Chapter 174

Madeline thought for a second and then shook her head.

"Let's not mess with Isabella right now. She's in a bad spot with the media and could get unpredictable. Desperate people do desperate things. Plus, all we saw was her leaving the hotel with Kevin; that's not enough proof. Let's wait until we have something solid," she said, deciding to give Isabella a break for now.

Odette nodded, still a bit hesitant but accepting the decision.

Meanwhile, Isabella had no clue about any of this. If she did, she'd probably laugh at them for giving her more time.

Back at her office, Isabella got a call from Michael.

"Hey, guess why I'm calling?" Michael's voice had a playful tone.

Isabella smiled, "You must have some good news, right? Let me guess, did my parents meet with Bianca?"

"Exactly! You're so sharp! Your parents and Bianca are having a heated discussion about formalizing their agreement with a contract," Michael said, watching a surveillance feed on his tablet.

A few minutes earlier, Bianca had shown up at Jasper and Mia's villa. They had heard she went to Lumaria and didn't know when she'd be back, so her sudden visit was a surprise.

"Jasper, Mia, I just came from Isabella's company. She's still not owning up to her mistakes. You need to turn up the media heat on her," Bianca said with a cold smile.

Jasper and Mia exchanged a look; their silence was neither a yes nor a no. This made Bianca uneasy.

"What's wrong? Is the media campaign not working?" Bianca frowned. Media pressure was her go-to move against Isabella.

As long as Mason started hating Isabella because of her bad rep, Bianca and John would have more chances.

Jasper waved his hand with a smile. "Bianca, relax. The media campaign is working great; the public's on our side! Adding more pressure won't be an issue."

"But you don't seem too thrilled. Are you feeling sorry for Isabella? Don't forget, she ditched you when she ran," Bianca said coldly, trying to stir up more hatred in Jasper and Mia.

Jasper waved his hand again. "No need to remind me. I'm not letting her off the hook. From the moment we leaked her info to Pearl, we knew there was no going back. Actually, we have something else to talk about."

"What is it?" Bianca asked, frowning at Jasper.

Jasper smiled. "Bianca, I want to know if our previous agreement still stands."

Bianca raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Of course. As long as you help me marry John, I'll use his power to restore your family's honor."

Jasper rubbed his hands together, flashing a professional smile. "Bianca, it's not that I don't trust you, but these days, a verbal promise just doesn't cut it. I'd like to get it in writing."

Bianca's eyes narrowed, and she stood up from the sofa, glaring at Jasper. "Jasper, what are you trying to say? Don't you trust me? Remember, it was my idea to use public opinion against Isabella."

Jasper leaned back, still smiling. "Bianca, don't get mad. We know it was your idea, but you needed our help to pull it off, right? I'm a businessman, and businessmen rely on contracts. A written agreement is the only thing that reassures me."

Bianca stared at him for a moment before smiling. "So, you're worried that once I marry John, I'll ditch you and give all the benefits to my father?" Her smile was faint, but her eyes were cold.

Jasper dropped the act, leaning back with a smirk. "Bianca, this contract is for both our protection. If you won't sign, it means you've got something else up your sleeve. Look, you want John, you need us. Don't blame me for being careful. My own daughter stabbed me in the back, so why wouldn't you, my niece?"

Bianca clenched her fists, feeling a wave of disgust towards Isabella and her family. Isabella was a bitch, and her parents were no better.

After a moment of silence, Bianca nodded. "I get it. When do we sign? Now?"

Jasper stood up, excited. "Yes, right now. Let's not waste any time. I'll go get it."

He rushed into the bedroom and quickly returned with two contracts, a pen, and ink for fingerprints.

Bianca glanced at the contracts on the table and smirked. It seemed Jasper had prepared these well in advance.

She reviewed the contract, which matched her previous verbal agreement with Jasper.

She sighed internally, silently apologizing to her father, then quickly signed her name and pressed her fingerprint on the document. In fact, Jasper had guessed correctly; Bianca had no intention of letting him stay in control of the family. She planned to use him and then discard him. She hadn't expected Jasper to be smart enough to bind her with a contract.

Now, Bianca's mind was focused on marrying John. She decided to deal with the contract later.

None of them noticed the faint red glow in the eyes of a nearby deer head decoration on the wall.