Chapter 557: Beautiful Berlin. 3
It was strange how both women had fallen into laughter so easily, considering Isabella was technically a stranger to the Brahms family.
Why would polite caution and first impressions dissolve into mirth so quickly? Isabella had been anxious and edgy only moments ago, hadn’t she?
Looking at her now, she was chuckling with all her heart, her shoulders and head bouncing. At one point, she nearly toppled onto the arm of the sofa, almost spilling her glass of juice.
Laura wasn’t much different. Even though she was visibly weak, her energy had shifted from balmy calm to clear delight and fun.
With Martin in her arms, she let out tender chuckles that gently rocked both her and her baby on the sofa.
Why are they laughing like this? Isn’t Isabella supposed to be a complete stranger here? How did they both fall into this easy merriment so quickly?
Do they know each other? Any unspoken connection? Why does it feel like they’re sharing a private joke only they understand?
The answer, of course, was yes.
The two young women were laughing about a joke they had somehow kept to present.
"I had wanted to ask you the name of the school we attended, but I knew you wouldn’t answer," Laura snorted, rocking Martin gently.
"Hey! You could’ve ruined the story!"
"Oh, I knew it was fake. But honestly... it’s kind of brilliant. I almost forgot how ridiculous this whole setup is."
Isabella recovered from her laughter, leaving an unremovable grin on her face as she tried to steady herself.
The charade was over for them. Isabella thought it was worth the fun and run, feeling slightly sad that they had to drop the pretense now.
This definitely wasn’t the first time Isabella and Laura had met.
They had crossed paths once, and that was more than enough for them to recognize one another, if not remember every feature exactly.
Both of them could vividly remember that one outing when their spouses had taken them golfing, hosted by the footballer Kendall.
Back then, Luca and Ansel had some friction between them, but with both their partners, Isabella and Laura, present, they naturally drew everyone closer.
They played on the golf course—couple against couple, having a great time like never before.
Isabella even remembered that Laura was pregnant at that time, and Emma was like a child to her and Ansel.
Seeing that neither Emma nor Ansel was there with her now, Isabella could only imagine the emotional toll that this young woman had endured over the months.
This was exactly why Isabella hadn’t come in with, "I’m Isabella, Luca’s girlfriend—remember me?"
Instead, she had arrived under the guise of ’old primary school classmate,’ hoping that Laura would catch the joke. If she did, it would create light-hearted intentions, and the door would be open both literally and figuratively.
Here she was now. Isabella thought she was smart after all.
After the laughter had settled in the room, Isabella felt the weight of the months that had passed. Looking at Laura and Martin, who was eating her shirt, some tears welled up in her eyes.
She began by saying how sorry she was for everything that had happened, starting with how she had missed Martin’s gender reveal party last year. Isabella didn’t miss a thing.
She hoped Laura could find it in her heart to open up once more, for her and the child’s sake. If the young mother could nudge the door ajar, then all the empty corners would be filled with the rays of light once again.
Martin could begin attending daycare, slowly learning to interact with other children, and Laura could also reclaim her own life.
Isabella didn’t know, but Laura was actually a micro-model, which explained her striking physical appearance—something even motherhood hadn’t managed to diminish.
Laura’s subtle smiles and gentle nods were enough to tell Isabella that her hope wasn’t misplaced.
Laura even suggested broader ideas for herself and Martin especially, making Isabella wonder whether Martin might turn out to be the biggest mother’s boy in history.
But Isabella knew she wasn’t the one to judge there, so she kept her tone soft and encouraging as she spoke further, sharing how much she wanted the Brahms family to connect with Luca—her boyfriend, Ansel’s best friend, the F1 driver—so that he could step in and help in every possible way as he had always wanted to.
This was where Laura became a bit unresponsive, because she had always declined Luca’s offers of help.
She even got angry at her cousins when she discovered they had been secretly accepting large sums from him.
Laura explained she was still mad at Luca that he had held malice against Ansel for so long, only to realize too late, after his death, that he had lost a true friend.
Isabella sympathized with her, doing her best to explain that Luca hadn’t meant for things to turn out the way they did, and if he could, he would turn back the hands of the clock without hesitation.
Now, she added gently, helping the Brahms family—Martin especially—was the only way Luca could feel any sense of fulfillment, the only way he could believe he hadn’t completely failed Ansel.
She urged Laura to give him that chance.
Eventually, but with reluctance, Laura agreed after taking one long look at her son.
The moment wasn’t grand or dramatic, but for Isabella, it was everything; her chest lit up with happiness and excitement, knowing that a door had finally cracked open.
Clapping her hands, Isabella said, "Perfect! Then I’d love for us to host a small get-together so Luca can come and meet you two. I won’t be staying in the country for too long, I’ll be leaving soon... so this would be the best chance."
"A... party?" Laura asked, surprised at the pace of things.
She had thought that agreeing to establish the link with Luca was enough, but it seemed Isabella wanted something elaborate.
’Oh... Luca will actually be coming here?’
"Where... would it be hosted? Here, in the house?" she asked cautiously, still cradling Martin in her arms.
"Of course," Isabella replied eagerly. Leaning slightly toward the window, she peeked out at the Brahms’ property.
"You have a big backyard here—plenty of space for this kind of thing. I think it would be perfect, really fitting for a small get-together."
Laura could see the broad smile on Isabella’s face and the sparkle in her eyes, meaning she was already imagining the scene unfolding in the backyard.
Isabella had come all this way to make her happy again, to infuse joy into the family, and to even better them with the influence of a growing millionaire like Luca.
Knowing she couldn’t refuse, Laura exhaled and relaxed on the sofa. On her body, Martin was fast asleep.