After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 354

“Isabella!” Sophia’s voice rang out, sharper this time, clearly frustrated she was getting ignored.

Isabella finished showing Mia to her seat and set down the gift Mia had brought, finally turning to Sophia with an unimpressed look. “You really think Susan’s going to forget your water? Sit down. Honestly, look at yourself. No manners, yelling at me in front of everyone. Is this what an heiress is supposed to be like? Shouldn’t you care about your reputation? If word got out about your behavior, what would people say?”

Sophia’s expression darkened. “You...”

“Sophia,” Mia said, reaching over to gently keep her from standing up. “Isabella’s right. You really should work on your temper. You’re not a little kid anymore. In a few years, you’ll be married. Now’s the time to focus on growing up and learning how to carry yourself with some grace.”

Sophia shot Mia a glare. “Mia Clark, not you too. Are you seriously taking her side?” She had always thought that since her mom wanted Mia to take Isabella’s place, Mia would at least back her up a little, or go easy on her. But Mia was agreeing with Isabella instead.

Not like she and Mia ever really got along anyway. Jennifer, her mom, was always going on about how amazing Mia was, constantly telling Sophia she should learn from her. With Mia being Jennifer’s goddaughter, Sophia always felt like she was competing for affection.

“I’m only saying this because I care about you,” Mia said calmly.

Mia gave a modest smile. “You’re too generous, Isabella. I just help out with the family business, that’s all.” She added, “When I was little, I used to visit Jennifer’s place a lot. She liked to tease me about Ethan, but honestly, he’s like a brother to me. Don’t take Sophia’s words too seriously.”

The minute Mia saw Isabella, she realized she had no interest in following Jennifer’s plan. Isabella was too beautiful, too calm, too put together. Whenever Sophia tried to rattle her, Isabella stayed perfectly unfazed, leaving Sophia the only one getting upset. There was no way Isabella was as useless as Jennifer made her out to be.

After only two days back, Mia had already heard plenty about Isabella. She knew Isabella started her own business after getting married, even though Jennifer was dead set against it. But with Ethan’s support, Isabella kept moving forward, no matter what anyone said.