Chapter 4 She Had Always Known She Was Adopted

• Isabelle smiled awkwardly. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop; I just happened to pass by. I'm sorry for causing such trouble for you and your family. Our marriage was a result of pure coincidence, and we're not from the same world. You have someone you can't forget, and I have my pride. Your parents can't accept me, and I don't want to compromise myself either. Let's… just leave it at that."
• Raiden's dark eyes stared intently at her, his thin lips pressed together. He didn't say a word.
• She met his gaze calmly, saying, "While my family background and personal qualities may not quite match up to yours, I've come to realize that there's someone out there who will be the perfect match for me. I won't force myself anymore." She smiled and added, "I wish you and Miss Robinson a happy ending."
• He remained silent.
• Isabelle, not saying anything further, offered Raiden a polite smile before turning away to return to her room.
• Suddenly, he spoke up. "Lola… is the Robinson Family's youngest daughter, who went missing when she was five years old. I lost her under my watch."
• She looked back at him in surprise as he, too, was looking at her. "If she's still alive, she would be around your age."
• "Sorry, I didn't know she had—" Isabelle apologized instinctively.
• "It's okay," Raiden interrupted her. "It's not a matter of who is worthy of whom between us. It's my fault for failing to take good care of you. I'm sorry."
• "It's my problem," she replied.
• "It has nothing to do with you." He exhaled softly, his demeanor returning to his usual calmness. "I'll have my lawyer take care of the divorce, and our shared property will be divided as it should be."
• "It's not necessary," she refused with a smile. "It never really had anything to do with me."
• Raiden didn't respond, just looking at Isabelle quietly from a short distance away. His dark eyes were calm and cold, as deep and impenetrable as an abyss.
• Her smile faltered a bit. She gestured behind her, saying, "Well… I'm going back now…"
• Suddenly, he took a step forward and clasped her in his arms. "Take good care of yourself," he whispered in her ear. Then, he quickly let go of her and walked away without looking back.
• She stared at his receding figure in a daze. His silhouette, elongated by the lights, was tall as ever; his demeanor was steady and yet decisively indifferent, showing no trace of reluctance or hesitation. It was undeniably the same man she had always known.
• Isabelle's lips involuntarily curled into a smile, but tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes. Despite her efforts to suppress them, the tears flowed freely, and her throat constricted with emotion. Tipping her head slightly, she attempted to hold them back, to no avail. After returning home, she took the decisive step of deleting Raiden's WhatsApp and phone number. With that behind her, she earnestly immersed herself in the hectic preparations for her upcoming studies abroad.
• Fortunately, her visa was swiftly approved. The day before departing the country, she managed a brief visit back home. Stepping into the house, she caught sight of her brother, Oliver Berry, reclined on the couch, engrossed in gaming, wearing a contented expression.
• Oliver was older than Isabelle by six years. He had good looks and received a decent education. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from a regular university and used to study hard during his days as a student. However, he was the only son of their family. Their mother, Lisa Tyson, had spoiled him since he was a child. She couldn't bear to let him suffer, which ultimately ruined him. As a result, he couldn't endure hardships, was incompetent despite his lofty ambitions, and lacked persistence.
• None of his jobs lasted more than half a year; either he considered the job trivial and a waste of his life, or he felt the pay was too low and wasn't worth his time. Sometimes, he thought his superiors were idiots and couldn't understand him. In his mind, it was always someone else's fault, not his.
• For this reason, after almost eight years since his graduation from university, he had accomplished nothing. He always dreamt of starting his own business and making a fortune, but all he did was empty his parents' retirement savings. He ventured into numerous business endeavors, losing a considerable amount of money yet never achieving any significant success. He just spent his days idling at home.
• Oliver didn't notice when Isabelle came in, but Lisa, who was busy in the kitchen, saw her and immediately shook her hands dry before coming out. Her eyes glanced behind her daughter out of habit. "Belle? Why are you alone? Where is Raiden?"
• Oliver, who was engrossed in his game, also looked up and—just like his mother—glanced behind Isabelle, asking, "Is Raiden with you?" Then, seeing no sign of Raiden, he looked at her again. "Did you have a fight with him?"
• "No," Isabelle replied.
• "Is he busy then?" he asked, pulling his legs down from the coffee table. "Oh, by the way, did you talk to him about giving me the construction project for the resort? He needs someone to do it, anyway, so why not let me earn the money instead of giving it to outsiders? It's better to keep the profits within the family."
• Lisa chimed in, "Also, have you talked to Raiden about the villa in Scented Heights? That lakeside villa is really good; it's spacious with lots of light. It's in high demand now, and the sales office keeps calling to urge us to make the down payment. If we don't pay the deposit this week, the one we have our eye on might get snatched away."
• "If you have the money, just buy it yourselves," Isabelle retorted.
• Lisa replied, "We just want to borrow some money from Raiden for that."
• Isabelle looked at her. "Mom, a villa is worth millions, and you're asking to borrow 10 million without any ability to repay it. Is that called borrowing? It's called giving it away."
• Lisa's voice lowered. "Well, once your brother secures the resort project, we'll have the money to pay him back, no?"
• "That's right, Isabelle," Oliver chimed in. "Don't worry, we won't take your money. We'll borrow it for now and pay you back with interest when the time comes."
• Isabelle looked at him. "How are you going to secure the project? You have no experience, connections, capital, or qualifications. Are you relying on that fly-by-night company of yours?"
• Ever since his sister married Raiden, Oliver saw a financial opportunity. Aware of Raiden's family involvement in real estate and hearing from friends about the profitability of construction projects, he hastily established a construction company despite having no experience in the field. Oliver planned to leverage his sister's relationship with Raiden to secure projects, but he had no intention of carrying out the work himself. His strategy involved securing contracts at a high price and then subcontracting the job at a lower cost, thus profiting from the price difference.
• Isabelle knew her brother's intentions and capabilities well, so she stopped him every single time, preventing him from approaching Raiden. Even so, Oliver was a living person; she could stop him once or twice, but not forever. Since he knew she wouldn't help him, he went to Raiden in private. In this respect, he and Lisa were cut from the same cloth.
• On the other hand, Lisa didn't have the same intentions as Oliver had of making money off Raiden; she simply had her eye on his wealth. Ever since her daughter married the man, she had developed a sense of pride. She held her head high, constantly boasting about her daughter's marriage to a wealthy family, how powerful her son-in-law was, and how he met every request from her family. Consequently, people came seeking favors, and even distant relatives would show up. They approached her family for all kinds of things, such as loans, job placements, string pulling, and so on. Lisa, concerned about her reputation, agreed to everything they asked for, regardless of whether she could deliver it or not. Then, she would pressure Isabelle in turn.
• Unwilling to indulge her mother, Isabelle turned down all their requests, but she didn't realize that Lisa had the same problem as Oliver. Seeing that it was no use asking her daughter for help, she put on the airs of a mother-in-law and went to Raiden in secret. She even went to his parents, starting the conversation with sentences like, "Belle is too polite to talk about this, so she lets us discuss this with you," or "Look, Belle has sacrificed so much for your family, even jeopardizing her health to give birth to children for your family…" resorting to moral manipulation.
• Isabelle only found out about these things later through Ellie's sarcastic remarks.
• Because of this, Ellie and William despised her, thinking she was cunning and taking advantage of her marriage to Raiden to benefit her own family. Isabelle could understand that, but she wondered how Raiden viewed her. He never mentioned these things to her, but perhaps he also looked down on her. After learning about these things, she felt incredibly ashamed.
• Oliver couldn't understand Isabelle's embarrassment, though. Hearing what she said about him running a "fly-by-night" company, he became furious at once. "How am I running a fly-by-night company? Yeah, you married a rich guy and are capable now, so you look down on us poor relatives. I get it now. No wonder you make excuses every time I approach you," he yelled.
• Lisa didn't look pleased either. "Belle, how can you say that about your brother? It's just a matter of mentioning it, isn't it? It doesn't make a difference whether Raiden's family's projects are given to outsiders or one of us. So, why can't they give preference to one of us? It's not like we're asking much of him."
• "Then, let Oliver compete for it with his capabilities," Isabelle retorted, setting down her bag. "I'm going back to my room."
• As the door closed, Lisa's angry voice could be heard from outside. "Back when your dad brought her home, I said we shouldn't take her in, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted on keeping her. We scrimped and saved, working hard to raise her and even put her through school. Now that she's grown up and accomplished, she looks down on us poor parents!" she complained.
• Isabelle woodenly sat down at her desk, her gaze shifting from the empty room to the jewelry box on the desk. After a moment of hesitation, she reached out and grabbed it.
• Inside the jewelry box lay a pendant of some age. It was small and exquisite, a pendant made of gold and jade. She wore it when she was a child, but she didn't remember who put it on her. This pendant was her only memory of her childhood. Ever since she was a child, she had always known that she was adopted.