Chapter 376 Late
Isabella hit up the hospital to get her vaccine, patched up her wound, and was about to roll over to the Jose family when her phone buzzed with a call from some unknown number.
A weird female voice came through. "Is this Isabella?"
Isabella replied, "Yeah, who's asking?"
The voice on the other end said, "I'm Nina's assistant, Amy Parker."
Isabella knew this Amy girl; she worked at Nina and Isabella Jewelry and was fresh outta college with a degree in jewelry design.
Amy continued, "I couldn't get ahold of Nina, so I had to dig up your number."
Isabella's gut told her something was up at the company.
She said, "No worries. Spill it."
Amy's voice was shaky. "We locked in a partnership, and the signing's supposed to be tomorrow. But Nina's been MIA for days, and our partners are getting pissed. If this keeps up, we might lose them."
Isabella pulled out of the parking lot and asked, "Can I sign it?"
Amy was stunned. "Where's Nina?"
"Nina's sick," Isabella fibbed, not wanting to make a scene. "I know a bit about this deal; Nina mentioned it to me. Plus, I'm a shareholder at Nina and Isabella Jewelry, so my signature counts."
As long as the contract got signed, who cared?
Amy hesitated, probably sensing the BS about Nina being sick. Something was definitely off since Nina had been AWOL for days. But since Isabella wasn't spilling, Amy didn't push. The priority was getting that contract signed.
Isabella, being Nina's sister and a shareholder, was the best bet to handle this.
"I'm just worried the partner won't buy it and think we're not serious," Amy fretted.
Isabella skimmed the contract Amy sent her and said, "Let's give it a shot. If they've waited this long, they still wanna work with us."
Amy nodded. "Yeah. Nina showed them a design sketch, and they were sold. Harmony Jewelry made a bid too, but Nina's design was more unique, so they picked us. If Nina wasn't 'sick,' the contract would be signed by now."
Business was a battlefield, full of twists and turns. Deals could slip through your fingers in a heartbeat. The fact that the partner waited this long showed they really wanted this collab. Every second was torture for Amy and everyone at Nina and Isabella Jewelry. Only a signed contract would end the agony.
Isabella and Amy rolled up to the meeting spot. Isabella was a bit jittery, took a few deep breaths at the door, and said, "Alright, let's do this."
Amy reached out to push the door, but before she could even touch it, the private room door swung open from the inside.
A woman in a dress strutted out first. Seeing Amy and Isabella, Vilma raised an eyebrow, her smile dripping with sass. "You guys from Nina and Isabella Jewelry?"
Amy's face fell when she saw Vilma. "Ms. Hansen, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to talk business." Vilma waved the contract in her hand, her grin getting even wider. "Looks like you're late to the party."
As she finished, two other women stepped out behind her.
Leading the pack was Victoria Hawkins, rocking a black and white business suit, looking sharp and about the same age as Esme. Trailing behind in a dark long dress was none other than Nathaniel's wife, Ophelia.
Victoria's eyes scanned Isabella and Amy. She said slowly, "Seems like your Ms. Miller is too busy to even sign a contract."
Her words were dripping with sarcasm.
Amy quickly jumped in, "I'm sorry, Ms. Hawkins, Ms. Miller is sick. She didn't mean to miss this. This is Ms. Miller's sister, Isabella; she's also a shareholder of Nina and Isabella Jewelry. She came here specifically to sign the contract with you today."
Victoria raised her hand to cut her off, "I don't need excuses. This whole mess shows me Nina and Isabella Jewelry's attitude and efficiency. That's enough for me. Tell Ms. Miller we've already signed with Harmony Jewelry. And for the future, we won't be considering Nina and Isabella Jewelry as a partner again. Goodbye."
"Ms. Hawkins," Isabella spoke up, "please believe in our sincerity. Nina really had an unexpected situation."
Victoria asked, "Isabella, you're not a businessperson, are you?"
Isabella was caught off guard.
Victoria chuckled lightly and continued, "Do you know what's most important in business?"
Isabella said, "I know, it's integrity."
"No." Victoria shook her head. "It's time."
Victoria said, "I really admire Nina's personality and her work. This time, I gave more time than usual as an exception. If you had come ten minutes earlier, everything would have been fine. Unfortunately, you're late."
Victoria glanced at her watch and said, "Sorry, we have a flight to catch."
With that, she walked away.
Vilma chuckled and turned to Ophelia. "Ophelia, I'll see Ms. Hawkins off."
"Okay." Ophelia nodded.
Isabella frowned; she hadn't expected Vilma to be connected to Ophelia.
Amy was stunned for a moment and then chased after Victoria. "Ms. Hawkins, please hear me out."
Only Isabella and Ophelia were left standing there.
After a brief silence, Ophelia smiled and said, "Ms. Miller, we meet again."
This wasn't a greeting; it felt more like a challenge.
Isabella frowned. "I didn't expect to meet Mrs. Nelson under such circumstances."
Ophelia said, "I didn't know you even had the guts to cross Bruno?"
Isabella was slightly shocked. How did Ophelia know about the Black Family?
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