Jack Zhao, Wayne Wang, and the others quickly stood up as the door opened, and Isabella Li entered with Ethan Wu by her side. Isabella signaled the bodyguards to stay outside as she and Ethan stepped into the room. As soon as Jack Zhao and Wayne Wang saw Isabella, they respectfully bowed and greeted her, "Miss Li!"
In truth, they had barely met Isabella before.
They knew little about her, except that Isabella was the top figure of the Li family's third generation, with skills and cunning sharper than many old foxes. Her forceful personality and the fact that she was a woman had caused tension with her family.
Jack Zhao and Wayne Wang had no personal stake in the Li family dynamics. All they knew was that Tyler Li was afraid of his sister, so they were even more fearful of Isabella. Offending her was even more terrifying than offending Tyler.
"Sis, what brings you here in person?" Tyler Li asked with a smile, but he seemed slightly nervous, even fanning the air to disperse the smell of smoke.
As he spoke, Jack Zhao and the others were preparing to leave the room.
Suddenly!
Tom Liu let out a loud shout.
"It's him!" Tom pointed at the young man in the blue suit standing beside Isabella, his face twisting with excitement, his skin practically shaking. "Big Brother! Mr. Li, that's the guy from last night!"
Tom Liu was filled with seething hatred.
He'd been genuinely terrified yesterday, thinking he'd offended someone untouchable. Although he'd cut off a finger, he hadn't held a grudge, even feeling somewhat grateful that a big shot hadn't punished him further.
But upon learning he'd been duped, his anger had multiplied a thousandfold.
Many people were like this. If humiliated publicly by a powerful figure, they'd take it as a lesson. But if fooled by a nobody, the shame would be even worse than physical pain.
Watching Tyler's rage moments earlier, Tom had already planned his revenge. The moment he found the young man, he'd cut off his hand before handing him over to Tyler. Tyler had specified that he wanted him alive, not necessarily in one piece.
Yet here the guy was, right in front of him!
When the door opened, Tom hadn't recognized Ethan because of his changed appearance. Before coming here, Isabella had taken Ethan to buy a sharp new suit, complete with an expensive watch, cufflinks, and other accessories. Ethan looked completely different.
As soon as Tom recognized him, he shouted, shocking everyone in the room.
Wayne Wang furrowed his brows, studying Ethan. He vaguely remembered passing him in the bar last night, but he hadn't paid attention. However, after watching the bar's surveillance footage, he had a general impression of the young man's appearance—indeed, it was him.
But neither he nor Jack dared to act rashly, as this was Tyler Li's territory, and the young man had come with Isabella herself.
"This is the one?" Tyler asked, looking at Tom, then at Ethan.
"Yes, yes, it was him last night!" Tom shouted, though he lowered his voice, noticing Jack Zhao's meaningful look.
"Well, look who's here," Ethan said, smiling calmly, drawing everyone's attention.
Jack Zhao had never seen him before, but Ethan had encountered Jack many times in past cycles.
A room full of familiar faces!
"Oh, right, I borrowed your car last night. Here's the key. The car's parked in Building 7 of the CBD underground lot." Ethan said, pulling out the Lamborghini key and tossing it to Wayne Wang.
Wayne caught the key but found himself momentarily speechless.
Ethan acted so casually in this setting that Wayne couldn't quite gauge his status.
"Sis, who is this guy…?" Tyler finally asked.
"What do you mean 'this guy'?" Isabella frowned. "This is your brother-in-law. Show some respect!"
"Bro… Brother-in-law?!" Tyler seemed to choke, nearly losing his breath. Initially, he thought this was just another fake boyfriend stunt by his sister. But she'd never insisted on him calling any of her previous fake boyfriends "brother-in-law."
"Show respect!" Isabella shot Tyler a sharp look.
"Yes, sis… Brother-in-law!" Tyler quickly greeted Ethan, doing so with proper decorum.
He wasn't afraid of Ethan, but he feared his sister. He worried that if he didn't play along, she'd embarrass him in front of everyone.
"Hiss…"
Wayne Wang, Jack Zhao, and Tom Liu all took a sharp breath.
This young man in his early twenties was Tyler Li's brother-in-law?! Isabella's man?!
This was bad—very bad!
They had thought they'd been played by a nobody, only to realize it was actually a big deal, the kind of person even Tyler dared not cross.
Although they couldn't understand why Tyler didn't recognize his brother-in-law, they figured that Isabella and Ethan's relationship must still be relatively new.
Yet, by making Tyler call Ethan "brother-in-law" in front of everyone, it was clear that Isabella's relationship with Ethan was solid.
They were family.
And the others? They were all outsiders.
Jack Zhao kept glancing nervously at Tom Liu.
Tom had already started sweating; he sensed he was in deep trouble.
The room's atmosphere grew tense and strange.
"You can all go now," Tyler said, breaking the silence.
"Yes, yes," Jack Zhao and the others quickly agreed, not daring to linger. Avoiding any further eye contact with Isabella or Ethan, they left the room. Meanwhile, Isabella naturally linked her arm with Ethan as they walked further inside.
Suddenly!
Isabella covered her mouth, looking as if she were about to gag. Then, as if she couldn't hold it in, she pushed Ethan away and hurried to the en-suite bathroom, closing the door as she continued to retch inside.
Jack Zhao and his companions, just about to exit, froze in place.
At their age, they understood exactly what could cause a woman to gag like that.
Tyler Li understood as well.
Even Ethan was slightly taken aback. This wasn't part of the plan! Isabella's impromptu performance was unexpected, but he understood her intent—she wanted everyone to misinterpret the situation.
Reacting quickly, Ethan moved to follow her into the bathroom, only to find the door locked.
He knocked gently and called out, "Are you okay, Isabella?"
"I'm fine… Ugh… Just… give me a moment," came Isabella's muffled reply from inside.
By the time Isabella came out of the bathroom, the room was empty except for Tyler standing by the sofa and Ethan waiting by the bathroom door.
Ethan helped her walk back, his voice laced with concern, "Are you alright?"
"Perfectly fine," Isabella replied with a smile.
Tyler was stunned—his sister actually smiled at a man!
"You certainly know how to pull off a stunt," Ethan whispered in her ear with a playful tone.
"Are you scared? Afraid Dylan Ding will find out and come after you?" Isabella whispered back.
"Do you think I'd be scared?" Ethan replied.
Tyler couldn't hear what they were saying, but to him, it looked like his sister was leaning close and whispering sweet nothings to her "brother-in-law," both of them smiling.
Noticing the lingering smell of smoke, Tyler briskly walked to the window, pushing it open to air out the room.
He then picked up the ashtray from the coffee table and promptly tossed it into the trash.
"No need to fuss; sit down," Isabella said, pulling Ethan to sit beside her.
"Um… Sis, are you…?" Tyler hesitated, lifting his hand as if wanting to gesture toward her belly.
"It's just a bit of discomfort," Isabella replied vaguely, which only fueled Tyler's suspicions.
Could his sister actually be pregnant?
And with this man's child?!
Was she truly serious this time?
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]