Chapter 3 You Can Take a Cab Home Finished Madeline had been talking with the members of the Bowen family , but she couldn't get a word in , so she went to the garden for some air . The Bowen family was also a well - known clite family in Javerton , and their garden was enormous . She walked until she felt a bit tired . Spotting a swing set , she down . Suddenly , she noticed a line of small words carved into the fence beside the swing : " Nathaniel and Isabelle , together forever . " The handwriting was childish . It must have been carved by kids . She thought of how Nathaniel and Isabelle had grown up together . They must have played at the Bowen family's house often as children , so it wasn't surprising to find a mark like this . Just as she was about to leave , she suddenly heard Nathaniel and Isabelle's voices coming from ahead . " Nate , my place is getting renovated , and I don't want to go home and listen to my parents nagging . Can I stay at your place for a while ? " Nathaniel's voice was gentle . " Of course , no problem . I've always kept your room ready . " Estella couldn't help but tighten her grip on the swing's ropes . In the villa she shared with Nathaniel , there was a large , bright guest room . The housekeeper cleaned it every day , and the bedding was changed every few days . At first , she had wondered why a vacant room needed to be kept spotless . Now she finally understood . That room had always been meant for Isabelle . After the funeral , Estella walked behind Nathaniel . He stared at his phone in silence , making no effort to speak to her . Estella had no interest in forcing a conversation . She was only by his side because of the contract . Isabelle caught up from behind and naturally took Nathaniel's arm . " Nate , let's go to my place to grab my luggage first , okay ? " Nathaniel nodded , as if only then remembering to inform Estella . " Estella , Isabelle will be staying with us for a while . Since you have nothing to do , take care of her . " He spoke in a commanding tone , not as a request . She knew that , to him , she was no different from a nanny . Since they were getting divorced soon , she had no interest in arguing over whether this was reasonable . Her expression was calm as she simply said , " Okay . " Maybe because she agreed too easily , Nathaniel found it strange and glanced up at her . He had never hidden his meetings with Isabelle . Every time he returned from Edinland , he could sense her mood sinking . But now , her expression showed no change at all . For some reason , that irritated him . 1/4 P Chapter 3 You Can Take a Cab Home At the parking lot , Nathaniel opened the passenger door for Isabelle . Finished Estella got into the backseat and was about to open the trunk when she suddenly heard Nathaniel say , " I'll drop Belle off first . It's not on the way . You can take a cab home ." The Bowen family's villa was on a mountain , making it nearly impossible to find a cab . But Nathaniel acted as if he didn't know that , driving away with Isabelle without a second thought . Estella stood in the cold mountain air for over an hour before finally finding a driver who accepted the fare that was thirty dollars more than usual , to take her home . By the time she got back , she was starving and exhausted . But at the dining table , the atmosphere was warm and lively . Nathaniel , Isabelle , and Naomi were all there , enjoying broth fondue . Naomi looked displeased . " Estella , where did you go ? Why are you only getting back now ? No one was home to cook , so we had no choice but to eat broth fondue ." Nathaniel placed a piece of cooked beef into Isabelle's bowl before turning to Estella . " The sauce Zelda made doesn't taste right . Go to the kitchen and fix it ." Zelda gave her an apologetic look . Zelda was originally the cook , but since Nathaniel never liked her food , she had been relegated to housekeeping . With Estella gone , Zelda hadn't known Nathaniel's preferences , so the meal didn't suit his taste . In the end , he decided to settle for broth fondue instead . Zelda treated Estella well , so Estella didn't want to make things difficult for her and went inside to prepare the sauce . Just as she set the sauce down , Naomi continued giving orders . " Estella , make some meatballs for us . The ones they sell outside taste awful , all artificial . " Estella was exhausted and starving . She had no energy to make meatballs . She simply sat down and dumped the boiled potatoes and all the meatballs from the pot into her own bowl . Seeing that Estella wasn't going to the kitchen and had even taken all the cooked meatballs for herself , Naomi snapped , " Estella , what's wrong with you ? Can't you understand what I'm saying ? Estella calmly ate a meatball before replying slowly , " These are all artificial . I'm doing you a favor by eating them first . As for the handmade meatballs you want , that won't happen today . We don't have enough ingredients . Why don't you go buy some ? " Naomi was so angry she choked on her words and turned to Nathaniel , ready to complain . But Nathaniel cut her off . " If you don't want to eat , order takeout yourself ." Usually , whenever Estella and Naomi clashed , Nathaniel would side with Naomi . But today , because Estella had agreed to let Isabelle move in , Nathaniel saw it as a sign of maturity and didn't plan to defend his sister . Naomi sulked and angrily bit into her beef . Estella didn't believe Nathaniel was suddenly speaking up for her . As expected , the next second , he said , " Isabelle likes sweet potato and milk oatmeal . It's a hassle , so wake up early tomorrow to make it for her ." Estella's grip on her fork tightened , her expression turning colder . To him , Isabelle was clearly more important than Naomi . 2/4 317 PM P P Chapter 3 You Can Take a Cab Home She could refuse to serve Naomi , but she couldn't refuse to serve Isabelle . Estella smiled faintly . " Sure ." She could agree . But whether it tasted good or not , she wouldn't guarantee . Isabelle gave her a sweet smile . " Then I'll be counting on you , Estella . " Estella didn't respond , just continued eating her meatballs . Since Estella had taken all the meatballs , Naomi didn't get a single one and was fuming . Seeing Estella stand up , Naomi seized the moment and deliberately nudged the scalding pot with her fork . Boiling soup splashed toward Estella . She dodged to the side , but her arm was still burned . A sharp pain instantly spread through her entire body . Her face turned pale , and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead . Yet Nathaniel didn't even look at her . Instead , he anxiously turned to Isabelle . A few drops of soup had splashed onto the back of Isabelle's hand , leaving a faint red mark . I'll take you to the hospital ! " He immediately picked Isabelle up and rushed outside . Naomi shot Estella a smug glance and followed them out . Zelda hurried over to support Estella . When she rolled up Estella's sleeve , the sight of the dense blisters made Zelda's eyes turn red with distress . " Mrs. Hartwell ... " Estella gasped in pain . " I'm fine , Zelda . Don't worry ." In the end , it was Zelda who called a cab and took Estella to a private hospital owned by Hartwell Group . The doctor treated her burns and had a nurse set up an IV drip . Knowing that Zelda had to go home later to look after her grandson , Estella told her to leave first . She dozed off in the chair , only waking when a nurse came to inform her the IV was finished . As she picked up her bag to leave , she overheard two nurses talking nearby . Finished " I heard Mr. Hartwell reserved the entire VIP floor upstairs just so Ms. Isabelle could have a quiet place to rest tonight . " " It's just a minor burn . If she hadn't come so quickly , the mark would've faded on its own . Was that really worth reserving an entire floor ? " Estella's footsteps paused . She looked down at her own injured arm and found it laughable . Taking a cab back to the villa , she washed up and went to sleep . The next morning , Nathaniel woke her up . Drowsily opening her eyes , she looked at him in confusion . " What is it ? " Nathaniel's face was cold , his entire presence radiating displeasure . " Didn't I tell you to wake up early and make sweet potato and milk oatmeal ? Where's the oatmeal ? "