Chapter 918 Jealousy
Leon had his back to Isabella, so she couldn't see his face, but she could see Bronte grinning like she just won the lottery.
Isabella's heart sank.
Without thinking, she spun around, grabbed her wine glass, and downed the red wine in one go.
"Isabella, why are you so late?" Susan's voice cut through the noise.
Isabella looked up to see Susan striding over in a red dress.
"I had to go home and get all glammed up," Isabella joked, trying to keep it light.
Susan gave her a once-over, taking in the black V-neck dress, the ponytail with a sparkly hairpin, and the simple pearl earrings. Isabella's look was understated but classy, making her stand out among the more flashy outfits.
"Well, today's look is definitely different. It suits you," Susan laughed.
"Just 'good'? Come on, it should be 'perfect,' right?" Isabella forced a smile.
Her eyes kept darting to Leon and Bronte. They seemed normal, but to Isabella, it was all too suspicious.
"Hey, don't get too cocky," Susan teased, then leaned in and whispered, "Did you see Leon?"
"I think I caught a glimpse," Isabella said, hesitating.
Susan sighed, "Bronte insisted on having Leon as her date tonight. I don't think he was too thrilled about it, so don't get the wrong idea!"
Isabella felt a bit better hearing that.
She knew many women at Prosperity Group were into Leon. Still, she thought, "Can't he just turn Bronte down? No one's forcing him."
"Why are you telling me this? It's not my business," Isabella said, refusing to admit anything to Susan.
Susan shook her head at Isabella's stubbornness. Just then, Seb waved at her.
Susan smiled, "Seb's calling me. I'll catch you later!"
"Okay," Isabella nodded, and Susan walked off.
Isabella stood by the long table, nibbling on a piece of cake.
But no matter how good the cake was, it tasted like cardboard to her. She suddenly regretted coming to this event.
Bored, she wandered around the banquet hall, half-listening to some speeches, feeling completely uninterested. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a female voice call her name. "Isabella!"
She turned around to see Bronte, Leon's date for the night.
Bronte and Isabella used to work together, not close but not strangers either.
"Bronte," Isabella greeted with a polite smile.
Bronte walked up, smiling, "I heard you're working with Mrs. Anderson now. Your future's looking bright."
Isabella felt even more uninterested. "Yeah, who would've thought Susan would end up as Mr. Anderson's wife?"
Isabella had a hunch that Bronte's sudden friendliness had an agenda. She knew Bronte well enough to know that she usually didn't bother with people unless there was something in it for her.
"That's why I say you have good foresight," Bronte laughed.
"I heard you got promoted too. Congrats on that," Isabella replied, keeping it polite.
"Just my turn in the seniority line," Bronte said, then added warmly, "Hey, do you remember Mr. Johnson, Mr. Anderson's assistant?"
Isabella's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Leon. She forced a smile. "Of course."
"He's my date tonight," Bronte said, practically glowing.
Isabella got it now. Bronte must've seen Leon talking to her earlier and now saw her as competition.
"You two make a great pair," Isabella said, trying to keep her face neutral.
Bronte blushed and said softly, "How could I be worthy of Mr. Johnson? He's so amazing. At Prosperity Group, besides Mr. Anderson, Mr. Johnson is the most admired. I'm just an ordinary person, not in his league."
Isabella forced another smile. She could tell Bronte was fishing for compliments.
Isabella wanted to end the conversation, but Bronte kept going.
"Recently, a VP has been trying to set me up with Mr. Johnson. I've turned it down a few times, but the VP was so persistent that I felt bad refusing. So tonight, I reluctantly agreed to be Mr. Johnson's date," Bronte laughed.
Isabella just smiled politely, wondering if it was really the VP's idea or if Bronte was just trying to get close to Leon, or if Leon didn't mind.
Bronte kept talking. "Isabella, Mr. Johnson is such a gentleman. He's so polite and considerate. Do you think he might have asked the VP to set us up?"
Isabella frowned.
At first, she thought Bronte was just being dramatic. But then she started to feel uneasy. 'Why would the VP go out of his way to set them up? Could Leon actually be interested in Bronte?'
Isabella looked Bronte up and down.
Bronte was a few years younger than her, around 26 or 27. Although the age difference wasn't huge, it was still there.
Plus, Bronte was tall, beautiful and hot. She was a graduate of a prestigious university, eloquent, and definitely impressive.
Comparing herself to Bronte, Isabella felt a pang of insecurity.
She forced a smile that felt more like a grimace and said, "Maybe so. Good luck!"
Seeing Isabella's strained expression, Bronte knew she had hit her mark. She smiled and said, "Thank you. Mr. Johnson must be feeling lonely. I'll go keep him company."
With that, Bronte turned and walked towards Leon, swaying her hips.
Isabella looked up and saw Leon's gaze fixed on them. Under his watchful eyes, Bronte quickened her pace, reached Leon, and linked her arm with his.
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