Chapter 1382
Isabella listened intently to Joshua’s words, and suddenly, everything clicked.
She had exhausted her contacts, seeking any scrap of information about Joshua without
success.
Then, out of the blue, a friend mentioned that Joshua was having coffee at a local café. She couldn’t get there fast enough.
She had thought her friend shared the tip because of their close bond, privileged to know Joshua’s whereabouts before anyone else.
But no, it was Joshua himself who had leaked his own location, intentionally letting her know he was at the café.
Isabella couldn’t fathom Joshua’s game plan. A sense of unease crept over her, but still, she asked with a puzzled tone, “Why?”
“You’re searching for me, not just to show me the jade pearl but to announce that you’re my daughter, aren’t you?” Joshua lifted his gaze, his eyes shifting from their earlier aristocratic cool to the shrewd depth of a business mogul.
Under the weight of his intense stare, Isabella felt her resolve wobble. She had steeled herself for three days for this moment.
Yet, with just one look from Joshua, all her mental fortifications crumbled.
Her gaze darted away as she stammered, “I—I am, of course, your daughter…” Joshua’s chuckle was light but laden with meaning. “Too bad I’m only interested in the jade pearl, not in finding some daughter. Since your mother betrayed your father, it’s probably best to keep this matter under wraps. Otherwise, you and your mother might just end up disowned and homeless.”
With that, he stood up to leave.
Isabella’s eyes widened in shock, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
She had brought the jade pearl to assert her place as Joshua’s daughter, yet what did he say? He only cared for the jade pearl, not his daughter?
And he even threatened her with disownment and homelessness for her and her mother if she insisted on causing a scene?
How could this be happening?
Why was Joshua’s play so different from what she had anticipated?
Refusing to accept this, Isabella dashed to the door, blocking Joshua’s exit, her voice laced with desperation and indignation. “Why don’t you want to find your daughter?”
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Chapter 1382
“I’m looking for a daughter with genuine blood ties, not some imposter like you.” Joshua’s patience had worn thin. He shot her a cold glance and sidestepped her to leave. He was done with the charade; his objective was laid bare.
Struck by his words, Isabella felt her mind go blank, her body trembling with the impact.
Joshua knew she was an impostor?
Then, the intel about him being at the café, which was passed to her, was just a bait to lure her in and hand over the jade pearl personally?
As the realization of Joshua’s intentions dawned on her, anger contorted her face, and she kicked at the ground furiously.
Joshua had played her!
A true fox of the business world!
He didn’t even have to lift a finger; he simply used her, making her willingly return the jade pearl to his possession.
It was her impatience and greed that blinded her to Joshua’s true intentions, leading her to bring the jade pearl without a second thought.
And to think, after she swiped the jade pearl from Thalassa, with Richard present, three days had passed, and neither Richard nor Thalassa had confronted her for its return.
It was as if nothing had happened at all.
Knowing that Richard and Joshua were acquainted, Richard must have informed Joshua about the theft.
She had been too eager, too impulsive, desperate to replace Thalassa and become Joshua’s daughter, thinking that stealing the jade pearl and a smooth lie would deceive Joshua.
Her haste for success had stripped her of her senses, turning her into a laughingst played like a fiddle.
The more Isabella thought about it, the angrier she became, her chest heaving with f and her fists clenched tight, her face twisted with rage.
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