraid that what she asked for would be different from what she wanted, and she was afraid of disappointment.
Isabella was a timid and jumpy woman, and she had poured all her dreams into Joseph. She wanted him to marry her.
Today, Joseph seemed totally zoned out, even while eating. Isabella noticed it a bunch of times, and finally couldn't hold it in any longer. She put down her bowl and asked, "Babe, how was your talk with Ada going today?"
With his good-looking face and hands that were on point, he held the chopsticks and ate with smooth moves. When Isabella asked her question, Joseph paused for a sec and replied, "What do you mean, how did it go?"
Isabella bit her lip lightly and hesitated to say, "About the divorce thing..."
As soon as she said it, she felt a sudden chill in the air, like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her. Isabella couldn't help but shudder, her eyes betraying her fear.
Seeming to sense her anxiety, Joseph's gaze softened.
Finally, he said,
"We're not getting divorced."
Was it that Ada didn't want to divorce or that Joseph didn't want to? Isabella preferred to believe it was Ada.
"Joseph, you and Ada... I can't believe I've become the person I hate the most. I feel so damn guilty."
Joseph wasn't fond of people who wallowed in self-pity, but he felt a twinge of guilt towards Isabella, so he mustered up more patience than usual.
"I signed an agreement with Ada. She volunteered to donate her blood, so you don't have to feel sorry for her."
Isabella looked distressed and asked, "Joseph, if I get better and don't need her blood anymore, will you divorce her? And do you still keep your promise to marry me?"
Faced with these questions, Joseph couldn't come up with any answers. Or maybe he just didn't know how to respond. The emotions he had just pushed down started resurfacing for some reason.
Having been with him for so many years, Isabella could read Joseph like an open book. She hid her disappointment in her eyes and tried to console herself with some self-assurance.
"Joseph, I just don't want you to be forced to do something you don't want to do because of me..."
Joseph stood up abruptly, cutting her off. "I gotta pull an all-nighter at the office. Won't be coming around here for a few days."
"Joseph..." He stormed off so fast that by the time Isabella got up to chase after him, he was already out of the room.
The door slammed shut, jolting her. She didn't know how to react, caught off guard.
Isabella walked over to the window in a daze, watching his figure downstairs. She kept staring until he vanished from sight, frozen in the same spot.
Why should others reap the benefits of someone else's hard work?
She'd sooner destroy it all than let Ada enjoy it.
Joseph's first task upon returning to the company was to prepare for the take-over of the Smith family. His assistant Eric sent him a transfer record, and with a quick glance at the amount, it totaled a cool 3 million.
"He signed all the damn papers?"
"Yup," Eric replied. "Last night, a few of us got that Shen guy plastered and had him sign whatever we put in front of him. When he woke up, he didn't suspect a thing and willingly transferred the 3 million."
Joseph let out a cynical laugh.
Everyone in that family, except for Ada, was a bunch of gullible fools.
"Get it done in three days," Joseph said succinctly.
"Three days, Mr. Joseph, that's... kinda tight," Eric said with a worried face.
Joseph shot him a look that said "figure it out yourself," and Eric immediately shut up.
Three days it is.
After giving his orders, Joseph returned to his computer desk. He habitually put on a pair of blue light glasses to protect his eyes while looking at the computer screen. His fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, and there was a white light on the lenses.
Eric quietly exited the office, stealing a glance at Joseph before closing the door.
A phrase echoed in Eric's mind, "Gentle scum".
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- Writer
