At 8:00 PM, Hunter and Isabella arrived in front of Jake Owen Brown's mansion, which was quite far from his penthouse. The man wasn't using his wheelchair but was instead relying on two crutches, while his wife remained by his side, ensuring he wouldn't fall.
"So luxurious," Isabella whispered, glancing up at the grand three-story mansion with white walls, illuminated by golden lights, making it look like gold. "Do only the grandparents live here?"
"No... They have many workers, a few dogs and cats, so it's not too quiet," Hunter explained, starting to walk with his crutches.
Isabella quickly moved alongside Hunter, crossing a short staircase leading to the expansive terrace with white marble floors. She looked ahead at the large, sturdy white front door with unique golden carvings, imagining the grandeur inside.
'It seems like the wealthiest in the Brown family is the grandfather. It makes sense he gave company to Hunter because Hunter is the only married grandchild,' she thought anxiously. 'And maybe he wants his grandchild to get married soon because he wants to have great-grandchildren. I'll crush that hope if one day Hunter and I don't feel committed to staying together.'
"Oh, my lovely!"
Hunter paused as he saw Katrina enthusiastically approaching from the living room.
Isabella stopped and smiled, watching Katrina hug Hunter before glancing at Jake standing behind her.
"You're managing well with the crutches?" Katrina asked after releasing him.
"Yes..." Hunter smiled, looking down at himself. "I can… I always try."
"That's great!" Katrina exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"As I said, having your wife around has positively impacted your health," Jake said with a proud smile, glancing at Isabella in her white-blue dress with an open right shoulder, carrying a small pink branded bag, wearing silver heels, and letting her hair fall beautifully.
"You look even more beautiful." Katrina approached Isabella, giving her a brief hug before holding her hands. "Thank you so much... You're the best... You've been such a positive influence on Hunter!"
Isabella only nodded, smiling awkwardly, feeling strange and sad because this was all a vague relationship that could end in heartbreak for both Katrina and Jake.
Jake invited them to the dining room, where a few people were already waiting, except for Davin.
"Estella," Hunter greeted, smiling at the beautiful woman dressed in a maroon business suit with neatly tied hair.
"Ah, you look better!" Estella quickly stood, greeting Hunter with a brief hug before turning to Isabella. "You must be his wife!"
Isabella nodded with a thin smile.
"I'm sorry I couldn't attend your wedding; I was in England for business at the time," Estella apologized.
"It's okay... I know you always prioritize work above everything," Hunter replied.
"Come sit, you must sit next to me!"
Estella motioned for Hunter to sit beside her, while Isabella sat to his right. The others introduced themselves to Isabella, sharing stories and experiences while waiting for Davin to arrive.
"So, you design wedding dresses?" Estella asked, raising an eyebrow and turning to Isabella.
Isabella nodded.
"That's great!"
"You must ask her to design your wedding dress," Katrina chimed in.
"Of course!" Estella responded enthusiastically. "You need to design a unique wedding dress and dresses for the bridesmaids, and we'll make everything beautiful... I'll certainly be involved because I want to ensure your designs match my taste!" she said, looking seriously at Isabella.
"Yes, of course," Isabella replied, nodding. "But when do you want to start?" she asked.
"I think we can start in the next few weeks because my wedding is in three months," Estella answered.
Isabella fell silent, swallowing hard, realizing that her marriage to Hunter had already lasted nearly a month, leaving them only two months left as husband and wife. She didn't know if their marriage would continue beyond that.
"Do you mind starting the designs in the coming weeks?" Estella asked, noticing Isabella's confusion. "Once the designs are ready, I'll hand them over to the dressmaker to get started," she continued.
"Yes... I can."
"That's great!" Estella smiled happily, then patted Hunter's left shoulder. "You're lucky to have such a talented wife!"
"That's why I love her," Hunter replied, smiling.
"There they are!" Georgina, who was seated across from Hunter alongside Jimmy and Cassandra, exclaimed.
Hunter turned to see Davin entering the dining room with Sarah on his arm. His heart pounded, his chest tightened, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from Davin and Sarah, who looked elegant in a blue gown with her hair in a ponytail.
"Sarah," Isabella whispered, then glanced at Hunter, who immediately looked down at the dishes on the table. "Did you know she was coming?" she asked quietly.
"No," Hunter replied briefly, reaching for Isabella's left hand and gripping it tightly.
Isabella sat silently, startled and curious, unsure why Hunter was holding her hand so firmly. She glanced back at Davin, who sat across from them with Sarah and the others.
"Sorry I'm late, I had to pick up my girlfriend first," Davin said with a wide smile.
"So, she's your girlfriend?" Estella asked, surprised.
"Yes... Her name is Sarah." Davin looked at Sarah, occasionally glancing at Hunter, who watched tensely. "She moved here from Mexico... She might seem unfamiliar to you all... But from now on, she'll be staying in Brooklyn... And working at my company."
Sarah just nodded with a small smile, occasionally glancing at Hunter and Isabella.
"Wow... You're hiring your girlfriend," Estella said with a thin smile. "If you loved her, you wouldn't let her work," she added with a hint of sarcasm.
"I wouldn't want to work for my boyfriend either... It would feel strange," Georgina replied.
"Your boyfriend probably doesn't even have a company!" Jimmy shot back.
"Huh, you don't know, my crush is the son of a mining entrepreneur!"
"Haha... Just because he's a miner's son doesn't mean he owns the company. His parents might not even trust him with it!"
"Hey, stop arguing!" Katrina said quietly, frowning. "We should start eating, and after this, Grandpa wants to watch a family documentary with all of you," she continued.
"So, we were invited just to watch a family documentary?" Cassandra looked shocked.
"Don't underestimate family documentaries, because that's how you'll know who's part of our family... So when I'm gone, you'll all still know each other and stay connected," Jake explained as he began serving food.
"Grandpa, don't talk like that," Davin replied.
"That's life... Besides, I'm already 85."
"You'll live much longer, Grandpa," Hunter said, glancing at his grandfather.
"Of course, he'll live long enough for us to give him great-grandchildren," Davin added with a smile, glancing at Sarah, who smiled back.
Hunter frowned as he watched them, clearly displeased, while Isabella, noticed his expression.