Novel-novel oleh Naj

ISABELLA’S POVCameras flashed the moment Ethan and I walked into the lobby. Reporters crowded in, shouting questions.“Mr. Dexter, is your engagement off?”“Ms. Moretti, are you in a relationship with him?”“Is this a publicity stunt?”Ethan hands closed around mine in a firm grip as he led me through the chaos.“Smile,” he said quietly, without looking at me.I lifted my chin, smiled, and walked forward without flinching or slowing down.Beside me, Ethan walked as if the world belonged to him.Lucia walked behind us, calculating and observing, while Caleb was ahead, clearing a path for us.We stopped at the podium already set for the press.Ethan stepped forward and guided me beside him, his hand resting lightly on my waist. I reminded myself it was just for the cameras.“Thank you all for coming,” he said in a steady voice. “I’ll keep this brief.”The hall fell silent.“There has been speculation surrounding my personal life and recent events involving Ms. Isabella Moretti,” he

ISABELLA’S POVThe champagne bottle popped as Lucia opened it. She insisted we celebrate my first win.“Here you go,” she said, handing me a glass.“Thank you, Lucia, but I don’t think we should be celebrating yet. I still have to face the board. That’s where the real battle begins.” I said with unease in my chest.Lucia sighed.“Still, you bought us time. That counts.”“Not really” I replied Lucia studied me closely and slowly lowered her glass.“What’s wrong, Isabella?”“Nothing,” I said quickly.She didn’t believe me. She knew me almost better than I knew myself. After leaving New York I had moved to Paris, where I met Lucia. At the time, she was a corporate strategist and had just walked away from a powerful firm after being blacklisted for exposing internal corruption. We recognised something in each other, our intelligence, survival, and refusal to stay broken.Together, we built ISMARA, Lucia structured the company while I became the face of the brand.“This is about Ethan,

ETHAN’S POVI already noticed the shift the moment I walked into the lobby and headed straight to the meeting hall.The room was already full when I stepped in. The room vibrated with the low hum of conversation and tension that was always present before a vote.Just another meeting, I told myself.Then I saw her.Isabella Moretti sat at the table, her legs crossed, her posture fixed. She sat as if she had never left. As if six years hadn’t passed.For a moment, I thought I was mistaken. The room kept moving around me, but my focus was on her.She looked up, and our eyes met.For the first time since the incident, we stared directly at each other. But this time, she didn’t look away. She didn’t flinch.Something in my chest tightened at her expression.She was neither afraid nor hesitant. She looked calm, observant, and controlled.She had changed but not in the way I had expected. She looked stronger.I forced myself to look away and walked to my seat.“Good morning,” I said as I too

ISABELLA’S POVSix Years Later New York City hadn't changed much, it welcomed me with noise and the mingled scent of food and exhaustion. It still looked and felt the same. The same way it was when it swallowed me whole and spat me out with my life in shambles.This city had broken me once, I wouldn't let it happen again. I closed my eyes for a moment. Albert had died. The man who made my life a nightmare was gone.Yet his absence didn’t mean freedom.It only meant the family and the company was still a battlefield.I hadn't come back to heal or think on the past I had come back to reclaim what was taken from me. I had six years to rebuild, and now I was ready to reclaim what was mine.I put my sunglasses on, and walked straight to the car that was prepared for me. Inside the car, my strategist, Lucia Collins sat waiting for me. She glanced at me, eyes steady.“Bella,” she said, “I’ve prepared everything for you.”She handed me a tablet. “That is a list of Claire Moretti dep

ISABELLA’S POV My eyes fluttered open; the first thing I noticed was the soreness that spread through my body. I looked down and froze. I was naked; even my underwear was missing. Why am I not dressed? I sat up on the wide bed and my head throbbed, and the room spinned slightly. This was not my room. I looked around the unfamiliar room. The red stain on the sheets and the scattered clothes on the floor clearly indicated something had happened last night. What had happened last night? My heart began to race. I pulled the sheets up, my fingers were shaking. The air smelled masculine and unfamiliar. Then I felt movement. There was someone else in the room, and he was already awake. He sat on the couch adjacent to the bed; his shirt was on but unbuttoned. He didn’t seem surprised to see me; instead, he looked irritated. “You set this up, right?” he asked. His voice was calm, yet it carried a hint of danger. I shook my head. “I didn’t,” I said, my throat dry. He scoffed. “