Paul couldn’t help but think about how his whole family was still scraping by, running the old restaurant Dennis had left behind. The money barely covered their basic needs, and every day felt like a struggle to make ends meet. Trying not to show his frustration, he turned to the woman tourist and asked, “So, how’s Isabella these days?”
She smiled brightly. “She’s doing great. After she left with her mom, we haven’t seen her in over twenty years. But just last month, she married Ethan from the Adams family. You know, the richest family in town.”
Her excitement was contagious. “Their wedding was huge. The whole city talked about it. I saw Mrs. Adams on the news.”
Paul felt like he’d been hit with a brick. Cynthia had married rich, and now Isabella had, too. How did that mother and daughter get so lucky?
He managed to snap out of it and served the tourists with extra warmth. As soon as they were settled and waiting for their food, Paul hurried to the register and lowered his voice. “Dad, I found out where Isabella George is.”
Peter was getting old and a little hard of hearing. “What did you say?” he replied, much louder than Paul wanted.
“I know where Isabella is,” Paul repeated quietly.
“Isabella?”
For a second, Peter looked confused, like the name didn’t mean anything.



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