Isabella waited the entire morning in her room. At first, she was confident.
Usually, whenever she threw a tantrum, Mrs. Gladstone would come upstairs to coax her patiently. Sometimes Benjamin would also come with snacks and try to make her laugh. Even her busy father would get anxious.
So she purposely stayed in bed with a cold expression, waiting for someone to come apologize to her. But as time slowly passed, no one came.
The room became quieter and quieter.
Isabella frowned. Several times, she picked up her phone, wanting to call Mrs. Gladstone, but in the end, she stopped herself.
"No," she muttered stubbornly. "I did nothing wrong."
Soon, Isabella began to perceive the aroma of food drifting upstairs. She was not sure if it was real or if she was simply so hungry that she had started imagining food.
Her stomach growled immediately.
Isabella's expression became ugly.
She had skipped dinner last night and breakfast this morning, thinking her parents would panic and compromise first.
But now it was almost lunchtime.
Why was no one reacting?
Just as she was getting impatient, there was finally a knock on the door.
Isabella's eyes lit up instantly.
She quickly sat up straight on the bed and deliberately turned her face away proudly.
"Come in."
A maid walked inside respectfully.
"Miss, lunch is ready."
Isabella waited for the servant to continue or for the sound of her mother's voice, but after several seconds, the room remained quiet.
Isabella finally frowned.
"And?" she asked impatiently.
The servant looked confused but spoke anyway.
"The family is already downstairs eating."
Isabella's expression stiffened. "No one asked you to bring my food up?" she asked in disbelief.
The servant hesitated before lowering her head slightly. "Master instructed that no one should bring meals upstairs for you."
The moment those words fell, Isabella's face darkened completely.
"What?" she shouted.
The servant became frightened.
"Master said if Miss does not wish to eat, then no one should force you."
Isabella clenched her fists angrily.
Her father had actually sided with Mrs. Gladstone this time.
The maid quietly left the room.
The moment the door closed, Isabella grabbed a pillow and threw it violently across the room.
"This is all Loretta's fault!" she shouted.
No.
Mrs. Gladstone was also to blame.
Her mother must have complained to her father last night. Otherwise, how could he suddenly become so strict with her?
The more Isabella thought about it, the angrier she became.
Is she tired of pretending already? Isabella wondered.
Her stomach growled again. This time even louder.
Isabella bit her lip in frustration.
In the end, she secretly called one of the younger maids into her room.
The maid stood nervously by the door.
"Miss, did you call for me?"
Isabella quickly opened her drawer and took out several bills before handing them over. The maid did not move to collect them.
"Go bring me something to eat secretly," she whispered. "I will reward you well."
The maid looked frightened. She quickly stepped back.
"I-I cannot do that, Miss."
Isabella's face darkened.
"Why not?"
The maid lowered her head nervously.
"Master already gave strict instructions. If anyone secretly brings you food, they will be dismissed immediately."
Isabella froze.
Dismissed?
For just bringing her food?
Her father had actually gone this far?
Seeing Isabella's ugly expression, the maid became even more nervous.
"Miss, please do not make things difficult for me."
After speaking, the maid hurriedly left the room as though afraid Isabella would stop her.
Bang!
Isabella angrily swept the things on her table onto the floor.
Her eyes turned red with grievance.
Since childhood, everyone in the family had always pampered her. Even when she made mistakes, they would only coax her gently.
This was the first time her father had truly ignored her.
What did she do wrong?
The marriage was hers to begin with, so why could she not take it back?
The more Isabella thought about it, the more wronged she felt.
Tears slowly rolled down her face again.
After crying for a few minutes, she remembered her brother.
"Benjamin would definitely help me," she thought.
Isabella quickly found her phone and texted him.
....
Downstairs, the entire family was eating lunch.
Mr. Gladstone had skipped going to the office that day because he was afraid that his kindhearted wife would soften and secretly send Isabella food.
It was not that he wanted to starve her, but Isabella needed to realize her mistakes. The Gladstone family would be destroyed if they ended up on the wrong side of Kevin Goodman.
"No using your phone at the table," Mr. Gladstone said when he saw his son reading a message.
"Dad, are we really not going to send food to Sister?" Benjamin asked. Seeing Isabella's message that she was hungry made him feel really sad.
"If she wants to eat, she can come downstairs," Mr. Gladstone said calmly.
"But Dad, she has not eaten since yesterday. She must be hungry," Benjamin said.
Mr. Gladstone stopped eating and looked at his son.
"If she is hungry, let her come down and eat. If you dare bring her food secretly, I will cut your allowance for three months," Mr. Gladstone warned.
He loved that his son cared about his sister, but he refused to entertain this tantrum. After all, it could bring trouble to the entire family.
Loretta got up quietly. She could no longer continue eating.
She thought about the times she had been sick, yet no one cared whether she ate or not.
Meanwhile, Isabella would throw fits every now and then, get her into trouble, and they would still let her take the blame.
So all this while, Mr. Gladstone had known they were childish tantrums, yet he pretended not to notice.
Benjamin turned and saw Loretta about to leave.
"You are always so coldhearted. Sister has not eaten since yesterday, but you would not even speak a word in her favor," he complained.
Since he did not dare go against his father, he could only turn his frustration toward Loretta.
Loretta did not bother wasting her strength arguing.
She simply walked away.
"I am full." Benjamin could not continue eating while knowing his sister was hungry.
He left the dining hall and returned to his room.
He only had a few chocolate bars and biscuits. He hid them in his pockets before heading toward Isabella's room.
When Isabella heard the knock, she smiled.
She knew her brother would not fail her.
"Come in," she said weakly. After all, she was genuinely hungry.
Benjamin stepped into the room.
"Sis," he called as he walked over to her.
Isabella was shocked to see him come without proper food.
Benjamin slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out some snacks.
"This is all I could sneak in," he said.
Isabella looked at the chocolate and biscuits with disappointment.
"Dad threatened to cut off my allowance. I am still in school," he explained while scratching his head awkwardly.
Isabella felt too hungry to complain, so she collected them and thanked him.
After eating, she felt a little better, but she was still hungry.
"Can you bring me something else?" Isabella asked.
"Why don't you just go downstairs and eat? Nobody is stopping you," Benjamin said. He truly did not dare go against their father.
"I have already endured this long. If I go now, will Mum and Dad still return the marriage to me?" Isabella asked bitterly. She felt everyone was going against her. "Just look for an opportunity to sneak something delicious for me," she added.
Benjamin looked at his sister and suddenly felt she was being selfish.
If he got caught, he would lose three months of his allowance.
He had already taken a risk by bringing her snacks, yet she still seemed ungrateful.
He could tell that his father truly intended to discipline her this time, so he did not dare risk his allowance further.
"Just go downstairs and eat. The marriage cannot be changed back! Were you not happy before when Mum forced the marriage onto Loretta?" he asked in confusion.
Isabella instantly became triggered by those words.
"If you do not want to help me, then get out!" she shouted, pointing toward the door with all her strength.
Benjamin was shocked.
He tried to persuade her, but Isabella angrily drove him out of the room.