Sweet Flash Marriage with the Restrained Tycoon (Isabelle and Damien) novel Chapter 201

Chapter 201 An Unwelcome Guest

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Isabelle glanced up at Damian. His expression was unreadable; she couldn’t tell if he was pleased or annoyed.

Shortly after, Collin and Griffin moved inside the venue first.

Without any delay, she and Damian presented their invitations, signed the guest ledger, and followed them in.

Brian had noticed their arrival earlier and made his way over. The cocktail reception hadn’t formally begun yet.

They stood on the third–floor mezzanine, overlooking the growing crowd mingling on the floor below.

In the grand second–floor dining hall, two long banquet tables, each stretching over thirty feet, ran down the center. They were adorned with elaborate floral arrangements and flanked by elegant china and polished silverware.

The head steward quietly directed a team of formally dressed servers as they began presenting the first courses of the seated dinner. Once the wine had been properly decanted, it was poured gracefully into crystal stemware.

The staff moved with practiced efficiency, lending an air of refined ceremony to the affair and reinforcing the exclusive, high–society ambiance.

Brian signaled for Damian to step aside for a private word. Isabelle tactfully moved toward the railing, leaning slightly to observe the scene unfolding in the banquet hall below.

She recognized several figures in the crowd.

Celeste and Lenora.

Hadn’t Celeste been excluded from the guest list?

Or had she arrived as someone’s plus–one?

Isabelle’s gaze sharpened.

Celeste hadn’t received an invitation–without her official tie to Cypher Group, she simply didn’t carry enough individual weight to secure one.

But Isabelle knew Celeste was aware Damian would be attending, and she wouldn’t miss an

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Chapter 201 An Unwelcome Guest

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opportunity to be near him. She must have called in countless favors, though most people wouldn’t dare cross Damian.

If word got out that one of his own executives had been smuggled in by a rival, wouldn’t that embarrass the entire company?

Who would risk bearing the brunt of his displeasure?

Somehow, she had linked up with Lenora–and Lenora had actually managed to get her through the door.

Birds of a feather.

“Isabelle.”

While watching the cluster of socialites gathered around Celeste downstairs, Isabelle heard a familiar voice close to her ear.

A voice she would have recognized anywhere.

It was Gary’s.

For a second, she thought she must be mistaken–what would Gary be doing at an event like this? After his auto–parts firm was acquired and dismantled by Cypher Group, he had become a pariah in their circles, practically run out of town.

He was bankrupt.

His wife was in prison, the baby was gone, his parents had lost their positions–now he drifted like a ghost, with nothing left to his name.

She turned her head and saw Gary standing not far away, near the seating area at the end of the mezzanine. He looked utterly out of place amidst the refined lounge setting.

He wore a cheap–looking gray suit, his jaw showing the shadow of a recent shave, but his face was pale, almost sallow, as if he hadn’t seen sunlight in months.

Isabelle offered him a faint, distant smile.

Not to mock him–but because seeing him now stirred absolutely nothing within her.

She was completely over him. Finished.

Both of them knew it.

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Chapter 201 An Unwelcome Guest

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Over the past few months, Gary had secretly watched her a handful of times.

Damian treated her so well, as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

He’d seen Damian take her to those quirky, hole–in–the–wall taco stands, or to that hidden- gem bakery in the arts district.

Places Gary had always dismissed as “dumps fit for raccoons“.

He’d seen Damian accompany her to the farmer’s market, carrying reusable bags in one hand and lifting her up in a spontaneous hug with the other while she laughed like she hadn’t a care in the world.

He’d even seen Damian wrap an arm around her on a busy downtown street, kissing her right there for everyone to see, while Isabelle, blushing, buried her face in his chest.

Every scene was a fresh reminder to Gary.

A reminder of the catastrophic mistake he had made.

A reminder that this woman was no longer his.

In Damian’s eyes, this woman only had to exist–she didn’t need to do a thing. Wherever she was, he would find his way to her.

Isabelle turned her attention away from Gary, shifting her gaze instead toward Damian, who was still conversing quietly with Brian.

Damian noticed her look, said a few final words to Brian, and walked over to join her.

“Everything okay?” He reached out and took her hand as naturally as breathing.

“Just exchanging a few pleasantries with a ghost from the past,” Isabelle said, her eyes briefly toward Gary’s direction.

flicking

A slight, cool curve touched Damian’s lips. He didn’t even glance Gary’s way, treating him as utterly beneath notice. He simply tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and said, “I’m going down to fix you a plate. Don’t stay up here too long.”

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