Cheated Once Cherished Forever: The Billionaire's Bride novel Chapter 145

At noon, when Alexander stepped out of his office, he noticed that Isabella hadn't gone to lunch yet. He walked over to her desk, his tone awkward and gruff as he said, "I won't give you a raise for being so hardworking, you know. Shut down your computer. We're grabbing lunch."

Isabella looked up and rolled her eyes at him. "Mr. Sinclair, why does even a nice sentiment sound so harsh coming from you?"

"Fine. Can you clock out now, Ms. Moore? Lunch is on me, and you can pick whatever you want."

Isabella was unaccustomed to his sudden shift in attitude. The old Alexander would've doubled down even when he was wrong; this felt like a whole new person.

He frowned. "Why are you staring at me without saying anything? Are you coming or not?"

She looked away. "I'm not."

His face fell instantly, and he spun on his heel, stalking off without another word.

The company had two elevators. As the one Alexander was in descended, the other one dinged open. Kenneth bounced out with a wide grin. "Isabella, let's go for lunch together!"

Isabella looked up, unable to stop herself from smiling when she saw how energetic he was. Growing up the way she had, she'd never been the bubbly type herself. Deep down, she envied how effortless it was for him.

"I'm not quite done yet, so you can go ahead. I still owe you a meal from the other day. You snuck off and paid even though I said it was on me. I'll have to beat you to it next time," she said.

"Sure! I'm holding you to it. This time, however, I'll wait for you. We can grab something nearby once you're done here."

"Sounds good. Give me a few minutes."

Kenneth was usually a chatterbox, but he went silent while waiting for Isabella to finish her work. He sat there, scrolling on his phone without a peep, which helped her power through faster.

"Done!" Isabella turned off her computer.

It was like flipping a switch. Kenneth shot to his feet and said cheerily, "Finally! What would you like to have? I just scouted all the spots around here, so you can ask me anything!"

Wilson was a nervous wreck around Theodore, but he brimmed with confidence when facing anyone else. After all, one couldn't land his role at Sinclair Group's headquarters without having a few skills!

He stared at Kenneth and sized him up, guessing that the latter was the guy pursuing Isabella.

Isabella hesitated. "He's… my friend's secretary."

Wilson stepped forward, holding out the lunchbox. He said politely, "Ms. Moore, check out the dishes—they're signatures from that lovely bistro nearby. You don't want them to cool off and lose their flavor."

Isabella didn't take it. She gestured to Kenneth beside her and said, "This is my junior, Kenneth Rowle. We were just about to head out for lunch together…"

Kenneth had been bristling under Wilson's stare, but he perked up at Isabella's words and grinned cheekily. He raised his voice a notch and said, "Yeah. You're a bit late to the party!"

Wilson's eyes darkened slightly, but he ignored the jab and focused on Isabella. "Ms. Moore, Mr. Sinclair specifically asked me to bring this. I won't know how to explain it to him if you don't eat the food."