Gossip Girl Reborn (Isabella and Alexander)

Chapter 210 If Only She Was Vain

Due to surprise, Isabella's reaction was very intense, which made the Quirks shudder.

Noticing the Quirks' increasingly peculiar behavior, Noah and Lorelei finally sensed something was amiss. They asked, "Is there a problem?"

The Quirks finally couldn't resist asking about the gossip.

"We saw a girl quite close to your son Josiah earlier. Is she his girlfriend?" Selena inquired with a smile.

"Ah, she's Audrey's cousin, Camila. She's quite fond of Josiah. We thought it would be nice if the families could be even closer, so we just let them interact freely," Lorelei said. They might hold Caleb to strict standards, but they gave Josiah the free rein. The only expectation of Josiah was not to bring home any unsavory characters.

However, she didn't expect the Quirks' expressions to change as soon as she finished speaking.

A jolt of realization struck Lorelei's heart. As she made a daring speculation. She couldn't help but shift her gaze toward the youngest daughter of the Quirks, Rosalie. Upon seeing the stunned expression on Rosalie's face, she quickly added, "However, Josiah hasn't given it any thought yet. By the way, I wonder if Rosie has a boyfriend?" At this point, the shock among the Quirks intensified.

They were just watching the drama unfold, but it seemed like they had inadvertently invited it into their own home!

Upon realizing what Lorelei meant, Rosalie's face turned ashen.

Selena hastily said, "Rosie is still young, and she's planning to study abroad afterward. I've heard that Josiah has had a girlfriend for quite some time now. I was wondering if he brought her today. Perhaps good things are happening soon. I was just about to ask when they plan to get married."

Upon realizing her mistake, Lorelei blushed deeply. Since she wasn't particularly eager to establish a marriage alliance with the Quirks, she quickly changed the subject to avoid causing any further awkwardness to her guests.

"Oh, so you've heard. To be honest, we're not quite sure ourselves. Josiah mentioned he would bring her back for us to meet, but he didn't show up today. Judging from his demeanor, they must have broken up. His relationship is not as steady as Alexander's," Lorelei explained with a smile.

Meanwhile, hearing all the information, Isabella was instantly rendered speechless.

The number of people who knew about Audrey's past relationship with Josiah was increasing.

When they heard Clifford reveal the girl's identity a while ago, they were all taken aback. However, they didn't know as much as Isabella and Alexander did, such as the role Audrey played in all of this.

Audrey... She really should see a psychologist. What on earth is she up to? Is she trying to set up her own cousin with Josiah? Ah, I see now. It's because she knows Josiah despises the type of girl Camila is. If they get married, they won't be in a loving relationship. This way, she can continue to control Josiah's affection without worrying about him being swayed by other women.

Alexander was completely baffled because he couldn't decipher Audrey's intentions at all. He wanted to ask her about the grudge between her and Camila.

"You and Audrey have no objections?" Roland was starting to feel that something was off. "What about your girlfriend?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? That girl is the only one head over heels. I have nothing to do with it. My family won't force me into a marriage alliance, so stop bothering me with this." Josiah stopped entertaining his guests and slammed his phone on the table. After giving everyone a fierce glare, he picked up a bottle of alcohol and began to drown his sorrows.

"I wanted to mention this earlier. Your mood today seems unusually bad," Damien remarked.

"Could it be related to your girlfriend not showing up today?" Aiden speculated, recalling the earlier rumors about Josiah planning to introduce his girlfriend to his family.

Josiah let out a scoff, sounding as if someone had done him a great injustice.

This made Isabella so infuriated that she wanted to smack him on the head.

Clifford and Josiah were the best of friends, so Clifford was always privy to most of Josiah's gossip. Clifford teased, "He's waiting for that woman to take the initiative to come clean and apologize because he found out she's known about his identity all along and has been playing him. Despite this, you're still not breaking up with her. Josiah, you're done for."

"What? Really? You guys were playing each other?" Ines exclaimed in surprise.

Deborah looked at Josiah with a speechless expression. She was too indifferent to comment.

Upon hearing that, Zendaya, who had been sneakily glancing at Isabella, couldn't help but want to make a sarcastic remark. As if everyone isn't just acting! Only my idol's on-screen pairing is real!

"Maybe she's waiting for your confession?" Roland couldn't help but suggest.

Josiah snorted. "She asked me for money."

The expression on everyone's face noticeably changed.

"Could it be a misunderstanding?" Even though Damien refrained from commenting on their relationship, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss.

"She lied to me for half a million. If she didn't know who I was, how could she have asked for money from me who was penniless to begin with? She must have just found out, that's why she became so greedy. She's always finding ways to ask me for money. And to think that I even..." Josiah angrily put down his wine glass, his eyes turning somewhat red.

Just then, a sudden snort of disdain was heard.

The voice was far from friendly. Josiah abruptly looked up, and sure enough, it was Isabella again.

"What are you laughing at?" Josiah could sense that Isabella was obviously mocking him.

"Fun fact, people tend to laugh uncontrollably when they're at a loss for words. That's exactly what just happened to me," Isabella said ignorantly.

The whole table immediately started watching the drama. Why are these two at it again?

"So you're saying you're speechless because of me? She was the one who deceived me for money..."

"Aren't you also deceiving her for money? Why do you act as if you're the victim?" Isabella retorted immediately.

Josiah paused for a moment, then immediately said, "I did that for the sake of a purer love between us, unlike her..."

"Lies are lies, no matter the reason. You sure know how to put a spin on things, don't you? Let me ask you this. Didn't you two dated for two years? How much money did she swindle out of you, and how much did you swindle out of her?" Josiah choked up. "She... she hasn't started yet..."

Isabella was speechless at his stubborn refusal to reflect. "All I know is that if you wronged her, if she really needs money right now, and you clearly have money but refuse to help her, then..."

Isabella's casual glance swept over, causing Josiah to break out in a cold sweat in an instant. He couldn't help but feel a sense of panic starting to creep in.

"You're done for then." Isabella was obviously gloating at him. At that moment, she was particularly eager to see how he would look like when Dakota dumped him.

Josiah's face darkened instantly as he quickly denied, "No, it's impossible. Once she found out about my identity, she started to become vain and superficial..."

"What's wrong with being vain?" Isabella suddenly asked.

"What did you say?" Josiah asked incredulously.

Everyone else was also taken aback as they looked at Isabella. After all, "vain" wasn't a pleasant word.

"If she's vain, at least that means she's smart and ambitious. Otherwise, I really can't comprehend what your girlfriend sees in you. Isn't your biggest asset being born into wealth? If she doesn't love you for that, does she love your terrible personality, your lack of gentleness, your dependency, or your deceitful games? Your girlfriend must be a masochist." Once she finished saying, everyone at the table immediately burst into laughter.

Josiah was the only one who didn't laugh. He was staring at Isabella, dumbstruck.

Isabella continued sincerely, "Oh, I might have been a bit hasty. Perhaps you have other qualities, qualities more lovable than your wealth. Why don't you tell me about them?"

The people at the table were laughing uncontrollably.

It was undeniable that Josiah had his merits. But when it came to his most notable advantage... For someone who hadn't accomplished any significant or impressive feats, his wealth was indeed his only standout attribute.

If someone fell for him because they admired his greatest strength, that would seem reasonable, wouldn't it?

Perhaps due to the shock to his core beliefs, Josiah remained silent.

"Can't find the words? Well, let's look at it from another perspective. If she isn't vain, you're in a tough spot. After all, aside from your wealth that might be growing, your looks, age, physical, and mental energy are all on a decline. What will you use to hold on to her love?" "What... what kind of nonsense are you spouting? According to you, this is supposed to be a good thing?" Josiah could never agree with such an absurd notion. After all, his relationship with Dakota began with a lie, a result of a previous failed relationship fueled by vanity. Just as Isabella was about to retort, she heard Alexander earnestly saying, "Your brother won't think that Audrey chose to marry him out of vanity because he can afford it."

Suddenly, that single remark hushed the entire table.

After observing the situation for a while, they noticed that Josiah's face had turned pale.

Alexander had hit him where it hurt.

For men, success was often measured by how much they earn. The more their women spend their money, the greater their sense of accomplishment. They would never perceive their women as materialistic or vain.

Only when one felt overwhelmed, he would become infuriated and perceive the other party as being vain.

A capable man should just provide for his woman if she's fond of money. Why bother overthinking things like she would stop loving you if you don't have money? Why don't you try to think of how to keep being rich to make her love you forever? Could it be that he chooses to make others compromise from the very beginning instead of striving himself? This seemingly sincere inquiry indeed has a hint of sleazy probing.

Haha! Alexander is so spot on! How does he articulate so well? I'm absolutely smitten.

Taken aback, Alexander turned to see Isabella looking at him with sparkling eyes. His heartbeat quickened instantly. He coughed lightly, feeling rather good about the situation. As for the fate of his buddy...

In reality, Josiah was just unlucky. He was swindled by Audrey and had ended up in a sorry state. Among all the men present, even Clifford didn't hold Josiah's theories about being vain.

They were all wealthy, so they didn't care.

However, Josiah had genuinely experienced the feeling of being abandoned because he wasn't as wealthy as Caleb, and because Audrey preferred his powerful and influential elder sibling. This led to his increased sensitivity and suspicion, resulting in such a distorted situation.

He wanted to find proof of someone who, even upon meeting Caleb, would still choose him.

He did encounter her, but he lost her.

"You!" Josiah might not realize his mistakes, but he was angry.

Just then, Josiah's eyes widened as he looked into the distance.

Everyone looked over, but only Isabella and Alexander showed any reaction.

This is odd. Why is Dakota down here? Just moments ago, from the looks of it, I thought she had no intention of coming down. Is a showdown about to happen?