Chapter 283 Aren't You Coming with Me?
The car sped all the way to the airport."We're here, Mr. Landon," the driver announced, opening the door and standing outside.
Isabella turned and saw the airport entrance, feeling as if she were in a dream. She clutched Seb's hand and said, "But I didn't bring my ID!"
The call had come unexpectedly while they were en route to the Landon family residence. Normally, they would have gone back to retrieve the documents first before heading to the airport.
Seb reassured her, "I've already sent someone to get them. The tickets are booked on my phone. Everything is taken care of. Just focus on getting there."
With that, Isabella felt a bit more at ease. She nodded, "Alright."
Still in a daze, Isabella followed Seb into the airport and into the departure lounge.
It wasn't long before Laura hurried in with a suitcase. "Mr. Landon, Isabella."
She handed over the ID and the freshly printed tickets.
Seb checked everything and handed the items to Isabella. "Here's twenty thousand dollars in cash. I've transferred eighty thousand to your account. If you need more, just let me know, and I'll send more."
Isabella looked at him, suddenly realizing, "Seb, aren't you coming with me?"
The warm lighting in the departure lounge made Seb's touch on her cheek feel especially comforting, giving Isabella an overwhelming sense of belonging. She couldn't help but lean into his palm.
Seb's gaze was gentle. "Everything is set up. Bella, I can't back out now. I need to settle things with Charles."Isabella's heart wavered. She grasped Seb's hand tightly. "I'll stay here with you!"
Seb smiled softly. "And Sweetie?"
Isabella hesitated.
Yes, it was a difficult choice between her longed-for Sweetie and Seb. Balancing these two priorities was agonizing.
Before Isabella could come up with an answer, Seb spoke again, "At most, it will be a day. You go ahead, and once I'm done here—win or lose—I'll fly over to you immediately. You and Sweetie just need to wait one more day. Okay?"
Seb's voice was warm and reassuring, his calm words easing Isabella's anxious heart.
Ultimately, Isabella decided to go to Emerald Isle City to find Sweetie.
She thought, 'Seb won't be alone in Lakina; he has the Jose family and Richard's help, so he will be fine.'
Just then, Jack walked over. "Mr. Landon, it's about time."
"Right." Seb nodded, sharing a final look with Isabella before rising to leave.
Isabella suddenly panicked, standing up and grabbing his hand urgently.
Seb stopped, and as he turned, Isabella threw her arms around him.
Standing on tiptoe, she buried her face in his shoulder. "Seb, Sweetie and I will be waiting for you in Emerald Isle City."
"Okay," Seb replied, pulling her into a tight embrace.
At that moment, Isabella truly didn't want to let go. Since she and Seb had been together, their lives had been a whirlwind. Though there were times she felt incredibly insecure, as long as she was with him, she feared nothing.
Parting was always bittersweet. Even though she was looking forward to seeing Sweetie soon, Isabella couldn't shake the underlying sadness.
With ten minutes left before boarding, Isabella sat in the vast lounge, watching plane after plane take off and disappear into the sky. Her heart felt as if it were suspended in mid-air, unsettled and uneasy.
She thought, 'Is Sweetie really in Emerald Isle City? Why today, of all days? Everything felt so surreal, as if I'm trapped in a dream.'
Her mind was flooded with doubts and uncertainties, and the more she thought, the more her anxiety grew.
"Isabella, Isabella?" Laura's voice broke through her thoughts.
Isabella snapped back to reality.
Laura was already standing. "Time to board. Shall we?"
"Yeah," Isabella responded and stood up, following Laura toward the gate.
The VIP lane meant no waiting, but as they approached it, Isabella's heart raced with a sudden, irrational fear that the gate might somehow devour her whole, leaving nothing behind.
"Isabella?" Laura, having already passed through, looked back at Isabella, who seemed lost in thought and a bit pale. She came back and asked, "Is everything alright?"
Isabella shook her head.
"Let's get our tickets checked," Laura said gently.
After a moment's hesitation, Isabella stepped forward and handed her ID and ticket to the attendant.
The Landon family event was unfolding smoothly. Seb arrived just in time, the last guest to arrive.
As everyone was toasting Charles' birthday, Seb emerged from the crowd. People parted to make way for him as he walked across the soft grass, making his way to the front.
There was a brief, tense silence. All eyes were on him, shifting between Charles and Seb.
Recently, Seb and Charles had stirred up quite a storm in Lakina. Although they maintained a facade of a harmonious father-son relationship publicly, everyone knew that privately, their relationship had soured long ago, and they were bitter enemies.
In a setting like today's, Seb's arrival was a wild card—whether it was a blessing or a curse remained uncertain.
Charles, holding a glass of wine, approached Seb. His reaction to Seb's arrival was calm and composed. At least outwardly, he appeared both pleased and somewhat relieved.
With the warmth of a loving father, Charles patted Seb's shoulder and said, "Seb, I knew you'd come."
Seb regarded him with a neutral expression. "On a day as important as this, of course, I had to be here."
"Just glad you made it," Charles said, his eyes misty, putting on a show of deep emotion.
Seb remained impassive. To others, he appeared as the rebellious, ungrateful son who took his parents' love for granted.
Seb didn't let this bother him. "I've brought a small gift for you. I hope you'll like it."
As he spoke, Seb gave a subtle nod, and from behind the crowd emerged a graceful figure.
All eyes turned toward Siena. Charles' brow furrowed slightly, though he maintained his composure. Emma, standing nearby, watched the scene with a smile that gradually faltered, her hands clenched tightly by her sides.
Siena, a young woman with a sweet, innocent beauty, wore a white dress that shimmered in the sunlight, giving her an almost ethereal quality, as though she had stepped out of a painting. Her presence felt surreal.
Emma's gaze fixed on Siena's face, which bore a striking resemblance to Anna's, and she felt a surge of frustration, as if she could crush her teeth in anger.
