Ch. 2071..2075

Chapter 2071

Chapter 2071 Just as she was about to put away her phone, she got a call from Isabella's manager. She was surprised to see her calling so soon, then she promptly answered the call.

Isabella's manager sounded jumpy on the phone. "Hey, Amanda, you and | go way back, don't we? Do you think you can get whoever it is to pull the video from the internet and have Isabel post a statement or something of that sort, clarifying that this entire thing has been nothing more than an inside joke between the two of them? If you're willing to help us make things right for Isabella, we promise to give you anything you want."

Amanda scoffed condescendingly.

What stood out to her most was the way Isabella's manager's tone switched so drastically now that the surveillance footage had surfaced.

She only gave it a brief moment's thought before stating, "| can’t make the call myself. You and | know what Isabel’s temper is like. She didn’t even know about me calling you to ask for your help just now. She'd be furious if she found out that it happened at all.”

“Amanda, | admit that we were in the wrong back then. | already gave Isabella a stern talking-to just now and got her to promise that she will make sure to stop causing trouble in the future. She won't bother Isabel anymore from here on. Could you be so gracious and forgive us this one time? Help us out, please?"

For what it was worth, Amanda could sense her sincerity along with desperation. She sighed tiredly and stated frankly, 'l get that you're very desperate now, but it's not my call to make. I'll have to ask what Isabel thinks about this.”

"Okay, could you get in touch with her as soon as possible? Tell her that as long as she is willing to forgive Isabella and help her out, we will give her anything she wants.”

"Sure, but she’s still sleeping, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning.”

"She’s sleeping?" Isabella's manager chuckled dryly with disbelief. "Are you kidding me? How can she even manage to fall asleep with everything that's been going on today?”

"| can't help it if you don't believe me.” Amanda's patience was already at its end, and she promptly hung up after that last statement.

She knew that she and Isabel had never done anything wrong from the very beginning, yet she threw away her dignity and put her reputation on the line to plead for their mercy just now. And what good did that do? Not only did Isabella want Isabel to formally apologize, but she even demanded that Isabel go on a two-year-long hiatus. What was Amanda supposed to make of that except for a blatant attempt to sabotage Isabel's career?

Since the beginning, she already had a sense that Isabel would not have stepped on Isabella’s dress without a reason. Now that the truth was unraveled, she figured Isabella deserved everything she had coming her way!

At Isabella's place, her manager barely had time to call her before she noticed a new post from the fashion house that Isabel modeled for during the fashion show. They had put up an official statement that read, "We are very meticulous with our process and have taken steps to ensure that the dress delivered to Miss Isabel Ross was in perfect condition and ready for the runway. We do not claim responsibility for the dress tearing apart on stage. This scandalous act, which was committed by whoever was responsible, undermined our reputation in the industry, and we take this matter very seriously. We shall be taking legal actions going forward."

Their intention behind this statement could not be any more direct. If Isabella was truly the one behind the incident, they would be taking harsh legal measures against her for damaging their property as well as their reputation.

Isabella's fingers trembled, and the phone nearly slipped out of her hand. Right then, her manager called. She quickly answered the phone and asked frantically, "What did Amanda say? Did she say yes?”

Her manager answered in a very grumpy tone because she must still be stewing in anger after getting hung up on by Amanda just now, "She says she needs to talk to Isabel about it first, but Isabel is sleeping right nowm so we will have to wait until the next morning."

Isabella scowled. ‘That b*tch is toying with us!”

Her manager sighed. "We can't count on them to help us now, that's for sure. | just remembered something. You have connections with Mr.

Rockwell, don’t you? I’m sure he can help you. Do you want to try talking to him?’

After considering for a moment, Isabella replied, "Well, I'll find him right now."

Although it was true that Decker was the only one capable of helping her now, she was not certain of her relationship with him. They never had any physical contact that went beyond intimate cuddling, and they barely even kissed at all. She never could figure out if it was because Decker was not interested in her, or not interested in women altogether.

It seemed he had some feelings for Isabel as well. Then again, he should at least feel obliged to help since he was Isabella's benefactor.

Isabella looked at the time. It was well into midnight at that point, and she wondered if Decker was going to be asleep at this hour.

She tested with a short message. "Mr. Rockwell, are you sleeping?" There was no response from Decker.

She knew she could not afford to wait. The views on that video were slowly increasing with every second that passed, and it was more time for the fashion house to conduct a thorough investigation as well. If she got sued, both she and her company would go under!

She immediately put on the best makeup she had ever done in her entire life and threw on the sexiest lingerie dress in her arsenal, then she rushed towards the hotel where Decker stayed at.

 

Chapter 2072

Chapter 2072 She had an access card to Decker's suite in the hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel, she went straight to Decker's suite using a secret tunnel reserved only for VIPs.

She made sure to take the time to take off her coat and fix the collar around her dress before getting the access card out and swiping it against the sensor panel.

Beep! With a mechanical ring, the door opened. She took a deep breath and stepped inside.

She was just about to make for the master bedroom when she spotted a tall and dazzling figure a short distance from the entrance. The man himself was standing in front of a large French window and beholding the view of the city.

He was dressed in a silver-colored sleeping robe that gave him a dignified appearance underneath the dim lights. Adelighted smile surfaced on Isabella's face. She quickly went up to him and hugged him tightly from behind.

"Mr. Rockwell..." she called out his name in the sultriest voice she could manage. Even she was surprised by how seductive her voice could be at times.

Decker turned around swiftly. He hooked one of his arms around her waist with one hand and lifted her chin to face him with the other hand.

She met the gentle and charming gaze in his eyes. His eyes hovered on her face briefly before slowly nudging down to stare at her exposed cleavage.

Isabella's felt her cheeks reddening slightly. She pressed her body closer against him and made a show of craning her back to better display her figure.

"I've been missing you so much,’ she whispered softly.

Decker smirked. Whether by intention or not, his arm briefly brushed against Isabella's chest. "Are you here just because you missed me?"

Isabella's expression shifted. She put on a darling and vulnerable look. "| do miss you, but | really need your help as well." She threw herself into him and steered Decker's hand directly on top of her chest.

She said while tweaking her waist side to side, "All | did was mess up Isabel’s dress a little by accident, and now they're all saying mean things about me. Even the fashion house is threatening to sue me, so if you don't help me. I'm going to be chased out of the entertainment circle."

“Are you sure it was just an accident?" As Decker said this, his hand slithered up her body and stopped on her neck while he traced the outlines of her collarbone with his fingers.

Isabella continued to glue her body to him, dancing like a serpent around him as she spoke sheepishly, "She humiliated me a few times before this, so | only wanted to teach her a lesson. It's not like | was trying to hurt her.

Please, Mr. Rockwell, you have to help me. Please..."

She was growing bolder now and stood on her tiptoes to draw her lips closer toward the bulb of the Adam's apple on Decker's neck.

Before she could manage to plant a kiss on his neck, she felt his hand tighten around her neck.

Decker grabbed her firmly by the neck and pushed her away. His eyes, which were once gentle and charming, were now filled with a vengeful, ominous glare.

Isabella widened her eyes in fright as she asked fretfully, "Was it something | said that upset you?"

Decker narrowed his eyes filled with contempt.

"Who told you to tamper with her dress? You're trying to sabotage her career, weren't you? Where did you even get the courage from?"

His voice was a thunderous roar.

Isabella was baffled. She had never seen Decker so angry with her before!

Decker had helped her so many times in the past. There were a handful of times when they were together that he directly stated that he liked her more than Isabel!

All she did was cut up Isabel's dress so that she would embarrass herself on stage! Wasn't this what Decker wanted too?

She was puzzled by his reaction. She held his hands that were still firmly wrapped around her neck, her voice quivering as she whimpered, "I'm sorry, | didn't do it on purpose... It was a mistake. I'll never do it again..."

Decker's hate-filled eyes were utterly terrifying, and it seemed like he was going to strangle her to death right then and there. All her alarms went off, and she quickly begged for mercy.

Decker did not seem like he had any intention of letting her go any time soon. His grip around her neck only grew stronger to a point where it seemed like he only had to exert a slight bit more strength to break her neck in half.

Just when Isabella thought that she was going to meet her death here, he freed her at last. Thump! She slammed against the floor with all her weight.

She gasped for air and was too afraid to move. She sat on the ground and cowered into a ball, all while guarding her neck. She turned around and looked at Decker's intimidating figure with fear in her eyes.

 

Chapter 2073

Decker briefly shook his hands that were placed around Isabella's neck only moments ago, and a stoic coolness returned to his eyes.

It was as if everything that happened just now had been nothing but a hallucination. Still, Isabella was terrified. She crawled backward on all fours.

Decker stood stoically and looked at her with a stiff smile hanging by the corner of his eyes. "I'm not going to help you on this one. Deal with it yourself."

Isabella stammered, "Oh... okay.”

Decker calmly arranged the collar of his robe. ’Also, if it's anyone that can plot against Isabel, it's me. If | catch you trying to do something to her again, | promise you that I'll end your acting career before you can even blink your eyes."

Isabella felt a chill run through her body, and she answered in a shaky voice, "1 understand. It will never happen again." "Get out."

Isabella hurriedly pulled herself up from the ground and ran outside.

The door closed with a steady thud.

Alooming silence fell over the suite.

Decker reached for his phone and watched the same video that he had watched countless times already, the video that ultimately proved Isabel's innocence. A heavy frown gradually formed on his brows.

"Isabel, was it Roland who helped you?’

Roland's bed was very comfortable. Isabel slept until ten the next morning before she woke up at last.

The room was very quiet and peaceful, and a tiny trace of sunlight slipped in through the cracks between the curtains. Where did Roland go? Had he gone to work?

Isabel sat up and stretched lazily, then she reached for her phone.

She had turned off her phone before going to bed because she did not want to be disturbed by the endless buzzing. She turned on her phone and was greeted by 99 notifications shown on the display.

Was everyone still angry at her?

How bad could it be? It was already as bad as it could get yesterday.

This certainly piqued her curiosity. Instead of checking her messages, she went to her social feed instead.

She was floored by what she saw.

Why were they turning on Isabella now?

Perhaps she confused the names in her groggy state after having just woken up.

She scrolled down and soon stumbled onto the surveillance footage that decisively put an end to the entire debacle.

After watching the full video and going through the comments, she was beginning to understand what the situation had turned into.

It would appear that the video had shed new light on the matter. Everyone now knew that it was Isabella who tampered with the dress first, which was what prompted Isabel to step on Isabella's dress later.

Isabel was innocent the entire time!

Thump!

Isabel jumped out of bed excitedly and ran out of the room barefoot.

She immediately saw Roland. He was wearing a gray apron and was in the middle of carrying out a tray of food from the kitchen. She cried out ecstatically, "Roland!"

She sprang directly at him without the slightest intention of slowing down.

Roland spread his arms wide open.

Isabel jumped on top of him and wrapped his arms around his neck, she cried out excitedly, "Roland, I’m innocent! They're not angry at me anymore!”

Roland smiled faintly. "Yeah."

He slowly waded to the dining table with Isabel still clung onto him tightly like a koala bear hugging a tree. He gently set the tray of food on the dining table.

Isabel barely noticed what he was doing. Instead, she noted his calm reaction and asked, "Did you know about this?” Roland smiled. 'Yeah."

Isabel grinned as well. "| see." "| wonder who leaked this footage," she mumbled to herself, then she reached for her phone and finally remembered to go through the messages.

 

Chapter 2074

She wanted to know who managed to put together the surveillance footage. Perhaps this was the work of Amanda. Perhaps it was her parents and siblings who pulled through for her.

Her mind was so focused on this that she forgot that she was still clinging to Roland. Roland was holding her hip with one hand to keep her from falling. He stood motionlessly like a sturdy mountain the entire time. Isabel went through her messages.

Everyone was texting her. Amanda, Carla, Triss, and Ramona were congratulating her on finally having her name cleared of any further suspicions. They were all equally curious about the source of this miraculous footage.

This ruled out the possibility that it was the work of any of them.

Flint texted her as well. "| saw the video. Awesome work. No wonder you didn't want us to help you. You had it all under control this entire time."

Isabel frowned suspiciously. By saying this, was he implying that none of her family members had anything to do with the video? She replied with brutal honesty, "I didn't know about the existence of that video either. Are you sure it wasn't Dad or Liam?"

Flint replied shortly after, "No, Dad was just about to pull out all the stops and directly confront Isabella. Liam was going to pressure the media to stop spreading any negative news about you as well. Both of them barely had time to do that when that video suddenly surfaced and changed everything. Huh, | thought you were the one who found someone to pull out the surveillance footage for you."

Isabel frowned. It was neither Amanda, her friends nor any of her family members either, who could it have been? Suddenly, another possibility occurred to her.

Her mind replayed the scene after she left the fashion show last night and saw Roland in the car last night. He had taken her into his arms and comforted her in a reassuring voice, "Don't listen to what the people are saying. | will help you take care of this entire thing. Trust me."

What if... Her expression changed. She set aside her phone and turned her attention to Roland who was holding her in his arms.

She looked at his handsome face and gazed into his eyes which were filled with clarity. She stared intently into them and asked, “Was it you who leaked the video?"

Roland smiled faintly. "Yes."

From the very beginning, he believed that Isabel would not step on Isabella's skirt without a proper reason. He even managed to figure out that Isabella had to be involved with it somehow. Otherwise, he would not have gunned for the surveillance footage and managed to put together such a perfect compilation of the events to prove her innocence.

He was not merely saying empty words to comfort her last night. He meant every last word of it when he said he would take care of things for her.

She felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest. Something consumed her. She threw the phone onto the couch and immediately planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Roland was taken aback for a brief moment. He took back control immediately after that.

By the time they broke away from the lust-filled kiss, they were already on the couch. As he pinned Isabel to the couch, her eyes were vulnerable and her cheeks flushed.

Roland looked at her with hungry eyes, like a beast ready to devour its prey. He teased her in a raspy voice, ‘The food is ready. Don’t you want to eat?"

"No." Isabel grabbed his collar and pulled him in closer as she said in a seductive voice, ‘There’s something else | want to eat right now."

As soon as she finished her sentence, she was muffled by his kiss, swiftly followed by the whole weight of his body pressing against her body.

Several hours later, the couple came out of the bedroom at last. Roland carried Isabel in his arms. He had to carry her because she barely had the strength to walk at this point.

They reached the dining table.

He set her down on the chair and poured her a cup of hot water for her and gestured. "Drink some water first. I'll heat up the food. It'll be done in a minute."

Isabel smiled. "Sure."

He went into the kitchen.

From where she sat, she had a good view of the man working inside the kitchen.

After taking several gulps of refreshing hot water, she glanced in the direction of the kitchen.

He wore a plain white T-shirt and a pair of shorts. She watched enamored at his tall and striking figure. He always had that calm, handsome look on his face that gave the impression of a young man who was unsullied by the evils of the world.

He was skilfully operating inside the kitchen, adeptly carrying different utensils around, flicking this stove and that on. He must have got all his practice in the kitchen after his father's passing.

She stared at him while slumped over at the dining table.

She suddenly found herself fantasizing about what it would be like to spend the rest of her life with Roland, and it sounded like a good life. Immediately after that, she shook herself awake to her senses.

 

Chapter 2075

Chapter 2075 No, she had to get these whimsical thoughts out of her mind.

This was the same thing as what happened with Decker five years ago. She had imagined herself spending the rest of her life until she got stabbed in the back. Decker had gone and got engaged to another woman just so that he could elevate his social status. He had even struck her across the face when she confronted him about it.

However, Roland was nothing like Decker. Not only was he a very competent man, but he was also very considerate and took excellent care of her. Then again, he knew her true identity...

She knew that Roland was not Decker, but her previous trauma was too great to ignore.

She decided to stop worrying about the future and focus on the present. She put her mind off these troublesome thoughts for the moment.

Roland emerged from the kitchen. He neatly set their meal on the dining table and promptly sat down with her. He attentively passed her a plate filled with food and another bowl of soup before picking up the utensils himself.

Isabel stared at the soup oozing hot steam atop it and muttered, "It's hot.” Roland glanced at her, then he picked up the bowl and blew at it to cool it down. Isabel was very direct this time. "| want you to feed me."

Roland asked cautiously, "With my mouth?"

His ears turned red.

Isabel stifled a smile and said, "Yes."

Roland coughed shyly. "We just... I’m not sure you can handle another round.”

Isabel's face grew red-hot as well. She swatted at him and cried out shyly, "What are you thinking about? | just wanted to drink soup, that's all!”

And what was that about how she could not handle anymore?

She was not as fragile as he made her out to be!

Before she could further protest, Roland drank a spoonful of soup and inched toward her, then he planted his lips onto hers. Just like that, she was instantly appeased.

After dinner, Isabel wanted to wash the dishes, but Roland promptly swatted her hand away.

He took the dishes into the kitchen, and she followed him.

He put everything neatly into the dishwasher, but there were some pots that were better suited to be washed by hand instead of with the dishwasher. He tossed them into the sink and bent over the sink, beginning to wash them scrupulously.

She observed his firm, shapely waist, and suddenly felt an itch climbing along her hands. She could not resist the urge anymore, so she succumbed to her desire and hugged him from behind.

He stiffened.

She rested against his back. She found something to say so that Roland would not think that she was hatching perverted ideas again. "You must be very tired."

He continued to wash the dishes while nonchalantly remarking, "Don't worry, I'm fine." She smiled faintly. She could be gullible at times.

She continued hugging him from behind, her hands fondling his muscular chest and stomach through the fabric of the shirt the entire time.

Soon, Roland had finished washing everything and arranged them neatly to dry. He stood up straight.

Isabel was pulled out of her trance and released her grip around him. Unexpectedly, he seized her hands before she could pull away. Then, he turned around.

Isabel looked at him suspiciously and noted a strange glow in his scarlet eyes as he smiled in a way that suggested he was upto something.

She squinted. "What’s on your mind?"

She instinctively backed away.

However, it was too late, he lunged at her and immediately grabbed her by her waist to pull her closer to him. "Where do you think you're going?" he growled.

"Il- Oh, | was just feeling sleepy. | thought it was about time to get some rest."

Roland flashed his iconic handsome smile. "I'm sleepy too. Let's go together.”

"No need-"

She could barely finish her sentence before she was lifted off her feet.

Just like that, he carried her into the bedroom.