Chapter 243

Some of them were top business moguls in Lakina, while others were shareholders and executives of the Landon Group.

Isabella had worked at the Landon Group for a while, and back then, those executives were respectful and polite to Sebastian. But now, they seemed to have broken free from the Landon Group, surrounding Leo and flattering him.

"Isabella," Leo suddenly called out to her, then walked over with those people.

Isabella stopped in her tracks, looking at him emotionlessly.

Leo held two glasses, handing her the one with orange juice. "Welcome to today's bidding meeting."

The people around Leo looked at Isabella with curious and probing eyes.

Seeing Isabella not taking the glass, they turned to Leo, and one of them asked, "Mr. Anderson, who is this?"

Leo smiled, stepped aside, and stood next to Isabella. "Let me introduce, Isabella."

"Isabella?"

"Who is she?"

"That name sounds familiar. I've heard it somewhere before?"

Leo smirked and said to a few middle-aged men, "This is your Mr. Landon's fiancée."

"No wonder the name sounded familiar. So it's Mrs. Landon. Nice to meet you."

"Is Mr. Landon not here today?"

"Mr. Landon has been unwell for quite some time now, stuck at home resting. You won't see him at events like this," one of the attendees commented.

"True enough, but having a woman out here doesn't quite match Mr. Landon's usual style," another chimed in.

"Mr. Landon's always been a gentleman. If it weren't a special circumstance, he wouldn't let Mrs. Landon show her face," someone else added.

"Right? He's such a devoted man. The guy's a big shot, yet he's moping around over a woman, and now look what he's done to himself," a man scoffed.

"What surprises me is that Mr. Landon entrusts his company to a woman who's not exactly a business whiz. Isn't that a bit reckless?"

The crowd buzzed with gossip, pointing fingers at Isabella.

Leo stood to the side, observing the scene with an amused glint in his eye.

Miley tried to pull Isabella away to find Zaire, but Isabella stood her ground.

Turning to Leo with a tentative smile, Isabella stepped aside, picked up a glass of wine, and returned to face the crowd. "First of all, just to clarify, Mr. Landon and I aren't married yet; we're still in the dating phase, so please don't call me Mrs. Landon just yet. Secondly, I'm not here on behalf of the Landon Group today; I'm representing myself. You all are associates of the Landon Group, even if some of you seem to have gone a bit wayward. But given that you still carry the Landon name, the things you just said can do some serious damage-to the Landon Group and to yourselves. It's in everyone's best interest to keep that in mind."

A few men responded with scornful looks, clearly unimpressed with her.

Not inclined to engage further, Isabella turned her attention back to Leo. "When I first met Mr. Anderson, he was just a struggling nobody, always seen with a different woman in his car. It's wild to see how far he's come now. Even though I'm not here on Mr. Landon's behalf, like Mr. Anderson said, I am Mr. Landon's fiancée, and everything I do reflects on him. So, to avoid any needless chatter that might land on his head, allow me to raise a glass to Mr. Anderson!"

With that, Isabella downed her drink in one go.

Leo narrowed his eyes slightly, watching her.

He had chosen an orange juice for her, wanting to look out for her, only to see her raise a glass of wine instead.

He felt as if she was rubbing his face in it.

Clenching his jaw subtly, Leo maintained a polite smile. After Isabella finished her drink, he did the same with his own glass and turned to leave. The crowd surrounding him dispersed as well.

Miley nudged Isabella, grinning. "Bella, that was so badass!"

"Was it?" Isabella replied, forcing a smile despite feeling overwhelmed.

It was strange to be called cool in such a vulnerable state.

Zaire guided Isabella through the crowd, introducing her to various people.

Though Zaire was with her, Isabella sensed that most of the attendees were only engaging out of obligation, merely humoring her as they waited for a chance to turn back to their business. They clearly didn't hold her in much regard at all.

The bidding session began shortly after.

Two speakers took the stage before Isabella was taken by surprise when the second speaker turned out to be Charles.

As she watched Charles on stage, delivering his grandiose speech, Isabella's thoughts drifted to the things Charles had done to Sebastian, and her fingers clenched tightly.

Charles paused to introduce someone special, saying, "By the way, while we're here, I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce someone important to all of you."

Everyone's gaze shifted toward Leo.

Leo was Charles' favored protege. It was no secret he was Charles' godson, although Charles had never officially acknowledged it in public before. It seemed Charles was pushing Leo forward.

Leo flashed a smile and adjusted his suit jacket, preparing to stand. But before he could, Charles' voice rang out: "Isabella!"

Leo froze.

The room erupted in murmurs.

As the spotlight illuminated Isabella, the crowd's reactions varied-shock, curiosity, scrutiny, and even congratulatory whispers.

Isabella furrowed her brow, her eyes locked on Charles. She thought 'What is he up to now?'

People began approaching Isabella, inviting her to the stage. Charles continued, "There's been a lot of gossip about a rift between me and my son Sebastian, and rumors that I'm using underhanded tactics to acquire the Landon Group. I want to set the record straight. These rumors are baseless. Sebastian and I are father and son. Isabella here can attest to that. Bella, please come up and say a few words."

Applause erupted.

Miley and Zaire exchanged glances, their expressions reflecting their concerns.

Amidst the applause, Isabella slowly rose from her seat.

Miley quickly reached out, trying to pull Isabella back. "Bella, this is a trap set by Charles. Don't walk right into it!"

Isabella glanced at her but said nothing, walking toward the stage.

"Bella."

As Isabella took the stage, Charles stepped aside, maintaining a friendly smile. He leaned in and whispered to her, "The child is already on the plane. You'll see her tomorrow."

A chill ran through Isabella. She turned sharply to look at Charles.

She understood now.

Charles wanted it all.

She thought, 'He has done so much despicable, yet doesn't want to be left with a bad reputation.

'Charles intends to use me to clean up his mess.

'There is no way I'm going to help him.'

Isabella forced a small smile. She had no intention of aiding Charles. She was on that stage to reveal the truth, to tear down Charles' facade and show everyone the ruthless side of him.

Taking a step forward, Isabella adjusted the microphone, leaning in as she began to speak.