By dinner time, Isabella could no longer endure the hunger.
Since childhood, she had always been pampered. Whenever she wanted something, someone would immediately give it to her.
This was the first time she had been ignored for an entire day.
Her stomach hurt badly from hunger.
In the end, when a maid came upstairs to announce that dinner was ready, Isabella finally gritted her teeth and followed her downstairs.
The moment she entered the dining hall, the entire table became quiet for a second.
Mr. Gladstone looked up from his tablet.
Mrs. Gladstone paused while serving soup. She knew how headstrong Isabella could be, so she did not expect her to give in so soon.
Even Benjamin looked surprised.
No one had expected Isabella to give in so quickly.
Isabella's face burned with embarrassment, but she pretended not to notice their expressions. Without saying a word, she pulled out a chair and sat down quietly.
The servants quickly added another set of cutlery for her.
Mrs. Gladstone looked at her daughter several times, wanting to speak, but in the end, she held herself back.
Mr. Gladstone also remained silent.
Although his expression stayed calm, he secretly felt relieved inside. He truly did not want Isabella to continue starving herself.
The dining hall soon returned to normal.
Only the sound of cutlery could be heard.
Isabella lowered her head and ate quietly.
At first, she tried maintaining her dignity, but after the first few bites, her movements became faster. She was genuinely hungry.
Benjamin secretly pushed one of the dishes closer to her.
"Sister, this shrimp tastes good," he whispered. "Eat slowly." He was afraid she would choke on her food.
Isabella ignored him proudly, but a few seconds later, she quietly picked up some shrimp anyway.
Seeing this, Benjamin secretly smiled.
Loretta sat quietly at the other end of the table. She watched the scene calmly without speaking.
"I thought you would all give in and take this time bomb off my shoulders," Loretta thought.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Gladstone could not help glancing at Isabella repeatedly.
When she saw her daughter finally eating properly, the tightness in her chest slowly eased. No matter how angry or disappointed she felt, seeing Isabella starve herself the entire day still made her heart ache.
Mr. Gladstone noticed his wife's expression and gently placed some food into her bowl.
"Eat," he said softly.
Mrs. Gladstone nodded quietly.
The atmosphere at the table remained strange, but everyone continued their dinner as usual.
....
The next morning, after breakfast, Loretta left the mansion with Collins.
A luxury car was already waiting outside to take her to the bridal store for her fitting.
Several staff members from Bellevienne Bridal had personally arranged everything for her visit.
The moment Isabella heard this, jealousy immediately filled her heart again.
Loretta was going for wedding dress fittings.
Meanwhile, she, the original bride, could only stay behind and watch everything being handed over to someone else.
Her face darkened instantly.
She shot her parents a resentful glance before coldly pushing back her chair.
"I am full," she said stiffly before heading upstairs.
Mrs. Gladstone sighed tiredly. She did not expect Isabella to become more and more unreasonable.
Mr. Gladstone frowned as he watched Isabella leave.
After a moment of silence, he finally stood up.
"I will speak with her myself," he said.
Mrs. Gladstone hesitated slightly but nodded in the end.
Upstairs, Isabella had already locked herself inside her room again.
Knock. Knock.
"Isabella, open the door."
Hearing her father's voice, Isabella remained silent for several seconds before finally opening the door unwillingly.
Mr. Gladstone walked inside. The atmosphere in the room immediately became heavy.
Isabella sat on the bed with a cold expression and turned her face away.
Mr. Gladstone sighed.
"How long do you plan to continue this nonsense?" he asked patiently.
Isabella laughed coldly.
"Nonsense?"
Mr. Gladstone frowned slightly.
"Your mother and I are doing this for your own good."
The moment Isabella heard those words, the anger she had been holding in instantly exploded again.
"For my own good?" she repeated emotionally. "You already gave my marriage to someone else, yet you still say it is for my own good?"
Mr. Gladstone's expression darkened.
"Enough. You were the one who refused the marriage first."
"Because I was scared!" Isabella shouted. Tears quickly filled her eyes again. "How was I supposed to know Kevin Goodman would suddenly treat her so well?"
Mr. Gladstone looked at her quietly.
He really did not know whether to call his daughter naive or foolish. Did she truly believe those expensive gifts meant love?
"Isabella," he said seriously, "things are not as simple as you think. All this that you see is only for show."
But Isabella refused to listen.
She looked at him resentfully.
"Of course you would say that," she mocked bitterly. "After all, with a stepmother comes a stepfather."
Mr. Gladstone froze.
"And that marriage is mine," Isabella continued angrily. "Why are you helping her steal it for your own daughter?"
The room instantly fell silent.
Mr. Gladstone's eyes widened in disbelief.
For a moment, he almost could not breathe. His chest tightened painfully.
He had never even treated Loretta as a daughter, yet Isabella would still accuse him.
This was no longer just about Loretta. The Gladstone family would not be able to bear the consequences if the truth was exposed.
Outside the room, Mrs. Gladstone had just arrived upstairs because she was worried about the conversation.
The moment she heard Isabella's words, her face turned pale in shock.
"Isabella!" she shouted as she rushed inside.
Mr. Gladstone pressed one hand against his chest while breathing heavily.
"Dad!" Isabella's face instantly changed.
Mrs. Gladstone hurried toward her husband in panic.
"Honey! Honey!" she called anxiously while supporting him.
Mr. Gladstone's face had already turned pale.
Seeing this, Isabella finally became frightened.
"I-I did not mean..." she stammered nervously.
"Call the family doctor immediately!" Mrs. Gladstone shouted toward the servants outside.
The entire Gladstone Residence instantly fell into chaos.
The family doctor arrived soon, and after checking on him, fortunately, it was nothing serious.
Isabella felt too guilty, so she stayed outside the room.
After hearing that her father was not in danger, she returned to her room quietly.
Mr. Gladstone slept after taking his medicine and only woke up a few hours later.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Mrs. Gladstone's red eyes.
"I am not dead yet. Why are you crying so much?" he tried to joke, but Mrs. Gladstone cried even more.
"This is my fault. When Loretta returns today, I will have her step aside for Isabella," Mrs. Gladstone said.
"What nonsense are you saying? Can we afford to anger Mr. Goodman with the truth?" he asked.
"Maybe... maybe he will not mind," Mrs. Gladstone said weakly.
"If he does not mind? Do you think this marriage is a good thing? Would you really allow your child to walk into fire just because she is crying?" Mr. Gladstone asked.
Then he looked at his wife carefully.
"Could it be that you do not sincerely care about Isabella..." he said slowly.
Mrs. Gladstone felt a stab in her heart.
"How... how..." Her mind went blank.
Just yesterday, she had been happy that this man could see things clearly, but today he looked at her and said such cold words.
Mr. Gladstone also realized what he had just said. He was about to apologize when there was a knock on the door.
"Madam, news just came back from the bridal shop. There has been a fire, and Miss Loretta has been rushed to the hospital," the housekeeper outside announced.