Chapter 161

Steve was the PI Jerry hired to dig up dirt on Jasper and Mia. Being a private investigator didn't exactly require a halo, especially when it came to bugging homes and planting hidden cameras.

Lucky for Jerry, Steve wasn't exactly a saint. He had a bag of tricks, and his targets usually spilled their secrets without even knowing it.

For Steve, this job was a piece of cake. Jasper and Mia were easily manipulated, and he won their trust quickly. Honestly, if Michael hadn't paid him so well, he wouldn't have bothered with this gig.

Meanwhile, Isabella got the update from Michael that everything was going according to plan.

After the weekend, Isabella headed to work. As soon as she got to the entrance, she saw the security guards looking pretty fed up.

They said they'd been dealing with a lot of people causing trouble for her and told her to look out for herself.

While they sounded concerned, Isabella sensed their frustration. The extra troublemakers were making their job much harder.

"Sorry for the extra hassle. I'll do my best to sort this out," Isabella said with a weary smile. She knew the guards would have to put up with this mess a bit longer until her plan was done.

Just as she was about to go inside, she heard a voice that made her cringe.

"Isabella doesn't care about you security guys. She's a big shot here. If she doesn't show up, how's she gonna earn that fat paycheck?" a woman trailing behind Madeline said as they approached Isabella.

Isabella glanced at the woman's name badge: Odette Davis, Assistant.

Isabella didn't think Odette was just trying to mock her; it was clear she was trying to stir up trouble between her and the security team.

Isabella shot a cold look at Madeline. "Last time, you didn't keep your assistant in line, and she got transferred. This new one's even worse!"

Odette's face soured, but Madeline stepped in front of her and said icily, "That's none of your business. I'm quite happy with my current assistant."

Isabella looked at Madeline with disappointment. It seemed Madeline had made her choice and wasn't interested in her goodwill.

Without another word, Isabella turned and walked into the building. She headed to her office, ignoring the whispers from her colleagues. She knew that once the truth came out, everything would be back to normal.

In her office, Isabella noticed something was off. The stack of documents on her desk looked like it had been moved.

Isabella always left her unfinished documents neatly in the top left corner of her desk. But now, the top document was slightly out of place.

She immediately called Juliet into her office.

"Did you come into my office today?" Isabella asked.

Juliet shook her head. "No, I haven't been in here. But Ms. Eve mentioned she had a task for me. I overheard her telling her new assistant, Odette, to drop off a document in your office."

Isabella nodded and said to Juliet, "You're my assistant, and from now on, you only take orders from me. If Madeline asks you to do anything, find an excuse to refuse or just say no. Don't worry about workplace politics; she and I are completely at odds now."

Juliet nodded to show she understood.

Isabella waved her hand, signaling Juliet to leave, and then took out her phone.

After reviewing the footage on her phone, her lips curled into a cold smile.

"Madeline, I gave you a chance, but I didn't expect you to stoop even lower," Isabella muttered as she put her phone away. She had to focus on her work and her parents for now. As for Madeline, she could wait until everything else was settled.

Just then, Juliet returned. "Ms. Taylor, Mr. Larson wants to see you in his office."

Isabella left her office and went to Dwayne's office.

"Mr. Larson, what can I do for you?" Isabella asked politely.

Dwayne nodded, his expression serious. "I just got a notice from the security department. They've been overwhelmed lately because of your situation. People keep showing up to cause trouble, and it's really putting a strain on them. They said if things don't calm down soon, they might not be able to keep you safe. So, I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to work from home for a while."

Isabella pressed her lips together. She'd known this day would come. She could have applied to work from home earlier, but she'd waited to build more public anger and get more attention.

Isabella bit her lip and looked at Dwayne. "Mr. Larson, could you please call the boss and ask for his opinion? Honestly, I don't want to work from home. It would look like I'm avoiding the issue. Everything my parents said online is false, and I need to stand my ground."

Dwayne rubbed his face, feeling a bit helpless. He had already called Michael, but Michael told him to follow Isabella's lead.

"If you really want to stay at the office, we can make it work. But we might need to hire more security," Dwayne said, relaying the boss's message.

Isabella was surprised that the boss valued her opinion so much. This was a great help to her.

Just then, the office door was knocked, and Madeline walked in.

"Mr. Larson, those protesters are back, and there are twice as many as yesterday! They want Isabella fired, saying someone as selfish as she is shouldn't be working here," Madeline said, looking at Isabella with a mocking expression.

Isabella's face remained impassive.

Dwayne sighed and immediately called the police.

After a while, the police arrived and dispersed the crowd outside the building.