Chapter 404

Esme whipped her head around, eyes darting. Then she grabbed Isabella's hand. "Come on, Bella! We gotta move. I don't have much time."

Isabella barely had a second to process what Esme meant before she was yanked out the door.

She didn't even get to close it before Esme dragged her into Quentin's house and up the stairs.

Esme was in a real rush, her grip on Isabella's hand getting tighter by the second.

Once they were upstairs, Esme pulled a card from a cabinet and shoved it into Isabella's hand. "Bella, this card has my savings. Ten million dollars. It's yours now, as compensation."

"Compensation?" Isabella was baffled. "For what?"

Isabella was stunned, not just by the ten million dollars but by Esme's words.

Isabella thought, 'Shouldn't this be a wedding gift or something? Why call it compensation? Is Esme trying to make up for something?'

Esme's face showed a flash of panic. "Bella, I've wronged you."

She held Isabella's hands tight, tears brimming. "Bella, you'll forgive me, right? You'll understand my pain."

Seeing Esme like this made Isabella's heartache. "Mom, are you in trouble?"

Everything about Esme tonight was off. Her words, her actions-it all felt like a goodbye.

Esme shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

But tears kept falling.

Isabella wanted to ask more, but Esme pushed her out of the room.

Holding the card, Isabella felt a heavy weight in her chest.

She had a bad feeling Esme might be leaving Lakina. With the Black Family's grip on Esme, seeing her again would be tough.

When Isabella went downstairs, she saw someone on the living room sofa.

Quentin, dressed in black, was sitting with his back to her, one hand on the armrest, the other petting something on his lap.

As Isabella got closer, she saw it was Cheese.

Cheese lay there quietly, eyes half-closed, purring softly. It wasn't making a fuss, but it still gave off a creepy vibe.

Quentin's fingers paused, and he turned to look at Isabella. "Bella, you're here."

He patted the sofa next to him. "Come sit."

Quentin had a smile, but it looked eerie to Isabella.

She seriously thought Cheese had gone from a normal cat to a neurotic one because of Quentin.

"No, I should go back." Isabella just wanted to get away from this creepy duo.

But as she took a step, Quentin said, "Seb won't be coming back tonight."

Isabella froze. "What do you mean?"

Quentin replied, "He's spending the night at a hotel with another woman."

"Mr. Black!" Isabella's tone was sharp. "Don't spread rumors. I won't believe it."

"Believe it or not, it's the truth," Quentin said calmly.

Being alone with Quentin was already suffocating, and now, with the cat, it was even worse.

"Fine. Spread your rumors if you want, but I won't believe them," Isabella said, turning to leave.

As she opened the door, Quentin's voice echoed behind her. "Moon Club. You should see for yourself."

Isabella frowned but walked out.

Once home, she immediately pulled out her phone and tried calling Seb. Still off.

With Jack out of town and Zaire staying over, she was out of options.

After a moment, she thought of Bradley. But she didn't have his number.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed twice. A message from an unknown number. At the end, it said Bradley.

Isabella instantly knew it was Quentin.

She looked around, feeling like Quentin was watching her every move. How else would he know she needed Bradley's number and send it at the perfect time? It was like he had a monitor in her brain!

Without overthinking, she dialed the number.

Bradley's voice came through. "Hello, who is this?"

Isabella froze, feeling like she was in a dream, manipulated to move forward.

She paced the living room, trying to calm down.

She pieced it together. Quentin said Seb was at Moon Club with another woman. That was the bait.

Unable to reach Seb, she'd try others around him. Quentin knew this and sent Bradley's number at the right time.

Was Quentin sure she'd call and then go to Moon Club?

Isabella gripped her phone tightly. She couldn't follow Quentin's plan and become his pawn. But what about Seb?

She decided not to act rashly and woke up Zaire.

She explained the situation, and Zaire immediately put on a coat. "I'll check it out."

Isabella was worried. "I'll go with you."

Zaire and Isabella both didn't believe Seb would do such a thing, so he agreed, "Alright."

At Moon Club, someone greeted Zaire. "Mr. Jose, why are you here at this hour?"

Zaire cut to the chase. "Has Mr. Landon been here?"

The person hesitated, glanced at Isabella, and denied it. "No."

"Alright, go back to work," Zaire dismissed them.

The person hesitated but finally left.

Zaire took Isabella upstairs and unlocked a door with his fingerprint.

As they approached the innermost room, Isabella felt uneasy.

Zaire just pushed the door open.

The room was dim, lit only by a dozen candles.

In the flickering light, Isabella saw Seb seated on the sofa, with a woman enveloped in his arms.

Hearing the noise, Siena looked up first. When she saw Isabella, she panicked.

"Siena!" Isabella's mind buzzed.

The candlelight wasn't strong, but it stung her eyes.

"Isabella?" Siena looked caught, pushing Seb and whispering, "Seb, it's Isabella!"