Chapter 150

Silence enveloped the car, and the atmosphere grew heavy. Isabella moistened her lips. Her voice emerged, husky from her parched throat. “No.”

Seth anticipated her response. He warmed up slightly, and he brushed his fingers across the steering wheel. “I observed your performance throughout the entire time you were in the conference room.”

Isabella felt a tremor in her soul. She tried to recall everything she had said that afternoon. All the things she had said just to spite Angelina now became her own punishment, biting her in the rear.

“I had no idea you were so… ambitious,” Seth continued mercilessly.

Isabella closed her eyes and opened her mouth, but she couldn’t utter a word. She didn’t even need to watch the surveillance footage to know that she had put on a perfect act for Angelina, and everything she had said was ambitious.

Seth pulled over by the roadside and listed out all of Isabella’s actions, tormenting her. “Your resignation and refusal to continue your contract were just a ploy to gain my attention?” He rolled down the window and leisurely rested his hand on the edge. With his other hand, he opened the glovebox and retrieved a packet of cigarettes.

Isabella remained lying on the seat. She could hear Seth smoking, and she could imagine what he looked like. She said nothing, but she felt as if the heat of the cigarette smoke was scorching her skin, burning her. She felt like a young girl who had a crush on a boy, only for her crush to find out about her feelings and reject her.

It felt as if he was saying, “Sorry, we’re not a good match.”

Even though Isabella was tough, she still couldn’t easily resolve this awkward situation. If she told him she had said those things on purpose as a ploy, it 5 3 8 would sound too much like an excuse. No one would believe that, let alone Seth.

Isabella raised her hand and wiped her face while Seth wasn’t looking. She forced herself to calm down. You have nothing to be afraid of. You’ve seen worse. After that pep talk to herself, Isabella slowly got up from her seat. Seth looked into the rear-view mirror and met her gaze.

Isabella said, “Any woman would kill to be the wife of the company president.”

The president’s wife… Seth frowned, something stirring in his heart. He replayed the scene he had witnessed in the afternoon and confirmed that the conversation explicitly stated Isabella wanted to be Mrs. Shaffer, not just the president’s wife.

“I stayed by your side for five years and tended to your needs every day. I did everything you told me to and never left you. Even if you were an ordinary man, it would be hard for me not to fall for you.” Isabella tried to be reasonable and praised Seth to stroke his ego.

Smoke swirled around in the driver’s seat. Some light passed through it, but Seth didn’t appear relaxed. Isabella tried to guess what he was thinking, but all she saw was the back of his head. She could only rely on her intuition. “I wasn’t playing hard to get. Sometimes my mind snaps out of it, you know.”

Isabella ruffled her hair, speaking calmly. “You’re not going to marry me anyway, so why are you holding me back?”

Everything else was fake, but the last part was true. Maybe she had some emotions invested in it, so it sounded genuine. Seth was already annoyed by her little schemes, and after she said the last part of that sentence, he was reminded of what Gordon had said in the morning. That idiot wants to marry Isabella. “You don’t want me to hold you back because you think you have better opportunities out there?” Seth tossed his cigarette away and slightly turned his face away, hiding his head in the darkness, which made him appear more intimidating.

Isabella tried to decipher his meaning and come up with a good enough answer.

Seth noticed her contemplation, and he knew what she was thinking. He scoffed. “I can give you a hint.”

Analysis failed. Isabella was on guard. Seth smirked.

“Gordon wants to marry you.”

Isabella thought she misheard him. “What?”

Seth repeated himself, this time emphasizing every single word, “Gordon.

Wants. To. Marry. You.”

Isabella took a deep breath and placed her hands on her lap, ready to confront him. She stared at Seth for a while. “I see.”

That reaction was too calm. Seth felt like he didn’t receive the response he desired, and his mood worsened. He turned back around, his back facing Isabella. Sarcastically, he said, “You may not become the wife of a company president, but you can become the daughter-in-law of another company president.”

Isabella had discarded all her shame. She boldly said, “If I have a wedding, please come.”

D