Chapter 888 Reality Is Harsh
When Noah reached home, Stephanie hurriedly ran over and nervously grabbed his hand. “Noah, be honest with me. Did my brother regain his memories?” Stephanie asked in a worried tone.
Noah lowered his head and looked at her. A thought kept swirling in his head. Did she hear something from the Clintons?
Seeing that the man was silent, Stephanie became even angrier, and her voice went louder as well. “Noah Walker, don’t play dumb with me. Spill it! If Oscar really regains his memory, we’re all doomed!” Noah frowned in response but patiently addressed her worries.
“Steph, calm down. I’m not sure of the details, but I know Isabella was sent to the hospital by Oscar’s bodyguard. He said Oscar ordered someone to beat her up like that. The Clintons have also withdrawn their investment in our family, and our stock prices have fallen quite rapidly in just a few hours. I’m afraid Oscar has really regained his memories.”
Stephanie became even more distressed. “What do we do now? What do we do? If Oscar knew Isabella and I had plotted against him, he’d never let me off. Darn it! I shouldn’t have trusted Isabella! She’s too full of herself. I shouldn’t have believed her crap when she said Oscar would still love her if he regained his memory. I think Nolan and I are going to die, and this is all the Walkers’ fault!” Stephanie rambled on.
Noah could feel a tic coming on his brows as he heard her words.
“Calm down, Steph. It’s no use if you keep repeating the same thing. Now what we need to do first is to return to the Clinton residence. Mom and Dad dote on you very much. They won’t wipe out the Walker family for your sake,” Noah said somewhat calmly as he grabbed both of her shoulders.
However, Stephanie still had that frightened expression on her face.
She took one look at Noah before shoving him aside.
“Noah, you think I haven’t thought of that? If Oscar really gets angry, even Mom and Dad can’t save me. Ever since my mom saw through the trap I had set for my brother, her affection for me has decreased,” Stephanie said in exasperation, ruffling her hair.
If it weren’t for Nolan’s sake, her parents would probably never let her step foot in the Clinton residence again.
Noah lifted his hand, patted Stephanie’s face, and chuckled. “Steph, just calm down. Isabella actually deceived you into harming Oscar, right? You just have to explain to Mom and Dad, and they won’t blame you for it. What you need to do right now is go back and ask for their forgiveness. You tell them that Isabella orchestrated all of this and we, the Walker family, had nothing to do with this. Keep stressing that we’re always on their side. Mom and Dad are wise, so I’m sure they’ll understand.”
Complicated emotions flickered across Stephanie’s eyes as she looked at Noah.
Noah and Stephanie had been husband and wife for many years, so the former could understand what that look meant.
“Steph, don’t blame me for making Isabella the scapegoat. This can’t be helped. Now that Oscar is mad, we need someone to take the fall. Besides, Isabella is not truly a scapegoat since everything is her doing. If you ask me, she should bear the consequences now that things have gone awry. We only need to quell Mom’s, Dad’s, and Oscar’s anger. Isabella is such a troublemaker, and it’s a good thing she’s not here right now.”
Stephanie understood this was the best way to get out of trouble, but she couldn’t help but shudder. She had thought that her husband was a weak person. But now, it seemed that he was good at keeping secrets and someone who could sell out his sister to save his own skin. If something happened to the Walker family, Noah might sell her and Nolan out in a similar fashion.
At that thought, she broke out in a cold sweat.
That possible future was frightening.
“Steph, don’t be scared of me. You’re my wife. How could I possibly harm you? You know I love you very much. I love you so much that I can’t bear to see you hurt.” Noah hid the viciousness in his eyes and looked at Stephanie tenderly. “I’m doing this because I want to protect you and Nolan. By sacrificing Isabella, both of your safety will be guaranteed. Otherwise, Oscar will not let you go. Even if we’re divorced, you will not have an easy life with the Clintons. Am I right?”
Stephanie stared at him skeptically.
Noah held Stephanie in his embrace and went on, “Stephanie, you know I was with Emma in the past, but I had broken off all ties with her before I married you. For so many years we’ve been together, I can honestly tell you that I’ve been wholly devoted to you, and I’m sure you can feel my love for you. Now is the critical time for us to stay together, as husband and wife, to survive this.”
Stephanie eventually nodded after staying silent for a long time.
Before she returned to the Clinton residence, she decided to visit Isabella at the hospital. If she had a choice, she did not want to sacrifice Isabella. After all, she and Isabella were the same kinds of people who had many things to talk about.
At the hospital, Isabella was already awake.
When Stephanie walked over and bent down to look at her, the sight of Isabella’s unfocused eyes pained her.
“Isabella, are you feeling any better?” Stephanie asked gently.
Isabella’s eyes darted around. She looked at Stephanie, a miserable smile on her face.
“Stephanie, I brought this on myself, didn’t I? This is karma, but your brother is just cruel. No matter what, I was with him for a year, but he didn’t care about our past relationship at all. The doctor said I have comminuted fractures in my arms and legs, which will take a long time to recover. Your brother has even spread the word to leave me half-dead, and I shouldn’t dream of getting down from bed ever again.”
As she poured her grievances to Stephanie, she broke down crying.
She was so young, but because of Oscar’s retaliation, she was bedridden now. She did not want to resign to her fate. She wanted revenge, but she knew with her condition like this, it would be hard for her to exact her revenge with her own hands.
“Isabella, don’t worry. I’ll plead for you. In any case, you’ve been with my brother for a year. Even if you haven’t done anything worthwhile, your hard work must mean something, right? He won’t be so cruel to you,” Stephanie consoled Isabella with words even she did not believe in.
Isabella glanced at Stephanie, and the hope died in her heart.
Stephanie looked around the room and felt strange that there was no one around.
“Isabella, where are Mom and Dad?”
“They said I was a jinx and would bring bad luck to the Walker family, so they only paid my hospital bills and left. They didn’t want to concern themselves with me because they were scared to incur Oscar’s wrath. That’s why I’m alone here. If you appreciate the times I’ve taken care of you and your brother, promise you’ll always visit me. Otherwise, I can only leave myself to rot in this hospital,” Isabella said in despair.
In only a few hours, Isabella had truly experienced the fickleness of the world. Even her own family members treated her like dirt. She did not have high hopes that people who were not related to her would treat her right.
She had always known that her parents would do whatever her brother said. She was someone inconsequential to her family. Her younger sister was their family’s favorite, but she was only a tool to retain profits for the family. Now that she was disabled, her value as a chess piece was gone, and they cast her away like one would with an old hat. Even though she might not seem to care about her family’s indifference, it was not true. In fact, she minded it very much.
“Isabella, it’ll be okay. I won’t leave you alone. I’m your sister-in-law after all.” For once, Stephanie said something true from her heart.
Although Stephanie was wilful, often spoke without thinking, and had once resented Isabella for causing her trouble, deep in her heart, she thought of Isabella as family. Looking at Isabella’s lone figure on the bed, Stephanie couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
Isabella looked at Stephanie with a complicated gaze and let out a wry chuckle. She had thought that if she landed in trouble, the latter who be the first one to cut off all ties with her. Never had she thought that Stephanie would be the one to stand up and defend her.
“Steph, I thought you would be the first one to condemn me for dragging you into this mess, but you consoled me instead,” Isabella said truthfully.
Right now, she was being suppressed by Oscar, and this was just the beginning. She could fathom that his retaliation would only get worse as time went by. At that moment, she could only hope that the information she had stolen from Clinton Corporations could deal a blow to Oscar and give her a little breathing space.
With enough time, she believed she would rise again.
However, dreams are rosy, while the reality is harsh. She wanted to fight back, but Oscar would never give her the chance.
She would have never thought in her whole life as an heiress that she would end up with nothing.
