Twisted Ties of Love
Chapter 363

Ariana was full of regret, wishing she could go back in time and throttle the past, which was driven by self-interest.

But it was too late for that now.

She held her phone tightly, her hands shaking. The company had ditched her. Her agent no longer gave a damn about her fate. And Harper wasn't going to help her anymore.

All she could do now was try to save her own skin. She had managed to replace Izabella's contact details. Nobody answered her calls, so she texted.

"Izabella, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have framed you. It was my agent who made me do it. I'm innocent; this whole mess has nothing to do with me. Please, can you post a statement online forgiving me? I can compensate you for your losses, as long as I can afford it."

Her phone was silent. No reply. Ariana waited anxiously, constantly unlocking her phone every time the screen went black and checking for a message from Izabella.

Many people called her and texted her, but she didn't dare answer or read the messages, frightened of the accusations and insults she would receive.

It wasn't until her phone battery was nearly drained that Ariana received a reply from Izabella.

"You want me to forgive you, but have you ever thought about leaving me alone? If I hadn't saved those videos and voice recordings, would you be apologizing like this?" The answer was clearly no.

Ariana's intention was to bully Izabella. Even if she was bashed by netizens and her reputation ruined, she didn't care.

Ariana tried calling Izabella again, but she had been blocked.

Izabella had just gotten off a plane and was in a taxi. She casually opened a text from an unknown number, quickly replied, and then blocked the number.

If a simple "sorry" could make up for all the wrongs she had done, what's the point of laws?

But judging from the text Ariana sent, something seemed to have happened while she was on the plane.

From the news online, Izabella had a rough idea of what it was.

The situation had resolved itself pretty perfectly, and she hadn't had to do much.

Leaning against the car window, Izabella stared blankly at her phone screen. An image of Casey popped into her head, and she found herself smiling.

She finally understood why the flight attendant kept glancing at her on the plane and why Casey suddenly called to apologize.

She was worried about getting Casey involved in her mess, and it turned out that Casey was worried about the same thing. Without her knowing, he had already quietly sorted things out. This man had helped her so much without making a fuss, but she didn't know how to face him.

Even if he wasn't Ryker Dempsey, she would still want to be friends with him. But she couldn't shake the fear that her feelings for him might be influenced by other motives or that Casey would replace out that she initially approached him because he looked like another man. That wasn't pure sentiment.

Izabella remembered Casey's instructions and texted him once she got home safe and sound.

The brief message, much like the distance between her and Casey, was not only close but also awkwardly ambiguous, somewhat familiar yet somewhat strange.

Other than Ariana, Graham and Kristin Lasley were also affected.

Graham had always known that Izabella wasn't easy to deal with. He had truly come to appreciate how formidable she was.

Honestly, he had never had much hope for Ariana and her crew from the start. But he truly hadn't expected them to lose so spectacularly.

Now, no one could save her.

The only word to describe the situation was "stupid".

Graham said coldly, "Thankfully we didn't target Izabella directly back then. I told you, she's not someone to be trifled with. Otherwise, Ariana's fate could have been ours."

Kristin grumbled resentfully, "Why does everything good always happen to her?"

He shared Kristin's doubt. Unless he was looking at Izabella's face, he would have thought she was a different person. He should have warned Ariana to be careful of Izabella's recording devices, but he didn't dare say it now, fearing it would arouse Kristin's suspicion.

"We should lay low for now and observe her for a few days. She can't leave the company just yet, so we have plenty of time to deal with her." Graham tried to reassure Kristin, but he himself was unsure of what to do.

Izabella had gotten the contract termination she wanted. In other words, Izabella could leave the company at any time. But what puzzled him was why Izabella was still hanging around. She was like a ticking time bomb.

Kristin could only nod in agreement. After this issue was resolved, the official announcement for "Blood Ties" was just a few days away. Since they couldn't get rid of Izabella for now, they had to think of other ways.

With Ariana as a "sacrificial lamb", she knew Izabella was not the same as before. If she wanted to get rid of her, she would have to be more careful from now on.

Izabella returned to her apartment in J City, still having trouble adjusting. To be honest, she preferred R City, where she grew up, and was accustomed to the weather and food there.

The weather in J City was warmer than R City, but also much hotter, with hardly any snow in winter.

Izabella got off the taxi at the entrance of her apartment complex, dragging her suitcase with her. A thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead in the short five to six-minute walk due to the stifling heat.

The outside was hot, and so was the inside of her apartment. With no air conditioning and only a small fan running nonstop, Izabella only felt a bit comfortable after unpacking and taking a warm bath. Checking the time, it was just nine o'clock. Liam should still be awake.

She sat in front of the fan, letting her wet hair loose and enjoying the cool breeze, and called Liam.

This time, he was smarter, replacing "Madam" with the more formal "Ms. Salotti".

"Ms. Salotti, what can I help you with?"

"I'm back in J City. Arrange a time for me tomorrow. I'm going to take Nikki back."