LOGINChapter 112Abandoned house. Manhattan. Dust. Decay. Darkness.Isabella sat. On floor. Surrounded. By photos. Pinned. To walls. To boards. To. Everything.Sienna’s face. Everywhere. Staring. Smiling. Mocking. Always. Mocking.Landon’s too. Perfect. Untouchable. Hers. Should’ve been. Hers.Burner phone. Rang. Sudden. Sharp. Breaking. Silence.She grabbed it. Fast. Eager. “What?”Voice. On other end. Male. Deep. Professional. Her spy. Her eyes. Her. Weapon.“He’s back.”Isabella’s breath. Caught. “Landon?”“Yes. Discharged. Two days ago. Staying. At Callahan mansion. Family. Around him. Constantly. Sienna. Too. Never leaves. His side.”Of course. Isabella thought. Bitter. Angry. Of course. She’s. There. Playing. Perfect girlfriend. Perfect. Thief.“Send. Pictures.” She demanded. Voice. Hard. Cold. Command. Not request.“Already done. Check. Your phone.”Isabella switched. Apps. Opening. Messages. Photos. Loading. Appearing.Landon. Walking. Into mansion. Sienna. Beside him. Supporting.
Chapter 111Next morning. Blake mansion. Sunlight streaming. Through windows. Warm. Bright. New day.Lora came downstairs. Still feeling. Last night. Forehead kiss. Dance. Everything. Floating somehow. Like feet. Not touching. Ground. Properly.Sienna sat. In sitting room. Waiting. Grinning. That grin. The one. That meant. Trouble. Questions. Teasing. Everything.“So.” Sienna said. Drawing out. Word. Long. Suspicious. Playful. “How was. The gala?”Lora tried. To look. Casual. Normal. Failed. Completely. “It was. Nice.”“Nice?” Sienna repeated. Eyebrow raising. “Just. Nice? You went. With Noah. To fancy gala. Wore beautiful dress. And. It was. Nice?”Lora sat. Across from her. Face already. Warming. Betraying. Her. “Okay. It was. Really nice.”Sienna leaned forward. Eyes sparkling. Mischief. Everywhere. “Tell me. Everything. Every. Single. Detail.”So Lora did. Shyly. Carefully. About arriving. About people staring. About Noah. Making jokes. Making her. Comfortable. About dancing. Abou
Chapter 110The car stopped. Outside grand hotel. Lights everywhere. Bright. Blinding almost. People. So many people.Lora’s breath caught. Stuck somewhere. Between lungs and throat. Fear maybe. Or panic. Or both.“Ready?” Noah asked. Gentle. Patient. Knowing. She wasn’t. Not really.“No.” She whispered. Honest. Too honest. “But. Let’s go anyway.”He smiled. Squeezed her hand. Quick. Reassuring. Then. Chauffeur opening door. Reality. Rushing in.Noah stepped out first. Then. Turned. Offering hand. Always offering. Always. There.She took it. Holding tight. Too tight maybe. But he didn’t mind. Didn’t pull away. Just. Held back. Steady. Strong. Safe.Her feet touched ground. Gown flowing. Around her. Making her feel. Like someone else. Someone. Better. Braver. More.They walked. Toward entrance. Red carpet. Actual red carpet. Like movies. Like dreams. Like. Things that didn’t happen. To girls like her.And then. Eyes. Turning. All of them. Everyone. Looking. Staring. At her. At them. At
Chapter 109Afternoon. Blake mansion. Lora's room.Lora sat by window. Sketching. Quietly. Pencil moving across paper. Creating. Designing. New pieces for fashion contest. The one Noah mentioned. Days ago. By the pool.Her phone buzzed. Sudden. Unexpected.She glanced. Curious. Surprised.Unknown number. Then. Not unknown. Noah.Her heart. Did something. Strange. Skipped maybe. Jumped. Something.She opened message. Reading. Once. Twice. Three times. Making sure. It was real. It said that. He said that."Your sketches are incredible. I can't stop thinking about that conversation we had. There's a gala tonight. High profile. Industry people. Would you come? As my date? Got your number from Sienna. Hope that's okay. Noah."As my date.Those words. Sitting there. On screen. Burning into her brain.Lora's heart raced. Actually raced. She could feel it. Pounding. Against ribs. Against reality. Against. Everything.Flattered. Nervous. Confused. Excited. All at once. All together. All. Too m
Chapter 108Three days of perfect behavior.Three days of soft smiles and thank yous and please forgive mes.Three days of watching. Waiting. Planning.Isabella sat by her window. Hands folded. Posture calm. Face serene.Her parents walked past. Stopping. Peeking in. Checking like they always did. But different now. Relieved now."She's doing so much better." Her mother whispered. Outside the door. Voice carrying. Meant to be heard maybe.Her father nodded. "The therapy is helping. Thank God."Thank God. Isabella almost laughed. Almost. But perfect daughters don't laugh at nothing. Perfect daughters stay calm. Stay grateful. Stay. Broken enough to believe. But healing enough to trust.The guards outside her door. Shoulders less tense. Eyes less watchful. Believing. The danger had passed.Fools.Inside. Where no one could see. Isabella's mind worked. Cold. Sharp. Calculating every move like chess pieces on a board she'd been studying for weeks.She remembered. The doctor's words. From
Chapter 107The Callahan mansion. Early evening. Golden light streaming through tall windows.Landon had just been discharged. Finally. After weeks. After blood. After almost dying. After everything.Eleanor insisted. Voice firm. Loving. "You're staying here. Until you're fully healed. No arguments."Landon didn't argue. Too tired to fight, too grateful to care, too emotionally raw to do anything but accept the kindness being offered.Sienna helped him settle into his room. His old room. The one he'd left. The one that still somehow felt like home.She fussed over him. Adjusting pillows. Checking temperature. Making sure water was close. Medicine organized. Everything perfect."Sienna." He laughed. Soft. Tired. "I'm okay. Really.""You almost died." She said. Voice breaking slightly. "Let me. Let me take care of you."He took her hand. Squeezed. "Okay."The staff welcomed him. Warmly. Mrs. Chen. The housekeeper. Crying. Hugging him carefully. "Welcome home, young master."James. The b







