CHAPTER 71: PRS 71

Yuan explained to Isabella the marriage agreement he had made with the Cromson family 23 years ago, carefully, so as not to make any mispronunciations that could cause misunderstandings.

"Isabella, dear, I know this may sound difficult for you. But this is a decision I made 23 years ago to protect our family," Yuan said softly, gazing at his granddaughter with affection.

"Twenty-three years ago, our family’s situation was dire. I had to make a difficult decision," Yuan continued with a deep sigh.

Isabella listened attentively to her grandfather’s explanation. There was nothing wrong with the marriage agreement; anyone in that position would make unreasonable promises for the safety of their family members.

"I understand. In a situation like that, anyone would do the same," Isabella said with a faint smile, though her eyes showed anxiety.

The problem was, Isabella, who had been hurt by love and betrayal in the past, still hadn’t completely forgotten those bitter memories, so the word marriage remained far from her mind.

Her relationship with Alesio Xander couldn’t be used as a benchmark for that sacred level because, frankly, the wound in Isabella’s heart still hadn’t fully healed. It had healed but hadn’t completely disappeared. Sometimes it still hurt when she remembered her dark past.

"I don’t know if I can do this, Grandpa. Marriage... that’s still a very heavy word for me," Isabella whispered, her voice trembling.

Regarding her bitter past in a relationship with the opposite sex that had caused her such deep wounds, Isabella also shared everything, about all the sincere love she had given Revan and his family and the sacrifices she had made, only to be repaid with betrayal.

"Revan... he was the first person I loved with all my heart. I gave everything for him. I worked hard, building a business from scratch, all for our future," Isabella said with tears in her eyes.

"But it turns out? He was just using me. He and his family planned everything from the start. They took everything I had and threw me away like trash," Isabella continued, her voice filled with anger and heartache.

In the story, Isabella was so honest, she told everything without hiding anything and only skipped the details of her marriage, so her family assumed they were only engaged.

After hearing Isabella’s heartbreaking story, all of Alegra’s family members were enraged and harbored murderous intent, which they unfortunately couldn’t carry out because everyone who had wronged and hurt Isabella had died horribly.

"Bastards! They should have died more miserably!" Leon growled, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Calm down, Leon. The important thing is that Isabella is safe with us now," Almes said, patting his brother’s shoulder, even as his eyes burned with anger.

"If only they were still alive, I would make them experience hell on earth," Mikaela hissed, tears streaming down her cheeks, her heart aching at the thought of her daughter’s suffering.

"So, what’s your relationship with Alesio Xander?" Demon asked curiously, looking at his daughter gently.

Isabella took a deep breath before answering. "My relationship with Alesio, you could say, is my way of opening my heart again. If you’re serious, I’m serious about this relationship. However, if I were to take it to the next level, I’m still not ready, and Alesio has known that from the start."

"You mean, you two haven’t talked about a future together?" Mikaela asked cautiously.

"Not yet, Mom. Alesio is very understanding. He never pressured me into further commitment. He understands that I still need time to heal my wounds," Isabella replied, smiling softly at the memory of her lover.

Yuan, hearing her youngest granddaughter’s words, cracked a faint smile. "In that case, you could try getting to know Morgan. At least, there’s no harm in being friends with him, right? The more you interact with the opposite sex, the wounds in your heart will slowly heal, and you’ll instinctively have better anticipation in choosing your future life partner," she said coaxingly, looking at Isabella with hope.

"Grandpa isn’t forcing you to marry him right away, dear. Grandpa just wants you to give him a chance to get to know him. Who knows, he might become a good friend to you," Yuan added in a gentle tone.

Isabella was silent for a moment, carefully weighing the pros and cons of her grandfather’s suggestion. Her face showed intense inner turmoil.

"I understand what Grandpa means. But what about Alesio? I don’t want to hurt him," Isabella said worriedly.

"You can explain everything to Alesio honestly. He’s a grown man, he’ll understand," Demon said, trying to reassure his daughter.

"Okay, I’ll try. But I also have to explain everything to Morgan upfront, just like Alesio, so he doesn’t have high expectations of me." Isabella finally relented, trying to reconcile and reassure everyone.

"I’ll meet him as a friend. Nothing more. I hope everyone in this room understands that," Isabella firmly stated, looking at each of her family members.

"I think that’s a wise decision. Grandpa is proud of you, dear," Yuan said affectionately, gently holding Isabella’s hand.

"Thank you for understanding my position, Grandpa. I know this isn’t easy for the family," Isabella said with tears in her eyes.

All the Alegra members who heard this felt a sense of compromise in Isabella, filling their hearts with relief.

Relief because Isabella seemed to be coming to terms with her painful past.

Relief because her relationship with Alesio hadn’t reached a serious stage.

Relief because Isabella didn’t seem to be avoiding Morgan, giving him a chance to still be part of the Alegra family.

"Thank God, Isabella can take this situation in stride," Mikaela whispered to Demon in a relieved tone.

"Our daughter is truly extraordinary, dear. She’s so strong," Demon replied, holding his wife’s hand.

Isabella, who could clearly see the thoughts of her family members, didn’t know whether to rejoice or cry at the immense love they showered upon her.

"Isabella, did Andra tell you that next week there will be a triennial meeting, which this time Country S is hosting in City J?" Yuan asked as soon as he remembered the big agenda.

"Uncle already told me, but I only learned the exact time from Grandpa now," he answered honestly, nodding.

Andra had indeed mentioned that he would be busy for some time helping with preparations for the routine mafia conference held every three years.

"This conference will be huge. Many important families from various countries will be attending," Andra said seriously.

This time, Country S is hosting. Of course, Dark Evil and Black Rose, whose headquarters are in this superpower country, are the ones who must prepare everything, welcome the guests, and ensure their security during the conference, which usually lasts 3-7 days, depending on the topic.

"Security must be at its maximum. We don’t want an incident like the conference three years ago," Leon reminded him.

Now that she knew about this important event, Isabella, who wanted to go to Country I to see how her business was doing after the devastating storm, wasted no time.

"Grandpa, I’m going away for 4-5 days on an important matter. Is it okay if I don’t help you?" she asked cautiously, looking at her grandfather expectantly.

"What matter, honey? Can’t it wait?" Mikaela asked worriedly.

"It’s important, Mom. I need to make sure my businesses are doing well after the storm," Isabella replied firmly.

"No problem. Just take care of your personal matters first. Besides, I haven’t officially introduced you to the organization yet, so many of them don’t know about you yet," Yuan said with an understanding smile.

Mikaela, seeing her youngest daughter about to leave, felt a little reluctant because she still wanted to spend more time with her.

"But honey, you just got home. Mom still wants to spend time with you," Mikaela said softly.

Yuan, sensing her daughter-in-law’s turmoil, winked, signaling her not to open her mouth and make Isabella uncomfortable.

"When are you leaving?" Demon asked curiously, looking at her daughter.

"Tonight. As for where I’m going, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. So, if there’s nothing else to discuss, I’ll go up to my room to pack," he replied.

"At least bring a bodyguard, Isabella. Daddy’s worried," Demon pleaded pleadingly.

"I’ll be fine, Daddy. Trust me," Isabella replied with a reassuring smile.

Demon couldn’t help but take a few deep breaths. The longer he looked at his youngest daughter, the more he felt that Isabella resembled his beloved sister, Andra, whose enigmatic demeanor and many untold secrets remained.

"She’s really like Andra. Stubborn and secretive," Demon murmured, shaking his head and smiling.

"Okay, prepare everything you need to bring. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell Daddy," Demon said wisely, approaching Isabella and kissing her forehead gently.

"Thank you, Daddy. I love you all," Isabella said with tears in her eyes.

Isabella nodded and immediately rose from the chair and headed for her room on the second floor, in the right wing of the mansion.

Yuan, stared at by his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren, could only wave one hand. "Enough...enough...dismissed. Mind your own business. Don’t interfere in my youngest granddaughter’s personal affairs," he said firmly in an undeniable tone.

"But dad—" Mikaela tried to say, but was cut off by Yuan’s sharp gaze.

"Mikaela, trust Isabella. She’s a smart and strong child," Yuan said firmly.

Seeing their grandfather bare his teeth, the Alegra family members left the living room one by one and headed to their respective offices to attend to some matters that had been postponed by this impromptu meeting.

***

Cromson Family Mansion

Morgan stared intently at the skyscraper that adorned the capital from behind the glass window of his office. His eagle eyes stared intently ahead, full of calculation.

"So, she has such a dark past," Morgan muttered in a low, emotion-filled voice.

He had one hand tucked into his pants while the other held a black cell phone, still lit after having used it to answer a call from one of his subordinates.

The man had no idea his fiancée’s past was so dark. He only knew that she grew up in an orphanage after Romano’s men kidnapped her and left the orphanage at the age of ten. The orphanage could no longer accommodate so many children, forcing all residents over the age of nine to leave to live independently.

"Ten years... she was only ten when she had to live on her own. A child that small..." Morgan muttered, his jaw clenched.

Although someone took in little Isabella and her two friends, it was incredibly difficult for a child that young to provide for themselves while attending school.

Fortunately, Isabella inherited the Alegra family’s entrepreneurial spirit, so from a young age, she saw the opportunity to make money and have children by investing them as capital for her business. This was something that a girl so young, who was more familiar with working for money than starting a business to generate profits to support her needs, would never have imagined.

"She’s extraordinary. A child her age is still playing with dolls, and she’s already thinking about investing and business," Morgan said in admiration.

Isabella’s harsh experience had already filled Morgan with sadness. Moreover, now he heard that his fiancée had been deceived by the man she loved, and all her hard work over the years had been wasted.

"Revan... a name I will remember forever. If only you were still alive, I would make sure you experienced torture you could never imagine," Morgan hissed, his eyes burning with anger.

Morgan desperately wanted to avenge his fiancée if only the person who hurt Isabella hadn’t died.

Now that he was dead, he could only suppress his anger and resolve that if Isabella truly chose him as her life partner, he would always protect her and make her happy.

"Isabella Clark, I promise to make you happy. I will show you that not all men are like Revan. I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes," Morgan whispered, staring at Isabella’s photo on his phone with a gaze filled with determination and... love.