Fated Marriage Spoiled by My Ice Billionaire novel Chapter 347

Chapter 347 The Commission

Chapter 347 The Commission

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“Please, make yourselves comfortable. Let’s chat over some refreshments–consider it a casual afternoon tea,” Beatrice said warmly, personally pouring a glass of juice for Ashley.

Ashley was pleasantly surprised by the gesture.

Fortunately, Beatrice then proceeded to pour juice for Isabelle and Kylie as well, which eased Ashley’s sudden flicker of suspicion.

Seeing their hostess so relaxed and approachable, everyone settled in and the conversation began to flow more freely.

Beatrice’s requirements weren’t overly rigid. Her ideal style wasn’t as flashy as some of the high–society matrons, but it still needed to feel contemporary. The overall direction she gave was quite broad, lacking a specific focal point.

Her general philosophy seemed to be to see what inspiration struck.

She was also generous with time–allowing two weeks for initial design submissions, from which she would make her selection.

The scope was extensive, encompassing everything from formal evening dresses to casual loungewear and even smart daywear.

This was a major commission.

Beatrice took the time to learn about each designer’s signature style, wanting to understand their individual perspectives.

Isabelle and Kylie shared their initial ideas one by one, and Beatrice expressed appreciation for each. When it was Ashley’s turn, however, Beatrice excused herself to take a phone call. Upon returning, she mentioned she wouldn’t be able to stay for dinner and noted that everyone was welcome to leave early if they had other commitments.

Isabelle and Kylie recognized this as a polite signal to depart, so they gathered their things and left ahead of time, leaving Ashley alone with their hostess.

Ashley seemed to have an inkling of what was happening. She suspected Wilbur might have said something to his mother, and couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration.

When Beatrice returned to the seating area, she didn’t dwell on small talk but steered the conversation directly back to the designs.

Ashley explained her concepts seriously, and Beatrice sat beside her, listening attentively–seemingly without any unusual behavior.

In truth, Beatrice wasn’t fully focused on Ashley’s words. Instead, she was carefully observing the younger woman, as if trying to read something deeper in her demeanor and expressions.

Before leaving the estate grounds, Isabelle sent a quick text to Damian.

He asked her to wait about ten minutes.

Meanwhile, Kylie approached Isabelle warmly. “Ms. Foster, would you like a ride? My car is right here.”

“No need, thank you. My husband is on his way to pick me up,” Isabelle replied with a polite smile.

“I hadn’t realized you were married,” Kylie remarked, her gaze curious.

After hearing Isabelle’s design insights earlier, Kylie’s impression of her had improved considerably. Isabelle’s professional vision

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Chapter 347 The Commission

and expertise were on a level Kylie knew she hadn’t yet reached.

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Just as Isabelle slipped into the passenger seat of Damian’s arriving car, Diana, who had just landed, tried calling her. Isabelle didn’t pick up.

Diana frowned–it was unlike Isabelle to miss her call.

Tugging her suitcase behind her, she quickened her pace. In her experience, when Isabelle was unresponsive, it usually meant something was up.

As she hurried out of the arrivals terminal, she spotted Brian leaning against a pillar not far away, hands in his pockets, watching her with a familiar, lopsided grin.

She glanced around but didn’t see Isabelle–only Brian, looking amused.

“Stop looking. Your friend handed you over to me,” Brian teased, stepping forward to take her luggage.

Diana stood there for a moment, stunned. This was a new level of audacity, even for Isabelle.

When Diana didn’t move, Brian took a few steps back, gently took her hand, and led her toward the parking garage.

“Aren’t you glad I came to get you?” Brian asked, leaning over to buckle her seatbelt once she was inside.

“Thrilled,” Diana replied, her tone flat.

Brian pretended to pout and looked around the car’s interior as if searching for something.

“What are you looking for?” Diana asked, glancing down to check if she was sitting on something.

“A bone.”

“What?”

“A bone. You know, ‘throw me a bone‘? I came all the way out here. The least you could do is give me a little something.” He looked at her with mock seriousness.

Diana couldn’t help but laugh and gave his shoulder a light shove.

Seeing her finally relax, Brian felt his own tension ease.

“Your place or mine? Or… ours?” he asked, starting the engine.

Diana’s cheeks warmed, as if the car’s air conditioning had suddenly failed.

“No answer? Ours it is, then,” Brian said with a grin, pulling out of the parking spot.

He didn’t give her time to overthink it.

Within minutes of being on the highway, Diana was asleep.

At a red light, Brian adjusted her seat, reclining it slightly, and took a jacket from the backseat to drape over her. He also eased off the accelerator, driving more slowly.

Diana’s trip to Nyxaria hadn’t just been to deliver garments to Hazel–she had also gone to dig into Ashley’s affairs.

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Chapter 347 The Commission

She’d learned the basics from Lucas earlier that morning.

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In Nyxaria, with Lucas‘ assistance, she first had a contact hack into Ashley’s laptop. There, they found a medical report from two months prior and identified the person she was in frequent contact with—Wilbur.

Next, they accessed Wilbur’s cloud storage and communications, extracting a trove of information before carefully covering their tracks.

This confirmed that even before the situation with Damian unfolded, Ashley had already been pregnant–she had been attempting to use the circumstances to secure her position.

Yesterday, Diana had immediately passed this information to Isabelle. With concrete evidence now in hand against Ashley, Isabelle had taken action–resulting in the fire at the studio.