I Can’t Refuse You

Isabella Monroe POV

I feel the heat of the fire on my skin before I even open my eyes.

Firefighters drag me out of my room, barely holding onto me as smoke fills my lungs and flames swallow everything around me.

Every time I close my eyes, I see my parents walking away from me inside that fire… and I have never been that little girl again since that moment.

Now I sit in the lecture hall, and Dr. Johnson’s voice cuts through my silence with her usual sharp tone,

"Miss Monroe, are you here or lost in another world?"

I lift my gaze and answer coldly,

"Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t hear you."

She smiles in a mocking way, her face turning red with annoyance,

"This is the fourth time I’ve warned you. Your careless attitude will make you fail."

A vein pulses in her neck. Her glasses shake on her sharp nose as she tries to hold back her anger.

"Get out."

I look at her with bored eyes. No fear. Not even a little.

"No need to lose your temper, Mrs. Johnson. I’ll leave before I break your glasses right on your face."

I walk toward the door, and I hear her add behind me,

"Your presence in a prestigious university like this is a loss to the medical field. You respect no one."

I turn back, meeting her eyes with pure challenge,

"It won’t be as big a loss as you."

I grab my backpack and head to the college café, hearing gasps from students behind me.

That’s when I realize something simple.

I study with cowards.

I order a black coffee. No sugar. Sit down. Open my notes. Try to focus on this week’s material before the quiz.

Then I feel fingers on my shoulder. Soft. Familiar.

Sophia’s voice.

"That bitch kicked you out again."

Sophia has always been my support. My push. The only one who stands beside me no matter what.

We became friends when she used to visit the orphanage with her father, Mr. Sebastian. We played together. Talked for hours. Found pieces of ourselves in each other.

Mr. Sebastian was the one who put me in that orphan center when my relatives refused to take me in. Too poor. Too selfish. Too useless to care.

He paid for everything I needed.

But he stopped coming to see me when I turned seventeen.

Now I’m twenty two. A psychology student.

"Yeah. That old witch never misses a chance to humiliate me."

Sophia takes a sip from my cup and fixes her white collar, her face annoyed.

"I’ll talk to my dad about her. This is the fourth time she’s thrown you out."

I shake my head firmly.

"Mr. Sebastian already did too much for me when I was young. I don’t want him dealing with my problems now that I’m grown."

She pouts, then suddenly lights up with excitement.

"You know what? My dad is traveling today to check on the new hospital construction."

I narrow my eyes at her, already sensing trouble.

"What are you planning?"

She winks, mischief dancing in her eyes.

"You know me too well. We’re going back to our holy place."

I sigh, my chest tightening a little.

"I don’t want to smoke again, Sophia."

She studies my face, then leans in, almost begging,

"You won’t smoke, Isabella. Please tell me you’re coming."

I hold my cup between my fingers, thinking for a second before I answer,

"I can’t refuse you."

She grins wide.

"Fine. But no drinking. No smoking. Deal."

Sophia screams in excitement, loud enough for everyone to turn and stare.

"Relax, girl. Your energy is going to get us in trouble."

She tucks her short hair behind her ear and says proudly,

"No one can touch me because I’m..."

She closes her eyes, lifting her chin.

"The daughter of Dr. Sebastian."

We both burst out laughing, then head to her car and drive to my apartment.

"I’m still underage. My mom won’t even let me date or smoke. She’d probably ban air if she could."

I nod, even though things with her mother are always tense for me.

"Mrs. Cassandra is strict, but she wants what’s best for you. Smoking is bad. Trust me, I tried it. I hated it."

She lets out a frustrated sigh. Clearly not agreeing with the first part.

"You don’t get it, Isabella. Her control is exactly why my dad left her. She’s too much. She ruined everything."

My mind drifts the moment she says that.

I remember the night she called me, crying, breaking apart as she told me her parents were separating. She was seventeen back then.

Five years have passed.

Her voice pulls me back again.

"Not long until I can finally leave that house. You know they agreed to separate for real once I turn legal."

I nod, focused on what I’m doing.

"Yeah. Nine months left."

She exhales deeply, then smiles with excitement.

"Then I’ll be free. I’ll go to every bar, every club. Just wait and see."

That night, we go to our usual place.

Every Thursday, we sneak into a secret nightclub for young people. Sophia isn’t twenty two yet.

I am.

I turned twenty two two months ago.

I wear a revealing dress. Even though I look calm, cold, distant… there’s a wild side inside me. One that loves chaos.

I finish getting ready. Pink lipstick. A final glance.

Sophia looks at me and gasps dramatically.

"Damn. What a walking temptation."

I spray my perfume, then help her close the buttons of her blue dress.

"If I were a man, I wouldn’t hold back from you. Thank God I’m straight."

I smack her ass lightly.

"Stop being disgusting, Sophia."

We leave the apartment and drive to the club in her flashy car.

It’s in a rich area. Quiet outside. Looks like a normal café.

But inside… it’s chaos. Smoke. Loud music. Bodies moving in ways your eyes can’t ignore.

Down there, no one is fully aware.

My legs tremble. My eyes grow heavy. I crave a cigarette so badly it hurts.

"Sophia… do you have my lighter?"

She stares at me in shock, a drink in her hand.

"Are you insane? You said this morning you’re quitting."

My lips twist, my heart pounding for nicotine.

"Fine. I won’t. I’ll control myself. For you."

She pours wine into my glass and says with a smirk,

"If my mom saw us now, we’d be dead in a second."

I scoff, remembering every speech her mother ever gave me.

"Didn’t she warn you about me? She tried so hard to keep you away from me."

Sophia laughs loudly.

"You’re my vibe, babe."

Less than an hour later, she’s completely drunk.

I warned her. She never listens.

I hold her up as she almost collapses, then take her outside.

The cold air hits my lungs. I breathe deep. Finally.

I grab her car keys from her bag, laughing at her state, and start driving.

I don’t even know where I’m going.

"Are we heading to my place, Sophia?"

She suddenly panics beside me.

"No, no. Take me home. My dad and mom are coming back tomorrow. If they don’t find me in my room, I’m dead."

I change direction.

To Sebastian’s house.

I haven’t been there in two years. The last time was when Sophia had her appendix surgery.

Tonight… after all this time…

I might see Mr. Sebastian again.

The man who saved me.

The man who took care of me like I was his own daughter.