After the Secret Wedding Rise of My Queen

Chapter 269 Isabel's Slightly Swollen Belly

As soon as Isabel finished speaking, Xander's hand reached out.

Isabel didn't think much of it, quickly placing the woven flower ring onto his finger.

"It looks great; I'm quite crafty," Isabel said, admiring the ring as she held his hand.

Xander's eyes were half-closed. His deep, dark eyes reflected the ring on his finger, a faint, somber light glimmering in them.

Noticing Xander's silence as he stared at the ring for a long while, Isabel couldn't help but wonder, What's he doing? Why does he like it so much? Wait a second!

Suddenly, it hit her. Her pupils widened, and she quickly reached out to take the ring off Xander's finger.

Isabel was quick, but Xander was quicker.

He pulled his hand back and hid it behind his back.

"You put it on for me; I'm not taking it off."

Isabel was speechless.

"It's just a simple woven ring, why are you making a big deal out of it?" She muttered as she eyed the back of Xander's hand, looking for a chance to remove the ring. "You made it yourself and gave it to me," he said, his gaze locking onto Isabel's.

In his deep, ocean-like eyes, Isabel saw only herself. Her reflection filled his gaze, as though nothing else existed in the world.

As she stared back, her heart started to race.

Isabel quickly snapped herself out of the moment, trying not to get lost in his gaze.noveldrama

"Ahem! I'm hungry. Are you? Let's go eat something," she said, trying to change the subject.

Xander could tell she was avoiding something and had noticed the faint blush she was trying to hide.

A small smile tugged at his lips, and his expression lightened.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too," he said as he took her hand.

Isabel glanced down at their entwined fingers. Before she could say anything, Xander spoke up first.

"Earlier, someone said we're a match made in heaven, meant to be together. If we're a perfect pair, we shouldn't be separated." Xander tightened his grip.

"I only said that to make them shut up; they were talking nonsense," Isabel explained.

"Hmm, so we've got to put on a good show, right?" Xander's mood seemed light as he spoke, his tone much more carefree than usual.

Isabel didn't know how to respond. She knew that even if she said 'no', Xander would keep holding her hand. So why waste her energy trying to pull away?

Besides, what he said actually made sense. Everyone had been defending Rachel earlier, so why not just hold hands with Xander and make them even more furious? Feeling slightly pleased with herself, Isabel let Xander lead her back to their tent.

As soon as Rachel saw Xander return, she immediately walked toward him.

But halfway there, when she saw that Xander and Isabel were holding hands, her steps stopped abruptly. The smile on her face froze, quickly replaced by a look of disbelief. At that moment, Max, ever observant, noticed the unusual ring on Xander's finger.

"Hey, Xander, what's that on your finger?"

Xander raised an eyebrow and purposely lifted his hand, "My wife's quite crafty. She made this ring for me, customized to fit."

Isabel shot him a sideways glance, curling her lip as she muttered under her breath.

"Is he showing off?" Max rolled his eyes dramatically, turning to Yvette, "Babe, do you know how to weave this? Can you weave one of these for me?"

"Weave my foot!" Yvette snapped back.

"Wow, you're so skilled, you can weave afoot now?"

Yvette just rolled her eyes, too tired to respond.

It was exhausting to deal with him.

Rachel's eyes burned with fury as she fixated at the ring on Xander's finger. Her eyes reddened,

practically bulging with rage, wishing she could burn the ring off his hand.

en

Isabel had already noticed Rachel's intense gaze and decided to have some fun. She raised an eyebrow, giving Rachel a look that was part smirk, part challenge. Rachel was so angry she nearly choked.

Her hands clenched into tight fists by her sides.

Isabel, just wait. One day, I'll make sure you're kicked out of the Bennetts'!

And when that day comes, I'll make sure to rub it in when you're at your lowest!

Isabel could practically hear Rachel's hateful thoughts.

Let her hate all she wanted. Isabel didn't care. She was used to it by now. The more enemies, the better.

She didn't mind if the storm got worse.

Linking her arm through Xander's, Isabel tilted her head back, deliberately using a sweet, teasing voice, "Honey, I'm hungry. My stomach's practically flat." "Oh? Really?" Xander's hand was already on Isabel's stomach before he even finished speaking.

What?

Isabel froze in shock. Her stomach-

Wait, why wasn't it flat?

Xander's gaze dropped to her belly. Was it just his imagination? He remembered Isabel's stomach being flatter before.

"Did you gain some weight?"

Isabel took a quick step back, her heart racing.

Her reaction made Xander think he had upset her by calling her fat, especially since most girls were sensitive about their weight.

After a few moments, Xander looked at her again and added, "Well, you're a little too thin. It's okay to gain a little."

Isabel absentmindedly touched her belly. Was she showing already, after only two months?

That didn't seem right; it usually took three or four months for any noticeable changes.

Could it be because she was carrying triplets?

Thankfully, Xander hadn't thought of that.

At least he hadn't thought of that yet. That night, when he had a fever, he'd been so out of it that he forgot everything that happened. If he'd remembered, he would've figured it out by now.

en

As Isabel was lost in her thoughts, everyone around her, including Rachel, was watching her and Xander closely.

They had all

seen the interaction

between the two, and some of them

couldn't help but think, Isn't it a little

much to be touching each other fike that in broad daylight, with the sun still figh? Most of us are still single, after all!

Are they rubbing it in their faces, just like that?

"Growl!" Isabel's stomach interrupted the moment with a loud rumble.

"Where's the barbecue grill we brought?" Isabel quickly changed the subject, not wanting to discuss her belly any longer.

"I'll grab it," Xander said, heading toward the car.

"I'll help you," Max said, standing up to follow him.

Soon, they returned with the barbecue grill and set it up.

Isabel rolled up her sleeves and started getting to work.

"Sure, let's see if she can make something edible," Harriet muttered, clearly unimpressed.

"I'll help you," Max said, standing up to follow him.

Soon, they returned with the barbecue grill and set it up.

Isabel rolled up her sleeves and started getting to work.

"Sure, let's see if she can actually make something edible," Harriet muttered, clearly unimpressed.