Chapter 254
Isabella’s gaze was icy as she stared down Ethan Blackwood.
“Mr. Blackwood,” she began, her voice laced with venomous sweetness. “One would think a man of your standing would honor his word. But then again, given your track record, I shouldn’t be surprised if you’d rather weasel out of this too.”
Olivia smirked beside her. “Exactly! So why not swallow your pride and apologize now before this gets even more humiliating?”
Ethan stiffened, caught off guard by Isabella’s unrelenting confidence.
Nearby, Sophia Kensington frowned. “Isabella, don’t you think this is excessive? Ethan was your husband once. Publicly shaming him like this—it’s cruel. Yes, he lost, but that bet was made in the heat of the moment.”
Sophia’s chest tightened with frustration. She had warned Ethan against the wager from the start, but his arrogance had blinded him. Deep down, she had prayed he would crush Isabella—only for him to fail spectacularly.
Not even in the top ten. Pathetic.
Ethan’s expression darkened. “There were unforeseen complications during the competition. It threw me off.”
He wasn’t about to admit defeat—not to her.
But Isabella wasn’t letting him off that easily.
“Oh? Still making excuses, Mr. Blackwood?” Her tone dripped with mock amusement. “You tried this same song and dance back in Athton. But this time, I won’t let you slither away unscathed.”
She shrugged. “Fine. Drag it out if you must. But the longer you stall, the bigger the audience grows. And trust me—explaining yourself to a crowd will be so much more entertaining.”
As they spoke, more spectators gathered, drawn by the tension. Olivia’s taunting only fueled their curiosity, and whispers spread like wildfire.
Ethan’s pride burned. Apologizing now meant surrendering his dignity—but waiting only deepened the humiliation. The murmurs around him gnawed at his composure.
Sophia finally snapped. “Isabella, have some mercy!”
Isabella met her plea with a serene smile. “Mercy is a luxury neither of you deserve.”
With the crowd closing in, Ethan clenched his jaw. There was no escape.
“Enough!” he snarled. “I’ll apologize.”
He dropped to one knee. “I underestimated you. I’m sorry.”
His only thought was to end this nightmare and vanish.
But before he could react, Isabella snatched a megaphone from Olivia and amplified her voice.
“No need for dramatics, Mr. Blackwood,” she announced, her voice booming. “But since you’re offering…” She tilted the megaphone toward her lips. “A sincere apology might just earn you my forgiveness.”
Ethan froze, stunned by her audacity.
The crowd erupted.
“Wait—isn’t that Ethan Blackwood, CEO of Blackwood Enterprises?”
“He’s kneeling? To Isabella Sinclair?”
“Weren’t they married?”
“I heard about their bet earlier. He swore he’d kneel if he lost.”
“Losing is one thing. Refusing to admit it? That’s just pathetic.”
The whispers grew louder, each one stripping another layer of Ethan’s pride. His face drained of color—this was a humiliation he’d never known.
“Isabella!” Sophia rushed to his side, pulling him up. “You planned this!”
Isabella merely shrugged. “What did you expect?”
Ethan’s fists clenched. Reporters had joined the crowd now, cameras flashing, immortalizing his disgrace from every angle.
“You’ll regret this,” he hissed before storming off, Sophia trailing behind.
Olivia burst into laughter. “Running away? What a sore loser!”
Isabella watched them go, her gaze sharp.
“I thought Ethan or Sophia might have orchestrated those rule-breakers earlier,” she mused. “But now… it’s clear they lack the cunning for it.”
