Isabella's words were sharp, but Brandon Hughes did not look angry.
Instead, he smiled.
That smile was no longer filled with the turbulence of yesterday, nor did it contain any of the complicated emotions he had once shown her. It was calm, cold, and indifferent, as if the person standing in front of him was not the woman he had once loved, but rely an irrelevant stranger.
The kind of smile that could cut people without drawing blood.
Vanessa Cruz stood beside him, and the mont she saw that expression, her heart unconsciously tightened.
She had always known.
Even if she tried her best, even if she stole everything she could steal, she was still only a substitute in Brandon Hughes's eyes.
That smile made her feel both intoxicated and terrified, as if a deer was crashing wildly inside her chest.
Brandon Hughes looked at Isabella, his tone calm and righteous.
"I'm only standing up for my fiancée from a fair point of view. How could I beco a joke?"
Isabella did not show any anger.
After yesterday's conversation in the car, she already understood Brandon Hughes's attitude. He had chosen to beco cruel, chosen to beco cold, chosen to use this thod to force himself to forget the past.
It was disgusting.
But it was also… predictable.
She wasn't afraid anymore.
Because after everything he had done to her, no knife in this world could stab her deeper than he already had.
She lifted her chin slightly and smiled faintly.
"Then how does Young Master Chen want to apologize?"
Her voice was calm, almost polite.
But in her heart, she was laughing.
She was laughing at Brandon Hughes's hypocrisy.
She was laughing at Vanessa Cruz's arrogance.
And she was laughing at herself, for once believing that this man was her future.
It was impossible for her to apologize to Vanessa Cruz.
Never.
Not in this lifeti.
But she wanted to see just how far Brandon Hughes could go.
How shaless he could be.
How thoroughly he could humiliate her.
And at the sa ti, she wanted to completely bury the last trace of softness in her heart.
Let it die, once and for all.
Brandon Hughes's gaze swept across her face.
It was cold, distant, and emotionless, as if he were examining a stranger's worth.
Then he smiled faintly, and his voice was sharp as ice.
"Bow and apologize."
He paused, then added in a slow and cruel tone.
"Until Vanessa is satisfied."
The surrounding students all sucked in a breath.
So of them widened their eyes.
So of them instinctively looked away, as if they had already sensed the humiliation that was about to happen.
Vanessa Cruz's lips curled into a smile.
Her eyes shone with satisfaction, as if she was already imagining Isabella kneeling in front of her, begging for forgiveness.
She wanted to see it.
She wanted to see the once untouchable eldest miss of the Cruz family finally fall into the mud.
But Isabella did not kneel.
She did not bow.
She did not even frown.
Instead, she slowly walked forward, stopping right in front of Brandon Hughes and Vanessa Cruz.
She looked straight at Vanessa Cruz, her gaze unwavering, her voice steady.
"Bow and apologize?"
Then her lips curved slightly.
"Vanessa Cruz… are you sure you can handle it?"
That sentence was soft, but it sounded like thunder in Vanessa Cruz's ears.
Because the aning behind it was clear.
She was warning her.
Warning her that she had no right.
Warning her that she was about to pay.
But with Brandon Hughes standing behind her, Vanessa Cruz's courage inflated instantly.
She even pretended to be gentle and magnanimous, her voice trembling as if she was wronged.
"Sister… this is what Brandon said. Actually, I don't really care…"
Isabella stared at her for two seconds.
Then she smiled.
A smile so cold it made the air feel thinner.
"Good."
She said it once.
Then again, her tone even colder.
"Good."
Then a third ti, the smile on her lips sharp enough to slice skin.
"Good."
Her voice dropped.
"Since you can take it… then I'll do as you wish today."
Before anyone could react, Isabella suddenly raised her hand.
A crisp slap rang out like a gunshot.
Pa!
Vanessa Cruz's head snapped to the side.
Her face went blank for a second, her eyes wide, as if she couldn't believe what had just happened.
Before she could even gasp, Isabella raised her hand again.
Another slap.
Pa!
This one was even harder.
Vanessa Cruz staggered, covering her face, her entire mind turning white.
She saw stars.
She couldn't even form words.
The room was dead silent.
Even the students who had been whispering earlier shut their mouths instantly, as if they were afraid their breathing would be too loud.
Isabella stood there calmly, her hand lowered, her eyes icy.
Her voice was cold and clear, every word striking like a hamr.
"The first slap was for the one you gave just now. I returned it to you."
She stepped closer, her gaze like a blade.
"The second slap… was on behalf of my mother."
Her tone turned even sharper, her eyes filled with hatred that had been suppressed for too many years.
"Rember this, Vanessa Cruz."
"Even if my mother divorced Ethan Cruz, even if she left the Cruz family, she is still Serena Valente."
"She is not soone you and Chloe Bennet can humiliate whenever you want."
Her lips curled into a mocking smile.
"YOU ARE NOT WORTHY."
For so many years, she had endured.
She had endured for the sake of her mother.
She had endured for the sake of the Cruz family na.
She had endured because she still wanted to believe that her father had a conscience.
But yesterday, Serena Valente signed the divorce agreent.
Yesterday, the last tie was severed.
From that mont onward, she and her mother were no longer part of the Cruz family.
And that also ant…
She no longer needed to endure.
She no longer needed to retreat.
She no longer needed to be polite.
Vanessa Cruz's eyes turned bloodshot.
Her entire face burned with pain and humiliation, and her hatred exploded like fire.
She scread hoarsely, her voice trembling with rage.
"Isabella Cruz!"
She raised her hand, no longer caring about anything, no longer caring that Brandon Hughes was standing beside her.
She was about to slap Isabella back.
But at that mont…
A figure was spotted walking in their direction, and Brandon's sharp eyes caught the appearance.
His hands rose and grabbed Vanessa's hand, stopping her.
And a couple of monts later, the figure arrived with an icy cold stare.
The atmosphere in the reception room instantly froze.
It was as if the air had been sucked dry, leaving only suffocating silence and the faint sll of paint and paper hanging in the room.
Vanessa could not help but shiver.
As if sensing her fear, Brandon held her hand and pulled her into his embrace. "Don't be afraid. "
He then raised his eyes and chuckled. "Mr. Steele, what a coincidence. "
Victor's eyes flashed, but he did not reply. He focused his gaze on Isabella before his gaze landed on her slightly swollen cheeks. His brows furrowed.
"You're really useless. After being beaten up so many tis, you don't learn a lesson. Don't you know how to fight back?"
His tone was filled with displeasure. It was clearly an accusation, but when the others heard it, they were filled with indulgence.
Isabella's face turned red. Just a mont ago, she was full of an imposing manner, but when she was in front of him, for so reason, she gave up.
"actually... I fought back. "
Her voice was listless. Victor followed her gaze and saw that Vanessa's left and right cheeks were even redder than hers...
His thin lips slightly raised. He walked to her side, as if she should have been by his side from the beginning, and used his tall shadow to protect her.
He was generous with his praise.
"Well played."
Vanessa's face turned Pale with anger, and her entire body began to tremble. However, when she saw Victor's face, her original imposing manner disappeared. She could only look at Brandon next to her with tears in her eyes, feeling wronged.
Ever since Victor appeared, Brandon's expression had beco sowhat profound. Vanessa leaned against his side and softly moaned in pain.
Brandon's brows knitted slightly without a trace, but it only lasted for a mont. When Vanessa raised her head.
He had already recovered his previous expression and patted her shoulder to comfort her.
"Mr. Steele, even if you are the chairman of Steele Industries, now, Isabella and my girlfriend, the severity of their injuries is clear at a glance. What you said is too unfair, right? "
Victor did not put Brandon in his eyes from the beginning, and when he heard these words, he was even more disdainful.
"So what if this Victor Steele's woman forcefully hit soone? As long as I say that she hit fairly, the person who was beaten must have deserved it."
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