Chapter 1163: Chapter 1163: Wanting to Taste the Bitterness of Love
After talking things over with Aunt Pritt, Isabelle Martin felt much more at ease. She chatted with Aunt Pritt while helping her out, occasionally letting out clear and delightful laughter from the kitchen.
Jeffrey Foster had been standing by the water dispenser for about ten minutes. He couldn’t hear exactly what the two were discussing in the kitchen, but he could tell Isabelle was in a great mood.
He couldn’t help but wonder what she was so happy about.
Could it be that she’s chatting about Aunt Pritt’s nephew?
She was flirting with him just now outside, and now she’s thrilled to talk about another man?
The more Jeffrey thought about it, the worse his mood became. Suddenly, he relaxed his grip, and the glass slipped from his hand to the floor.
The high-quality glass cup crashed onto the marble floor, spilling hot water everywhere and immediately alerting the people in the kitchen.
Isabelle ran out and saw the tall man frowning by the water dispenser. She hurried over and said, "Don’t move, are you burned?"
Jeffrey said nothing, still frowning. Isabelle’s heart sank as she hurried to roll up Jeffrey’s long pants. Thankfully, the water wasn’t too hot, leaving only a few red marks, nothing serious.
Isabelle finally breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the cup from the floor, and called for the cleaning robot before helping Jeffrey back to the sofa.
"Next time, call me or Aunt Pritt when you want water. What if it’s boiling?" After getting him to the sofa, Isabelle was still a bit shaken.
It was rare for Jeffrey not to give Isabelle a hard time, and he merely acknowledged with a grunt.
Looking at the man like this, while feeling sorry for him, Isabelle also felt a bit heartbroken. She sighed lightly and got another cup to pour Jeffrey some warm water.
"Here, drink up. Tell me if you need anything. Aunt Pritt will have dinner ready soon." After saying this, Isabelle didn’t return to the kitchen but stayed by Jeffrey’s side.
Aunt Pritt came out behind Isabelle, seeing her skillfully handle everything, and Mr. Foster not only didn’t chase her away but also allowed her to take care of him. She understood perfectly and turned back to her tasks without disturbing the two. However, in her heart, she found it a bit odd; usually, when she’s not around, Mr. Foster would take care of himself, so how did he manage to burn himself today just by fetching water?
Just as the oil in the pan was turning red, Aunt Pritt couldn’t dwell on it anymore and hurriedly put in the ingredients to continue cooking.
In the living room, Isabelle sat next to Jeffrey. While she was busy earlier, she hadn’t thought much, but now that she was idle, she suddenly felt a bit awkward.
She could be bold sometimes, but she didn’t have the experience to wrap things up after being bold. Seeing Jeffrey sitting silently on the sofa, she inexplicably felt a bit nervous, starting to wonder if her earlier words and actions had hurt the man’s self-esteem, and if his silence meant he was upset.
Just when Isabelle was lost in thought about Jeffrey, her phone rang at the perfect moment, rescuing her from the awkwardness. Isabelle quickly picked it up and saw it was a message from Zed Julius.
When Jeffrey was hospitalized, Isabelle had made her thoughts clear to Zed Julius and Aunt Pritt’s nephew. She thought the matter was settled, but unexpectedly, Zed invited her to an opera.
Just as Isabelle was hesitating on how to decline, a message came through, "Don’t misunderstand, Miss Martin. This opera is being performed by me and a colleague. I’m not only inviting you; I’ve also invited other colleagues from your building management. This is my first time on a formal stage in my life, and I’m very nervous, so I hope familiar friends can come to cheer for me. I hope Miss Martin will do me the honor."
His words made Isabelle have to delete the rejection she had already typed and exited the conversation to check the company’s group messages. Zed wasn’t lying; the group was actively discussing this matter, and Zed was quite generous, leaving plenty of tickets for the building management to conveniently bring family members.
Many colleagues in the group were eager to go, while Isabelle focused on the words "family members," then looked at Jeffrey with sparkling eyes.
Jeffrey hadn’t expected Isabelle to come out of the kitchen and immediately get engrossed in her phone. His handsome face turned gloomy, especially when he thought the person Isabelle was texting might be Aunt Pritt’s nephew or possibly that Zed. This unsettled him greatly.
So when he felt Isabelle looking at him, he couldn’t help but speak up, "You seem very free?"
"Huh?" Isabelle could tell Jeffrey was unhappy, but since she didn’t know why, she looked a bit confused.
"Aren’t you supposed to be working now? Does your boss know you’re slacking off during work hours?" Jeffrey asked with a stone-like expression.
Isabelle, "..."
How did she upset this man again?
Feeling a bit exasperated, Isabelle glared at the man and muttered, "I’m done with work today, all right? As for whether I’m slacking off during work hours, you’ve said it’s my boss who should be concerned. Why are you worrying so much? Or are you just reluctant to have me stay for dinner?"
Jeffrey was rendered speechless by Isabelle’s tirade, but just then, her phone buzzed again. As the girl quickly typed away, his mood worsened, feeling on the verge of snapping, "Noisy!"
Isabelle looked up, trying to discern why Jeffrey was suddenly unhappy, but his moods were so unpredictable that she couldn’t make out anything. Just then, Zed sent a voice message, and she absentmindedly played it, hearing his voice say, "I’ve left the tickets with the management office, make sure to come."
In the spacious living room, only Isabelle and Jeffrey were present, so Zed’s voice came across as particularly jarring, even through the phone.
Jeffrey’s suspicions were confirmed, and his expression instantly turned stormy, as if the atmosphere around him dropped a few degrees. An epiphany struck Isabelle’s mind—was he angry because she was messaging someone else?
Thinking of this, Isabelle tried tentatively pressing the voice key, "Okay, thank you, Mr. Julius."
Bang!
Just as Isabelle finished speaking, the man on the sofa abruptly stood up, banging his knee against the coffee table. Yet he seemed unfazed, striding towards the stairs.
Now Isabelle understood clearly, her pretty little face filled with joy. Despite feeling sorry for Jeffrey’s bump, she was even more eager to tease him. She innocently asked, "Hey, Mr. Foster, dinner is ready. Where are you going?"
Jeffrey ignored her, striding forward with an unusually steady gaze, seemingly walking at an especially fast pace. Yet upon reaching the stairs, he staggered slightly, almost falling. This made him even more irritated, and he suddenly remembered this was his house, so why should he leave? He then turned back without caring about Isabelle’s location, "You, out."
Isabelle was stunned—was he kicking her out in a fit of pique?
Previously, Isabelle might not have withstood the man’s demand for her to leave, but now that she knew the reason, she wasn’t upset or aggrieved. Instead, she was overjoyed, holding her head up proudly, "I’m not leaving!"
"You..."
......
Refresh later.
Aunt Pritt sighed in her heart, looking at the young and pretty girl’s face, and mumbled softly, "Silly child."
Isabelle, however, linked arms with Aunt Pritt, giggling, "Heehee, Aunt Pritt, I really like Mr. Foster. You must help me more in the future, okay?"
"If I were your mom, I’d be so mad I’d die, and you’d still expect me to help you?" Aunt Pritt pretended to be angry.
Isabelle Martin giggled deliberately, "Mr. Foster is so good, how could my mom possibly get mad enough to die? Relax, relax."
Aunt Pritt helplessly scolded, "You silly girl, you ignore what’s good for you, just wait to suffer."
Isabelle’s eyes were still sparkling with laughter, she was actually very eager to face the trials of love with Mr. Foster!
After having a heart-to-heart with Aunt Pritt, Isabelle felt much lighter. She chatted idly while helping Aunt Pritt, her clear and pleasant laughter occasionally ringing from the kitchen.
Jeffrey Foster had been standing by the water dispenser for about ten minutes, unable to hear what the two were discussing in the kitchen, but clearly aware of Isabelle’s great mood.
He couldn’t help but wonder, what was making her so happy?
Was she chatting with Aunt Pritt about her nephew?
Just now she was teasing him outside, and now she’s talking about another man so cheerfully?
The more Jeffrey thought about it, the worse his mood became. His hand suddenly slipped, and he dropped the cup onto the floor.
The high-quality glass cup crashed onto the marble tiles, spilling hot water all over, immediately startling the people in the kitchen.
Isabelle ran out and saw the tall man frowning by the water dispenser, rushing over she called out, "Don’t move, are you burned?"
Jeffrey said nothing, still frowning. Isabelle’s heart sank as she quickly knelt down and rolled up Jeffrey’s long pants. Luckily, the water wasn’t too hot, leaving only a few red marks, nothing severe.
Only then did Isabelle breathe a sigh of relief. She picked up the cup from the floor and called the cleaning robot, helping Jeffrey back to the sofa.
"Next time you drink water, ask me or Aunt Pritt to help. What if it was boiling water?" Isabelle said, still shaken, as she helped him onto the sofa.
In a rare moment, Jeffrey didn’t give Isabelle a hard time and just responded with a grunt.
Looking at the man’s condition, Isabelle felt a bit heartbroken and sighed softly, fetching a new glass to fill with warm water for Jeffrey.
"Here, drink this. Let me know if you need anything, Aunt Pritt’s meal will be ready soon." With that, Isabelle didn’t return to the kitchen and stayed by Jeffrey’s side.
Aunt Pritt came out after Isabelle, observing how Isabelle deftly took care of things, while Mr. Foster not only didn’t send her away but allowed her to care for him. Aunt Pritt had a clear understanding in her heart and turned back to her tasks without disturbing the two, though privately she found it odd. Usually, when she’s not around, Mr. Foster takes care of himself. How did he manage to burn himself today just fetching some water?
But the oil in the pot was heating up, giving Aunt Pritt no time to ponder further as she quickly resumed cooking.
In the living room, Isabelle sat next to Jeffrey, having been too busy earlier to think about it, but now as she settled down, she suddenly felt a bit uneasy.
At times she was bold, truly, but after being bold, she lacked the experience to handle the aftermath. Now seeing Jeffrey sitting silently on the sofa, she felt inexplicably nervous, wondering if any of her words or actions earlier had hurt the man’s dignity. Was he upset because he wasn’t speaking?
Just when Isabelle was lost in thoughts about Jeffrey, her phone rang aptly, saving her from the awkwardness. Isabelle quickly picked it up to check the message, discovering it was from Zed Julius.
During Jeffrey’s hospitalization, Isabelle had clearly expressed her intentions to Zed and Aunt Pritt’s nephew. She thought things would end there, but unexpectedly, Zed had invited her to see an opera.
Isabelle was hesitating on how to decline when another message came, "Miss Martin, don’t misunderstand. The opera is where my colleagues and I will perform. I didn’t just invite you, I’ve also invited other colleagues from your property management team. This is my first time on a formal stage, and I’m very nervous, so I hope familiar friends can attend to cheer me on. I hope Miss Martin will grace me with your presence."
His words made Isabelle delete the rejection she had typed out and exit the chat to check the company group messages. Zed hadn’t lied. The group was engaged in discussing the event, and Zed generously reserved many tickets for the property staff to bring family members.
Many colleagues were eager to attend, and Isabelle’s gaze fell on the word "family," her eyes sparkling as she looked towards Jeffrey.
Jeffrey had not expected that when Isabelle came out of the kitchen, she turned to chatting on her phone. His handsome face immediately darkened, especially thinking that Isabelle might be chatting with Aunt Pritt’s nephew or that Zed guy, making him extremely unhappy.
So when he felt Isabelle’s gaze upon him, he finally couldn’t hold back, "You’re very free, aren’t you?"
"Huh?" Isabelle clearly sensed that Jeffrey was not happy, but without understanding why, she was momentarily at a loss.
"Shouldn’t you still be working now? Does your boss know how you’re slacking off during work hours?" Jeffrey asked with a blank expression.
Isabelle, "..."
What had she done to annoy this man?
Feeling a bit frustrated, Isabelle glared at him and mumbled, "I’m done with work today, alright? As for whether I slack off at work, you said that’s my boss’s concern, why are you worrying so much? Are you reluctant to have me stay for dinner?"
Jeffrey was rendered silent by Isabelle’s string of comments, and just then her phone vibrated again. As she typed away, his mood deteriorated even more, reaching a point of exasperation, "Noisy!"
Isabelle looked up, trying to deduce why the man was suddenly unhappy. But his mood was unpredictable, and after a long while, she still couldn’t figure it out. Just then, a voice message from Zed arrived, and she absentmindedly opened it, hearing, "I’ve left the tickets at the property office for you, please make sure to come."
In the large living room, with only Isabelle and Jeffrey, Zed’s voice, even through the phone, seemed very abrupt.
Jeffrey’s suspicions were confirmed, his expression darkening instantly, and the atmosphere felt several degrees colder. Isabelle suddenly realized, was he angry because she was messaging others?
Thinking of this, Isabelle tentatively pressed the voice button and said, "Okay, thank you, Mr. Julius."
Bam!
As soon as Isabelle said this, the man on the sofa suddenly stood up, bumping his knee on the coffee table. Yet he seemed oblivious and strode toward the stairs.
At this point, what was left for Isabelle not to understand? Her beautiful face was filled with delight, despite feeling sorry for Jeffrey’s bump, she was more eager to tease him. She feigned innocence as she asked, "Hmm, Mr. Foster, dinner’s almost ready, where are you going?"
Jeffrey was in no mood to pay her any attention, striding even faster as if his eyes had returned to normal, walking with a particular briskness, unaware that he nearly stumbled on the steps, almost falling, which made him even more irritable. Suddenly, realizing this was his house, why should he leave? He turned back regardless of Isabelle’s position, "You go out."
Isabelle was taken aback. Was this an angry outburst, directly asking her to leave?
If this had been earlier, Isabelle surely wouldn’t have been able to handle being dismissed by him, but now understanding the reason, she wasn’t upset or aggrieved, instead, she felt ecstatic, proudly tilting her head, "I’m not leaving!"
"You..."