The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 314

Just then, Isabella's voice rang out from behind.

"Lucian!"

She walked over, naturally linking her arm through the man's, subtly shifting her body to block Chloe.

Chloe watched as the man's amber eyes softened the second he looked at Isabella, brimming with undisguised affection and indulgence.

He gently ruffled her hair. "Bella. I heard you were working tonight, so I came to see you. You work too much. You never come home anymore."

Isabella's gaze shifted to Chloe, her brow furrowing slightly. "Ms. Reed, you should go prepare."

What was with that look?

Why was she staring at her brother like that?

Chloe snapped back to reality and hurriedly picked up her briefcase.

Lucian offered a polite smile. "Watch your step, Ms. Reed."

Chloe nodded, but as she took her first step, a sharp, piercing pain shot through her ankle.

Lucian instinctively reached out to help, but Isabella gently held his arm back.

She leaned in and whispered something to him.

His expression shifted, a flicker of surprise crossing his features before settling into a cool, assessing stare.

Isabella looked up at him. "Lucian, don't you trust me?"

He chuckled, his tone entirely indulgent. "Of course I do. You rarely hold a personal grudge against anyone. If you don't like her, you must have a good reason. I trust you."

Dismissing the girl from his mind, he turned to his assistant and ordered him to load all the recently purchased gifts into Isabella's car.

Isabella playfully rolled her eyes. "Lucian! I'm not a kid anymore. Stop buying me all this stuff."

"What can I say? Whenever I see something beautiful, I want to give it to you."

"I'm a ruthless businesswoman now. I don't wear designer dresses or flashy jewelry."

"That's fine. Keep them in your closet. They're nice to look at."

"..."

What was even more shocking was that Isabella was acting as her backup.

The arrangement was highly irregular.

With the event about to start, the photographers reluctantly snapped a couple of pictures of Chloe before immediately training their lenses back on Isabella.

Isabella cast a sidelong glance at Chloe.

Seeing her sitting there, looking completely unbothered, Isabella found the whole situation darkly amusing.

"If you can't handle it, just say the word. Don't force it. Most importantly, do not embarrass the Institute."

Chloe adjusted her microphone, offering a single word in response. "Understood."

Thanks to Quentin's massage last night, her right ear felt incredibly clear, her hearing noticeably sharper than before.

Besides, she had the script right in front of her. This level of translation was child's play.

As the President stepped up to the podium, Chloe leaned into the microphone and began to speak.