Chapter 52 Isaac Punishes Kalista for Nora
Tension surged through Steve's body, his fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on his forehead, as a dangerous and restrained aura enveloped him.
He never expected that Kalista would record their conversation and then send it to Nora.
Nora pressed the play button again, replaying those spoken words.
Laughing while crying, her appearance was heartbreaking.
Her expression was so fragile it tore at his heart.
Steve's own heart gave a painful throb.
He quickly snatched her phone from her grasp and turned off the recording.
"Stop listening to it!"
Nora offered a self-deprecating chuckle.
Those words were already etched deeply into her mind.
Even without the recording, she could recite them verbatim.
Like a cruel spell, they would replay in her head at random, reminding her how much the man she loved despised her.
Steve's chest felt tight as he watched her face. He reached out, pulling her close into an embrace, and murmured, "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing? You've done nothing wrong," Nora softly replied with a laugh.
Steve said, "You mentioned using me as his stand-in, right? So, I apologize in his place."
A low chuckle escaped Nora, but she said nothing.
An apology from Isaac, let alone one through a proxy, could never heal the wounds in her heart.
But Isaac would never come to apologize.
If he saw her upset, he'd probably take pleasure in it and sling even more hurtful words her way.
Nora rested her head against Steve's chest. Her head grew heavier, and her consciousness began to blur.
"Nora?"
Steve called out softly when she hadn't responded in a while.
But there was no reply.
Looking down, he saw she had fallen asleep, though her cheeks were flush with an unhealthy red.
He touched her forehead and found it burning to the touch.
Fever.
A fever meant the wound was infected; she needed the hospital.
Steve's expression darkened, and he carried her out the door.
---
When Nora awoke, it was already the following morning.
She found herself in a hospital bed.
Just then, the door opened, and Steve walked in.
"You’re awake? Are you hungry? I got you breakfast," he said, carrying the meal to her bedside table.
Then he touched her forehead.
Normal temperature.
"I told you I didn't want to go to the hospital," Nora mumbled in dissatisfaction.
Steve offered a wry smile, "Last night, your infection spiked a fever of 104 degrees. If we hadn't come, you might not have made it."
Nora was taken aback.
She had a high fever last night?
She hadn't felt a thing.
"Thank you," Nora sincerely responded.
Then, a bit awkwardly, she added, "About what I told you last night, I hope you can keep it to yourself and forget all about it."
Steve replied, "I'm not one to gossip."
"Let's have breakfast."
He opened the breakfast and began to feed Nora.
And she did not refuse.
She had to force herself to accept that she was in a relationship with Steve.
Only by fully immersing herself in a new romance could she forget about the past one.
After breakfast, the doctor came to check on her.
Her fever had receded, and the inflammation around her wound had subsided; there was no longer a need for her to stay in the hospital.
Steve drove her home.
Afterward, he got back into his car and called Wesley.
"Isaac."
Isaac's voice was cold, "Stop all of Kalista's cards that I told you to manage and pass the word along. Any stores affiliated with the Porter Family are not to give her any special treatment. Also, keep her confined to her villa for reflection. Without my orders, she is not to take a single step outside. Remove all the servants from the villa and only deliver raw ingredients for her daily meals — she'll have to cook for herself."
Wesley was shocked.
What had happened overnight to make Isaac so angry that he'd decided to punish Kalista even more severely?
Kalista had been so pampered over the years that she wouldn't even pour her own water.
To send away all the servants and force her to fend for herself in the kitchen was more unbearable to her than prison.
After all, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury but difficult to go from luxury back to frugality.
"Yes, I'll arrange it right away," Wesley said respectfully.
Soon, the servants at Kalista's home were all gone.
Extra guards appeared outside her door, ensuring she didn't leave.
Upon learning of Isaac's orders, Kalista was infuriated.
"Why is Isaac doing this to me? What did I do wrong?"
Immediately, she grabbed her phone and dialed Isaac's number.
He answered her call.
"Isaac, didn't you tell me to go out last night? Why would you confine me again? And to make things worse, you've removed all the servants that tend to me — nobody to cook for me. Are you trying to starve me? What did I do that deserves such punishment?"
Kalista demanded answers through her sobs.
Isaac replied coldly, "Who gave you the audacity to send the recordings of our conversations to Nora? And who gave you the boldness to make up stories I never said, spinning tales to her?"
Kalista was surprised.
It was about Nora again!
Nora actually took the information Kalista sent and went to complain to Isaac.
Didn't that woman have any shame?
How could she be so brazen as to relay those things to Isaac?
Kalista's face contorted with rage, and it took a while before she could catch her breath.
Speaking with a palpable sense of grievance, she said, "It's all because Nora and Grandpa were too harsh, ganging up on me and humiliating me. That's why I wanted to get back at her!"
"That night when you were drugged, I stood at the door and endured insults all night long. You have no idea how awful I felt! I was just so angry, and that's why I sent those provocative texts to Nora afterward, to make her feel what I was going through."
Even when Isaac found out about the threatening texts she had sent to Nora, she didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt.
The more she talked, the more aggrieved she felt.
All she did was send a few intimidating texts to Nora, but that night, she experienced real shame and agony.
Compared to what she went through, what Nora endured was nothing, not even a tenth.
Why should Isaac blame her?
"Isaac, I'm your fiancée. When I'm in pain, you don't defend me, and now you're even criticizing me on behalf of another woman? Can you fathom how much that hurts me?"
Kalista's voice broke, and she began to cry.
Isaac narrowed his eyes and said sternly, "No matter how wronged you feel, it doesn't give you the right to use me as a tool for your lies and intimidation. Think about what you've done. If you can't understand where you went wrong, then don't you ever show your face!"
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