GOSSIP 185

Chapter 185 Every Man Has His Own Kryptonite

“Nice to meet you,” greeted Zendaya, her eyes lit up slightly as they met Isabella's gaze. Her tone also rose for a moment. But as if suddenly realizing something, she quickly composed herself, adopting a calm and obedient demeanor.

She had a pair of exceptionally captivating bedroom eyes. Anyone who locked gazes with her would easily find themselves mesmerized by her eyes.

Clifford's first crush and ex-girlfriend, Elaine, had an identical pair of eyes.

Since Isabella had just met Zendaya, she started looking at the gossip of Clifford hiring someone to act as a stand-in in the place of his first crush from her perspective.

However, there was a minor hiccup.

Oh, this university student is even a fan of mine. Not bad. She has good taste. No wonder she looked at me with such excitement just now. If she weren't working right now, she probably would've rushed over for an autograph and a photo together.

Working...

Alexander felt like face-palming.

When he heard the gossip about Damien earlier, he felt that Isabella's revelations were too sparse, leaving him confused.

But at that moment, he felt that he heard too much. Considering the embarrassingly foolish act of that buddy of his, even he couldn't help but feel mortified on behalf of Clifford.

Is hiring a young girl as Elaine's stand-in something a sane person would do? I really can't comprehend the way his mind works. But then, I still remembered the scene of their breakup back then...

Isabella's thoughts continued playing. Haha... It turns out the reason his first crush broke up with him was very simple. She merely found a long-distance relationship impossible to maintain, and her feelings for him had also faded. She wanted to explore new horizons and try dating a foreign guy, so she decisively announced their breakup in public, not wanting to tarnish her reputation by being labeled a cheater. How decisive of her! Haha...

The corners of Alexander's mouth twitched. Elaine is indeed pretty carefree. And as she said, she dated several foreign boyfriends. She seems to be leading a vibrant life abroad. Even someone like me, who rarely logs in to Instagram, can catch a glimpse of her timely updates on the rare occasions I do.

Subsequently, Isabella mused inwardly, I wonder how interesting Clifford's expression must have been at that moment.

Alexander cast his mind back on it. Hmm, it seemed to have been extremely interesting.

Isabella continued thinking to herself. Even though he was utterly smitten with Elaine, his pride compelled him to act tough. He declared that if Elaine were to leave, he would never take her back, warning her not to regret her decision. But after hearing that, she left without a backward glance, completely disregarding his threat.

Alexander added inwardly, Before leaving, she even blew him a kiss and told him to forget her.

Isabella carried on inwardly, Heh! At first, Clifford still held his ground. When Elaine found a new boyfriend, he got himself a girlfriend as if in a contest of wills, trying to prove that he didn't care and

could live better without her. But is he truly under the impression that Elaine, who voluntarily chose to leave him, would care?

For some reason, I feel a bit sorry for Clifford...

Truthfully, Alexander was somewhat surprised. After all, Clifford used to be quite the playboy, switching girlfriends every so often. Every time, it was the girls who were head over heels for him. Even after breaking up with Elaine, he played the field for a time. But unexpectedly, he still couldn't forget her in the end. Material © of .

Sure enough, every man has his own kryptonite? Isabella reckoned silently.

Alexander seconded soundlessly, You got that right...

Isabella's thoughts went further. At a chance encounter with Zendaya, who was looking for a job, Clifford had the idea of hiring a stand-in in Elaine's place. He's in love with Elaine but can't bear her temperament. So, he asked Zendaya to study Elaine's videos and mimic her behavior and speech patterns but insisted that she portray a quiet and compliant demeanor.

Alexander's brows furrowed slightly, and he cast a somewhat disdainful look at that buddy of his. It's hard to comment on such behavior.

Isabella then scoffed inwardly, This dude truly lives in denial. Since he can't have the ideal person, he decided to just reshape someone to his preferences?

Silently, Alexander heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Zendaya seems to have no ulterior motives, and it's a case of mutual benefit. Otherwise, it would have been a disaster for real.

Suddenly, understanding dawned upon Isabella. Ah, I get it now! He doesn't regard Zendaya as a girlfriend yet brought her along to such an event, so he must be playing mind games. He wants to

use this get-together to have Elaine, who's overseas, get wind of it. No, dude, do you think that by using Zendaya, you can provoke Elaine into coming back? Then, the two girls would fight for you?

Alexander was stumped. Huh?

How childish! Even so, it depends on whether they want to play along with you. I'm not sure about Elaine, but Zendaya is about to resign, you know? Haha... He's... arrogant and overly confident. I'd love to see the look on his face after Zendaya quits and Elaine doesn't come back.

Isabella gossiped wildly in her mind and could barely suppress the curve on her lips.

At the sight of Clifford acting so arrogant that it was as if Zendaya was his possession, especially, it was all she could do to hold back her laughter.

Beside her, Alexander could feel her body quivering.

He wanted nothing more than to clap his hands over his face, feeling embarrassed on behalf of Clifford as Isabella saw right through his scheme.

Because Isabella kept glancing back and forth between them with an uncontrollably excited expression on her face even after Zendaya had greeted her, Clifford had goosebumps all over.

“Why exactly are you staring?” He was genuinely unnerved by her intense gaze.

Smiling, Isabella replied, “I've never seen such a beautiful young lady and couldn't help but take a few extra glances.”

When Zendaya heard her idol praising her, her eyes instantly lit up. “Ms. Jeannet, you're the one who—”

Before Zendaya could finish speaking, Clifford, who unmistakably detected the joy in her tone that didn't match his requested demeanor, promptly raised his hand and pulled her into his arms in displeasure. Frowning, he shot her a glare.

Couldn't she see that I don't like Isabella? Why on earth is she being so friendly to her?

For a moment, Zendaya stiffened. But soon, she quickly cooperated, nestling in his arms docilely.

Meanwhile, Clifford sneered, “Isabella, your taste has always been questionable. What's so beautiful about her? If she hadn't been relentlessly pestering me and acting like she couldn't live without me, I'd never have given her the chance to be my date. Isn't that so?”

After Clifford had finished speaking, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Zendaya in his arms, signaling for her to state her stance.

Zendaya nodded shyly and awkwardly, giving off the impression of a woman pursuing a man unabashedly.

However, she couldn't help grumbling inwardly, Hang in there. Stay strong for the sake of five hundred thousand. I'm not myself anymore. I'm now Elaine 2.0. Even if my boss is a pain in the neck, it doesn't matter. This is part of my job, so I have to be dedicated. The funds for the renovation of the orphanage are almost enough.

Conversely, Clifford was quite pleased with Zendaya's reaction, even thinking that her impressive performance had to have contained some sincerity. His words might have hurt her, but he also believed that the pain would serve as a constant reminder for her not to forget her identity.

Isabella had already slipped her hand down uncontrollably, forcefully pinching her thigh to prevent herself from bursting into laughter.

I must hold my laughter! Clifford, oh Clifford, is this how you imagine Elaine to act? You want her desperately clinging to you and can't live without you, yet you have no interest in her... Pfft! The more you act this way, the more pitiful you appear... Oh well, in a way, you're a champion of pure love.