Chapter 163
A former roommate.
Madison Klein took Isabella Langley's hand.
Her fingertips were icy cold.
"Bella, how did you get so thin?"
"I heard you need to rest after a miscarriage, or you'll have health problems later. You must be careful…"
Isabella snatched her hand back.
Her eyes turned cold.
"Who had a miscarriage?"
Madison was stunned.
"You're the one who had a miscarriage! I'm perfectly fine! Nothing happened at all!"
"Bella…"
"Here to laugh at me? Not a chance!" Isabella sat up sharply, bristling with hostility. "Think I'm down so everyone can kick me?"
"Madison, drop that fake concern. You were always jealous I had a wealthy boyfriend back in the dorm."
"A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The things I've had, you'll never even touch in your lifetime!"
Madison was completely bewildered.
She couldn't understand a word Isabella was saying.
Isabella sneered. "Visiting me is just an excuse. You're really here to chase rich men, right? We're all foxes here, no need for the act. I see right through you!"
"You—" Madison's face flushed red with anger. "You're impossible! I came here out of kindness, and this is the thanks I get?"
She had originally planned to encourage Isabella to apply for reinstatement.
Even if the dream of marrying into wealth was shattered, she could still hold onto her education.
Graduating and finding a job to support herself should be manageable.
Now it seemed completely unnecessary.
Some people were already blinded by luxury.
Trapped in the pit of fame and fortune, unwilling to climb out.
Madison stood up.
"Our friendship ends here. We're not the same kind of people. No need to keep in touch. Let's pretend we don't know each other if we meet again."
"Who wants to keep in touch with you? Who wants to know you? Get out—get out now—" Isabella screamed at her retreating back.
Madison left without looking back.
After the outburst, Isabella collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
She gasped for air.
Her phone suddenly rang.
She snatched it up like a lifeline—
"Ethan, why haven't you come to see…"
"Who are you calling, you wretched girl?"
A woman's shrill voice, mixed with the clatter of mahjong tiles, came through the line.
Isabella froze.
"You hear me, wretched girl? Pretending to be deaf for your mother?"
"Mom…" Isabella's lips trembled.
"My luck's been bad. Transfer some money over."
"I just gave you five thousand last time!"
"What can five thousand do? Hurry up, don't delay my game."
Isabella took a deep breath. "I don't have any money."
"Stop pretending! You just bought your brother the latest iPhone, nearly ten thousand! How come you have no money for me?"
"Mom, I really don't have any…" Isabella felt utterly drained.
"Bullshit! Don't think I don't know you hooked up with some big shot in the city. The scraps from his table are enough for our family to live well. Now you tell me you have no money? Think you can fly away with hardened wings?"
Deborah Melville spat in disgust.
"Let me tell you, no way! I spent a fortune sending you to college in the city. Have you forgotten your roots after just a few years? Believe me, I can put you up there, and I can drag you down too!"
Isabella cried angrily, her voice hoarse from shouting. "I said I have no money! No money! I just don't have it! Kill me and I still won't have it! What else do you want me to do?!"
Deborah only heard the words "no money."
"If you have no money, go sleep with a man! The money will come after you sleep with him! Haven't you learned anything since you were a child?!"
"What man? No one wants me anymore! Who am I supposed to sleep with?!" Isabella yelled.
Finally, Deborah sensed something was wrong.
Concerned about her cash cow, she finally left the card table for a quiet corner.
"What do you mean no one wants you? What about that wealthy boyfriend? Weren't you saying you were about to marry into a rich family last time? What happened?"
"Did they change their minds?"
Thinking her mother was showing concern, Isabella's grievances surged. She cried and recounted everything that had happened.
Deborah listened, furious.
"This family has no decency! My daughter, pure and innocent, slept with him, even got pregnant, and he just says he doesn't want her anymore?"
Not even any compensation. It was too much!
A shrewd glint flashed in the woman's eyes.
"Wait there, sweetie. Your mother and brother are booking tickets right now to back you up! This matter absolutely cannot be dropped just like that!"
…
Sophia Sullivan's thesis was in its final stages.
She had practically been living in the lab recently.
Zoe Langley remarked, "You're pushing yourself too hard!"
Sophia sighed helplessly.
She had no assistant or teammates. What else could she do but push herself?
After lunch, she went to the break room for her usual nap.
No matter how busy, she always made time to rest.
It was the only way to work efficiently in the afternoon.
Alexander Laurent had a full schedule of classes today and wouldn't be coming to the lab.
She could have the break room all to herself.
Sophia stretched contentedly.
She lay down to enjoy her nap.
The four senior researchers—Zoe, Quincy, Simon, and Lillian—each had their own private break rooms.
Sophia joined later. With only five break rooms in the lab, there wasn't an extra one for her.
Fortunately, Alexander's break room was a suite, spacious enough.
She had bought a folding bed and placed it behind the door in the inner room.
It was hidden and dark, perfect for sleeping.
Usually, Alexander napped in the outer room.
They were separated by a wall and a door, each having their own private space.
It was Alexander who had initially suggested she use the inner room.
Sophia had confirmed it wouldn't cause any inconvenience. She truly needed a quiet space for her nap, so she agreed.
Zoe and Quincy had said, "The inner room is better. It's shaded, cooler, and darker."
Simon and Lillian had come to see it.
Simon said, "The Professor's break room is really big."
Lillian pursed her lips, her gaze sweeping over the folding bed. "It's alright…"
It was far enough from the outer room.
They each rested separately. Surely, Sophia wouldn't dare to have any improper thoughts.
…
Alexander had a full schedule of classes today and originally didn't plan to come to the lab.
He was eating lunch in the cafeteria when a student knocked over a bowl of soup.
He happened to be passing by. In the blink of an eye, his shirt was ruined.
Remembering he had a change of clothes in the lab break room, he decided to go over.
He planned to change quickly and leave. He still had classes in the afternoon.