After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 580

Isabella paused for a moment before turning him down gently.

“Take your people with you. If I need help, I’ll hire someone new,” she said.

Ethan’s voice rose, worry clear in his eyes. “If you bring in new staff, you won’t know them at all. How can you be sure they’re trustworthy? My people are reliable, loyal. I know them.”

He hesitated, then added, “Are you worried they’ll stay loyal to me and keep an eye on you? That won’t happen. I’ll transfer all their contracts to your name. You can even sign new ones with them if you want.”

“From now on, you’d be their boss. You’d pay their salaries. They’d answer to you, not me. They wouldn’t do anything for me anymore.”

But Isabella shook her head.

The truth was, everyone working in this villa had always been loyal to Ethan. Most of them came over from The Adams Estate and had worked for his family for years. They were trusted, yes, but they all preferred Natalie. They knew Ethan’s heart belonged to her.

In her last life, Isabella had spent three years living in this house. How many of those people had ever truly seen her as their employer? She’d even been afraid of Susan, who never took her seriously.

This time around, Isabella had made up her mind. She wanted money, not love. She stopped chasing Ethan, and only then did he start treating her better. Susan always followed Ethan’s lead. If he was kind to Isabella, Susan would be too.

Even if none of the staff had wronged her in this life, Isabella still didn’t want to keep people who were loyal to someone else.

Ethan opened his mouth to say more, but Isabella cut in. “Ethan, you don’t have to keep trying. I’m not going to keep your staff. Don’t worry about me. I’ll ask Barbara and Linda to recommend some good people. I’m sure they’ll help.”

“You’d rather ask someone else than let me help you?” Ethan sounded hurt. He’d given her everything he could, but she still pushed him away.

Isabella let out a breath she’d been holding. “Ethan, we really don’t have to fight about this.”

“I don’t want to argue with you. Honestly, have we ever really argued?” Ethan tried to smile, searching his memory.

Isabella pressed her lips together. “We didn’t fight much because you never gave me the chance. Most of the time, you made up your mind and expected me to follow.”

“Remember that trip to the beach? You had my things thrown out. You didn’t even let me explain. You just wanted me to apologize to Natalie, no questions asked.”

“You always wanted me to obey you, and you expected me to treat Natalie the same way. If I ever said a harsh word to her, it was like you wanted to tear me apart.”