Chapter 7

The people chatting in the living room heard the noise and all turned to look at the entrance at the same time.

Looking up, they saw Matthew wearing a well-tailored custom suit with gold-rimmed glasses that made him look composed and distinguished.

His whole demeanor was quite cold. At first glance, when he wasn't speaking, his chiseled face showed no emotion, and his blue eyes were unfathomable.

Perhaps because he'd rushed back, there were tiny beads of sweat on Matthew's forehead, which at least made him seem a bit more human.

The moment Isabella saw Matthew, she could tell that thisbrother was probably a rigid, old-fashioned stickler for rules.

Isabella was the first to react. She looked away from Matthew and took the initiative to greet him.

Matthew was pleasantly surprised. His handsome face broke into a smile as he introduced himself.

"I'm Matthew. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me."

Well... their first meeting was a bit different from what she'd imagined.

At this moment, Olivia stood up and called out to them.

"Why are you still standing at the door? Dinner's almost ready. Come in with Ruby."

Only then did Isabella discreetly observe the stunning woman behind Matthew.

Ruby Hill's appearance was extremely seductive - the kind of beautiful that felt aggressive. Her fox-like eyes tilted up slightly, as if ready to steal someone's soul.

The two of them standing together didn't really match.

Matthew came in carrying gifts.

"Isabella, take a look at the gifts I picked out for you. Is there anything you don't like?"

As he spoke, Matthew placed a pile of gifts in front of Isabella.

Seeing Matthew like this, Ruby felt an inexplicable nervousness.

A sister who'd just been brought back into the family, and in just this short time, she'd already earned this much attention from Matthew.

Just looking at the quality of these gifts - she, his actual girlfriend, had never received this kind of treatment.

Ruby deliberately linked her arm through Matthew's, speaking in a voice so sweet it could drip honey.

"Matthew, you picked these out so carefully. Isabella will definitely love them, right?"

But as she said this, jealousy crept into her eyes. However, she hid her emotions well, and no one noticed.

For some reason, hearing her say this made Isabella feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

She looked up and met Ruby's gaze, responding with a smile.

"Of course. As long as it's from my brother, I'll love it."

Isabella had a gut feeling that Ruby's attitude toward her was like she was eyeing a competitor.

That look and tone made her uncomfortable.

Not giving Ruby a chance to respond, Michael spoke up at just the right time.

"Alright, enough of that. Put the things down and let's eat."

Though Ruby was wary of Isabella, she put on a good front.

"Isabella, since you just got back today, let me show you the way."

Ruby's tone was gentle as she walked to Isabella's side, acting all friendly.

But this deliberate behavior only made Isabella more uncomfortable, and she instinctively felt the other woman had ulterior motives.

Isabella casually stepped half a step to the side, creating distance between them.

After everyone was seated.

Ruby brought up a topic, her tone somewhat apologetic as she addressed Isabella.

"Isabella, I only found out you were coming home today at the last minute, so I didn't have time to prepare a welcome gift for you."

Hearing this, Isabella smiled and replied with distant casualness.

"No need to trouble yourself, Ms. Hill."

Sure enough, after hearing Isabella's form of address, Ruby's smile froze, but she continued.

"It's no trouble, Isabella. I actually spent a lot of money ordering custom jewelry from Vera a while ago. When I receive it, I'll give it to you as a token of my appreciation."

"Vera?"

Isabella asked questioningly, her brow furrowing slightly without thinking.

Seeing her reaction, Ruby's lips curved into a satisfied smile as she took the opportunity to explain to Isabella.

"Vera is a top designer in the jewelry world. She's always been mysterious, and her custom pieces aren't something you can buy just because you have money."

Isabella calmly took a sip of red wine from her glass before speaking lightly.

"Of course I know that. I'm just surprised you could actually get her to do custom work, since Vera has always had high standards for clients. It's not just about having money - what matters more is having clients who understand jewelry and respect design."

The smugness in Ruby's eyes grew stronger, and she showed off without any restraint.

"Vera herself is indeed hard to book, but I've already contacted an assistant who works under Vera. He took my deposit, and Vera will complete the custom piece for me."

Ruby didn't think there was anything wrong with what she'd done.

Listening to her words, Isabella's eyes grew dark and unreadable.

No wonder she was so confident - she'd used underhanded methods.

But this woman was also a complete fool, actually daring to brag about this kind of thing openly.

Before Isabella could respond, Ruby pulled out her phone to show the initial design draft, holding it in front of her.

"Isabella, look, this is the set I'm having made. I'll give it to you - it would suit you perfectly."

The moment she saw the design draft, some memories surfaced in Isabella's mind.

Three months ago, she had indeed received an order for a complete set of jewelry designs.

However, the client for that order was too difficult, showing no respect for her design philosophy, so she'd blocked them and notified her entire studio never to accept orders from this person again.

But the rejected design draft was later noticed by another buyer who requested just a few modifications to the jewelry combinations.

When her assistant Lisa contacted her about it, she was also surprised, but she had too much on her plate at the time and didn't think too deeply about it.

What she hadn't expected was that the so-called "other buyer" was just a front.

And now, the most ridiculous part was that she'd actually run into this difficult client and was eating dinner at the same table with her - and this person was her brother's girlfriend.

Isabella just glanced at it without saying anything.

Then, under the table, she took out her phone and tapped away at the screen before slowly putting it down.

In just a few seconds, Ruby's phone suddenly rang.

After Ruby answered, her expression changed dramatically, and her shrill voice rang out at the dinner table.

"What? You got fired? Then what about my custom order? Wasn't everything already arranged? Why is Vera refusing the order? I already paid the deposit - are you messing with me?"

In her anger, Ruby completely forgot about maintaining her image.

Seeing her lose composure like this, Matthew's pupils contracted slightly, showing hints of disapproval.

Isabella smiled slightly, her tone still light.

"Looks like Ms. Hill won't be getting Vera's design after all. What a shame."

Noticing Matthew's expression, Ruby made an effort to control herself and forced out a strained smile.

"It is a bit disappointing, but it's fine. Isabella, I'll get you something else instead."

Ruby's smile looked worse than crying, and her hands were clenched into fists under the table.

She didn't believe this could be such a coincidence.

The meal was uncomfortable for Ruby, and she made an excuse to leave the Fairfax Estate early.

Just after leaving the Fairfax Estate.

Ruby looked around, then took out her phone and dialed a private number.

As soon as it connected, before the other person could speak, she deliberately lowered her voice and said through gritted teeth, "Matthew's sister is no simple character. You'd better be careful."