Chapter 137

"Although I'm not an old-fashioned person, I cannot accept my grandson marrying a woman who is carrying another man's child."

"Bella, I just want to ask you one question. Are you ready to spend your life with Sebastian, or are you planning to terminate this pregnancy?"

Zoe looked at Isabella intently, waiting for her answer.

Isabella was silent for a moment.

She pondered about whether she was ready to spend her life with Sebastian.

To be honest, Isabella hadn't made any preparations.

Or rather, everything happened so suddenly that Isabella didn't even have the chance to prepare before being dragged into this complicated relationship with Sebastian.

What kind of feelings did she have for Sebastian?

Perhaps even Isabella herself didn't have an answer.

If Isabella had to find an answer, it would be that Sebastian was the father of her child!

Seeing Isabella remain silent for a long time, Zoe sighed and said, "I can see that Sebastian really loves you. But Bella, your feelings are still very unclear. Can you tell me, do you actually like Sebastian?"

Isabella swallowed with difficulty and said, "I don't know."

Zoe nodded, as if this answer was  expected. She said, "Today, Emma called me and said that Sebastian helped you pay off eighty thousand dollars. You agreed to be with Sebastian because of that?"

Isabella thought for a moment and nodded.

'Maybe, yes,' she thought.

The child was a necessary condition for her to accept Sebastian, and the eighty thousand dollars was another condition.

With these two conditions combined, she seemed to have no reason to refuse Sebastian.

Zoe gripped her hand tightly and said, "Bella, Sebastian is someone who values relationships deeply. If you've decided to spend your life with him, then be with him wholeheartedly. If you don't have that resolve, I hope you won't hurt him."

Isabella's eyelashes trembled.

She had never thought of hurting Sebastian.

In her life, she had always been the one getting hurt.

When she came out of Zoe's room, she found that Sebastian was waiting outside.

"What did Grandma say to you?" He walked over and held Isabella's hand.

Isabella shook her head and said,"Nothing much, just some family talk."

In the middle of the night, Isabella was awakened by the ringing of a phone.

She answered the call, "Hello."

A frantic voice came from the other end, "Bella, Matthew is missing!"

Isabella's sleepiness vanished. Before she could respond, the doorbell downstairs rang.

Sebastian took the phone, connected to the door camera, and the screen showed the front door. Isabella saw Matthew's figure in the footage.

She told the person on the phone, "Aunt Emma, don't worry. I see him."

Emma was sobbing and couldn't stop crying, "Did he come to you? Where is he? We'll come over right away."

Isabella glanced at Sebastian, "At Sebastian's house."

"Okay, okay, we'll come pick him up right away. Bella, please take care of him for a momet."

"Alright."

After hanging up the phone, Isabella got up.

Sebastian was quicker, draping a coat over her shoulder, taking her hand and going downstairs together.

When they opened the door, Matthew was standing in the wind. He was very dirty, as if he had just come from the studio, covered in paint, even on his face and hair. He was holding an empty picture frame in his hand.

When he saw Isabella, he dropped the frame with a clatter and hugged her tightly.

Sebastian frowned deeply, closed the door, and stood still, quietly watching Matthew and Isabella embrace.

Matthew seemed oblivious to Sebastian, holding Isabella tighter and tighter.

Isabella was almost suffocating, her face turning red, "Matthew, let go."

But Matthew just shook his head.

Suddenly, Isabella felt something wet on her neck and she realized that Matthew was crying like a child while holding her.

Before Isabella could react, she felt a weight lifted off her.

Sebastian grabbed Matthew by the collar and pulled him away from Isabella.

Sebastian tossed Matthew aside like trash and looked at him with disdain, saying, "It's been late at night. What are you doing?"

Matthew ignored Sebastian and reached out to hold Isabella's hand.

But Sebastian reacted quickly, shielding Isabella behind him. In a stern voice, he said, "Don't move!"

Matthew was stunned by Sebastian's fierceness and looked at him.

The two men locked eyes on each other, and an invisible tension filled the air.

When Emma and Charles rushed over, Matthew had calmed down but remained silent, his eyes never leaving Isabella and Sebastian's intertwined hands.

Half an hour.

Sebastian held Isabella's hand for half an hour, making her entire hand go numb.

She wanted to pull her hand back to move it, but whenever she tried, Sebastian would grip it tighter.

At the same time, Sebastian would turn and give her a dissatisfied look.

So Isabella felt speechless.

"Matthew!" Emma rushed into the living room and hugged Matthew tightly, crying, "Why did you come here? You scared me to death!"

Matthew pressed his lips together, not saying a word, his expression unchanged.

Charles followed his gaze to Isabella and Sebastian. When he saw their tightly clasped hands, he frowned.

"Matthew, go back with me, okay?" Emma pleaded.

But Matthew remained unmoved, his eyes fixed on Isabella.

Everyone present understood his meaning.

Emma, teary-eyed and at a loss, turned to Charles for help.

Charles cleared his throat, took a check from his pocket, unfolded it, and placed it on the coffee table, saying, "Here's eighty thousand dollars. We're returning it to you. Isabella is very important to Matthew. Please give her back to us."

Sebastian laughed, "How do you know she's not important to me?"

"Sebastian!" Charles restrained his anger and said "Don't go too far. Matthew is your brother. He's sick right now. Are you really going to compete with him?"

"I'm competing with him?" Sebastian sneered, "You really haven't changed, always unable to tell right from wrong. He's always the one competing with me. When have I ever competed with him? Even if I did, what could you do about it? Beat me until I let go, like when we were kids?"

"You!" Charles was about to lose his temper but was stopped by Emma.

Emma looked at Sebastian, softening her tone, "Sebastian, I'm begging you. Help Matthew. He's really very sick and can't be without Isabella."

Sebastian ignored her, looking away, "Isabella is a person, not an object. You can't just buy her for eighty thousand dollars. You're so confident, but have you ever asked for her opinion?"