Chapter 306

Victoria set her phone down and turned to Beatrice. "He might be busy. I'll try again later."

Nearly forty minutes passed before she dialed Julian's number once more. This time, he answered. "I hope I'm not interrupting?" she asked.

"Not at all," Julian replied smoothly.

Truthfully, he had seen her first call. He simply hadn’t picked up.

"What do you need?" he asked.

Victoria explained the situation. After listening, Julian questioned, "Why not have her apply at Alexander’s company?"

A faint smile curved Victoria’s lips. "They aren’t hiring at the moment."

A brief silence followed. Then Julian asked, "Her name?"

"Josephine Winslow."

"How do you spell that?"

"J-O-S-E-P-H-I-N-E W-I-N-S-L-O-W."

"Got it. Have her submit a resume through the standard process in the next few days."

"Thank you, Julian," Victoria said warmly.

Before he could respond, she added casually, "What have you been up to lately? Keeping busy?"

Julian never got the chance to answer.

A soft, melodic female voice drifted through the line. "Julian, who are you talking to?"

"Nothing important," Julian replied, his tone instantly cooling. Then, to Victoria, he said, "I have to go."

The call ended before she could say another word.

The moment that woman’s voice had appeared, Julian’s demeanor had shifted. His abruptness suggested he didn’t want Victoria overhearing too much—perhaps worried she might misunderstand his relationship with the woman.

Victoria arched a brow at the thought. She set her phone aside and turned to Beatrice. "Julian agreed."

Beatrice nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Victoria."

Genevieve smirked at Josephine. "See? I told you. If Victoria speaks, Julian won’t refuse." Josephine hesitated, then glanced at Victoria again, curiosity flickering in her gaze.

That evening, after dinner, Isabella returned to her apartment from the Sinclair estate. She had just powered on her laptop to resume work when Alexander’s call lit up her screen. She ignored it. Instead, she turned her phone off completely.

It wasn’t until the next morning that she switched it back on. Several messages from Alexander awaited her.

[We need to talk.]

[It’s about Grandma’s birthday.]

[I’d like you to attend.]

When she didn’t respond, the messages stopped.

Isabella still didn’t reply. As she prepared breakfast, Alexander called again.

She frowned and let it ring out. He tried two more times before finally giving up.

Isabella headed to YodaVision as usual.

That same day, Dominic Fairchild happened to visit the company for business. Nathaniel Graves was the one who received him.

Around noon, Dominic—persistent as ever—tried to invite Nathaniel to lunch. As usual, Nathaniel declined. Left with no choice, Dominic left with his colleagues.

In the parking lot, he spotted Alexander leaning against his car, clearly waiting for someone.

Dominic paused, then approached. "Mr. Whitmore."

Alexander glanced over with a faint smile. "Mr. Fairchild. Here on business?"

"Yes."

Recalling Alexander’s recent overtures toward Isabella, Dominic kept his expression neutral. "And you? Here to…?"

"I’m here for Isabella," Alexander said, his gaze lifting to the office building. "She’s inside, I assume?"

Dominic pressed his lips together but didn’t respond before Alexander sighed. "She won’t answer my calls or texts. I had no choice but to come directly."

Just as Dominic was about to speak, Isabella and Nathaniel emerged from the building. Spotting both men in the parking lot, they halted.

Nathaniel briefly considered turning right back inside. But of course, that wasn’t an option. They continued forward, walking past Alexander and Dominic without acknowledgment, heading straight for Nathaniel’s car.

Alexander stepped forward. "We need to talk."

Nathaniel, unaware of Alexander’s embrace with Isabella after the press conference, only knew that Alexander had gone to great lengths to hide their marriage.

Now, seeing Alexander approach Isabella so openly—without a care for who might see—Nathaniel frowned at her in silent question: What the hell is he doing?

Isabella had known the moment she saw Alexander that he was here for her. She hadn’t expected him to be so bold, showing up at YodaVision in broad daylight.

Her voice was ice. "I’m not interested."

Alexander held her gaze. "Don’t decide yet. If you have conditions, name them."

"There’s nothing to discuss," Isabella said flatly. "If I need to talk, I’ll reach out."