Debt and Deception

As he spoke, Damien Moore also produced a copy of the gift agreement, which did not violate any rules, as Isabella was also a party to the agreement. Isabella glanced at the signature on it, and indeed, it was her handwriting.

But how could this be possible? William had betrayed them. How could she have transferred the Wilson family's property to him for free? Unfortunately, she couldn't remember anything now and had no idea what had happened back then.

A dull pain shot through her head, causing Isabella to wince in agony. James immediately grabbed her wrist and said, "If you can't remember, don't force yourself."

Isabella took a deep breath and looked at Lawyer Damien, asking, "If it can be proven that this agreement wasn't my true intention, can I get the Wilson family's property back?"

She remembered that Olivia had told her she was emotionally unstable and prone to depression after her parents' death. The date of the gift agreement had been during that time.

Lawyer Damien said that, in theory, it was possible, but the process would be very difficult. It could take at least a year or two to gather evidence and reach a judgment. Moreover, with the Wills Group doing well now, unless she had help from the Anderson family, it would be hard for Isabella to win the case on her own.

Isabella couldn't help but feel discouraged. Ethan wouldn't help her reclaim the property, and besides, they were getting divorced tomorrow. "Is there no other way?" Isabella asked.

"Well, there is another option," Damien Moore said, pulling out another document. "Before Mr. Wilson had the car accident, he borrowed ten billion from the Anderson Group as capital for the Wilson Group.

The debt was incurred before the gift agreement, and later, due to the Wilson Group's bankruptcy, the debt became bad debt."

"What do you mean?" Isabella asked, confused.

"I suggest that the Anderson Group claim this debt, which would return control of the Wilson Group to Ethan." This way, she could reclaim the company from him. While it was a roundabout method, it should be easier than trying to get it back from William directly.

Isabella never imagined she'd have to rely on Ethan in the end. James picked up his coffee and took a sip. "Is there any way we can go after William?"

"We can try... but..." Damien didn't continue, but the meaning was clear. Isabella's eyes flickered. "I'll think about it."

Little did she know, another storm was brewing at the Anderson family at that very moment. After finishing her conversation with Lawyer Moore, Isabella had wanted to invite him to dinner, but he said he had matters to attend to at his law firm and left.

In the end, only Isabella and James were left. "Thank you for telling me the truth," Isabella said.

"I don't know if it's a good thing for you. You look very sad," James said, his gentle eyes studying Isabella as if he could read her thoughts.

Isabella's expression stiffened for a moment before relaxing. She smiled helplessly. "You're still the same as before—able to see through people's feelings."

She thought the reason she'd fallen in love with James was because he understood her so well. He was always gentle, and she was always drawn to his tenderness.

James shook his head. "You misunderstood. I don't have that kind of ability. I just care about you more than others."

Isabella responded, "Hmm?" What did he mean by that?

Looking into Isabella's clear eyes, James's expression brightened wanting to try out his luck he said. "Actually, for the past six years, I've always..."

"Isabella?" Suddenly, an unharmonious voice interrupted them.

Isabella turned her head and saw a girl with an egg-shaped face and large, innocent-looking eyes speaking to her.

The girl seemed familiar—she appeared to be one of the people who had criticized her with Chloe the night before. What was her name again? Iris? Yes, that seemed to be it.

The girl's eyes weren't friendly, constantly shifting between Isabella and James.

Isabella frowned, disgust creeping into her expression. "Hello, do you need something?"

Iris clicked her tongue and said. "You haven't even divorced yet, and you're already so eager to find a new man?"

Isabella was speechless. This girl looked so innocent, yet her words were so harsh.

"Miss Iris, we have no relation to each other. My affairs are none of your business, right? Besides, don't you have male friends? Does eating with someone of the opposite sex always mean there's a romantic connection?"

"What kind of friend would look at you like that?" Iris shook her head disdainfully. "Women like you, who change partners frequently, can even marry Ethan. The threshold for becoming a daughter-in-law of the Anderson family is really low."

"If you haven't married Ethan yet, it means the threshold for the Anderson family is still high," Isabella retorted calmly.

"What did you say?!"

"I won't repeat myself. If you didn't hear it, it's your loss."

"You!" Iris took a step forward, about to say something, but suddenly became flustered.

She didn't even glance at Isabella and quickly left. Isabella watched her go, confused, and then noticed she was heading toward a man in a black windbreaker.

The man was tall, and his presence radiated an unmistakable coldness. Iris clung to his arm like a little bird, sweetly entering a private room with him.

A strong sense of incongruity washed over Isabella, and she furrowed her brow. James asked, "Did you figure it out?"

"Yeah," Isabella nodded. "The relationship between Iris and that man seems strange. She appears to be afraid of him, so even though she's holding onto his arm, her body subconsciously moves further away from him."

As a psychology student, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Also, look at her outfit today. She's wearing a low-cut shirt but paired it with an unsuitable scarf. She didn't even take it off when she went inside, as if she's intentionally hiding something," James observed.