Chapter 249 Long Road Ahead
Isabella settled back onto the bed, and after a while, she heard footsteps followed by the sound of the door opening.
The mattress dipped beside her as Seb lay down. Instinctively, Isabella turned and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Seb paused for a moment before gently patting her shoulder. His voice was as soft as ever. "Did I wake you?"
Isabella nodded. "Yeah."
"Sorry about that." Seb embraced her and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "There was a bit of a crisis at the office. It was urgent, so I had to take care of it."
Isabella stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. "Mm-hmm."
"Good girl. Go back to sleep," Seb murmured into her ear.
Isabella buried her face in Seb's chest, inhaling the faint, unfamiliar scent of his cologne. She could feel the dampness from his sweater, and her mind swirled with confusion.
The next morning, Jack arrived with a ready-made breakfast and a stack of company files.
Accompanying him was Laura, who Isabella hadn't seen in a while.
"Isabella, long time no see," Laura said. Her attire hadn't changed much, but her demeanor was noticeably softer, and she seemed more friendly.
Isabella's memories of Laura were filled with deliberate hostility and a sharp temper, so she was unsure how to react to this new version of Laura.
Laura seemed to sense her confusion and smiled. "Isabella, I owe you an apology for the way I acted before. Back then, I was pretty arrogant, thinking I was the most beautiful in the office and deserving of all the attention. I resented Mr. Landon's favoritism towards you, an intern, and took it out on you. But after everything with Vanessa, and being deceived by that jerk, I had a wake-up call. I've had some time to reflect, and I've realized how wrong I was. I'm sorry for how I treated you. I've wanted to apologize for a long time, but never had the chance."
Looking at Laura, Isabella could tell she had been through her own struggles recently.
They weren't exactly friends, just colleagues who had clashed in the past. Isabella didn't hold any grudges that needed forgiving, so she just smiled.
While Isabella and Seb were having breakfast, Jack and Laura were in the living room, sorting through documents and discussing something.
Once Isabella finished her meal, Seb turned to Laura and said, "I'm leaving her in your hands."
He gave Isabella a gentle nudge forward.
Laura responded with a smile, "Don't worry, Mr. Landon. I'll make sure everything gets done!"
Isabella looked puzzled. "What's going on?"
Seb's voice was gentle. "You wanted to learn about business, right? Starting today, Laura will be your guide. She'll help you with the small stuff at the office and gradually ease you in."
Isabella was taken aback, unsure how to react.
It all felt so sudden.
Seb added, "I've already talked to Zaire. From now on, I'll be personally teaching you, so you won't need to trouble him."
Isabella wanted to learn, mainly to help Seb share the load and ease his burdens. But Seb's formal approach caught her off guard and felt a bit overwhelming.
Seb gently reassured her, "It's okay. Laura will start by teaching you the basics, like the company structure and all. Once you're comfortable with that, I'll take over and teach you more advanced stuff."
"But I..."
"Bella, we've got a long future ahead of us. Do you want to be my eyes?"
Isabella looked into Seb's hollow eyes and nodded, "I do. Seb, I'll learn seriously."
Seb smiled and brushed his warm palm against her face. "I believe in you, Bella. You're going to do great."
With that, Laura stayed behind to begin Isabella's training while Seb and Jack headed out.
Isabella hadn't asked about the events of the previous night, but the unanswered questions gnawed at her mind.
She thought, 'Who was that woman who showed up in the middle of the night? Seb claimed it was work-related, but I know everyone in the company's secretarial department, and that figure, even seen from a distance, didn't seem to belong there.
'Moreover, Seb is usually so considerate. Even if there was an emergency, he would have been concerned about my standing in the rain for so long. Yet, last night, he hasn't even rolled down the car window.
'It was completely out of character for him.'
"Isabella, Isabella?" Laura's voice broke through her thoughts.
Isabella blinked and met Laura's concerned gaze. "Are you okay?"
Isabella shook her head, though her mind was clearly elsewhere. She looked down at the stack of documents in her hands, but the words seemed to blur together.
Just as Isabella was trying to focus on the text, Laura reached over and gently took the papers away.
"You don't seem to be in the right frame of mind today. Trying to push through this isn't going to help. How about we take a break instead?"
Isabella, recognizing her own lack of focus, rubbed her temples and agreed, "Alright."
Laura brewed two cups of coffee, and the two women sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows, sipping slowly.
Outside, the rain was falling in fits and starts, but it had picked up again.
"That rain last night was something else," Laura remarked, "It was like someone was pouring it straight from the sky. And that thunder—it woke me up right out of a dead sleep."
Isabella couldn't help but recall the events of the previous night, the fog of uncertainty in her mind growing thicker by the minute.
"Isabella?" Laura noticed her drifting off and gently pulled on her sleeve.
Isabella turned, meeting Laura's concerned gaze.
"Isabella, there's a lot of gossip going around. People are saying Mr. Landon had a falling out with his father and is caught up in a business war. You and Mr. Landon must be having a rough time too, right?"
Isabella sighed. "Yeah, it's been tough."
Lately, she'd been plagued by nightmares and hadn't had a good night's sleep in ages.
Laura hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Mr. Landon is a good man. It's not easy to find someone like him. I've had my fair share of relationship troubles, and in today's world, good men are almost extinct. Mr. Landon is wealthy, handsome, and young—who knows what kind of trouble he could get into? But from what I know, he's still a man of good character."
Isabella studied her for a moment before breaking into a smile. "You don't often speak so highly of people."
Laura blushed slightly. "I'm not just flattering him; I'm being honest. Look, we have a lot of young, beautiful women in our company. If Mr. Landon so much as beckons, they'd flock to him. Remember how Vanessa tried to impersonate you just to marry him? If Mr. Landon were the kind of man you're worried about, his reputation would have already fallen apart."
Isabella's thoughts drifted back to the scene from last night, the image of Seb getting out of the car flashing through her mind. She had been so doubtful, but Laura's words had eased her fears.
She thought, 'Yes, I should trust Seb.
'Seb isn't that kind of person!'
Isabella let out a deep breath, feeling a bit lighter. "Thanks, Laura."
Laura looked puzzled. "For what?"
"For what you just said," Isabella replied, picking up her empty cup. "I'm going to get a refill. You stay here."
"Alright," Laura said with a smile, watching Isabella head back into the room. Then she pulled out her phone and dialed Jack.
"Hello, Mr. Brown. The task is complete."
