Chapter 396

Isabella got home and chugged five glasses of water like it was nothing.

Sure, the thirst was kinda gone, but she still felt off. All she could think about was that fresh juice Quentin had given her.

She licked her lips, thinking, 'I could really go for some juice right now.'

So, she opened the fridge, grabbed a couple of oranges, and spent way too long figuring out the juicer. Finally, she had a glass of juice.

She downed it, and the pulp sliding down her throat made her feel way better.

After finishing the juice, she felt pretty satisfied and not as thirsty. Maybe it was just in her head, but even her headache seemed to chill out.

Thinking back on everything, she still felt a bit freaked out.

She knew Quentin was a sneaky dude; she had been super careful, but it looked like he still got the best of her.

Isabella was almost sure she had been hypnotized.

Thinking of Quentin's deep, mysterious eyes, she felt a shiver run down her spine.

She couldn't figure out why Quentin would hypnotize her.

People always have a reason for what they do. She didn't believe Quentin would mess with her for nothing.

And he managed to hypnotize her so quickly. If it happened once, it could happen again. And if it happened again, there'd probably be a next time.

Isabella felt that no matter how careful she was, as long as she was alone with Quentin, she was screwed.

Quentin was so powerful; how could she protect herself? She had no clue, but she instantly thought of Marvin.

The last time she ran into Marvin at the Landon Group, she had kinda asked about stuff like this. But she forgot to ask how to avoid getting hypnotized without knowing it.

She didn't have Marvin's number. She planned to wait for Seb to come back and ask him for it.

While waiting for Seb in the living room, she was scrolling through her phone and saw a status update from Kelsey.

The caption read: [The slow life of a small town is also where my heart belongs. Darling, wherever you are, that's where I am.]

The post had nine pictures; the first eight were of scenery and food, and the last one was of two hands intertwined.

This sweet post made Isabella smile. She casually gave it a like.

Just as she did, Miley's nickname popped up right after hers.

Seeing Miley's nickname, Isabella was momentarily stunned.

She had been so busy that she forgot to call Miley. She had said before that she would ask Miley and Kelsey to be her bridesmaids.

Isabella clicked on Miley's profile when a message from Miley came through.

Miley: [You still up, Bella?]

Isabella leaned back on the sofa and started chatting with Miley.

She told Miley about the wedding and invited her to be a bridesmaid.

Miley agreed right away.

Miley asked about Jack and Kelsey, and also about Steven and Margaret. She asked about nearly everyone, except Zaire.

Isabella knew Miley was avoiding the topic, so she didn't bring it up either.

They were chatting happily when Kelsey suddenly called with a video call.

Isabella told Miley that Kelsey was calling; Miley said she had something to do as well, so they ended their conversation.

Isabella clicked the video answer button, and after a few seconds of buffering, a dark screen appeared.

"Is it frozen?" Isabella asked.

"No, it's not frozen." Kelsey's voice came from the dark screen.

Kelsey laughed. "Bella, what's with that face? Not happy to see me? Am I interrupting your alone time with Seb?"

Isabella said, "The problem is I can't see you at all."

Kelsey was taken aback, then there was some fumbling on her end. Suddenly the screen brightened, and Kelsey's face appeared.

Kelsey happily greeted Isabella, her eyes filled with joy. "Sorry, I had the camera facing the wrong way. I had the phone on the bed. Can you see me now?"

"Yeah." Seeing Kelsey all smiles, Isabella jumped in, "I saw your status. Looks like you're having a blast at Jack's hometown?"

Kelsey said, "I'm having the time of my life. Bella, you wouldn't believe it. When we were coming here, he told me his hometown was remote, poor, and rundown, with crappy transportation. I was so worried. But when we got here, I found out it's this historic small town with old-school buildings, far from the hustle and bustle. It's really beautiful!"

Once Kelsey started talking, she couldn't stop and went on and on.

Isabella laughed and teased, "How come I never noticed you have the potential to be a tour guide?"

"Bella, don't make fun of me," Kelsey said, "I just really love it here. Honestly! I'd be willing to live here for the rest of my life."

Isabella said, "You might be willing, but Steven and Margaret might not be."

Even though the Jose family had three kids, Margaret might not be cool with Kelsey marrying far away.

Margaret cherished Kelsey, whom she had raised with great care. How could she handle Kelsey being so far from home?

Kelsey pouted. "I've grown up. Even if they don't like it, they can't stop me if I really want to."

That's true. In this world, how many parents could truly control their kids? If they could, there wouldn't be so many cases of people breaking ties with their parents for so-called love.

Of course, Isabella knew Kelsey was just talking. Kelsey wasn't the type to be blinded by love. Besides, Jack worked and was settled in Lakina, so they would definitely stay there in the future. Kelsey was just chasing novelty; if she were truly made to stay in that place, she would flee faster than anyone.

Isabella smiled and changed the subject. She asked seriously, "Are you staying at Jack's house now?"

Kelsey said, "No, we're at a hotel. We got here in the afternoon, and he showed me around. It's getting late, so we planned to visit the Wilson Family early tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Isabella nodded.

Kelsey seemed a bit uneasy. "Bella, I'm a little nervous now. I'm afraid his adoptive parents won't like me."

"That's unlikely," Isabella said, "First of all, your looks, family background, and education are great. No matter how you look at it, you are excellent. Besides, nowadays, people often value the freedom to love. I believe any open-minded elders won't be too difficult to get along with. Just relax, and Jack will handle everything."

"Yeah, yeah." Kelsey breathed a sigh of relief. "Hearing you say that makes me feel much better."

They chatted for a while longer. Isabella thought of Marvin, so she casually asked, "Is Jack with you now?"

Kelsey said, "Yes, he is. Why, Bella?"

Isabella asked, "Does he have Dr. Finn's number? I have something I want to ask him."

"Oh, let me ask him." Kelsey got up with her phone and walked a bit. Isabella heard her asking Jack.

"Dr. Finn?" Jack was puzzled. "He's been assigned a task by Mr. Landon and is currently unreachable."

Even so, Jack still sent Marvin's number over.

Isabella tried to contact Marvin several times, but just as Jack said, Marvin's phone was always unreachable.

Unable to reach Marvin, Isabella felt even more puzzled. If Marvin wasn't in Lakina, then who was treating Seb now?

As far as she knew, Seb's most trusted private doctor was Marvin.

The clock ticked away.

As the night deepened, Isabella felt more awake and alert.

Outside the window, the cat named Cheese was meowing again.

For some reason, even though it was Quentin who had saved it, the cat seemed to prefer to come to her house.

Whenever Isabella heard it meow, she couldn't help but feel a chill.

The window was closed, so Cheese couldn't jump in, but Isabella still picked up the remote and closed the curtains.

Even with the curtains closed, Cheese didn't leave and kept meowing under the window.

The constant meowing made Isabella feel irritable and uneasy.

She picked up her phone and called Seb, but there was no answer.

She thought Seb might be at Marvin's lab, so she glanced at the clock-it was almost midnight. Then she grabbed her coat and car keys, deciding to go to the lab to find him.