Such a drastic change-there was no way it was as simple as Benjamin Gomez made it sound. Something must have happened. Maybe Andrew Lane had caught on to something, or perhaps Benjamin had said something to him...

Isabella Austin's panic was obvious.

Benjamin's voice remained calm and steady. "Isabella, all you need to do is make a choice. It's really not a difficult question."

She wanted to go back-back to Andrew Lane and Dennis Lane-but the whole mess with Matthew Ross still hadn't been resolved. She needed Benjamin's help to keep that buried.

She couldn't leave. Not yet. Not until the Matthew Ross problem was taken care of.

In the silent private dining room, all eyes were fixed on the phone in Benjamin's hand.

After a long moment of silence, a quiet voice finally came through the speaker: "I'm not leaving."

The assistant immediately lowered his head again.

Andrew Lane's expression remained cold.

Benjamin beamed, his gaze fixed on Andrew's eyes, a smile curling his lips. "You've thought it through, then. I'm only going to ask once."

Isabella's answer was still the same, a strange edge to her tone: "I'm not leaving."

Benjamin's smile was all warmth and good cheer. "Alright, I understand. I'll hang up now."

He ended the call, slipped the phone back into his pocket with a contented smile, and turned to Andrew Lane with a look of exaggerated sympathy. "You saw it for yourself, Mr. Lane. I'm not the one stopping her from leaving—she's the one who insists on staying. What can I do when she's so determined?"

The assistant broke into a cold sweat.

This was a blatant provocation.

Andrew's expression didn't change, but his voice was deeper than ever. "All I heard was her being coerced by you."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Benjamin's gaze lingered on Andrew, his expression gradually darkening.

Andrew had picked up on Isabella's state from just a few short sentences. The realization left Benjamin uneasy.

He'd always considered himself the man who understood Isabella Austin best in the world—he couldn't stand the thought of anyone else knowing her even better.

Benjamin let out a cold laugh. “You're awfully sure of yourself, aren't you?"

Suddenly, Andrew stood up. He grabbed a gift bag from behind his chair and placed it in the center of the lazy Susan. "There's nothing more to discuss between us, Mr. Gomez. This is a gift from me to you—make sure you keep it. Enjoy your meal. I'll be going now."

Clearly stung by Benjamin's behavior, Andrew didn't wait for a reply. He simply turned and strode out, his assistant hurrying after him, head down.

Benjamin stared at the gift bag sitting alone in the center of the table, his expression unreadable, a twisted smile on his lips.

He picked up the bag, barely glanced at it, and tossed it straight into the trash can.

He didn't touch a single dish on the table. After a moment, he left as well.

Later, when the waitstaff came in to clean up, they stared in surprise at the untouched plates, muttering under their breath about the strange habits of the wealthy—an entire feast left without anyone taking a single bite.

Benjamin climbed into his car, pulled out his phone, and opened his messages. A new text was waiting for him: [You can go ahead now.]

He glanced at the time-it was earlier than expected. He tapped out a reply: [Was it Emily Blair?]

[Yes. And Alex White, too.]

A shadow passed over Benjamin's face.

It was true-he wanted Emily Blair to stir things up. He wanted Isabella Austin to need him more because of it. But the thought of Isabella being bullied to the point of panic by Emily left a bitter taste in his mouth.

If anyone was going to make life hard for Isabella, it would be him—not Emily Blair. Emily Blair was nothing.

That car accident-he had orchestrated it for her. He hadn't expected Alex White would be in the car, and for a moment, he'd even felt a faint twinge of guilt over the collateral damage.

Now, though, Alex and Emily were working together. It seemed, by accident, things had worked out just as he'd hoped.