Chapter 345
Atticus, being the older brother, got what Orion was saying and nodded.
"You're still Dad's son, no matter what. But seeing you change would definitely make him happy."
Atticus had a lot on his plate, so he patted Orion on the shoulder and handed Isabella over to him.
When Orion approached Isabella, she looked pale, and her lips were colorless from all the grief.
He went to her side. "Isabella, don't cry anymore. Go back to your room and rest, okay?"
Even though the ceremony in the hall was simple, Isabella was only three months pregnant.
She had rushed to the funeral right after waking up from fainting, which would be exhausting for anyone, let alone a pregnant woman.
But Isabella didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay with her grandfather, even if it was just for a little longer.
"Uncle Orion, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."
"How can you say that? Look at you. How can I not worry?"
Seeing Isabella's pale face and tear-streaked eyes, Orion felt her pain deeply.
But Daniel was already gone. If something happened to Isabella now, they wouldn't be able to face Daniel.
Orion, seeing that he couldn't persuade her, said, "Dad always cared about your health the most. Do you think he'd be happy seeing you like this?"
Hearing that, Isabella felt a pang of sorrow.
When she looked up, she was surprised to see that Orion, who usually dressed casually, was now more formally dressed than Atticus.
Daniel had tried countless times to get him to dress properly.
Now, even Orion had matured.
Isabella didn't know what to say, so she just nodded. "I understand."
Cinda quickly stepped forward to support Isabella, who had just stood up, thanked Orion, and helped Isabella to a nearby chair.
After a while, Renee joined them. One sat in a chair, the other in a wheelchair, quietly watching the busy scene not far away.
No one spoke.
Cinda, worried that Isabella might catch a chill, went back to the room to get a blanket to cover her legs and folded a coat to place behind her back for support.
Isabella, being pregnant, needed to be especially careful at a funeral. Any emotional distress could be dangerous.
Seeing Isabella silent, Cinda asked if she wanted something to eat to regain her strength.
Isabella shook her head.
She had no appetite at all. She didn't even want to drink water.
Isabella told Cinda to stop fussing.
She had nothing to do now, so she told Cinda to sit down and rest for a while.
Just then, a woman in a black leather jacket and high-heeled boots appeared in their view.
Isabella was taken aback when she saw her.
"Olivia, what are you doing here?"
Olivia had been busy promoting her new movie and preparing for her new song release. She was swamped.
Isabella hadn't wanted to trouble Olivia with this, so she hadn't called her.
But such a big event couldn't be kept secret. Given Daniel's status in Evergreen City, Olivia had almost frozen in place when she found out.
She had called her family to confirm the funeral's location and time. Otherwise, she would have thought it was just a rumor.
But for such a significant event, her best friend Isabella hadn't told her a thing.
Olivia had urgently asked her manager for time off and rushed over. But when she saw Isabella, all her accumulated anger dissipated.
In such a short time, the usually well-kept Isabella had become pale and thin.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
"Isabella, how could you keep something this big from me? Do you even consider me your best friend?"
The usually fiery Olivia now looked like a pitiful child, staring at Isabella.
Isabella hadn't forgotten her. She just didn't want Olivia to see her like this.
And she hadn't forgotten about Olivia and Atticus.
Having Olivia here now would only make things harder for her.
"You've been so busy lately. I didn't want you to get too tired."
Olivia didn't care about that. No matter how busy she was, she couldn't ignore something like this.
"Don't forget, Daniel was my grandpa too. He used to give me treats when I was little. How could I not come to his funeral?"
She had recently taken on a new movie and was in the middle of a closed shoot. As soon as it ended, her manager had her promoting it.
Her manager also wanted to release a series of new songs to capitalize on the buzz.
She was about to explode from all the work.
When she finally got the news, she realized what Isabella had been through while she was away.
"Isabella, once I finish my current commitments, I won't take on any new projects. I'll take a break. Can I stay with you?"
No one understood Isabella's deep bond with her grandfather better than Olivia.
This was when Isabella needed someone the most.
As her best friend, Olivia would push aside all her work to be there for her.
"Of course, I'd be thrilled to have you."
Isabella touched her belly. "I'm about to enter my second trimester. I won't be able to go out much. Having you around will keep me company."
With her grandfather gone, she needed to take good care of herself and her baby.
Only then would she feel that life still held promise, that it continued with the birth of her child.
Isabella then introduced Renee and Cinda to Olivia.
But before she could say anything, Olivia had already started chatting with them, introducing herself.
"Hi, I'm Olivia. I've been best friends with Isabella for over ten years. We share everything."
Olivia's outgoing personality quickly made everyone feel at ease.
"By the way, I haven't paid my respects to Daniel yet. Isabella, you stay here. I'll be right back."
After all, she had come to attend Daniel's funeral. If she hadn't been so worried about Isabella, she would have gone to the hall first.
"Olivia, I'll go with you."
Isabella said, suggesting that Renee and Cinda go rest in the room.
Renee still had injuries and shouldn't stay outside for too long.
"But you can hold it?"
Cinda was worried when she heard Isabella wanted to go to the hall.
"I'm fine. I'm just going with Olivia. I'll be right back."