Chapter 3 Shocking News

• The man Isabelle had just chosen ran off in fear.
• Seeing Stephan, Matthew was terrified. His cheek was already swollen, and knowing he was no match, he gritted his teeth. "Belle, I'm sorry."
• "Get out!" said Stephan.
• Stumbling to the door, Matthew finally let out his frustration. "Stephan, don’t think that just because you’ve gained some brute strength in the military, you can do whatever you want. I’ll make you kneel in front of me and beg for forgiveness."
• Ignoring the outburst of this fool, Stephan raised his finger to Isabelle’s lips as she was about to speak. "Let’s talk at home, Izzy."
• Isabelle lived in a small community on the outskirts of Newbridge. It was a 200-square-meter villa, but the occupancy rate was less than ten percent, a clear sign of how low the property prices were.
• Over two hours later, the only car they owned, an Audi A4L, pulled up in front of the house.
• Returning to the home he hadn’t seen in four years, Stephan felt calm. The only thing that mattered to him here was Isabelle.
• "Is the matchmaking event over? Who did Isabelle pick this time?" A female voice rang.
• A familiar scent filled the air. Stephan nodded slightly and greeted, "Hey, Evelyn."
• Evelyn, the younger sister of Isabelle, stood frozen, staring at Stephan in disbelief.
• It wasn’t until the others came in that she snapped out of it, pointing exaggeratedly at him with a shocked expression. "Oh my God! Isn't he Stephan? He didn’t die on the battlefield?"
• Hearing her speak like this, Isabelle frowned. Despite her dissatisfaction with Stephan for being gone for four years and not yet forgiving him, she wouldn’t go so far as to curse him. "Evelyn, he’s still your brother-in-law. Watch your words."
• Evelyn laughed, crossed her arms, and looked at Stephan with disdain, sizing him up. "Stop joking. Do you really think four years in the military changed this loser? Don’t kid yourself."
• With a mocking smile, Evelyn teased as something occurred to her, "What’s the matter? If you were really a man, why don’t you go to the auction and get your daughter back?"
• At those words, the three of them were all shocked. After all, they hadn’t told Stephan about Lily.
• "My... daughter?" Stephan’s neck tensed, his mind in a whirl.
• "Ha! You didn’t even tell him?"
• Ignoring Evelyn’s laughter, Isabelle shot her a furious look before hastily explaining to Stephan. "After we got together, we had a daughter. But…"
• As she spoke, Isabelle’s face suddenly changed, and she looked at Evelyn. "Did you just say Lily is at an auction? What do you mean?"
• Evelyn flopped onto the sofa and replied nonchalantly.
• "Matthew told me. Grandpa said Lily is just some fatherless bastard and that at three years old, she’s too risky to keep around. If word got out, it would ruin the Hart family’s reputation."
• "So he had Matthew get rid of her. That idiot took her to the Carter family’s auction. He said if he got lucky, he could sell her for close to a million dollars, you know, make some pocket money."
• Hearing that, Isabelle felt dizzy and had to steady herself on the shoe cabinet. Meanwhile, her parents’ faces went pale, especially Laura, who shouted angrily.
• "Lily is your niece. How can you speak so indifferently? And…"
• "And what?" In a flash, Evelyn jumped to her feet, her eyes filled with hatred.
• "What about me? Ever since Isabelle married Stephan, I’ve been a joke to everybody. Why shouldn’t I—"
• Suddenly, her words were cut off as she began coughing violently, her throat clenched in Stephan’s grasp. "Listen up. If you ever say one more word about my daughter, I’ll end you."
• He threw her onto the sofa, then turned and left the house. As he passed Isabelle, he left a promise. "Don’t worry, I’ll bring our daughter back safe and sound."
• It wasn’t until long after Stephan had left that Evelyn finally came out of her terrified daze. Realizing that a loser like him had just grabbed her by the throat and threatened her, she was beside herself with rage.
• She rushed to the door, screaming in fury, "Stephan! Go to hell!"
• "You worthless piece of trash! You and your bastard daughter should both die! Both of you, just die!"
• A slap echoed through the room as Evelyn clutched her face in disbelief, staring at Isabelle. "Did you just hit me?"