Chapter 96 She is My Bottom Line
Reminders made no difference.
"Fine. Even if you don't consider my dignity or feelings, at least think about Miss Lynda," Isabella said. "If Miss Lynda is seen being so intimate with a married man, it wouldn't be good for her reputation."
Lynda bit her lip, glancing at Isabella before looking at Sebastian, appearing hesitant to speak.
Sebastian responded, "Her reputation means nothing to her."
"And what about me?"
Silence. A long silence.
Yes, perhaps Lynda was Sebastian's chosen Mrs. Lawrence. He would love her for a lifetime, protect her regardless of what others said or spread. His love would be enough.
But what about Isabella? What would she do?
"Miss Wallace," Lynda finally spoke up, "there were certain things before, when Sebastian..."
"I am speaking to my husband, Miss Lynda," Isabella said politely, smiling. "One more thing I would like to remind you is that since Sebastian and I got married, no one has called me Miss Wallace."
Familiar faces now called her Mrs. Lawrence.
Lynda didn't expect Isabella to respond like this, and she was caught off guard, showing signs of confusion on her face.
Seeing her in such a state, Isabella thought to herself, even if it were a man like Sebastian, as a woman, she would want to embrace and comfort Lynda.
Sebastian's expression darkened.
After hearing Isabella's words, Lynda remained silent, which meant she didn't want to address Isabella as... Mrs. Lawrence.
Kaine stood not far behind Sebastian, facing Isabella.
He kept signaling and gesturing for her to step aside, to stop this confrontation. There would be no good outcome or result from it.
It would only anger Mr. Lawrence.
Therefore, the wisest choice for Isabella was to quickly have Sebastian take Lynda away.
In fact, Isabella understood all these reasons. She truly did, perhaps even too clearly.
It's just that since the day she married Sebastian, she hadn't stopped provoking him. It was because she couldn't overcome that barrier in her heart. It was because she couldn't swallow her pride.
She could be sensible and understanding, but she couldn't convince her own heart.
"Isabella," Sebastian said. "What exactly do you want?"
"I don't want anything... I only came to greet Miss Lynda. Also, to remind you to be mindful of the impact," Isabella shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't need your reminders."
"Alright then, let's just say I'm meddling in other people's business," she said before giving Lynda a smile, intending to leave.
She felt like she had gone overboard, making such a big joke and attracting the attention of the secretary's office. Judging from Kaine's behavior and the reactions of the people from the office, Isabella understood one thing—they all knew Lynda, and they had all met her before.
Was she the only fool in the world, clueless and kept in the dark until now?
"You wait for me in the car," Sebastian's voice interrupted her thoughts, neither light nor heavy. Isabella paused, wondering what he meant by asking her to wait in the car. When she turned around, she realized that Sebastian was talking to Lynda.
"Sebastian..." Isabella began to say.
Sebastian handed her the car keys and his coat. "I'll be down soon."
"Alright," Lynda accepted, taking them. "I'll wait for you. The underground garage is dark and deserted, and it scares me."
Sebastian frowned slightly, and Isabella thought, why, has he softened and become considerate? But then...
"Kaine?"
"Here, Mr. Lawrence."
"Take her downstairs."
Kaine nodded. "Yes, Mr. Lawrence. Miss Lynda, please come this way with me."
Lynda turned around to take one last deep look at Sebastian, then glanced at Isabella before reluctantly walking away. Isabella felt like she was caught in the middle of someone else's fight.
After Kaine and Lynda entered the elevator and the doors closed completely, Sebastian's gaze finally fell upon her. Isabella could feel a chilly atmosphere. She straightened her posture and met his eyes saying, "...Do you have something to tell me that's worth separating Lynda from us?"
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
"I want to ask you, do you know what you're doing?" Isabella asked. "I saw the scene when I pushed the door open."
"So?"
Isabella couldn't believe her ears, widening her eyes as she looked at him in astonishment. "So? What do you mean?"
"She is not an ordinary person to me."
"And what am I to you? Just a pawn you've been using from the start?"
"There are some things that I can't explain right now," Sebastian replied with an indifferent tone. "I'll explain to you later."
"If all you wanted to tell me were those things, you wouldn't have needed to separate Lynda from us."
Sebastian stared at her. "I wanted to warn you."
He used the word "warn."
"Go ahead," Isabella replied. "I'm all ears."
"She's not someone you can meddle with, and certainly not someone you can freely bully," Sebastian said clearly, one word at a time. "She's different from any other woman. You need to watch your step with her."
Isabella knowingly asked, "What is the boundary?"
He saw through it at a glance, "Don't play dumb."
"Oh..." Isabella's eyes curved as she smiled, surprisingly, "You mean to say that she, unlike people like Grace or Sharon, cannot be bullied by me, right?"
"Yes."
"With you around, I couldn't possibly bully her either. Besides, in your eyes, Sebastian, am I really that spoiled and arrogant woman?"
"Just as a precaution."
Isabella asked, "You're really good to her... Since you're so good, why didn’t you marry her? Instead of marrying me?"
Sebastian's expression changed slightly, but he simply said, "She is my bottom line, Isabella."
In fact, even though Isabella had spoken so much to Sebastian, despite the heartache and discomfort, she could still barely hold on, maintaining a smile on her face.
But this sentence was like a sharp blade, directly piercing through all her disguised strength.
Bottom line.
A woman is another man's bottom line.
What does that represent? Something almost as important as life itself.
There was always a question in Isabella's mind, wanting to ask him...
"Sebastian, Lynda is your bottom line, then what am I, Isabella, to you?"
However, she couldn't ask, dared not ask, and wasn't allowed to ask.
"Oh." Isabella only replied, "I understand. How could I easily touch your bottom line, Lynda?"
"It's not about avoiding it easily." Sebastian corrected her wording, "Isabella, it's absolutely not allowed."
Absolutely not allowed.
Isabella responded, "Understood."
Just as she finished speaking, her chin tightened, as Sebastian lifted his hand and forcefully pinched her.
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