Chapter 159

Amelia and Benjamin finally made it official. Well, sort of.

They both liked each other, but Amelia was still a bit hesitant. She gave Benjamin a trial period to prove himself.

If he could keep his eyes off other women during this time, they'd make it official.

"Let's get out of here. They're probably gonna spend some quality time together now, like grabbing coffee, catching a movie, or just chatting. We shouldn't stick around and cramp their style," Isabella said, smiling at Michael before taking his hand and heading out.

They hopped into the car. On the way, Isabella called Amelia to see if she needed a ride home, but she turned it down.

"I'm gonna chat with Benjamin for a bit. You guys go ahead. He'll take me home, so don't worry about me," Amelia said, hanging up quickly, like she was afraid Isabella might say more.

"See? They don't need us anymore," Isabella shrugged, smiling as she put down her phone.

"If they end up getting married, we can totally take credit for setting them up," Michael said with a grin, genuinely happy for Benjamin.

As Michael and Isabella drove home, they passed by her old apartment building and saw a crowd gathered there.

Michael rolled down the window a bit, listening to the commotion outside. His face gradually darkened.

They could hear people shouting Isabella's name, holding signs with her name, demanding she be punished. Some were even hurling insults, calling her a slut.

Michael rolled up the window and took out his phone, but Isabella grabbed his hand and shook her head.

"I know you want to teach those people a lesson, but hold off. I need to wait until this situation blows up to a point where Jasper and Mia can't control it anymore. That's when it'll be most advantageous for me," Isabella said with a gentle smile.

Michael took a deep breath and put his phone back in his pocket, feeling a deep-seated disgust and hatred for Isabella's parents.

The car started moving again, heading towards the villa. Isabella thought of something, took out her phone, removed Jasper's number from the blacklist, and called him.

The phone rang twice before Jasper's arrogant voice came through. "Why are you calling me? Ready to admit defeat?"

Isabella's fist clenched instinctively. "Mr. Taylor, this is your first and last warning. Take those videos down immediately, and I can pretend this never happened. Otherwise, you won't be able to handle the consequences. I won't let you get away with slandering me online."

On the other end of the line, Jasper scoffed, like he had heard a joke. "Am I lying? Is it a lie that I tried to stop you from being with that man? Is it a lie that you defied us for him? Is it a lie that we almost got buried alive by Paxton because of you?"

"I had no idea about any of this! I didn't think Paxton would come after you. Plus, I'm the victim here! I didn't go abroad to run away. My husband is a foreigner, and I was just with him at his home. You twisted the facts, left out half the story, and made up the rest to fit your narrative. Do you really think that'll get you what you want?" Isabella's voice was full of anger.

"Listen to you now. You don't even want to call me father," Jasper's voice dripped with resentment and mockery.

Isabella took a deep breath, her gaze icy. "I'm not here to play games with you. I have one question: are you going to delete those videos or not?"

"And what if I don't? You deceived me; why should I listen to you?" Jasper sneered, feeling like he had Isabella cornered.

After a long pause, Isabella asked, "If I agree to help Bianca and John get together, will you delete the videos? For your information, Mason hasn't called me in the past two days. That means he hasn't seen the video yet. If he finds out, how do you think he'll react?"

Jasper's tone was laced with resentment. "Don't try to scare me with Mason. As long as everyone believes you're a heartless woman, Mason will be disappointed in you. That'll open the door for Bianca and John, and our family will rise again!"

But as soon as Jasper finished speaking, Isabella started laughing.

"My poor father, do you really think Bianca will keep her promise? Don't forget, Bianca's father also has a claim to my grandfather's inheritance. When my grandfather left everything to you, do you think her father didn't hold a grudge? Think about it, why would Bianca abandon the father who raised her for decades to side with an uncle like you? Do you really think your verbal agreement means anything?" Isabella said.

Jasper suddenly went silent. Isabella didn't say anything either, and the tension between them grew thick.

After several more seconds, Jasper laughed coldly. "Isabella, you think you're so smart, trying to screw up our relationship with Bianca. Think again! Because of what you've done, I'm making more videos. Get ready to be hated by everyone."

Jasper hung up the phone and turned to Mia, who was sitting beside him.

"Isabella might be trying to cause trouble between Bianca and us, but she has a point. Our agreement with Bianca is only verbal. I can't fully trust her. She's in Lumaria, isn't she? When she gets back, we need to sign a contract with her!" Jasper said coldly.

Mia nodded, clearly agreeing with Jasper's plan.