CHAPTER 4

Isabella followed her mother out of the room. "This is Alex's floor," her mother said as they went out of the room, before adding, "No one is allowed on this floor, except Alex himself."

"If no one is allowed on this floor, why am I living there? And why are you allowed to be on it?" Isabella inquired as she peered down the hall.

"To give you a tour of it, and you are living there because you are his sister. Plus, this is merely a three-story house; where else would you live? Maria inquired, and Isabella narrowed her eyes at her mother's receding figure. 

"I don't know, maybe on one of the two other floors." She mumbled rudely and discreetly. Her mother smiled and kept walking without hearing anything.

"This is Alex's room." Never go inside; it's one of his major pet peeves. Her mother pointed to the door just beside Isabella's. She fought the impulse to roll her eyes at this reality. They continued walking, and her mother showed her the kitchen, lounge area, hot tub, and balcony on the same floor.

"This place is cool," Isabella commented as she gazed about. Her gaze fell on her mother's enormous smile as she bowed her head. Memories of days when she'd smile while perspiration trickled down her skin and her hair was unruly flashed in her mind. Isabella hastily glanced aside.

"I understand. I have to leave now, but if you ever need me, just call out my name and I will be there." Maria informed her before walking down the steps. Valerio, the same guy, stepped upstairs right as her mother descended. 

"Hey, I'm sorry for abandoning you like I did earlier. I did not want to scare you. He sent her one of his stunning smiles. She bit her bottom lip as she gave him a phony one and placed her hand on the doorknob of her bedroom, preparing to depart.

"Isabella, isn't it?"

She began chewing on her lip. "Yeah."

"That is a lovely name. I will see you around, and I just wanted to apologize. It might feel tight around here, but things will improve." He informed. 

"Thanks." She flashed him a genuine grin this time. His youthful grin looked gorgeous on him, and it complemented his golden hair and sparkling eyes. 

"Not a problem. I best go before the boss finds me up here." He chuckled before turning around. He approached the staircase and gave a tiny wave as he proceeded down it. 

When she entered her room, her gaze instantly went to her phone, which had no service. She needed to call her boyfriend so he wasn't concerned, even though he should be. Following her father's death, she made it her purpose to complete her education and become all her father desired, making him proud.

Andre, her boyfriend, was present during it all. He made sure she was okay, and he even canceled his plans to attend college early to be there for her. 

She missed his warmth and caring. She wasn't sure when she'd see him again, or whether her stepfather or stepbrother would let her. Her mother spoke as if her stepbrother was in charge. 

Isabella returned to her closet out of curiosity. She looked over all of the outfits and noted that they were all pretty exposing. Most shirts featured lengthy V-necks, most bottoms would do nothing to hide her butt cheeks, and the dresses seemed to be quite tight and showed off a lot of legs.

She let out a grunt as she proceeded to browse through the closet. Her undergarments were entirely of lace and push-up bras. 

Isabella walked away irritated. Her legs led her over to the window, where she gazed out at the forest, the dark trees emitting a peaceful atmosphere. Her gaze shifted to a man crouching behind one of the trees. 

He was covered in blood and appeared to have been battered. He had brown hair that was progressively becoming scarlet due to the amount of blood on it. His body was covered with bruises and gashes, and his face looked like black eyes with excruciating scratches.

When his eyes met hers, she crouched down as horror gripped her bones. A loud gunshot could be heard, which piqued her interest. She slowly peeked out the window again, only to see blood around the man, who appeared motionless and drained. 

Her heart stopped pounding for a second, and all she could hear was the thumping in her chest. The only thing keeping her alive was her gradual fainting, which was maintained constant by terror.

Those same tormented blue eyes flared within hers, as a sneer spread over his face. He held a revolver in his palm and flicked his tongue across his mouth almost in slow motion.

She instantly glanced aside, breaking out of the hypnosis he had put her in. Her hand rose to her chest as she took in large amounts of breath. She just realized he shot that poor battered guy, and she witnessed it. 

She quickly grabbed her phone and dashed to unlock the door. She dashed down the steps, and just as she was about to reach the front door, she was seized by her slim waist. A warm breath could be felt at the back of her neck, and the sensation of a rifle being put on her side was noticeable. 

"And where do you think you are going, neonata?"

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