Chapter 402

Isabella's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly realized what was happening, though she found it hard to believe.

"Where are you going? Don't tell me you're going back to that hellhole."

"Yeah, I am."

Renee didn't want to, but she had no choice.

Her mother's life was still in the hands of those people. She could run, but her mother couldn't.

She couldn't be that selfish.

"Renee, are you out of your mind? They're hunting you down. Going back is like walking into a death trap."

"I know, I know."

Renee was helpless. "But Isabella, I have to go back. This is my fate. It was sealed the moment the Adri Family set their sights on me."

She had been hiding long enough.

If she didn't show up soon, the Adri Family would use her mother's life to threaten her.

By then, it would be too late.

So, no matter what danger she faced, she couldn't let those people harm her mother.

Even if it meant trading her life for her mother's safety, she was resigned to it.

Aaron's appearance was something she hadn't anticipated.

She thought she would never find love again in this lifetime, but he showed up and brought her many beautiful memories.

Now that her last wish had been fulfilled, she shouldn't drag innocent people into the abyss.

Whether it was Aaron or Isabella, she shouldn't involve them any further.

Isabella ultimately couldn't get Renee to reveal her inner turmoil.

Someone who had made up their mind wouldn't change it because of a few words from others.

At the same time, at the Brown Group headquarters, Michael sat behind his desk, watching Aaron, who had been reporting on the situation in Auroria one moment and then zoning out the next.

He couldn't help but frown and tap the desk with his fingers.

"Aaron, what's going on with you? Didn't I tell you to go home and get some rest yesterday? You look worse than when you came back from overseas."

Zoning out at work, especially in front of Michael, his boss, was something Aaron had never done before.

What was going on today?

Hearing Michael's reprimand, Aaron quickly snapped back to reality and apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Brown. I didn't mean to."

Seeing Aaron's pale face, Michael couldn't bring himself to say more.

"If you're too tired, take a few more days off. It's your right."

Michael didn't know what had happened to Aaron. He thought he was just exhausted from the business trip and jet lag.

So, Michael simply told him to go home and get some sleep.

But Aaron refused outright, "Mr. Brown, I'm really fine. I can work. I promise to get back on track as quickly as possible."

"I won't make such a rookie mistake again."

After leaving the Wilson Family, Aaron had gone home to change clothes and then headed straight to the office.

Right now, he just wanted to bury himself in work to numb his mind, so he wouldn't think about Renee's rejection.

"It's not about getting back on track. Look in the mirror. Your face looks terrible."

Michael frowned, then realized something.

"Aaron, be honest. Did something happen?"

Having worked with Aaron for years, Michael knew him well enough.

The first person that came to Michael's mind was Renee.

"Is it because of Renee? Did you go see her?"

After all, the only person who could affect Aaron's emotions this much was her.

Aaron's expression changed when Michael hit the nail on the head, but he still didn't say anything directly.

This time, he was truly hurt.

"Mr. Brown, please don't ask. I have some documents to sort out. I'll head back now."

Aaron didn't dare to talk about what had happened today, but he was afraid Michael would keep pressing, so he practically fled the office.

Michael wasn't an idiot. Aaron's behavior was so out of character that it was obvious something was wrong.

This had to be about Renee.

And it wasn't good news, or Aaron wouldn't look so awful.

The phone on the desk rang, which caught Michael's attention.

But it wasn't his phone.

It was Aaron's.

In his rush, Aaron had left it behind.

Michael sighed and picked up the internal phone to call Aaron back, but his eyes caught the flashing contact name.

"Mrs. Brown!"

Aaron was his assistant, and the only person he referred to as Mrs. Brown was Isabella.

Michael quickly picked up the phone and saw that the number was indeed Isabella's.

Why was Isabella calling Aaron at this time?

Could Aaron have told her everything?

Michael panicked and, without thinking, answered the call.

"Who's this? Aaron's not here. If it's business-related, you can report to me."

Even though he knew it was Isabella on the other end, Michael pretended not to know and kept a formal tone.

Isabella was taken aback by Michael's familiar voice.

Michael was answering Aaron's phone?

That was odd, but Isabella never had a good attitude towards Michael.

"When did the Brown Group fall so low that the president has to do his assistant's job? Or did you see my number and grab the phone on purpose?"

"I'm not that bored. What do you need Aaron for? I'll pass the message along."

Michael didn't want to waste time on pointless chatter and got straight to the point.

Isabella suddenly remembered Atticus mentioning that the Brown Group was undergoing significant changes.

But from the looks of it, Michael didn't seem to feel any crisis.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have time to answer her call.

"Talking to you isn't a problem."

Isabella thought for a moment. "Tell Aaron that Renee is going abroad with me for a vacation. If he wants to make one last effort, he should come to the airport at 10 AM tomorrow. Otherwise, no one can guarantee what will happen next."

She had originally intended to tell Aaron about Renee returning to the Adri Family.

But since Michael answered the call, she didn't trust him. If he took action against the Adri Family, Renee would be the first to get caught.

For Renee's safety, she had to cover up the important part.

As long as she could help Renee see Aaron one more time, it would be enough.

"By the way, Renee doesn't know about this. I called Aaron because I don't want them to miss each other. Make sure to explain it clearly to Aaron and tell him not to be too obvious. Pretend it's a coincidence."

After saying that, Isabella decisively hung up.