01. ISABELLE'S POV

Smoke filled the house,red flames licked the walls,painting the room in chaos.A woman's cries pierced the air. I lay in the floor, helpless,suffocating. I wanted to move, to scream,to escape..but my body refused. Frozen. Trapped.

Then, as if someone heard my silent pleas, I was lifted,carried. The people who had come to help were pulling me from the fire. Our house was burning, I could hear her crying, calling my name as she was thanking the Gods that I was alive. Then the ceiling began to collapse. Muffled screams echoed in the distance. I tried to lift my head,to see,to understand, then…

With a quick jolt, I opened my eyes.

 It was a dream. A nightmare that never left.

 I sat up, drenched in sweat, my breath ragged.My heartbeat pounded so loud it echoed in the quiet room.

“These fucking nightmares” I muttered, glancing at my cat, who stared at me blankly from the edge of the bed. “Not helping, huh? Of Course not,it's a cat Isabelle.”

I scratched her neck as I usually do. She responded with a soft, “Meow.”

“Yeah girl, I am hungry too.”

I looked over at the TV,casting a pale blue light across the white walls which was playing a toothpaste commercial,annoyingly cheerful.

I grabbed my phone,and the screen blinked 20:00pm. 

“En serio?” (seriously?) I groaned. “Guess I'll be up till midnight.” 

I'd been asleep since the afternoon. Now it was evening and I hadn't eaten. I shuffled to the kitchen to find the empty shelves,no food. 

“Perfecto, I forgot to go shopping. Bravo, Isabelle.” I muttered under my breath.

Just then,a news anchor's voice caught my ear.

“The business world mourns the loss of the legendary CEO, Mr. Eduardo Banderas, founder of Banderas Étoile. The global luxury jewelry empire.”

 I grabbed a glass of water and moved to the sofa,remote in hand, turning up the volume.

“Mr Banderas, aged 70, passes away peacefully this afternoon after a private battle with pancreatic cancer.” 

The screen switched to a somber press room. Behind a marble podium stood Giovanni Banderas,tall and composed in a sharp black suit, facing the camera.His deep brown eyes,usually unreadable, glisten with restrained emotions.

“My father built Banderas Étoile with his bare hands and relentless position.He wasn't just a businessman,he was-”  

Click. click-click, camera shutters begin snapping like soft rain,relentless.

“He was a visionary who turned raw diamonds into legacy.I stand here not to replace him,but to honor everything he was.”

Click. click-click 

“And I promise in my life that his vision will not die with him.”  

He lowered his gaze. The room fell silent. The world holds its breath. 

“That must be hard..” I murmured softly.

“And I am so hungry.” I added,dragging myself off the couch. The emotional moment dissolved into the very human reality of starvation. I reached for my phone, deciding food would fix atleast one of my problems.

Ding.ding ding. 

Notifications erupted on my screen like an angry swarm.I'd been offline for almost two days straight. Well,depression will do that. I lost my job,I had no back up plan and the bills were knocking louder than my motivation. Not to mention the damn mortgage that reminded me I was an adult every month.

“Dónde demonios estás?” (Where the hell are you?).

I opened Camille's voice note on my W******p.

“It's been two days ,for goodness’ sake. Call me when you see this young lady, don't play with me!” Camillle shouted .

I sighed and shook my head. That woman loved hard and loud. 

Then came a flood of YouTube notifications :

Mindful chaos uploaded: “This is why you always attract emotionally unavailable men.” 

GlowUp journal just posted: “How to heal when no one checks on you.” 

Very comforting, thanks.

Then one caught my attention. 

JobMatch app, “Personal assistant to the CEO,Banderas Étoile, Madrid. Fluent English and Spanish required. Urgent opening!”

I blinked. Then I blinked again

Giovanni Banderas? The man who promised the world he'd keep his father's empire alive? The man with jawline carved by the Gods?

 I scoffed, “ Me, working for that man?”

Pause.

“ ……well,why the hell not?”

Before my brain could catch up my fingers were already tapping the Apply button.I uploaded my résumé, hit send, and stared at my screen like it had personally betrayed me.

“Oops, did I just upload it,” I whispered, feeling the panic rise.

“Guess I did”, I answered back. 

Luna,my cat, looked up from her nap,unimpressed as always.

“Don't judge me, Luna. You don't have bills.” 

“ Now we wait.” I muttered.

I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling when I caught myself thinking about how my life was going, The nightmares that come at night like a sleep paralysis waiting for me to sleep. Why was I having them? Who am I? Are they dreams or memories?

“Wait…am I reincarnated? Was that my past life?” I leaned on my elbow looking at Luna who was just staring at me.

“It sounds crazy I know, but why does it feel real?” I looked at her.

“Oh, I'm going crazy.” I stuffed my face in the sheets frustrated.

Ding. dong

The doorbell snapped me back to reality.

“Oh it's the food, Finally.”

 I darted to the door like it was the entrance to salvation.

Honestly it kind of was.