Chapter 43 Isaac's Respect
"How could you be so careless?" A deep, pleasant voice floated down to her.
Nora shook off her stupor and looked up. A handsome face met her gaze. Their proximity was disarming—close enough to catch the potent scent of masculinity, to feel the heat radiating from his body. Nora's heart raced, her cheeks flushed.
"Isaac!" Kalista's voice cut through the air like a knife.
With rage simmering beneath her surface, Kalista quickly approached them. "Isaac, what are you doing holding her? Let go of her!"
The fury was almost unbearable. The previous instance when she fell in front of Isaac, he merely observed, making no effort to assist her. However, this time, as Nora stumbled, he not only caught her but also held her in his arms, all in plain sight for everyone to see—embracing another woman.
Nora hastily tried to step back to put some distance between them. However, her high heels wobbled on the uneven ground, and she began to fall backward again. Isaac's grip was still firm; he effortlessly pulled her close once more.
Her petite frame crashed again into his towering embrace.
"How can you still be so reckless at this age?" Isaac frowned in displeasure.
Nora clenched her teeth, her eyebrows drawn together, her face pale, and her body trembling slightly.
She had accidentally twisted her ankle.
It wasn't dislocated, but it hurt.
Upon taking a deep breath to suppress the pain, she attempted to speak in a calm voice, "Thanks for helping me, Isaac. I'm fine now; you can let go of me."
Isaac's eyes narrowed.
A dangerous aura spread in an instant, silencing Kalista, who had wanted to question what was happening.
Nora didn't respond; she kept her gaze lowered.
Isaac had expressed his dislike for her; naturally, she wanted to keep her distance to avoid aggravating his contempt.
Standing on the side, Kalista was nearly driven mad with frustration.
She clenched her fists tightly as she looked at Isaac with a hurt expression, "Isaac, what are you doing? Let her go and come with me to the banquet hall! Nora is trying to get close to you by deliberately asking Grandpa for an invitation to this gala. But I've seen through her scheme. I was about to send her away. Please, let her go. Don't waste our precious time!"
Isaac spoke calmly, "She didn't just show up here uninvited; she was invited to help as the hostess. My grandma is unwell and couldn't preside over tonight, so she's filling in."
"What?! She's the hostess? Then what am I?!" Kalista's eyes widened incredulously.
Isaac furrowed his brow, "You were never the hostess. There's no conflict with her role. Why are you comparing yourself to her?"
Kalista's face turned ashen, her chest heaving in anger. She was unable to utter a word at the moment.
Nora was the hostess? Then what was she?
She had been parading around before the elite ladies as the hostess, trying to send Nora away.
Now, Isaac's revelation made her feel like a joke.
"Isaac, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Kalista asked, her voice tinged with hurt.
Isaac replied indifferently, "You didn't ask."
Tears welled up in Kalista's eyes as her body swayed. It seemed like she might faint at any time.
"Are you not feeling well?" Isaac asked with a frown.
Kalista nodded pitifully, hoping to elicit Isaac's sympathy.
Isaac turned to Wesley, "Take her to the hospital to get a check out."
Then, he scooped Nora up in his arms and strode into the banquet hall.
Kalista was speechless.
Did he just walk away like that?
Wasn't he supposed to drop Nora and rush to carry her to rest?
He had actually handed her off to Wesley and walked inside with Nora in his arms.
Kalista's body went limp from shock. She collapsed uncontrollably.
With a thud, she hit the ground in an unsteady heap.
The socialites glanced at her with pity before turning to walk into the banquet hall, whispering among themselves.
The embarrassment was too much for Kalista.
They surely didn't want to share in her humiliation.
Kalista let out an angry scream.
"Kalista, would you like me to take you to the hospital now?" Wesley stood by, asking politely.
"Get lost! I'm not going to the hospital; I'm attending the gala!"
Wesley simply shrugged and stood by as she got up and stormed into the banquet hall, fury trailing her like a cloak.
Nora found herself being carried by Isaac into a quiet lounge.
All the way there, she was in a state of utter confusion.
She couldn't understand why Isaac was speaking up for her.
Though she had indeed been asked by Edmund to act as a hostess for the evening, Isaac had no reason to speak on her behalf.
Even more bewildering to her was why Isaac would leave Kalista to carry her inside.
It wasn't until Isaac set her down on a chair in the lounge that she snapped back to reality.
"Why are you helping me?" Nora asked with a complicated look in her eyes.
Isaac's face was stern as he replied coldly, "I'm not helping you; I was just telling the truth."
Nora opened her mouth but said nothing.
"I'll get someone to come and take a look at you. Just stay put and don't move around."
With those words, he got up and left the lounge.
Nora had no option but to bite back her questions and soothe her doubts internally.
Soon, a waitress walked in with an ice pack.
The waitress applied the ice to Nora's ankle and massaged it for half an hour.
Nora tried to walk a few steps.
There was still some pain, but it was bearable now.
She tipped the waitress through her phone and left the lounge.
The gala outside had already begun. As soon as she stepped out of the lounge, she could hear the sounds of the ongoing performances in the banquet hall.
Nora walked toward the hall.
As she approached the corridor leading to the banquet hall, Kalista came face to face with her, blocking her path.
Kalista's expression was dark, her eyes filled with rage and hatred.
"You've embarrassed me over and over again, Nora. I will not let this slide!" Kalista spat through clenched teeth.
Nora chuckled lightly, "You're the one who keeps looking for trouble. Everything you've suffered is by your own doing. You can't blame anyone else."
"It's your fault!" Kalista yelled, her voice seething with anger. "If you hadn't been clinging to Isaac, why would I have ever targeted you? Nora, I underestimated you before. Who knew that even after your divorce from Isaac, you'd still have him wrapped around your finger? But don't think for a second you two will remarry! You smeared my reputation, and today, I'm going to ruin you completely! If I can't find peace, neither will you!"
Nora furrowed her brow at Kalista's crazed look in her eyes.
What in the world did this lunatic want to do?
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