Chapter 202

Isabella stared at her phone, seeing Charles's name pop up. Weird. Charles never called her, especially not since he gave her that ring. What was this about?

She wondered if Mason was looking for her. But why wouldn't Mason just call her himself?

She picked up, and Charles's tired voice came through.

"Isabella, can you come to the hospital? Mr. Williams has been admitted," he said, his voice grave.

"What? Mason's in the hospital?" Isabella shot up from her chair, grabbing her stuff in a hurry.

As she rushed out of her office, she almost bumped into Juliet. She waved her off quickly.

"I've got an emergency at the hospital. Tell Mr. Larson I need half a day off," she said, not stopping for a second.

Juliet blinked, surprised, then ran off to find Dwayne.

Meanwhile, Madeline and Odette caught wind of Isabella's sudden leave.

"That woman is getting so full of herself! She didn't even bother to ask for leave properly, just sent her assistant. So arrogant!" Odette scoffed.

Madeline watched Isabella rush out through the window and smirked. "She won't be so high and mighty for long."

In his office, Dwayne was busy trying to get Isabella's entry from the competition organizers when Juliet burst in with the news. He looked up, startled.

"Did she say why she was going to the hospital? Is she okay?" he asked, worried.

Juliet shook her head. "No, but she seemed really anxious."

"Alright, I'll call her. You can go," Dwayne said, waving her off and dialing Isabella's number.

When he found out she was just visiting Mason, he relaxed. As long as Isabella was fine, Michael wouldn't be worried.

"Okay, send my best to Mr. Williams and wish him a quick recovery," Dwayne said before hanging up.

Isabella ended the call, frowning.

She had asked Charles why Mason was in the hospital. Charles told her it wasn't just a regular sickness; it was all because of John. Apparently, John and Mason had a fight, and it made Mason sick.

With Leo driving fast, Isabella got to the hospital in no time.

She rushed into the ward and found Mason lying in bed, munching on some fruit.

"Isabella, why are you here? I told Charles not to bother you. Sit down," Mason said, motioning to the chair by his bed.

Isabella looked at Mason, worry etched on her face. "Mason, how are you feeling?"

Mason waved her off. "Same old, same old. Just got too worked up and fainted. Nothing serious. I'm already feeling better after some rest."

To prove his point, Mason even stretched his arms and waved them around, showing he was still full of life.

Seeing Mason in good spirits, Isabella felt a wave of relief.

"Mason, what happened? I heard it had something to do with John. What did he do to upset you?" she asked, her voice tinged with anger.

Mason sighed. "Charles tells you everything, huh?"

Isabella squeezed Mason's hand. "Don't blame Charles. Just tell me what happened."

Mason patted her hand. "What else? It's about Bianca."

"Bianca? I thought she was avoiding John. Did she show up?" Isabella asked, surprised.

Mason nodded. "Yeah, and John forgave her again. I should've seen it coming. Ever since I tried to keep them apart, things have been tense between John and me. Now, it's completely broken."

Mason slapped his thigh in frustration, and Isabella held his hand tighter.

"Mason, don't worry. Just tell me what John said," she urged.

Thinking about John's visit, Mason started coughing violently. Isabella patted his back until he calmed down.

"Forget it, Mason. I won't pry. I don't want to upset you again," she said, quickly handing him a glass of water.

Mason looked at her, his eyes distant, and sighed deeply.

"It's my fault. If I had realized sooner that you and John had no feelings for each other, I wouldn't have kept pushing you," Mason said, then began recounting John's visit.

After breakfast, John had shown up out of the blue. Under Mason's puzzled gaze, John told him he would never marry anyone but Bianca.

Mason, furious, grabbed his cane and struck John's back. Normally, John would dodge, but this time he took it.

"Hit me if you want. But I'm not here to talk. I'm just informing you of my decision because it's made! Bianca knows she was wrong. It was Isabella's parents who forced her. Grandpa, you shouldn't blame her. It's not her fault she was born into that family," John said, looking at Mason with determination.

Mason was so angry he trembled all over. After John left, Mason couldn't catch his breath and fainted.

In the hospital, Mason angrily patted Isabella's hand. "Can you believe what that brat said? He said he wasn't here to talk, just to tell me what to think! What gives him the right to lecture me?"