Masuk~Isabel~The anger i was feeling instantly evaporated into sheer horror. "Arthur was back in the hospital again? Oh fuck... it's my fault... oh God.""My dad had a heart attack, Isabel," William said.I watched his shoulders sag as the fight left him. "He was rushed in the early hours of the morning back here in London. Your mom is at the hospital with him right now while everything is turning completely upside down. Our investors... a board meeting... Fuck, when he got resuscitated, the first thing he asked for was the wedding… he wanted it to cover up the scandal and clean up the mess.""I see," I said numbly nodding my head as my stomach twisted into tight knots i felt ten times worse than before i felt like dying right then and there.Arthur... the man who kindly helped me pay my university fees balance, the man who set up Aunt Joey's salon back to standard... he was lying in a hospital bed on the verge of death because of my forbidden affair with his son."And his brain aneury
~Isabel~Panic seized my entire body. How did he know I was here? Did Sabastine already snitch on me?"Open the door, let's talk!" he yelled again, his fist banged more loudly than before.I froze in place, hesitating.The truth was that I didn't want to face him. Heck, I didn't want to look at anyone right now, i just wanted to crawl into a dark corner and be left alone for god’s sake!"I am breaking this door down, Isabel, on the count of three…one, two..."My eyes widened and I rushed over to grab the lock, but before I could turn it, I heard Sabastine's voice outside. "Hold on, Mr. Sterling, I have the key.""Thank you," I heard William reply in a clipped but desperate tone.The sound of the key sliding into the keyhole filled the room, sounding like a ticking bomb… my palms were soaking wet with sweat now.Then the door opened and Sabastine stepped away looking at me with a pitying look. Great. Now I am someone to be pitied? If only I had focused on my internship and my s
~Isabel~"Can't they just let me be for just twenty four hours before burning down my battery?" I yelled out in frustration.I watched the screen helplessly as my phone dropped down to the last single bar, flashing red before it turned completely off…just as I was about to call Chloe back.Panic surged through me… I jumped off the bed, my bare feet slapping on the cold floorboards as i rushed over to my bag to retrieve my charger and shoved it into the wall socket then plugged the phone back in… my mind was running a million thoughts at once, an endless blur of terrifying possibilities while that sickening feeling in my gut began to grow into dread…I checked the time as my phone slowly charged on; the digital clock read almost 12:00 PM in the afternoon.Shit! I have missed classes!I turned and ran over to the small bathroom in my cabin room but the face staring back at me in the mirror made me step back in total shock. My hair was a disheveled wild mass of loose twists… my eyes we
~Isabel~“Isabel, where are you going to? It’s already late, Miss Mayfield,” Mrs. Davis said softly as I pushed my body up and started sprinting down the hallways to my room. I don’t care if it’s late or not…I just knew my time here was done. It was over, and I needed to leave ASAP.I rushed into my room and quickly picked out a few essential things from my closet, making sure to avoid the expensive clothes my mom bought and anything that wasn’t mine. I dressed up in just my plain jeans and a simple top that was already feeling too stretched over my body, then moved over to the mirror to arrange my hair. The necklace William had given me caught my eye; I unclamped it and folded it into my jeans pocket, trying to fight back my tears, but I couldn’t stop them.I stepped back in tears as I slumped on my bed, then folded my knees up and started crying. Juliana’s words were just ringing in my ears: “I am pregnant for William... the wedding is going to hold.”“Oh, shit!” I muttered out l
~Isabel~ "How dare you step in here like this house belongs to you, shouting like a mad person!" I asked, then pushed her hands away. She almost stumbled. She smiled an evil dirty smile, looked sideways, dipped her hand into her handbag, and brought out a brown folder."You call me a mad person, Isabel? I swear you are done for. By the time I am through with you both, you and your mom would pack your little bags to the slums you came from!""Don't you dare mention my mom!" I spoke up, moving towards her as my body shook in rage. I have had enough.She brought out some photographs from the folder and held the stack up, letting each show on my face before they fell. Mrs. Higgins, Mr. Davis, and some maids rushed to pick them up. The one remaining in her hands was shaking, but I could see it. It was a picture of William holding my hands, leading me forward while I was smiling with the big red bouquet in my hands.I stepped back in surprise. Fuck! How did she get those?I looked down
~Isabel~The flight back was seamless and swift. William's bodyguard waited on the tarmac, opening the door before we stopped, he took my hand as my shoes hit the stairs, his fingers locked around mine, shielding my body with his. The London air filled my lungs…somehow feeling different from New York’s air, or maybe the realization that our relationship had a name tag, no more hiding behind casual introductions as just Isabel. It was ‘meet my girlfriend’.Euphoria warred with a sinking dread in my stomach. Deep down, the reality waited, the conversation with my mother at home, and Juliana too. Juliana did not go down without a fight I know. I gripped my palms together, praying whatever weapon she brought, I would be able to deal with it.Oh Professor Alister.Had he managed to go through the flash drive Chloe passed to him? I hadn't seen him in over a week. No calls for any update. The silence meant he didn't find anything we can use on her, or he did. A woman like Juliana runnin
Isabel's POV (Thirty Hours Ahead) Twenty minutes later, I pushed open a pair of double doors. The dining room glowed under a giant crystal chandelier. Arthur Sterling sat at the head of the table and laughing at something my had mother said. He looked exactly like his photos: silver at the
"Just fifteen minutes Isabel" I muttered. That was my countdown to the end of this shift, I had to remind myself that just to get through it. I was moving through the crowded cafe with a tray of coffees balanced on my hand, dodging the elbows of people who paid for coffee with ridiculous amounts
~Isabel ~The moment our eyes met, I saw the exact second the memory clicked into place for her. It was like watching a slow-motion crash. Her perfectly arched eyebrows climbed toward her hairline, and her mouth thinned into a hard, pink line.What was the name Willam called her then? Julie? Juli
~Isabel~ The ride back from the office was silent. Upstairs, I locked the bathroom door, washed the ink off my face, and changed into the blue fancy dress my mother left on the bed, it was expensive, it felt wrong on me, not even my skin tone, but I wore it to avoid a scene at dinner. Dinner







