Chapter 278

Isabella hadn't expected Nathaniel to be so adamant. His tone, especially when he mentioned Sebastian, was not that of a longtime partner but rather carried a hint of bitterness.

Caught off guard, Isabella realized her prepared arguments were useless. She decided to cut to the chase. "Since Mr. Nelson isn't interested in hearing the usual pitch, I won't waste time. I'll be blunt: if Mr. Landon were to agree to match whatever Charles promised you, even double it, would there be any chance to salvage this?"

Isabella wasn't clear on what exactly Charles had promised Nathaniel, but that was beside the point. What mattered was whether there was any room for negotiation. If she could make a breakthrough, there was hope. Everything else could be sorted out later.

Nathaniel smirked, his expression dripping with disdain. "Isn't Sebastian all about using women as shields? And now he's sending his woman to negotiate? Typical. He's always been good at playing the lovesick fool, but when it comes down to it, he's no different from the rest."

As he spoke, Nathaniel's gaze swept over Isabella from head to toe. "I've heard about the drama with the Landon family. They've fought tooth and nail for you. I thought you must be something special, but it turns out you're just ordinary."

Isabella felt a flush of embarrassment at Nathaniel's derogatory comments. "Mr. Nelson, you're a man of position and influence. How can you speak like a common thug?"

Nathaniel chuckled, "You're right about one thing. I used to be a thug, a streetwise gangster. Unlike Sebastian, who's always pretending, I'm real."

Isabella frowned, finally understanding why Sebastian had warned her about Nathaniel's stubbornness.

She had assumed that Nathaniel's investment in the Landon Group meant he was a visionary and respectable businessman. The real Nathaniel, however, was far from the image she had imagined.

Nathaniel stood up from his chair and walked slowly toward Isabella. He circled her, his gaze lecherous. "The Landon family must be desperate. A woman with your build? Even if you were naked, I wouldn't be interested!"

Isabella's face burned with anger. She raised her hand to slap Nathaniel, but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer. "But Sebastian's woman? That's something I'm quite interested in."

Nathaniel's eyes gleamed with mockery. To him, Isabella was not just a woman but a tool for revenge against Sebastian.

"Ms. Miller, how about you join me?" Nathaniel's gaze was fixed on her face, his contempt growing more pronounced.

Isabella could hardly believe her ears. Staring at Nathaniel in disbelief, she managed a scornful laugh. "Mr. Nelson, let's be blunt. You could be my father! Are you really out here chasing women? Afraid you might lose your dentures in the process?"

Nathaniel's smile turned dark. "Ms. Miller, if you want to negotiate, you need to show some sincerity. Agree to be with me, and I might reluctantly reconsider the shares in the Landon Group."

Isabella felt a surge of revulsion. "Mr. Nelson, you truly make my skin crawl!"

She struggled to free her hand, but Nathaniel's grip was unyielding.

Noticing a faint, milky scent on Isabella, Nathaniel remarked, "I heard you recently had a baby. You're still breastfeeding, aren't you? There's a hint of milk on you."

As Nathaniel reached for Isabella's waist, making a move to embrace her, she let out a terrified scream.

At that moment, the door to the private room was pushed open, and a tall figure stood in the doorway.

Nathaniel immediately released Isabella, regaining his composure and walking briskly toward the man. "Mr. Black, I've been waiting for you."

Quentin glanced briefly at Nathaniel before his gaze settled on Isabella, who was still visibly shaken.

Nathaniel turned back to Isabella with a dismissive wave. "Ms. Miller, I'm about to conduct business. Please leave immediately!"

Humiliated and angered, Isabella fought to stay calm. She recognized Quentin as the same man she had encountered at Blue Horizon Cafe.

She thought, 'So, instead of Charles, the person Nathaniel is meeting today, was this Quentin?'

"Where's Charles?" Isabella asked, her voice trembling.

Nathaniel's irritation was evident. "Charles? I never said I was meeting Charles today."

"Aren't you supposed to sell the shares to Charles?"

"Who said I'm selling to Charles? Ms. Miller, I'm giving you one more minute to leave!"

Isabella remained rooted to the spot, her mind racing.

She had always assumed Charles was the one buying the Landon Group shares, and now this unexpected Quentin had appeared.

Seeing that Isabella wasn't moving, Nathaniel issued an ultimatum. "Ms. Miller, if you don't leave now, I'll have you forcibly removed!"

"Mr. Nelson," Quentin interjected smoothly, "I prefer to do business with people who are polite."

Nathaniel looked momentarily taken aback. "I apologize, Mr. Black. This woman has been persistent. I'll have her removed right away."

"No need," Quentin said, raising a hand. He then turned his warm gaze to Isabella. "Miss, we have something quite important to discuss. Could you please step outside for a moment?"

Isabella was taken aback. His politeness threw her off balance.

She left the private room and headed to the restroom.

Under the running water, she scrubbed her hands repeatedly, as if trying to wash away any trace of Nathaniel's touch, convinced there might be some terrible virus clinging to her. After scrubbing so vigorously that her wrists were nearly raw, she finally stopped. She dried her hands with a paper towel, pulled her sleeve down to cover the irritated area, and composed herself.

When she exited the restroom, she considered returning to the private room. Even though she felt powerless to change anything, she was eager to find out whether Nathaniel had sold the shares or not. If Quentin had indeed acquired the Landon Group shares, he would become, after Sebastian, the largest shareholder of the company.

She reasoned that as long as the shares weren't going to Charles, a new shareholder shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Just as Isabella stepped out, she noticed a middle-aged woman slumped against the wall. Anouk Dubois was clutching her chest and looked to be in distress. Her purse lay open on the floor, its contents scattered around.

Isabella froze for a moment, then realized Anouk must be having a medical episode.

She hurried over and crouched in front of Anouk. "Ma'am, are you alright?"

Anouk, barely able to open her eyes, managed to croak out a single word through gritted teeth. "Medication."

"Alright," Isabella replied. She rummaged through Anouk's purse and found a small white bottle. Seeing that the dosage required two pills, she retrieved them and gently placed them in Anouk's mouth.