Chapter 2

　　The next day. 　　Isabella was awakened by a burst of phone ringing. 　　In a daze, she fumbled to slide the answer key. 　　"Bella, I was wrong and stupid. Can you forgive me?" 　　Hearing Bruno's voice, Isabella instantly sobered up, immediately flaring up in anger. 　　"I told you, you're not worthy to call me Bella!" 　　Isabella was speechless. She must have been blind in the past. How did she not find that this bastard was such a good actor? Well, it made sense. If he wasn't a good actor, how could he have deceived her for so many years? 　　Bruno continued to feign concern, "Where were you last night? It was raining so heavily. I was really worried about you." 　　Last night... 　　Isabella suddenly turned her head to the side. Where was he? 　　But she had no time to consider this at the moment. The jerk was still on the other end of the phone. 　　"Bruno, we have no relationship anymore. Stop calling me!" 　　She was about to hang up for she feared that if she continued speaking, she wouldn't be able to resist going to slap the jerk. 　　Bruno's tone suddenly became cold and unfamiliar. "Since you want to break up, then the engagement ring..." 　　Isabella sneered inwardly, "This bastard finally stopped pretending!" 　　"So you called me early in the morning and beat around the bush just for it, right? Fine, just wait. I'll bring it to you right now! Your stuff makes me sick just by looking at it!" 　　With a click, the call was hung up, and in the next second, the name Bruno was already on the blacklist. 　　Isabella had silently cursed him a thousand times in her heart, feeling extremely fortunate that they hadn't gotten their marriage certificate yet. 　　Phew! 　　She shifted her body, preparing to get up when a soft "crack" sound was heard. Isabella winced in pain, immediately rubbing her waist that felt like it was about to break. 　　"This jerk, even though I told him to be gentle, he still..." 　　As she thought about last night, Isabella's cheeks flushed slightly. Just in case, she decided to go buy some morning-after pills. 　　Inside a nearby pharmacy. 　　Isabella had just paid and picked up the pills when the notification sound of Line rang. 　　When she saw the hotel address in the message and a photo of a handkerchief embroidered with green plum blossoms, Isabella's heart skipped a beat. She had a bad feeling. She turned around in panic, only to unexpectedly bump into the person behind her. 　　"Sorry, sorry..." 　　Isabella kept apologizing with no time to lift her head. She hastily stuffed the bag on the ground into her own and rushed out the door. 　　*** 　　The lobby of the Empire Hotel. 　　Isabella went straight to Jasmine and her mother. "What have you done to Ruth?!" 　　Hearing the sound, Jasmine turned her head with a fierce face. "Isabella, is this your doing?!" 　　Not giving Isabella a chance to speak, she raised her phone again and yelled, "Was it you who spread the news? You're really quick! Are you happy after ruining me, ruining Bruno, and ruining both the Watson family and Sandall family? Huh? Speak up!" 　　Isabella was completely baffled. 　　It turned out to be a report titled "The Eldest Heir of the Sandall Family Is Suspected of Cheating and Heiress of the Watson Family Gets Betrayed". 　　No wonder Jasmine was so furious, but Isabella was also puzzled. She had thought about exposing them, but after all, family disgrace should not be aired in public. She would never allow herself to be gossip. 　　Then, who would have leaked it out? 　　Forget it, the current situation of Ruth was more important. 　　"Jasmine, where is Ruth?" Isabella demanded. 　　"Bella, don't worry. She's fine..." 　　The one who joined in was Jasmine's mother, Isabella's stepmother, Amanda. 　　"No, 'Isabella' sounds better to me. Or you can call me 'bitch' as you used to, but I can't stand you calling me 'Bella'." Isabella's mouth twitched. She didn't hide her displeasure at all. 　　Amanda's face darkened, but she refrained from making a scene due to being in public. 　　"Isabella, it was indeed Jasmine's fault, but after all, this is a family matter. We should resolve it privately. Fortunately, Jasmine discovered it in time, and not many people know about it. Once the matter escalates and our companies are trending on social media, not only will the reputation of the Watson and Sandall families be damaged, but the company's stocks will inevitably be affected. At that time..." 　　Isabella coldly interrupted her, "You should ask your precious daughter why she would do such shameless things." 　　"You......!" Jasmine was about to retort but was stopped by Amanda. 　　"Fine, even if you disregard Jasmine and the Sandall family, you can't ignore your father's feelings, can you? The Sandall family is wealthy and influential. Even if something happens, they can quickly resolve it. But Watson Pharmaceutical is your father's life's work. Can you bear to see it destroyed overnight?" 　　Seeing Isabella's hesitation, Amanda seized the moment. "Now, the only way is to hold a press conference, with you stepping forward to clarify things. Only then can this issue be minimized and the impact on the Watson family be completely eliminated." 　　"Don't even think about it!" Isabella was resolute. 　　Amanda seemed to have anticipated this, suddenly dropping her pretentious facade. She leaned into Isabella's ear and whispered, "But don't forget about Ruth. She's fine now, but I can't guarantee the future..." 　　Isabella's eyebrows furrowed in anger, her eyes wide open. "You dare?!" 　　Amanda gave a half-smile, "You are more than welcome to try?" 　　This ruthless woman tightly gripped Isabella's weak spot, knowing that Isabella regarded Ruth as her own mother and would never disregard her safety. 　　Sure enough, Isabella clenched her fists so tightly that her nails left bloody marks on her soft palms. Then, she said word by word, "Fine, I agree with you."