Ch. 2031..2035

Chapter 2031

Chapter 2031 There was a still look in Roland's eyes as he looked at Isabel.

Isabel withdrew her hand and approached the sink. She turned on the faucet and doused her hand in cold water with her back facing Roland.

There was a mirror in front of the sink, so she caught a brief hint of Roland’s reflection in it.

While washing her hands, she subtly inspected his reflection in the mirror. She saw Roland staring at her from behind for several seconds before he went to pour the contents of the pot into a bowl. His movements were practiced and graceful.

Isabel snuck another look at his face.

He seemed very focused on his task and did not seem to be thinking about anything else. He probably did not think much of it when she grazed her fingers against his palms.

With that, she heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she wiped her hands and walked out of the kitchen.

Roland had already set the food on the table and had sat down. When he noticed Isabel stepping out of the kitchen, he asked in concern, "Is your hand okay?"

“Much better." Isabel waved her hands in front of him to show him. The smooth, pink tips of her fingers seem to glisten underneath the ceiling lights.

When Roland pursed his lips and gulped, the bulb in his throat moved up and down. Isabel seemed to not have noticed anything as she sat down and started to eat. Upon seeing this, Roland began to dig in as well.

After finishing the food, Isabel contentedly set aside her spoon and fork before turning to him "Roland, | might have to stay with you for a few more days."

Roland looked at her.

She clarified, "It's not that | want to overstay my welcome, but your mom went out of her way and bought me a ton of daily necessities. I'd feel bad if | didn't respond kindly to her gestures.

Besides, it would be a shame to say no to a chance to eat such delicacies every day. Furthermore, she was reluctant to move back to her place so long as Decker lived next door.

She looked at Roland with a sincere look in her eyes.

Roland looked at her calmly and merely grunted, "Hm."

Then, he continued eating. It seemed like he was hardly bothered by Isabel staying over for several days longer. Isabel felt relieved and told him, "I won't just be a freeloader. Feel free to tell me if you need help with anything.” "There are a few things | could use your help with."

"What's up?"

"It's work-related.”

“Ow, my stomach is hurting a little. Just finish the food without me. | need to use the toilet real quick."

She quickly retreated with her hands placed over her stomach.

Roland looked at her silently.

A faint smirk formed on the corner of his lips after a moment.

Isabel never stepped out of her room again after her retreat.

She took a comfortable hot shower, then she lay comfortably on the bed and scrolled mindlessly on her phone.

Something about staying at Roland's place filled her with a sense of contentment and safety. After scrolling for a while, she soon grew sleepy and managed to sink into slumber within seconds of closing her eyes.

She slept until the middle of the night when her throat got so parched that she woke up coughing.

She felt unbelievably thirsty the moment she woke up. It was probably caused by the saltiness of the food she ate and the fact that she hardly drank any water at all.

She rolled over and got out of bed, intending to go to the living room to get herself a glass of water.

In her blur state after having just woken up, she ended up going into the adjacent room instead of walking down the hallway into the living room.

She pushed open the door and walked in with a swagger like she owned the place.

It was only when she spotted an unfamiliar large bed and the cabinets in the room that she realized something was wrong. Where was this?

Creak.

She heard the sound of a door being pushed open.

She turned around and was greeted by the sight of a man stepping out of the shower.

Chapter 2032

Chapter 2032 Roland had a white towel wrapped around his firm waist, covering the entire lower half of his body. With the light shining on his body from above, the striking outlines of his muscles were visible.

He usually looked quite lean with clothes on, so it was a surprise to Isabel to see that his figure was easily comparable to the male models she usually saw.

She gulped subconsciously and forced herself to shift her gaze to his face instead of gawking at his body. "I, urn, would you believe me if | told you | accidentally went into the wrong room?"

Roland stopped in front of the bathroom door and looked at her with a pair of quiet eyes. "| believe you."

Isabel was frankly a little taken aback by his naivety.

How could he be so easily convinced?

She stared at him awkwardly before asking, "Why are you taking a shower at this hour?”

Roland replied, "| was occupied with a lot of work today.”

"Oh." Isabel looked at his defined muscles before asking nonchalantly, "Are you thirsty? Do you want a glass of water?" “lm not thirsty."

Isabel pursed her lips.

"Do you have any other questions?" he asked her suddenly.

Isabel withdrew her gaze guiltily from his body and said with an awkward smile, "That’s all.”

Roland pursed his lips and glanced in the direction of the door. He did not express it directly, but it was clear that he was asking for Isabel to leave.

Isabel was about to leave anyway but suddenly got a little irritated by him chasing her out. Instead of heading out, she went straight to him and stopped directly in front of him.

Roland frowned, not budging from his spot at all.

There was nowhere for him to retreat to anyway except for the door behind him.

Isabel grinned mischievously and remarked with a bright sparkle in her eyes, "Roland, | didn't realize that you were so fit.” Roland said candidly, "There’s a gym in our office tower. | work out regularly."

He spoke without being flustered, and there was nothing but a still look of calmness on his handsome face.

However, the sight of his reddened ears did not escape Isabel.

He was shy! He had to be!

Her eyes glittered, and with a smile, she raised her hand and casually patted him on the shoulder, "Oh, don't be shy. You saw me last night, so now we're even."

Roland raised an eyebrow and ignored her.

Isabel chuckled with amusement, then she playfully patted his muscular chest again. "I’m not going to bother you anymore. Goodnight."

With that, she withdrew her hand and walked out of his bedroom, feeling satisfied with how she handled the situation.

The bedroom descended into silence after she left.

Roland stood unmoving in his original spot and looked in the direction of the door where Isabel had just walked out.

After a long silence, he sniggered to himself. A drop of water trickled off the tip of his hair and flowed down the defined shape of his jaw to his chin.

Underneath his mask of calmness, he was trying his best to suppress the wildness inside of him.

Isabel went to the living room and drank two glasses of water in one go, then she went back to her bedroom.

She lay comfortably on the bed and stared at her hands. She fiddled with them as she thought about how it felt when she placed them against Roland's body just now.

The ridges of his body were unforgettable.

She wondered what it was about him. She regularly looked at male models and whatnot, but this was the first time she found herself blushing at the thought of his body. Her face was burning, and she wanted to splash some cold water on it.

"Phew."

She kicked off the quilt and made herself calm down.

Another day passed in the blink of an eye.

As soon as dawn broke, Isabel was awakened by Carla calling her. She had forgotten to set an alarm. "Isabel, are you up? We're almost at your place."

Isabel snapped herself wide awake and cried out frantically, "No, don't go to my place!"

 

Chapter 2033

Chapter 2033 "Huh? Why?"

Isabel sat up from the bed. "I'm not at my place right now. I'm in a neighboring apartment. Just wait for me at the entrance. I'll get ready and meet you there.”

"Okay, got it."

After hanging up, she shot out of bed and quickly washed up. Then, she changed into a set ofclean clothes before prancing out of the bedroom.

Roland was in the living room. He wore a buttoned shirt paired with leather pants and was seated on the couch watching the morning financial news.

Martha was making breakfast. When she saw Isabel, she greeted her with a warm smile, "Good morning, Isabel, I'm just making breakfast. Sit down and eat with us."

Isabel said kindly, "Thanks, Aunt Martha, but I'm in a rush. My driver and assistant are already waiting for me outside."

She had breakfast with Martha yesterday, but she could not just sit here and take her time eating breakfast while Carla and her driver were waiting for her downstairs.

"It’s alright. Why don’t you at least take some with you? They’re your favorite. | made them for you," Martha said as she presented some containers to Isabel.

Isabel looked at the sumptuous breakfast set on the table, and she gladly packed two Tupperware filled with food.

After she finished packing her food, she turned to Martha and thanked her, "This will be enough for me. Thank you, Aunt Martha."

Martha smiled. "Go on, see you."

"Goodbye, Aunt Martha."

Isabel walked out with the Tupperware in a bag.

As soon as she stepped outside, Martha glanced at Roland. " Roland, why didn’t you say goodbye to Isabel just now?" Roland looked at the door that Isabel had just closed with a steady thud. He pursed his lips and did not answer.

He was going to say something to her, but she was in such a rush that she barely even spared a glance in his direction. The car was parked right next to the entrance gate.

Isabel spotted the car the moment she stepped outside.

When she got into the car, she handed one of the packed containers to Carla. "Eat it while it’s hot. It's very delicious." She opened hers as she said this, releasing the sweet fragrance of steamed buns from inside, and began eating.

Carla ate her portion as well when she smelled the wonderful fragrance. After she had her first bite, she expressed her wonder, "It's so good! Where did you buy this? I've never eaten something like this before."

Isabel told her, "I didn’t buy it. This lady made it for me. It's a Southboro specialty." "Who is that?" Carla asked curiously, "Also, when did you move here? Are you not using your previous place anymore?”

"Something happened back there." Isabel took another large bite of the steamed bun before asking, "What about the bodyguards | asked you to hire for me?"

"| found two suitable candidates. Why don't you take a look?" Carla produced her phone and showed the profiles of the two bodyguards she found.

Isabel took a glance at their information.

They were both from a certain professional bodyguard agency. Both men looked strong and intimidating, and they were experienced as well.

‘They will do."

“Alright, I'll inform them and have them come to the set later.

They were going to film the premiere of the third season of" The Wonder" today. Fortunately, the recording studio was just in Westchester. Isabel came to the set on time. First, she greeted the other guest stars, then they started filming the episode.

It was a quirky variety show with all sorts of games that tested the participants’ intelligence and physical fitness, and the games were split into multiple sessions.

Isabel had been following the show for a while and was familiar with the process. Although this was the first run, it went very smoothly.

It was dark outside by the time they finished.

Since there was going to be another round of shooting tomorrow, Isabel was going to be staying with the other guest stars for the night.

It was only after she and the other guest stars had arrived at their temporary homestay that she threw herself on the sofa. Just then, she received a text from Roland.

He asked, "My mother asked if you are coming back for dinner tonight."

Isabel replied promptly, "| have to continue my shoot tomorrow, so | won’t be going back tonight. Please pass on the message to your mother for me."

"Okay." With a quick smile, she put away her phone.

That was when Liz, another guest star on the show, rolled over to her side and teased her, hoping to clue in on some gossip, "Why are you smiling so happily? Were you texting your boyfriend?”

 

Chapter 2034

Chapter 2034 Isabel grimaced instinctively. It was just a quick, simple exchange with Roland. When had she been smiling?

Liz was a fellow guest star in "The Wonder" who had been around since the beginning of the show. She was a natural comedian and was known for her gags and vibrant personality on the show. She may not be as flamboyant off- camera, but she was still very friendly and humorous.

She was Isabel's partner during most of the day's segments.

Isabel told her quite frankly, “No, it’s just a friend.”

Liz squinted suspiciously. "Really?"

"Really."

"Do you have a boyfriend?”

"No."

“Why not?”

"lm too busy. | don't have time to see people."

"Good point."

Time passed faster than she expected when she had a chatterbox like Liz helping her kill time with casual talk.

Fast forward to the afternoon of the following day. After they wrapped up the filming for the premiere of the show, everyone went their separate ways. Most of them went to film for whatever projects they had lined up next. They bade farewell to each other hurriedly and were gone.

Isabel and Liz were the only ones not in any particular rush. They walked out of the set together. Coincidentally, as soon as they arrived at the parking lot, they stumbled upon Isabella who had just gotten out of her car.

There was a light trickle of rain outside. She was escorted out of the car by a tall, young, and handsome man who held an umbrella for her, sheltering her from the rain.

That man was Decker. Isabella threw herself into his arms and hugged him for a while before letting go of him, then she walked in Isabel's direction.

This was the only path leading to the parking lot, thus Isabel could not hide from Isabella even if she wanted to. With that, the two enemies crossed paths.

There was a clear look of surprise that washed over Isabella's beautifully made-up face. She turned to Liz who was next to Isabel and greeted her with a very polite smile," Hey there, Liz! Are you here for a shoot today?”

Liz glanced at Isabel and remarked, "Yeah, we just finished recording the season premiere of the third season of 'The Wonder’." It looked like she wanted to get the conversation over with." I'm sure you're in a rush, go on."

"Yeah, I'll be going first. Let's chat again next time we meet."

"Okay."

Isabella ignored Isabel entirely, then she lapped around Liz and was gone in no time.

Isabel was not concerned at all and walked forward.

Liz walked carefully beside her. She noticed how Isabel seemed completely unfazed by Isabella ignoring her and was rather baffled.

Then again, Isabel had always had a reputation in the entertainment circle for being completely fearless. It made sense that she would not be intimidated by Isabella although the two had a less-than-harmonious history with each other.

Any other person would have crumbled under the pressure of not just having a target on one's back, but also the collective scrutiny of the netizens. Isabel seemed like an exception to this case since she seemed completely untouchable by her rivals and the netizens were very fond of her.

Liz found herself slightly jealous, but more than anything else, she was filled with admiration.

She suddenly decided to invite Isabel to dinner. "Isabel, do you have any plans tonight? Let me treat you to dinner." Isabel answered kindly, ‘Tm free tonight, but let me treat you to dinner instead."

Liz was older than Isabel and had debuted many years before her, so she had a respectable reputation as well. She was very much Isabel's senior.

Liz insisted, "No, let me treat you to dinner."

"You can pay next time." After a pause, Isabel suggested with a smile, "There’s this private restaurant that makes excellent food. The owner of the place descends from a line of legendary chefs. Care to try it?"

Liz seemed intrigued by this and gave in at last, "Sure."

"In that case, come with me. I'm a regular there, so we can enter without needing to make a reservation."

Liz obliged but made sure to add, "Alright. But just so we're clear, I’m paying for us the next time.”

"Deal."

Now that the matter was settled, the two walked to Isabel’s car.

That was when Decker suddenly approached them.

He held the umbrella and looked at Isabel tenderly like one would a lover. "Isabel, where have you been these past two days?"

Isabel frowned.

 

Chapter 2035

Liz was just as perturbed by the sudden appearance of the man. She recalled the same man being affectionate with Isabella only moments ago. This man seemed like the one she thought to be Isabella's benefactor and was rumored to be the future successor of the Rockwells in Southboro.

Why was he approaching Isabel? In such an affectionate manner, no less!

Liz looked at Isabel.

Isabel snapped at him crossly, "None of your business!"

Liz was stupefied.

Decker's handsome expression darkened immediately.

Isabel was not afraid of him at all. She turned to the two bodyguards following behind her who were only employed this morning. They dutifully stepped forward and came in between Decker and Isabel.

Isabel warned him icily, "Decker, if you try to harass me again, | will have them beat the life out of you."

With that, she tugged at Liz's hand and took her to the car.

The two bodyguards glared at Decker menacingly and approached the car as well.

Decker stood motionlessly, his complexion as black as his mood. He clenched his jaw and muttered to himself, "Isabel, you just had to choose to do this the hard way, didn’t you?”

Isabel's car quickly drove out of the parking lot.

Liz sat next to Isabel. She was still recovering from the shock of witnessing the interaction Isabel just had with Decker, especially the way she had snapped at him with such vehemence.

She turned to Isabel and could not stop herself from asking, "Isabel, isn't he Decker Rockwell, the one from Southboro?" ‘That's him," Isabel said calmly.

Liz shuffled in her seat uncomfortably before remarking, "He looked quite angry just now."

Was Isabel not afraid of upsetting the wrong person? This was her career at stake!

Decker was an elite of the elites. Even most of the bosses she knew personally would have to bow over ninety degrees in front of someone like him.

"| know." Isabel smiled candidly. "Don't worry. He can't do anything to me."

Liz managed to calm down as well when she saw how confidently Isabel smiled.

Isabel was not a fool. She must have a card up her sleeve if she had the guts to tell Decker off so boldly. She wondered just what gave Isabel the audacity to do

something like that. Perhaps she had someone more powerful backing her.

She decided to not probe for more information since this was a private matter. Still, she had to address her curiosity somehow. "Do you know him?”

Isabel's eyes darkened briefly, and she gave a short and blunt answer, "He wanted to sleep with me, and | said no." "Oh, | see." Isabel took Liz to the same restaurant where she had taken Director Max and Director Marcus.

During Liz's spare time, she would frequent the famous restaurants in town and post about them on her blog. It was more or less. her passion project.

Isabel ordered all of the specialty dishes and some fruit wine.

Liz had nothing but praise once she had a taste of the food. It was only after she finished the food that she realized that she had completely forgotten to film at all because of how delicious the food was.

No loss to her though since she had a heavenly meal.

Isabel had a little bit of wine to drink and was in a jovial mood as well.

After she paid the bill, they parted ways. Isabel went back to her car and had the driver send her home.

The driver asked, "Miss, are you going back to your place or to the apartment where we picked you up today?"

Isabel glanced at the two bodyguards in the car with her. With them patrolling the area, Decker would not dare mess with her. Still, the sheer thought of being in the general vicinity of Decker repulsed her.

With this in mind, she ordered, ‘Take me back to the place where you picked me up this morning.”

"Alright."

The car picked up speed.

Isabel sat by the window and stared at the view outside.

Just as they were about to arrive at Roland's place, she noticed him walking alone down the sidewalk.