Chapter 5: Between a Rock and a Hard place

She smiled sweetly, "Well...husband, a man like you is loved by all women."

"Is that so?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow, his gaze piercing as he drew closer, "So, have you fallen in love with me?"

How could she answer this?

To say "I love you" would be too insincere, and he wouldn't believe it anyway.

To say "I don't love you" would make him angry. Men are truly difficult to please, thought Isabella.

Just as Isabella was caught between a rock and a hard place, the car window was suddenly tapped several times.

Sebastian raised his head unhappily to see, his voice cold and reproachful, "What are you doing here?"

Outside the car stood a young and fashionable girl with chestnut-colored hair, fair skin like snow, and a sickly sweet smile on her face. She took off her sunglasses and rested them on her nose, her entire face exuding the word "gossip."

This girl...was known nationwide.

A top-tier female celebrity, named Amber.

Amber Lawrence, Sebastian Lawrence, they both share the same last name it finally dawned on Isabella.

Isabella suddenly thought of something and was about to speak, but Amber beat her to it, "Brother, you're actually with a woman??"

Sebastian's expression grew even darker, "Do you have something important to say?"

"Not really, I saw your license plate number and came over to say hello. I didn't expect there to be someone else in the car," Amber looked meaningfully at Isabella and blinked, "Hello."

"Um...hello." was Isabella’s awkward reply.

"My brother, although he's a bit dumb, cold, and lacking in romance, is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime good man, very disciplined in his private life. You, on the other hand, are the first woman I've seen in his car! He's very clean and never..."

Sebastian interrupted her, "Are you done talking?"

Amber playfully stuck out her tongue, "Brother, you're scaring this young lady."

"Don't call her 'young lady,'" he corrected her, "Call her my sister-in-law."

Amber's sunglasses slid off her nose, her facial expression reaching an extreme level of exaggeration, as if she had just heard something unbelievable.

"Sis-in-law??"

The fact that a woman was in her brother's car had already made her take notice, igniting her gossip-loving heart. But now, the bombshell had been dropped: her brother had personally told her that this woman was her sister-in-law!!

Isabella awkwardly waved her hand, "Hi..."

Amber wanted to say something more, but the car window was already slowly closing.

She kept tapping the window, saying something, but she was completely cut off.

"She's your sister," Isabella finally uttered the words.

"Ah?" Isabella asked, "My dear sister?"

"Yes." Was the somewhat cold reply.

"But treating her like this...it's not very nice, is it?"

"Ignore her," Sebastian glanced at her knee, "Do you still need the medicine?"

Isabella attempted to take the potion herself, "I can handle it."

"Don't move," he lightly touched her thigh with his calloused fingers, "Move to Willow-brook Estate tonight." His words almost commanding.

Pausing, he asked again, "Do you need help?"

Isabella hesitated before asking "Can I move tomorrow night?"

Sebastian asked concisely, "Reason?"

"I have to take care of my grandmother and keep her company tonight," Isabella said, "I haven't spent time with her for several days because we needed money for her medical expenses."

He nodded faintly, "Alright."

If Sebastian wants her to be good to a woman, she must fulfill her duties. Besides it's unlikely that anyone can escape his grasp.

But she definitely can't, this marriage to him may be just a game or a piece of paper but to Isabella, it is her only refuge.

"Have you seen enough?" Sebastian met her gaze, a slight smirk on his lips, "Mrs. Lawrence, do not easily fall in love with me."

Isabella asked out of the blue, "Why?"

"Women are troublesome and I, the most detest troublesomeness in life."

Arriving at the Hospital.

Isabella sat by her grandmother's sickbed side , still recalling Sebastian's words, as she watched her grandmother sleep.

Since he dislikes troublesomeness so much, why did he choose her, who is the epitome of trouble?

There was a knock on the door of the hospital room, bringing Isabella back to reality. "Come in, the door isn't locked."

Their eyes met, and Isabella's pupils contracted suddenly.

"Isabella," Marcus looked at her, "I've come."

Oh, her nominal fiancé ,the Young Master of the Cooper family, Marcus.

Isabella quickly regained her composure. "Mr. Cooper, what brings you to the hospital so late?"

Marcus walked in and took out a bank card from his suit pocket. "There are 600,000 dollars in here."

She didn't accept it.

Marcus directly handed it to her, but Isabella didn't grasp it, and the thin card fell onto the floor.

"Isabella, don't be so temperamental." Marcus said indifferently.

"Mr. Cooper," Isabella said kindly, "when I knelt in front of your house, drenched in the pouring rain, begging your family for mercy and to lend me this money, why didn't you appear then?"

Marcus frowned. "Are you angry with me?"

"No," she replied.

Marcus was about to breathe a sigh of relief but then heard her say, "It's not worth it."

"Isabella, my father didn't agree to assist the Wallace family and he still has the final say in our family. At that time, I couldn't give you the money. That's why I'm personally delivering it now."

Isabella was almost laughing in anger.

"Assist? When Cooper family wanted to climb up social ranks with me, why didn't you mention benefiting from it? Should I not be overwhelmed with gratitude for your act of taking a risk and being discovered by your family for giving me money?"

"We were indeed wrong in handling this matter, and I apologize," Marcus said. "I'll find a way to make it up to you."

"No need," Isabella looked at him. "Because I don't need this money either."

Marcus's face changed slightly. "Isabella, where did you get the money?"

"That's not something Mr. Cooper needs to worry about."

After Isabella finished speaking, she pointed to the door, clearly indicating that he should leave.

However, Marcus remained motionless in his spot. "You still resent me, Isabella."

"I don't resent you."

"No need to lie to me."

"I'm serious," Isabella said. "I just can't believe that I, amidst all the young masters and gentlemen in New York, chose a useless and unreliable man who only knows how to retreat when it matters."

Marcus didn't get angry, but simply said, "Isabella, someday, I think you will understand the difficulties I face now."

"From now on, there is no more connection," Isabella said. "We don't need to see each other again."

Marcus's hand clenched suddenly, and he questioned again, saying, "Who on earth gave you this money? How did you get it?"

"No matter whether I stole or borrowed, it's none of your business, is it Mr. Cooper?”

He was greatly shocked and couldn't believe it, saying, "bella"

"I have a full name," she wearily closed her eyes, "Please leave, and close the door behind you."

She hadn't turned around yet, but her wrist was caught by Marcus. Isabella immediately struggled, but he tightened his grip even more. Unfortunately, at this moment, the old lady on the sickbed made a faint sound, saying,

"Isabella... My Isabella..."

"Grandma!"

"Cough...cough...water..."

"Alright, I'll come right away."

Isabella angrily said, "Marcus, don't make me look down on you!"

She pried open his fingers one by one, but he clenched them again and again.

In the midst of this entanglement, footsteps suddenly came from the door. Then a crisp slap resounded in the ward coming from Marcus’s direction, the impact directly hitting Marcus's face.