Under His Protection

Chapter Ten: A Hundred Bucks for a Bite

“Here are your wallet and phone,” Vincent handed them to her.

“Wow, that was quick!” Isabella exclaimed, sitting up excitedly to take the bag. She immediately pulled out her phone.

Vincent watched her swift movements, a hint of disapproval in his eyes. But seeing Isabella so happy, he didn’t say anything, simply walking away to help her pack her luggage.

Isabella had gone almost the entire day without her phone, which for a modern young person was unimaginable.

Knowing she had to attend a banquet, Isabella had put her phone on silent beforehand. Now, as she checked her phone, she was taken aback.

It was filled with missed calls and messages.

Mostly from Randall, and even Timothy had called once.

After breaking off the engagement, she had considered blocking Timothy, but then she thought, given Timothy’s personality, he wouldn’t actively contact her, so blocking him or not didn’t make much difference.

But she never expected him to call her?

Isabella chuckled and promptly blocked Timothy.

After blocking him, she was about to call Randall back, but before she could dial, Audrey’s call came in.

“Isabella, your little brother just showed up at the company, all fired up. I don’t know what’s going on, but he looks like he’s ready to pick a fight. You better call and find out.”

Isabella, having received a call from Timothy against all odds, had a pretty good idea of what was happening.

It seemed Randall had found out about her and Timothy breaking off the engagement.

Isabella was troubled. She had always treated Randall like a child and didn’t want him involved in these messy affairs of the Casey family.

“Being a good person is hard,” Isabella sighed in frustration.

Vincent, who was quietly packing her luggage, remarked, “…”

Isabella decided to call Randall back from somewhere else. She didn’t want Vincent to know about the Casey family’s troubles.

Little did she know, thanks to a temperamental best friend, Vincent had known about the Casey family’s affairs for a while.

She lifted the blanket to get out of bed.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Vincent noticed and inquired, “Are you getting up? Hungry?”

Isabella shook her head. “No, I’m just going out to make a call.”

Vincent frowned. He understood Isabella’s lack of complete trust in him now, but understanding aside, it still made him uneasy.

“No need to go out, just make the call here. I’ll go check if the congee is ready in the kitchen.”

Vincent left, closing the door behind him.

Since that was the case, Isabella was relieved not to move. She sat back against the headboard, took a deep breath, and dialed Randall’s number.

“Isabella, sis…”

As soon as the call connected, Randall’s voice came through, full of grievance.

Isabella rubbed her nose, quickly comforting him, then asked about Randall’s life abroad, leading him into some small talk. She hoped he wouldn’t ask about the matter, but that seemed unlikely.

She only paused for a second to think of a topic, but Randall was already asking, “Isabella, sis, has the Casey family been teaming up with Timothy to bully you again lately?”

Isabella sighed inwardly. As she had expected, he only knew the result but not the reason.

“No,” Isabella tried to make her tone sound casual, “I haven’t been back, how could they bully me?”

“Why did Timothy suddenly break off the engagement with you? It was arranged by the elders since childhood. What right does he have to just cancel it?” Randall’s tone was urgent, mixed with anger. Isabella could almost imagine him being furious on the other end of the line. Randall had always been this way, sincere and passionate.

“Don’t be upset,” Isabella comforted him, then hesitated for a second before slowly continuing, “Randall, it’s not just him wanting to break off the engagement, I wanted to as well.”

Randall fell silent, only to ask after a while, “Why?”

Isabella said, “This engagement was a constraint for both him and me. Timothy dislikes me, and I can’t stand his temper. It’s pointless to continue like this, and… I don’t want to be stuck in the quagmire of the Casey family, unable to see a future. I want a different life.”

Randall didn’t speak, just listened in silence.

Isabella went on, “A life without Angel, without the Casey family, and without Timothy. Breaking off the engagement is a fresh start for me.”

Randall had originally wanted to ask her about the reason for breaking off the engagement, but upon hearing Isabella’s words, he suddenly felt that there was no need to ask.

Randall remained silent for a moment, then solemnly said, “I understand, sis. As long as you’re happy, no matter what, I’ll support you. Even without the engagement with Timothy, you’re still my sister.”

Isabella breathed a sigh of relief at his words, then smiled, “I’ve always been your sister. What does it have to do with Timothy?”

Randall also smiled, his mood brightening instantly after a day of frustration.

“Yeah, it has nothing to do with Timothy. Isabella, sis, I’m back in the country. We haven’t seen each other for so long. How about we meet tomorrow? I’ll treat you to a big meal. Hot pot, do you like it? During my time abroad, that’s all I’ve been craving.”

At the mention of hot pot, Isabella couldn’t help but think of the spicy red oil, licking her lips involuntarily.

Lately, she had been feeling nauseous, thinking it was because of a stomach problem. In order to take care of her stomach, she had been eating very lightly, but in fact, she had been craving rich food for a long time.

But… could she eat it?

Isabella wasn’t sure, so she told Randall they’d see about it tomorrow.

Vincent calculated the time, thinking they should be done soon. He then brought a bowl of congee.

Isabella had been craving hot pot at the moment, despite seeing the colorless white congee, she suddenly lost her appetite.

Seeing her like this, Vincent thought she might still be feeling unwell in her stomach, so he suggested, “Just have a little, you shouldn’t starve yourself now.”

Isabella nodded, taking the bowl, but she didn’t touch it for a while.

Observing her, Vincent thought for a moment before saying, “How about this, you take one bite, and I’ll give you a hundred bucks. Deal?”

Isabella stared at him as if he were a strange creature, not understanding his approach.

Vincent remained calm, “I want to keep our baby, which caused you to lose your appetite. I have a responsibility to make sure you eat properly, right?”

Isabella took a deep breath, feeling inexplicably irritated by Vincent’s tone.