After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 402

"Really? I don't have much cash on hand right now. I’m not sure if Barbara would even be interested in such a small amount."

Barbara and Linda’s investment projects always needed serious money. Isabella had, at most, five or six million available, which barely counted as anything in the world of big business. She knew both Barbara and Linda were true powerhouses, the type of women you wanted to team up with if you wanted a seat at the table. But with the money she had, she just couldn't keep up.

For now, she didn’t dare join them in any major investments. She still needed to put money into her new production and pay her employees every month. She couldn’t afford to throw her savings into something risky.

"You could talk to Ethan," Harold suggested. "See if he’d be willing to give you the money to invest."

Harold would have been happy to lend Isabella the money himself, but with Ethan around, he knew better than to step in. As Barbara liked to say, no matter how Ethan felt about Isabella, she was still his wife, at least on paper. Even if Harold had feelings for her, he had to keep his distance. The last thing he wanted was to start rumors that could hurt Isabella’s reputation.

"I don’t know if he’d give me that much anymore," Isabella said quietly.

Ethan already knew she was hustling to make her own money so she could leave him behind.

"Did you two have a fight?" Harold asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Not really," she replied. She was tired of fighting with Ethan. There was no point, just a waste of energy. When she had a chance, she’d go back to The Lane Estate and ask Natalie to return her wedding gifts. Maybe if she made Ethan angry enough, she’d finally have an excuse to end things for good.

"I’ll talk to Barbara about it later," Isabella said. "If she agrees to let me invest, I’ll just borrow some money from my mom."

Harold nodded. "Barbara thinks of you as a friend, so I’m sure she’ll say yes. You should come over to our place when you have time. Barbara really likes hanging out with you and Laura. She talks about you two all the time at home, so my family is super curious. They’ve even watched some of your short dramas."

Isabella smiled. "Barbara’s always so busy, I’d hate to bother her." Still, she liked the idea of getting closer to Barbara.

"Isabella, I shouldn’t drop you right at the door. If someone saw us, they might get the wrong idea about our relationship. It could hurt your reputation. I’ll stop here. It’s just a short walk for you."

Isabella appreciated how thoughtful he was. She thanked Harold several times, took the box of pastries he’d brought, and got out of the car. Ethan was lucky to have friends like Harold and Jesse.

Harold drove off quickly.

Isabella headed toward her shop. The doors were already open, and the renovation crew would be finished by the end of the day. They didn’t even need a full day for the last touches. Just then, Laura arrived. She spotted Isabella, stopped, and waited for her to catch up.

"Hey, what brings you here today?" Laura asked.