/-Isla-/My heartbeat was a thunderous roar in my chest as the servant approached with trembling hands, carrying a small, worn-out video cassette tape.I wanted to scream. To cry. To run.But I stood there frozen, my feet rooted to the floor, as Allen inserted the tape into the player at the center of the room. A large magical screen glowed to life behind the elders' seats, and the room fell into a breathless silence.Then, the static buzzed. The screen flickered.And my father's face appeared.He looked younger. Sharper. Like a teenager. There was no warmth in his eyes. He sat at a desk with a glass of wine in his hand, his other hand lazily twirling a dagger. I didn't recognize the man I was looking at. This wasn't the father who tucked me into bed. This man was cold. Calculating.He looked straight into the camera and smirked.“So this is it, huh? I get to watch my face all day and that's it? Quite lame for an expensive gift. What do I do with you?” he huffed. I figured this was pr
/-Manda-/“Luna.” I turned from her retreating figure to him. His head was still bowed. “I think you are misunderstanding the situation. She meant no harm and I… I would never do anything to betray you…”“Oh really?” I scoffed. “You really think I care what you do? I was only trying to save her from you. You should be ashamed of yourself. You have a mate and yet you are looking towards another woman!” Call me a hypocrite or whatever but who cares? Aaron was my mate! It's not my fault that I happen to have a husband I love very much.He should always wait until I am able to get my husband back from that homewrecker that claims to be his mate.He raised his head slowly and I saw the hurt dancing in his eyes. “I'm sorry.”“What were you even thinking? If you have nothing to do, just stand at my freaking door so I can reach you whenever I want!” I said. “It's just that… last night you…”“Last night I slept with my husband, so what?” I retorted and I could see the raw pain in those haz
/-Isla-/ “With all due respect sir, is this a joke?” I asked. “You barely even know me. I only started working for you yesterday and you want me to be your fiance?” Not to mention the fact that I hate his guts! Who goes around making such offers to complete strangers? It doesn't make any sense. “I don't need to know you and you should have no interest in knowing me either. This is business. You need the money, I need a fiance. It's a win-win. Besides, it's just six months and you'll be walking away with millions. We don't ever have to see other again,” he said. I squinted my eyes at him, barely trying to conceal my suspicion. It just seemed very fishy to me. “Why me?” I asked. “Because you're pretty much the only woman in this entire city who isn't trying to get in my bed,” he answered. A laugh escaped me at the cocky response. He must really think he's all that. I mean sure, he did have a handsome face. Raven black hair with beautiful turquoise eyes and sharp features,
/-Isla-/“You've been so jumpy, Isla. Are you alright?” Elsie asked me. I shook my head. How could I feel alright when all I could were eyes everywhere I went?Like someone was freaking watching me. I wasn't sure how to explain it to Elsie. It didn't even make sense saying I had a panic attack because I felt like someone was watching my every move. “I don't know. I just feel anxious,” I told her. “I guess I'm not yet used to being around so many people.” “I see…” she mumbled, leaning back against the bed frame with furrowed brows. Studying me. Her eyes suddenly brightened, a flint of mischief sparkling in them. Goddess, what is this girl thinking about now?“I know how to fix it!” She was off the bed and by my side at an alarming speed I barely caught. My breath hitched as her hands wrapped around me in a death grip. “We should go to Fratana.”“What is that?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the grin that spread across her face. This was a little too suspicious, wasn't it?“It's a club,
/-Isla-/ We were headed to see his lawyer now so I could sign the contract. After forcing me to pick a dress, it took him another two hours to actually agree on what I wanted to wear. A lot of debate and a hundred insults later, he finally agreed to the white flair dress I picked. The sleeves were so tight that I had to adjust every five minutes. The unsympathetic jerk, of course, insisted that it was either that or nothing at all. I wouldn't have listened to him at all if there were better choices. We finally arrived at the firm and I got out of the car. “You're supposed to wait for me to get the door. How terrible are you at acting?” He complained. “I hope I'm getting ear treatment every month with how much you're nagging,” I retorted and he shot me a thick glare. He stomped past me and I huffed. “I wonder who's the uncouth actor now. You don't know you're supposed to take my hand as we walk in? Like a couple?” He turned around with a blazing look and I smirked inw
ISLA “Don't touch me.” His hand froze mid-air. His gaze dropped slowly and he retracted his hand. He closed the balm and dropped it on the bed. “Will you at least promise to use it?” His flickered back to my face. In their depths, I could see the guilt swirling. A scoff fell off my lips. “If this is your attempt to erase your guilt, then I'll tell you it's pathetic,” I spat. “I will never forgive you for what you did to me.” “My feelings don't really matter, Isla,” he sighed, turning away from me. I stared at his back, contemplating asking him to look me in the face and say whatever he had to say. “I'm not trying to erase what I did. I see it every time I look at you. I know it's going to haunt me forever…” The words made my stomach twist so hard that I almost couldn't breathe. “I just don't want you to look at yourself that way,” he said and my heart squeezed. My stomach clenched. I shook my head rapidly feeling the familiar sting in my eyes. I couldn't let him get to m