Chapter 1 Isabella is Dead

Emerald City.

The Taylor Villa was lit up like a Christmas tree.

People were coming and going, offering their congratulations.

"Congrats, Mr. Taylor, finding your biological daughter is a big deal!"

"Hayden, this is fantastic news!"

Hayden Taylor's face was all smiles, just about to reply...

Then, a loud crash echoed through the banquet hall.

A young girl stood by the champagne tower, her thin hand gripping the red tablecloth she had yanked off, veins bulging.

The stacked glasses toppled like dominoes, smashing to the ground one by one!

"Isabella Taylor!" Hayden's face instantly soured. "What the hell are you doing?"

The guests started whispering upon hearing the name "Isabella Taylor":

"Did you hear? Isabella was actually found four years ago, but the Taylor Family didn’t want to put Bianca Taylor in an awkward spot, so they hid Isabella away and told everyone she was the maid’s kid."

"If the Taylor Family wasn't going broke now, Hayden wouldn't have announced her identity to try to use a marriage alliance with the Johnson Family!"

"Poor girl…"

"Poor? If Isabella doesn’t marry him, should Bianca? Isabella didn’t grow up with the Taylors; there's no deep bond like there is with Bianca, who’s been with them for over twenty years."

"And didn’t you notice? She’s blind in her left eye."

"I heard she got mixed up with some shady boyfriend outside, got tricked, and ended up donating one of her corneas to him."

"Even if she has Taylor blood, she’s still trash."

"…"

Isabella stood amidst the shattered glass, enduring the guests’ disdainful and hateful stares. "I heard everyone is here to celebrate the Taylors finding their biological daughter, right?"

She forcefully threw the red tablecloth to the ground, her eyes rebellious and defiant, just like when she first came to the Taylor Family four years ago.

"The Taylor Family’s daughter—anyone who wants the title can have it. I don’t want it!"

Hayden’s eyes darkened, "Isabella! Are you out of your mind?"

"Crazy?" Isabella laughed loudly, as if she had heard a joke.

But as she laughed, her gaze turned bleak and desperate. "I think you’re the crazy ones."

"Four years! You hid me away for four whole years without giving me an identity! Now the company is going broke, and you remember me? Michael Johnson from the Johnson Family is fifty-five years old! Thirty-six years older than me! His previous wife died just a month ago, and she was the fourth woman to die in the Johnson Family…"

"Is this a reunion banquet or my execution ground?"

Olivia Smith watched Isabella’s manic behavior, her face darkening as she walked to the butler and coldly ordered, "Get her out of here."

The butler immediately went to pull Isabella.

"I’m not leaving!" Isabella pushed the butler away fiercely, looking at Olivia, Hayden, and the others, shouting hoarsely, "I won’t accept this marriage!"

Upon hearing this, Chase Taylor, the eldest son of the Taylor Family, dressed in a black suit, changed his expression slightly. Holding a champagne glass with one hand in his pocket, he walked up to Isabella, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through her. "What do you mean by that? Not accept? You don’t have a choice."

Tobias Taylor frowned, "You marrying into the Johnson Family is the only way to save the company from this crisis."

"Isabella, marrying into the Johnson Family is a blessing for you," Kieran Taylor sneered, "Don’t be ungrateful."

Isabella looked at her brothers, trembling.

Why was everyone blaming her? What had she done wrong?

Just then, Bianca quickly approached, grabbing Isabella’s hand, looking at her with immense concern.

"Isabella, if you don’t want to marry into the Johnson Family, I’ll do it. Please stop causing trouble. I’m willing to marry in your place."

She stood up like a righteous ‘hero,’ taking on the responsibility of saving the family.

This move was a classic "retreat to advance."

Sure enough, as soon as Bianca spoke, everyone started talking.

"Bianca is such a good kid!"

"Isabella, why can't you be more like Bianca?"

"…"

Isabella stared coldly at Bianca.

If she hadn’t donated her cornea to Bianca, if Bianca hadn’t conspired with the surgeon to create an "accident," she wouldn’t be blind.

If Bianca hadn’t framed and slandered her repeatedly, she wouldn’t have such a tarnished reputation!

"Bianca!" Isabella’s eyes turned fierce, her hands tightly gripping Bianca’s throat.

"Why did you deceive me? Why did you force me to donate my cornea when there was a suitable donor? Why did you set all this up?"

"You can hate me, but why deceive me? Set me up? Tell me, why?!"

"Bianca!" Hayden rushed to pull Isabella away.

Chase coldly ordered, "Let go of my sister!"

Tobias tried to pry Isabella’s hands off, "If anything happens to Bianca, you’re dead!"

Kieran kicked Isabella hard, "Let go!"

The scene turned chaotic with everyone pulling and shouting.

But Isabella seemed determined, her face twisted with anger, refusing to release Bianca’s neck.

A dull thud echoed as something hit Isabella's skull.

Her frail hands suddenly lost strength, releasing Bianca and falling heavily.

Isabella collapsed into a pool of blood.

Everyone rushed to Bianca.

"Bianca, are you okay?"

"Bianca, let me check, are you hurt?"

"…"

Gabriel Taylor stood there, the stone ornament in his hand covered in blood.

Gabriel looked at the blood spreading from Isabella’s head, his hands finally trembling uncontrollably.

"What…what do we do? Isabella seems…dead."

He just wanted…wanted Isabella to let go.

He didn’t mean to kill her.

Olivia looked at Isabella’s motionless body, frowning. "If she’s dead, we can’t use the Johnson Family connection."

"Gabriel, don’t worry," Hayden said calmly. "Even if she’s dead, it’s self-defense. This girl was crazy; if she didn’t die, Bianca would’ve been strangled."

Bianca quietly suppressed the smile tugging at her lips.

With Isabella dead, no one could threaten her position as the Taylor Family’s daughter.

She burst into tears, "It’s all my fault, everything happened because of me…I’m sorry, Isabella."

Chase calmly said, "Bianca, this isn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself."

Tobias gently patted Bianca’s head, sighing, "Bianca, you’re just too kind."

"Exactly, she tried to strangle you. We couldn’t just stand by and watch."

Everyone focused on comforting Bianca, unaware that Isabella wasn’t dead.

Her consciousness stubbornly lingered.

She watched her father, mother, and brothers surround Bianca, caring for her, and a tear of blood slid down Isabella’s cheek.

Suddenly, the villa door was pushed open.

She saw a man standing stiffly at the entrance.

It was her friend’s brother—William Brown.

William was the head of the Brown Group, rumored to be ruthless and decisive. In just two years, he had cleaned up the entire group and solidified his position.

The Taylor Family, despite being a prestigious family in Emerald City, had no connection with the Brown Family.

Her and his identities were worlds apart.

If not for Sophia Brown, she wouldn’t have encountered someone like William.

"Don’t go to the reunion banquet tomorrow."

William’s words echoed in Isabella’s ears.

Early yesterday morning, she received a call from an unknown number. On the call, William told her not to attend the reunion banquet, saying, "They’re marrying you off to Michael Johnson. Marry me instead."

"I’m abroad, coming back now. Wait for me."

Three short sentences, filled with information.

Isabella was puzzled then; now…she didn’t have the strength to think.

She looked in his direction, and for some reason, saw bone-deep pain and…panic in William’s eyes?

Isabella couldn’t hold on any longer. As her vision darkened, she heard William call her name.

His voice was trembling and hoarse.