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Chapter 8 His Compensation

When her shirt was removed, Sebastian’s eyes fell on Isabella’s flawless back.

He was disappointed and turned his head away. He apologized in a heavy voice, "I'm sorry."

Isabella pulled the bed sheet over herself. There was humiliation in her eyes. "Have I proven myself, Mr. Landon?"

Sebastian opened his mouth, but he felt that anything he said now would be futile.

As he left, he glanced at the second floor. There was still a faint light inside the window. He thought about Isabella's delicate appearance, wondering if she was covering her face and crying at that moment.

Sebastian picked up the phone and dialed Jack's number. "Prepare a gift for me, something for a girl, and make it exquisite."


As soon as Sebastian left, Isabella locked the door and took her clean pajamas to the bathroom.

She took off her outer clothes. Although the marks on her chest had faded a bit, they were still very noticeable. There weren't many marks on her back, and they had recovered quickly after she had applied some ointment, so Sebastian wouldn't have noticed them just now.

However, Isabella was still scared out of her wits. She didn't know what the consequences would be once Sebastian found out about this. She only knew that the Landon Group strictly forbade dating between colleagues.

She had fought hard to get this job, and she couldn't just lose it like this. So, she had to keep this secret and absolutely not let Sebastian know!

After quickly taking a shower, she climbed into bed and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Isabella bought two breakfasts, one for herself and one for Zoe. As she hung the IV drip and was pretending to play with her phone, the hospital room door burst open. Thinking it was Sebastian, she pretended to keep her head down.

"Grandma," a familiar voice sounded beside her.

Isabella was startled and looked up, and sure enough, it was Matthew.

Seemingly aware of her gaze, Matthew turned his head to look at her. Isabella didn't have time to avert her gaze. They locked eyes.

Zoe introduced them with a smile. "This is Isabella. Bella, this is my other grandson, Matthew."

Zoe was always concise when introducing people. Isabella secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Zoe would mention that she worked for the Landon Group, since she had told Sebastian everything before.

"Hello, Isabella," Matthew looked at her with warmth in his eyes.

Isabella simply nodded politely and lowered her head to continue looking at her phone.

Matthew's gaze became peculiar, but he didn't say anything.

A moment later, the medical staff came to take Zoe for an examination. Matthew stayed behind, sitting in a corner of the hospital room and sending messages.

Isabella grew tired of playing with her phone and turned off the screen, intending to rest for a while. However, when she looked up, she met Matthew's gaze. In that instant, Isabella had a feeling that he had been staring at her for a long time.

As Isabella was about to avert her gaze, Matthew spoke up, "Weren't you supposed to be on a business trip? Why are you here in the hospital?"

Isabella pursed her lips and picked up her phone again. But this time, she didn't look at it for long before it was snatched from her hands. Isabella looked up at Matthew standing by her bed and asked, "Do you have something to say?"

Matthew looked at her and said, "Why aren't you answering my question?"

Isabella bit her lip and countered, "Why should I answer your question? And may I ask who you are to me right now?"

Matthew remained silent for a few seconds and then asked, "Are you blaming me?"

"You're thinking too much. We already broke up," Isabella said softly.

"We broke up, but don't I have the right to explain myself?" Matthew said.

Isabella remained silent.

Matthew continued, "What happened between Samantha and me was an accident."

Isabella still didn't say anything.

Looking at the top of her head, Matthew said, "I know you must think I'm shifting the blame. But whether you believe it or not, Isabella, it only happened one time. I haven't touched Samantha since then.

"I regret what happened that night, but it already happened. The only thing I could do was break up with you and take responsibility with Samantha. I was also trying to be responsible for you. Do you understand?"

Isabella felt heartbroken as she listened to those words. She had said that she didn't care about this, that it was all in the past, but deep down, she still cared.

After all, she had really loved Matthew. They had dated with the intention of spending the rest of their lives together. She had planned to bring up a marriage with Matthew after she officially settled down and had a stable job, but she hadn't expected something like this to happen.

Tears welled up in Isabella's eyes, and they fell onto the bed.

"Isabella, I'm sorry..." Matthew reached out his hand. His palm gently rested on the top of her head.

Just then, the door to the hospital room opened, and Sebastian appeared in the doorway.

"Brother." Matthew withdrew his hand and took two steps back, creating some distance between him and Isabella.

Sebastian's gaze swept over Isabella and landed on Matthew's face. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard Grandma was sick. Mom asked me to come see her," Matthew explained.

"Have you seen Grandma?" Sebastian's expression turned cold, showing little enthusiasm toward his younger brother.

"Yes."

Sebastian walked in and put down the things he was holding. When he saw that Matthew hadn't left, a trace of impatience appeared on his face. "Aren't you leaving?"

Matthew frowned. "Dad hasn't been in Lakina lately. Mom said if you're too busy, you can send Grandma back, and she can take care of her..."

"No need." Sebastian interrupted him. "We don’t need any outsiders worrying about Grandma's affairs."

The atmosphere in the hospital room became tense.

Finally, Matthew turned around and lightly said, "I'll go now, then.”


After Matthew left, Isabella looked up at Sebastian.

He seemed to be in a bad mood, his brow furrowed. His expression was even colder than it usually was at the company.

Sebastian turned his head to look at her and calmly asked, "Do you know each other?"

Isabella instinctively wanted to deny it, but she felt that Sebastian had already guessed they did know each other, so she nodded.

He didn't ask any further questions and walked over, placing the bag he was holding in front of her. "This is for you."

He paused and added, "As compensation."

Compensation for last night.

Isabella's face turned red as she shook her head and said, "No, thank you."

He had only glanced at her back, which was nothing compared to seeing her in a swimsuit at the beach.

However, Isabella was easily frightened and felt guilty, so her reaction was intense.

Sebastian gently said, "No, you have to take it. I can't rest easy if you don't."

Isabella wanted to say something more, but the medical staff pushed Zoe back into the room.


Isabella stayed in the hospital for three days and was discharged on the fourth day. The doctor gave her some medication to take home and offered a few reminders.

When Isabelle said goodbye to Zoe, Zoe held her hand tightly, not wanting to let go. Isabella also felt a bit sad.

When Sebastian saw that, he said, "She's an employee at my company. If you want to see her, you can go to the company to meet her."

"Really?"

"Yes."

At Sebastian's assurance, Zoe finally let go of Isabella's hand.

Isabella left the hospital in the afternoon. Sebastian gave her an extra half-day off to rest and told her to come to work at the company tomorrow.

As soon as Isabella returned to her dorm, she saw Samantha.

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