Nobela ni Lesti

ADRIAN’S POV The morning sun pierced through the windows of the conference room, casting a golden glow across the modern, sleek table. I momentarily caught myself glancing out the window, taking in the bustling streets, a stark contrast to how serene the inside was. I watched a man hurriedly cross the crosswalk with a coffee in one hand. Another woman hurriedly walked towards a building while adjusting her clothes – as if she was already late for a serious meeting. The world outside seemed to run very fast. Irrespective of who you are, the world will surely move on with or without you. But somehow, from where I stood, the view was calming – because it made me appreciate where I had gotten to. Lucas reached out to me earlier, saying there was an emergency I needed to attend to. And I immediately knew what it was – so I didn't necessarily have to show up, but I did regardless. I knew the workers had been underperforming lately. And I didn't necessarily have to check through the numb

ISABELLA'S POVThe room was spacious — far more than the size of an ordinary bedroom. Its high ceilings screamed of old money. A king-sized bed was placed at the centre, dressed in clean white sheets, which glowed under the golden lights cascading from the chandeliers above.Adrian, who was already ahead of me, shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the bed. Then, without a word, begun to unbutton his shirt. He looked relaxed – as though he wasn't bothered by whatever that was going on.How was he able to stay calm amidst all of this? Was this also one of his strategies – his way of manipulating and controlling situations in his favour. Maybe…but I didn't think he had the power to summon the rain. But still, the timing was too perfect to ignore.Meanwhile, I stood by the door frozen, my hand casually resting on the door knob, unsure of what to do. My heart thudded like a war drum. This wasn't a part of the plan. I came here with every single line rehearsed and every move pr

ISABELLA'S POVI must have dozed off along the way, lulled into a peaceful sleep by the gentle sway of the car and the rhythmic hum of the engine. A sudden lurch jolted me awake. My eyelids fluttered open to the golden hue of the sun streaming through the window. I shifted slightly in my seat and blinked, trying to comprehend my surroundings. “We're here, Isabella.” Adrian's voice broke through the fog in my mind – his tone was low, almost tender. I turned my gaze to the window, and my breath caught in my throat. The house – it looked like something out of a dream – a tall building with floor-to-ceiling windows painted in a soft, creamy ivory, and it made Adrian's house look humble in comparison.Suddenly, I felt something wash over me. I realised I wasn't really prepared for this. Not mentally, not emotionally. Not what might be waiting inside. A sudden ache pounded in my chest. I turned to Adrian slowly, my gaze hovering over him for a while.My fingers curled into my lap, seeki

ISABELLA'S POV I could barely recognise myself as I stared back at my reflection in the mirror. The satin dress clung to my body in all the right places. My hair, which was usually a mess, now fell in tousled waves that framed my face. The woman I see in the mirror looks more composed and confident, but somewhere inside me, I knew the reality was far from the polished exterior. Today was the day I would finally meet Adrian's father. The most anticipated and most dreaded part of what I’d gotten myself into. My palms were already dry, my throat itching. My heart thudded in my chest, and each beat felt more like a reminder that there was no turning back. I hadn't learned much about him besides what Adrian had stated in the paper yesterday. Last night, he had sent Lucas over to make sure I memorised everything repeatedly like my life depended on it — Uhhh…perhaps it does.Just then, I heard a soft knock on the door, breaking through my thoughts. I turned quickly, smoothing my palm ov

ISABELLA'S POVI lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours. In one hand, I held the contract – the one with my signature at the bottom. I brought it closer again, my eyes tracing every word on it. Adrian had given me a copy of it, just in case. I stared at the paper blankly, my mind racing. It felt wrong.Everything about it screamed wrong but I had no other option left. I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to go this path but here I was, planning to do what I swore never to do. Marriage — and this time with a stranger. But since its not out of love, nor out of desire it's a much better option than going back to Martin. I closed my eyes, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. “It is better this way” I whispered to myself trying to convince myself that it was far better getting married to a stranger than holding on to a relationship rooted in deceit and manipulations. After all, I needed the money desperately. I had to save the only man

ADRIAN’S POV The soft, rhythmic click of my keyboard is the only sound in my office as I scrolled through the empty files that hadn't been attended to. A headache was already forming behind my eyes from staring at the monitor for too long. A stack of paperwork had been marked “urgent” by the legal department over a week ago but still sat untouched. I had trusted Jullia to get it sorted, but I realised that was a mistake. I clicked open another file. Empty.With a deep breath, I clicked open the next one. Empty.Again. I felt my frustration begin to bubble. “Unbelievable.” I muttered under my breath, rubbing my temple. Do these people even work at all, or do they enjoy getting paid for being useless?There were supposed to be five new documents in that file. FIVE! Instead, here I was staring at nothing but blank pages. Not even one was present. The thought of how often this happened caused me to clench my fist in frustration. My patience with these staff members was thinning by