Ch. 2096..2100

Chapter 2096

Chapter 2096 "What's going on then?" Amanda could not make sense of it. Isabel asked warily, "Something wrong?"

"Several contracts got called off out of nowhere. Even the brand endorsements I've managed to land for you got pulled last minute. Some of the roles on other shows | manage to land for you got recast as well.”

Isabel frowned. ’Did they give you an explanation?" ‘They only told me they found a better fit for the role." Amanda asked again, "Are you sure you haven't upset anyone lately?” "No.-

Decker was the only one who came to mind, but she doubted he had enough degree of influence in the entertainment industry to terminate all of her ongoing contracts.

Amanda stated briskly, "Never mind, focus on the shooting. I'll dig up more information." "Sure."

Isabel hung up but was still feeling restless.

Who was targeting her this time?

She racked her brains and thought long and hard but could not figure it out.

Just as she was considering enlisting someone to help her investigate, she heard a knock on the door, swiftly followed by Carla's voice, "Isabel, someone is asking to see you. He says he's the assistant of a certain Miss Houston from Southboro and is here to pass on a message to you."

Clarice Houston? Isabel's expression tightened. "Be right there." Soon, she arrived at the cafe located on the first floor of the hotel and saw a young man dressed in a suit.

The young man smiled when he saw Isabel but remained seated on the chair. He had the same high and mighty attitude that reminded Isabel of Clarice.

She went up to him, then she pulled out a chair and sat without needing to be invited to. She asked rather snappily, "What message does Clarice want you to pass on to me?"

The young man seemed rather taken aback by the arrogant demeanor of this lady who not only display the barest hint of respect for him but also disrespected his boss by calling her by her first name. It looked like she cared little for the status of Miss Houston.

His expression was icy and even confrontational. He started, Miss Ross, I'm sure you've spoken to your manager." Isabel's eyes gleamed with ice. "Was it Clarice targeting me?"

The assistant chuckled. "Miss Houston did not mean to ruin you, at least, not yet. She was only trying to send a message, the message being that she can destroy your career with the snap of her fingers."

Isabel scoffed dismissively and said crossly, "| already explained everything clearly to her last time. | have nothing to do with her fiance, so why is she still doing this?"

The Houstons might not be as wealthy as the Rockwells, but they were more synonymous with the name of the city and were more influential overall. It was certainly plausible that Clarice could ruin Isabel's career with the help of her parents if she called for it.

The problem was that she had already laid out everything clearly to Clarice. Even if Clarice was upset by the truth, was there a point in doing all this just to send a message?

Clarice's assistant stared Isabel down haughtily. ’| don’t know the details, but | know that Miss Houston has had enough of seeing someone like you going around as a public figure. She wants you to disappear from the mainstream public for good.”

What? Clarice wanted her to stop being a public figure and pull away from the mainstream media?

What was this if not a blatant attempt to get rid of her?

Isabel scoffed, "She probably doesn't know that the one thing | hate the most is to be threatened. She wants me to disappear? Tell her | said no.”

The assistant seemed astounded by Isabel's boldness. He then continued," This is not a threat. It's only a simple note that I’m passing on. Also, she’s made an offer."

An offer?

Isabel crossed her arms and waited for him to finish.

The assistant seemed slightly irked by how Isabel had not displayed the slightest hint of agitation despite the circumstances. He brushed it aside and stated the offer, "Miss Houston says that if you would relocate overseas, she will send you a healthy sum of money, enough for you to retire into a life of comfort and luxury.”

Isabel scowled. "How much are we talking about? More than what | make now?"

The assistant nearly choked.

Isabel sneered mockingly, "Look at you pinching pennies. How dare you threaten me with that sort of attitude?" The assistant's complexion turned pale.

Isabel had had enough of this conversation. She shot up from the chair and walked away.

The assistant shouted after her in one last attempt to reclaim his position, ” Isabel, if you don't agree to these terms, not only will your career be destroyed, but you won't even get a single penny!"

Isabel walked out of the cafe without bothering to respond to him.

Carla was waiting for her outside. When she saw Isabel, she hurried forward and asked nervously, "What was it about? What kind of message did Miss Houston ask her assistant to pass on to you?"

Isabel hissed, "Complete nonsense."

 

Chapter 2097

Chapter 2097 Carla did not know how to respond. After a brief hesitation, she asked cautiously, "You look like you're in a bad mood. Did he say something that upset you?”

Isabel's expression softened a little, and she assured Clara, "It’s fine. I’m going to get some rest, and you should catch up on some rest too.”

Carla knew her better than to probe Isabel and promptly let her be.

Isabel returned to her room after that. Her phone rang the moment she stepped into the room.

It was Roland calling her.

She eagerly answered the phone, "Hey, why the sudden call? Did anything happen?"

"| sent you several texts just now, but you haven't replied." After a pause, he asked, "Where did you go just now?" Isabel told him with a sigh, 'l had to see someone.”

"The person who has been targeting you for some reason?”

“How did you know about that?" she asked in a startled voice. "It was Clarice's assistant. She sent him here to deliver a message."

Roland did not sound surprised. "So, it's her.”

Isabel asked curiously, "Didn't you know?"

"No, | only know that someone has been trying to ruin you, but | didn't know who.”

“Who told you that?"

"| have some connections in the entertainment circle, and they were the ones who told me." "Oh."

After a brief silence, Roland spoke up, "Leave this to me. I'll take care of it."

Isabel hesitated for a moment before raising her concerns, "Clarice is probably doing this with her parents’ help. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Yes." His voice filled Isabel with a sense of safety and was very reassuring. She smiled and felt at ease. "Okay.”

She was still hesitant about asking her father or brother for help. Since Roland was going to offer to help, that meant she did not have to resort to calling her family.

However, there was still a certain issue, so she made sure to add quite bluntly, ‘Roland, it’s okay if you can’t handle it. It’s fine." Roland did not respond to this and casually brushed it off. "It’s getting late. Go take a shower and sleep."

They had barely exchanged a handful of sentences, and he was hanging up already.

Isabel grimaced faintly, then she went into the bathroom.

In the president's office in Carter Tower, Westchester, a man dressed in a handsome suit paired with polished leather shoes was seated at a large office desk. He sat up straight with his back against the chair and was staring at his phone. The wallpaper was a picture of Isabel.

He stared at the screen pensively for a while before heading to his contacts, then he made a call to someone in Southboro. After a few rings, the call was connected.

The person on the other end of the phone spoke in a very polite and formal voice, "Sir, did you need something?"

"Contact Solar Entertainment for me and tell them that | can help them with their current financial situation."

"Solar Entertainment is one of the entertainment firms in the city with a lot of history. They1 re facing all sorts of internal and external problems right now. I'm sure you are more than capable of helping them, but is there any need for that? | doubt they can repay you even if you help them."

"| don’t want or need money from them. | just need a favor from them." "What do you need from them?” Tell them that Isabel Ross is off limits."

Even with the heaps of problems Solar Entertainment was currently dealing with, their influence in the industry was still very notable. No matter the circumstances, they were still one of the big shots in the industry. If they put the word out that Isabel was untouchable, anyone in their right mind would heed their call and leave her alone as well.

There was a chance that it was the Houstons who approached them in the first place and told them to lock Isabel out. Helping Solar Entertainment out of its crisis was beyond the Houstons' ability. The most they could do was provide some financial support to smooth out some minor issues.

Solar Entertainment should be wise enough to identify which was the best stance to take. They could either settle with the minuscule help the Houstons could offer them or take the wiser choice that could lift them out of their crisis.

 

Chapter 2098

In Glanchester, Isabel had just come out of the shower and thrown herself on the bed. She thought about calling Amanda to tell her to not worry, but Amanda was the one who called her instead.

Before Isabel could get a word out, Amanda announced the good news in a jubilant voice, "Isabel, everything is fine now! The companies got back to me and says that they intend to proceed with our initial deal. The directors who told me that they wanted to recast you changed their minds and got back to me as well. Also, guess what? The famous director, Manson

Heathrow, says he plans to cast you in a major role in his upcoming film!"

Isabel was delighted to hear this. "Already?"

Amanda was confused by this reaction of hers. "What do you mean ‘already

Isabel was still reeling in shock. "Oh, nothing. Good to know that everything has been taken care of."

“Alright, enough talk for now. I'll talk to Director Manson for you and get back to you once | have more information from him." "Sure."

With that, Amanda hung up.

Isabel stared at her phone in complete disbelief. It had only been half an hour. How did Roland manage to resolve everything so quickly?

How did he pull it off?

Carter Corporation was not involved with the entertainment industry, so she doubted he could wield so much influence even with the Carter

Corporation name.

She looked at the time. It was almost eleven.

She texted Roland, "Roland, are you resting right now?"

After a while, her phone vibrated, Roland texted her back, "Not yet." That was her cue to immediately give him a video call.

He accepted the video call within seconds.

His familiar, handsome face immediately popped up on the screen. His broad shoulders and defined collarbones immediately caught Isabel’s attention and made her drool.

She felt herself growing aroused, and even her eyes began to sparkle. She tried to conceal the excitement in her voice, "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?”

Roland's ears grew red as he spoke nonchalantly, "| was just about to take a shower." ‘Alright then’, Isabel thought. It was a particularly grueling experience for her since she could only stare at him in all his glory but could not touch him.

She directed her attention back to his face and said with a bright smile," Amanda just called me and told me that we got all the contracts back.”

Roland smiled faintly. "Yeah."

It was quite apparent that he already knew about this.

Isabel smiled tenderly and thanked him. "Thank you, Roland.”

"You're welcome." He smiled as well.

Isabel had to ask if at least just to quell her curiosity, "How did you pull it off?”

"| asked an acquaintance to help me," he said, sparing the details.

He made it sound very simple, but Isabel suspected a lot more went on behind the scenes.

It was no surprise to her that her father had chosen Roland as the acting president of Carter Corporation a year ago. His astonishing efficiency was a testament to his abilities.

She rested her chin on top of her hands and praised him effusively, "You're amazing."

Roland smiled radiantly. He stared at Isabel's face with a transfixed look in his eyes. The bulb on his throat rolled up and down as he gulped. It took him a while before he mentioned, "It's Friday tomorrow."

He could visit her again after he wrapped up his work.

Isabel only needed to look at his reddened ears to tell what he had in mind.

Her cheeks became flushed with red as well, and she said quite coquettishly, "HI wait for you."

"Sure."

In the presidential suite on the top floor of Westchester Hotel, Decker had not returned from his supposed business meeting. Still dressed in a dressing gown, Clarice crawled out of bed. She approached the window with her phone and made a call.

She had received a call from her family only moments ago, and they had told her that they could not do anything against Isabel now.

Everything was proceeding as planned just now, so what was with the sudden development? She needed more details than that!

The moment the call was connected, she asked her assistant snappily," What did Solar Entertainment tell you? Why aren't they locking Isabel out?”

Chapter 2099

Clarice's assistant informed her fearfully, "Miss, | had to call them several times just now until they finally picked up. They mentioned that Isabel is one of the most famous actresses currently and is not involved in any controversial scandals. All this added to the fact that she is currently working with them makes it hard for them to do anything to her. She's untouchable."

"Don't they have enough actors signed to them? What's the difference one common actress going to make?!" "That’s what | was told. | don't know any more specific details beyond this."

“idiot!” Clarice cursed mightily and hung up.

There must be more to this!

Her family was royalty in Southboro, and even Solar Entertainment had given their word initially. Some other party must have interjected to result in this sudden turn of events.

Who could this outside party be?

She thought with her brows furrowed.

After a while, her eyes blazed as she had a suspect in her mind.

Roland!

He was Isabel's boyfriend and the president of Carter Corporation.

He must have leveraged Carter Corporation’s significant status to strike a deal with Solar Entertainment to help Isabel!

With this in mind, she planned to contact her assistant again. She wanted her assistant to continue to liaise with Solar Entertainment.

While she was turning around to look for her phone, she noticed Decker standing by the door. He wore a grave expression on his face, and a deep frown was written across his brows.

Clarice looked at him blankly. "Decker?" Decker’s demeanor was grim while he approached her ominously. "Clarice, why have you been targeting Isabel?” Although Clarice shuddered briefly, she held her ground and told him, "No reason. | just don’t like her. That's all."

Decker went up to her and gently caressed her cheeks as he spoke softly and tenderly, "You're the daughter of the Houstons. You are a royal while she’s just a common actress, so what is it about her that bothers you so much?"

Clarice avoided his gaze. "Just like you said, she’s just a common actress, so what if something happens to her?" Decker continued to regard her with cautious affection. "It because of me?" Clarice frowned and was hesitant to reply.

Decker looked deeply into her eyes. "1 admit that | had a short fling with her before | met you. | came to Westchester because | invested in a TV show that she starred in, and | met her twice since, but everything that happened between her and me is history. She has a boyfriend now and | have you. There is absolutely nothing that can happen between me and her."

Clarice was startled by his honesty, and she turned to look at him. She sensed the sincerity in his voice but had to ask again, "Decker, do you truly no longer have feelings for her?"

"You silly girl." Decker said dotingly, "| haven't seen her for more than five years. How could | possibly still care for her?" Clarice breathed a sigh of relief. That was true. If he still pined for her, he would have approached her a long time ago.

Clarice threw herself into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist. She whimpered apologetically, "Decker, | was wrong about you.”

Decker gently patted her head. "It’s my fault. You only did this because you don't feel assured about my affection for you."

As he said this, he was looking out at the window, and there was a vacuum of darkness within his eyes. He did not expect Clarice to find out about his affection for Isabel.

Clarice had exercised her family's influence to ruin Isabel, but her efforts were still in vain. This meant that Roland must have stepped in. After all, he had the advantage of having a position in Carter Corporation now. As long as Roland was with Carter Corporation, he would not be able to sink his claws into Isabel.

Furthermore, there was always the possibility that Roland would exercise his power one of these days to take back what was his in Southboro.

The mere thought of it filled Decker with worry, and his expression grew morose. The next day, in Glanchester, around evening, the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse, and rain began pouring. Isabel finished her scenes for the day earlier than usual and returned to the hotel.

Since Roland was coming over today, she promptly hopped into a shower the moment she returned to the hotel. Then, she put on a nice red dress that accentuated her perfect waistline. She perched by the window and stared expectantly at the junction outside the hotel.

The clock ticked slowly.

It was getting darker outside, and the rain was getting heavier.

She sat until her buttocks were sore from sitting, yet there was still no sign of Roland.

Was he held up by something at work?

Just as she was considering sending him a text to ask if he was coming, she recognized his car pulling up at the junction.

Her eyes lit up as she got to her feet and sprang out of the room.

 

Chapter 2100

Isabel ran out of the hotel just as Roland parked in front of the entrance.

Drops of rain pattered endlessly against the ground.

Isabel shielded the top of her head with her palms and jogged toward Roland's car.

The door was promptly flung open, and out came the tall, striking figure of the man she had been waiting for. He emerged with an umbrella in hand. He was just about to open it when Isabel sprang in front of him.

He habitually put his arms around her. Isabel looked up at him. 'What took you so long?’

Her face was washed with rain. She could barely keep her eyes open. Although there was a stern, questioning tone in her voice, there was also a clear tint of joy underneath.

Roland grimaced faintly. He opened the umbrella and held it over Isabel to shield her from the rain, then he told her, "Something came up and took up my time.”

Something came up?

“What happened?" she asked hastily while looking at him worriedly.

"It’s fine, it's just-" He seemed hesitant to tell her as if he was too shy to say it.

"What's the matter?" Isabel was growing agitated.

Roland took a breath, then he took her hand and walked her to the back of the car. He opened the trunk.

As soon as the trunk was lifted, the sweet fragrance of flowers poured into Isabel's nose. She was greeted by the sight of the trunk almost packed to the brim with bright red roses.

The roses were neatly arranged together, and they looked especially beautiful with the streetlights illuminating them from above, enhancing the bright red luster of the petals.

There was a heart-shaped box placed in the middle of the bed of roses, and written on the face of the box was a line of text in bold print: For Isabel.

Isabel smiled instinctively the moment she saw the surprise.

Roland was looking at her expectantly to note her reaction. Upon seeing her smile, he seemed relieved and asked, "Do you like them?’

"| love them." Although it was a little cheesy, she still appreciated the romantic gesture. She pointed to the box and asked, "What's inside there?"

Roland bent over and took the box in hand before handing it over to her." It's a gift for you.” He even got her a gift?

She was admittedly surprised by the gesture. He would usually bring her food made by her mother, but this was the first time he brought her a gift.

She opened the box excitedly and revealed its contents. Inside the box were all sorts of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, all of them made by a premium jewelry brand.

There was yet another small box right in the middle. "What's inside this box then?" she asked again. Roland's ears grew red, and he gestured. "You'll know when you open it."

Isabel opened the box and saw a toy sculpture of two figures locked in an embrace. Upon closer inspection, the figure seemed to be modeled after her and Roland.

She grinned and had to stifle the urge to laugh. ‘Is this us?"

Roland nodded. "Yeah."

He looked at her face and asked uncertainly, "Do you like it?"

"| like it!" Isabel asked him teasingly, "What made you decide on getting this?"

Roland hesitated briefly before answering, "The storekeeper told me that girls love gifts like these."

Isabel almost broke out laughing. Girls may like it, but she was well past the age of wanting gifts like these!

This man had next to zero experience in preparing gifts for a girl! It must have taken a lot of effort for him to come up with the idea of surprising her with a trunk full of roses along with these gifts.

Isabel smiled brightly. She stood on her tiptoes and hooked her arms around his neck to get a closer look at him. "I love it. Thank you for the surprise."

Roland was glad to hear this, and he beamed with joy. "I'm glad you like it." He was very handsome when he beamed with that genuine smile of his. Isabel could not resist the urge to kiss him right there in public.

He seemed shocked by this, then he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and pulled her in closer.