After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 58

They were business partners, splitting everything right down the middle. Half the investment each, and later, half the profits. Laura Charles was her best friend, someone who had always looked out for her. Now that she finally had a shot at making real money, she couldn’t imagine not bringing Laura along. With any luck, once they hit it big, Laura could finally stop grinding out stories for that tiny author’s fee.

“Sounds good,” Laura said.

Isabella ended the call and slipped her phone into her pocket. Right away, the man next to her spoke up, his voice calm and cool. “If you can’t find a decent contractor, I can have Lawrence set you up with someone.”

Lawrence handled their real estate business. Even though the market was pretty rough these days, the Adams Group had gotten in early and made a killing back when things were good. Now, while other companies struggled, theirs was still hanging on. Lawrence was sharp. Honestly, all the Adams men were impressive. The women, though, seemed a little less accomplished, probably because they were so thoroughly spoiled. Take Sophia. After graduation, she never bothered finding a job. Her days revolved around shopping, brunches, and hanging out with girlfriends. With the Adams family’s money, she didn’t need to think about work. Her monthly allowance was a million, which was seven hundred thousand more than what Isabella got. On top of that, her uncles, brothers, and cousins always found excuses to slip her extra cash, so she easily had a few million to spend every month. With a life like that, why bother with a job? Her brothers would never let her work anyway.

“That’s all right for now,” Isabella replied. “Laura said she’s reaching out to the contractor who did her apartment. He’s reliable, pays attention to details, and doesn’t try to cut corners.”

Ethan fell quiet after that. He’d offered to help. If she turned him down, she couldn’t really blame him for stepping back.

“Natalie loves seafood,” Isabella said. “If they spend the weekend at the beach, she can finally get it fresh.”

Isabella liked seafood too. Because Natalie loved it, there was always plenty on the Lane family table. But to avoid drawing attention from Jordan, Isabella always held back. She waited until Natalie was done and had left before daring to eat any of the leftovers. Even Cynthia, her own mother, was always careful at the Lane house. For Isabella, it was even harder. Cynthia would constantly remind her to let Jordan and Natalie have their way, to never compete for anyone’s affection. The Lane family belonged to them, not her. She was always just the outsider.