Chapter 188

Atticus strode over, his gaze briefly flickering over Olivia's figure before quickly settling on Isabella.

Seeing how much weight Isabella had lost in just a few days, Atticus felt a pang of heartache.

It was all Michael's fault.

If he hadn't bullied Isabella again, she wouldn't have suddenly come here and stayed indoors for days.

"Isabella, I came to check on you."

Atticus didn't show much on his face, his tone calm and gentle.

"Atticus, have a seat first."

Isabella got up, about to pour some water, when Olivia suddenly spoke up, "Isabella, um, I just remembered I have something to do, I'll come back another day to keep you company."

With that, Olivia hurriedly left without waiting for her response.

Isabella was bewildered.

But knowing Olivia's straightforward personality, she didn't think much of it.

She invited Atticus into the living room.

She had only informed Atticus about her coming here, after all, even though Emilio was managing the company, someone had to step in at critical times.

And Atticus was the best choice.

Atticus cared for her the most, and when she expressed her desire for some quiet time, he agreed without hesitation.

Now, a week had passed, and she still refused to leave the house. Worried, he came to check on her.

Seeing the now thin Isabella, Atticus sighed, "It's only been a few days, how did you lose so much weight? Haven't you been eating well?"

"Not at all."

Isabella brought the tea, hugging a pillow as she sat on the sofa, "I'm doing fine, sitting on the balcony every day, enjoying the sea breeze and watching the sunset, it's quite delightful."

Atticus picked up the teacup, nodding slightly, not exposing her pretense of being strong.

"This house was bought for you to relax, as long as you like it."

"By the way!"

He cleared his throat lightly, "Michael has been looking for you. Your uncles only know you went to find peace, but not that you're here. But Michael went to the house, blocking Thomas's car just to ask about your whereabouts. That's how we found out he hasn't given up looking for you these days."

"Not only that, he also mobilized the entire Brown Family. If I hadn't used my connections to erase traces of this place, he would have found you by now."

To be honest, Michael's actions this time even surprised Atticus.

Initially, he was adamant about Isabella divorcing Michael, believing that a man as selfish and unfaithful as Michael could never bring Isabella the happiness she wanted.

But Michael's determination to find Isabella this time left him stunned.

He didn't think this was something a bad man would do.

If it wasn't because he cared too much, how could Michael use all his connections to find Isabella?

For days, Michael hadn't given up.

This left him, as an elder, unsure of how to persuade Isabella.

"Let him do whatever he wants."

Isabella's expression didn't change, still as calm as before.

But only she knew how fast her heart was beating at that moment.

Michael blocked Thomas's car and used the Brown Family's power to find her.

In her impression, he would never do such a thing for her.

But just thinking about the humiliation in the car that night, she forced herself to stay calm.

Michael's guilt couldn't compare to what happened that night.

Maybe he was looking for her just for the sake of family harmony.

She wouldn't forget how scheming he was.

Seeing Atticus's dilemma, Isabella voiced her decision.

"Atticus, there's no possibility between him and me anymore. We haven't divorced just to avoid shocking Grandpa, so we have to pretend to be a couple."

"So, don't worry about me, okay?"

If it weren't for that night in the car, she might have really changed her view of Michael.

His promise to Daniel, his little kindness to her, all made her heart flutter.

Even today, she didn't deny that she still had feelings for him.

Michael was, after all, the man she had loved for so many years, and forgetting him would take time.

But what happened couldn't be undone.

When he treated her as a tool to vent his desires, the line between them had already been severed.

They were destined never to reach a happy ending.

Atticus didn't know how to persuade her either. Seeing her determination, he decided not to interfere anymore.

"Alright, I respect your decision and won't ask anymore."

Even though he was her elder, he couldn't meddle in matters of the heart.

These three years, Michael had made her suffer too much.

If she could leave him, leave the Brown Family, maybe it would be a relief for Isabella.

The atmosphere became heavy.

Isabella shook off her thoughts, smiling at Atticus, "Atticus, let's not think about unhappy things. Tell me about your personal matters!"

Previously, when she had a falling out with Michael, she thought if she couldn't have a child, she would let her uncles take on the task.

So it was time to find them girlfriends.

As the eldest son of the Wilson Family, Atticus was, of course, the first in line.

But when she mentioned this to Atticus some time ago, he said he already had someone in mind and she didn't need to worry.

Now, considering the time, they should have made some progress.

But she wondered if something went wrong, because when Isabella asked this question, the usually calm and composed Atticus suddenly looked unnatural.

"Well, Isabella, you know matters of the heart can't be rushed. I still want to..."

Atticus was searching for an explanation in his mind when Isabella interrupted him.

"Atticus, were you rejected when you confessed?"

Isabella looked understanding.

If not for this reason, why would Atticus have that expression?

Atticus was stunned.

His expression almost broke. How unattractive must he be to be rejected when confessing?

Though he hadn't confessed to anyone yet.

He rubbed his forehead, helplessly saying, "Stop guessing. I'm busy with work and don't want a girlfriend for now."

All these years, he had been used to running around the world alone, from the military to politics to his current position.

Having a delicate woman by his side would make him uncomfortable.

"And then?"

Isabella pursed her lips, crossing her arms, "So, the suitable person you mentioned before was just to fool me, there was no such person, right?"

Atticus was momentarily speechless.

He thought Isabella was just asking casually at the time and wouldn't take it seriously.

Who knew she remembered it all along.

"Isabella, look, besides me, you have four other uncles who don't have girlfriends either. How about you shift your focus to them? I think the success rate would be much higher, don't you think?"