Chapter 352 Debt
Elodie shot Isabella a sharp look. "Can you stop being so clingy with my mom?"
Isabella was left speechless.
Elodie continued, "Yeah, you might be my mom's kid, but you're still a bastard. The Black Family will never accept you!"
Isabella chuckled. "I never wanted to be part of the Black Family anyway."
"Yeah, right. Like you could even get in if you tried," Elodie sneered. "Do you even know what the Black Family means in Silvercrest? Not just you, even your husband, Seb—if the Black Family wanted to crush him, it’d be a piece of cake!"
Isabella didn't think Elodie was bluffing, but hearing her talk about human life so casually made her frown.
Isabella had no clue what the Black Family was all about or what kind of world Elodie grew up in, but she knew one thing: Elodie was self-centered and had zero empathy.
People like Elodie might seem just spoiled and careless, but they could cause big trouble if not careful.
Isabella said, "We live in a society with laws. Even if the Black Family is powerful, I doubt they’d go around killing people. If they did, they wouldn’t last long!"
"I've got stuff to do, so I'm out. Do whatever you want." Isabella pushed the stroller and walked past Elodie.
Elodie's voice rang out. "My mom just feels guilty and wants to make it up to you. She already has me and Lova. Lova is the apple of my parents' eyes. If Lova weren't sick, my mom wouldn't have come looking for you!"
Isabella's heart skipped a beat, and she stopped instinctively.
She turned to look at Elodie. "What did you just say?"
Elodie looked smug. "What, my mom cares about you so much but didn't tell you she has another daughter?"
Isabella's face went a bit pale. Esme had never mentioned this.
Isabella only knew about Quentin and Elodie; she had no idea Esme had another daughter, Lova Black.
Elodie said, "Looks like I was right. My mom came back to find you just to ease her guilt. Isabella, you better know your place. Don't think my mom really loves you! If she did, why didn't she come back for you all these years, only to show up when Lova is seriously ill?"
Isabella looked at Elodie, her fingers gripping the stroller tightly. "What do you mean?"
Elodie said, "I'm not afraid to tell you. About six months ago, Lova suddenly got this weird illness. We saw tons of doctors, but none could cure her. My parents had no choice but to consult a fortune teller. The fortune teller told my mom she had debts to repay in this world. She had to settle these debts to give Lova a slim chance of survival."
"That's ridiculous!" Isabella almost reflexively retorted, "If you're sick, you see a doctor. What good is a fortune teller?"
Elodie said, "Yeah, I said the same thing. Guess what? My dad slapped me! Mom protected me, saying she would repay her debt. Not long after, she and Quentin came to Lakina to find you. Guess who the debt is?"
Isabella didn't respond.
In fact, she was at a loss for words at that moment. Because similar things had happened to Isabella.
When Isabella was a kid, she was always sickly and weak, way more fragile than other kids. She'd catch a cold at the drop of a hat and be down for days.
Nina had no choice but to hike up a mountain, kneeling the whole way, to get a blessed bracelet.
Since then, Isabella never took off the bracelet, and her health started to get better.
Sometimes, these things are just hard to explain. If someone else had told her, Isabella might not have believed it, but because she had experienced the same thing, what Elodie said seemed more believable.
Isabella thought, 'Did Esme come back to me to repay a debt and save Lova?'
A chill spread through Isabella's heart, like it was freezing her from the inside out.
The sound of a car engine came from behind, and a silver-gray car pulled into the neighboring yard.
Seeing the car, Elodie immediately dropped her smile. "Isabella, think it over. I'm outta here!"
With that, she turned and walked towards the car.
Quentin got out and glanced in Isabella's direction.
Elodie blocked his view. "Quentin, why are you so late? I've been waiting forever."
Quentin ignored Elodie and looked at Isabella again.
Isabella stood still for a bit before slowly pushing the stroller out of the yard.
It wasn't until Isabella's figure disappeared that Quentin pulled his gaze away and asked Elodie, "What did you just say to Isabella?"
Elodie avoided his gaze, looking guilty. "Nothing, just chatted a bit."
"Really?" Quentin suddenly grabbed Elodie's wrist and dragged her into the house.
Quentin's strides were quick and hurried, making Elodie stumble along in a series of short runs as he pulled her. "Quentin, what are you doing? You're hurting me, Quentin!"
Once inside, Quentin let go of Elodie and slammed the door shut.
He stared coldly at Elodie. "I'll ask you one last time; what nonsense did you say to Isabella?"
Elodie knew she couldn't hide it, so she rubbed her reddened wrist and said pitifully, "I just told her about Lova!"
Quentin's face instantly darkened. "You mentioned Lova?"
"Yeah." Elodie was a bit scared, her voice weakening. "Why, can't I?"
Quentin gritted his teeth and grabbed Elodie's hair, pressing her against the cabinet.
Elodie cried out in pain, forced to look up and meet Quentin's cold eyes. She immediately felt a chill in her limbs. "Quentin, you're really hurting me this time!"
Elodie was on the verge of tears, but Quentin was still unmoved, staring coldly at her. "Elodie! Do you want to cause trouble?"
Elodie called, "Quentin."
Quentin asked, "What gives you the right to mention Lova?"
Quentin's grip tightened, and Elodie felt like her scalp was about to be torn off.
But at that moment, her fear outweighed the pain. She knew that when Quentin got serious, he was frightening. In this world, besides Lova's tears, no one's tears mattered to Quentin!
Enduring the pain and tears, Elodie quickly said, "I just couldn't stand Isabella's smug look and wanted to knock her down a peg!"
Quentin was furious. "Elodie, sometimes I really want to tear your mouth apart!"
Hearing this, Elodie shivered. She knew Quentin meant what he said.
The two most ruthless people Elodie had ever seen were Bruno and Quentin!
