Chapter 5

“Oliver, I…” 

Isabella had just begun but her words were cut off by a loud noise. It was Oliver’s phone. He got out of the pool and received the call. It seemed urgent. She realized that and followed him to step out of the pool. Wearing the robe she got for herself, she started walking back inside the house. 

As soon as she walked through the door, Saanchi was already there. Oliver was also coming behind her. 

“Hey, honey, you’re home early?” 

Isabella didn’t notice his presence until she heard his surprised voice, she was that lost in her thoughts. 

“Yeah, Bella returned just yesterday and I didn’t even get to spend some time with her. So, I figured I would spend time with her.” She smiled, eyeing her daughter. 

Isabella rolled her eyes and made her way up the stairs as fast as she could. “I hate her.” She muttered to herself.

"Bella, wait."

She entered the room and closed the door behind. Every time she saw her mother’s face, it would kill her a little more. She paced around the room, trying to calm herself down.

“Breathe, Bella. Breathe. Relax!”

She spoke to herself and before she could get back to normal, the door of her room creaked open. She turned her head and felt a surge of anger, seeing Saanchi standing there. Her presence reminded her of those painful past years when she just lost her father and she needed her mother the most but she was not there. 

Saanchi walked into Isabella's room without permission, the same way she didn’t ask her daughter if she could leave her alone. 

"What do you want now?" Isabella snapped and her voice was laced with bitterness.

She was surely not expecting anything less. She was sort of prepared for this treatment by her daughter. “Sweetheart, I.. I only wanted to talk.” Her eyes were filled with regret, but it couldn't erase the years of absence. "I want to make things right. I'm so sorry for everything."

Isabella scoffed. Her heart was pounding with a mix of anger and hurt. "Sorry? Do you think a single sorry can erase all the pain? Do you think it's that easy?"

“No, of course not. I can't undo what I've done." Saanchi admitted. "But I want to try. I want to be there for you now."

“But I don’t need you now. You were not there when I needed you the most, so there’s no need to be there with me now. I’ve learnt to take care of myself alone.” She yelled at her face. 

"Bella, it wasn't easy…."

She showed her palm to her mother, making her stop. “You know what was not easy? I asked myself every single night why my mother left me alone here to deal with everything all by myself? What was wrong with me? Am I that bad? You never came to see me, forget about taking me back home once in the vacations.” Isabella was in tears and rumbling. 

Tears were streaming down Saanchi’s eyes. "I know. I was selfish." 

"No! You were heartless." Isabella’s eyes were spitting fire.

"Please. Let's give it a chance, Bella." She pleaded. "I'm your mother.".

"No, you're not. You're the woman who abandoned her kid without a second thought."

The memories of those horrible nights when she was left alone surfaced once again, suffocating her. She felt she couldn’t breath, she couldn’t think straight. She gripped the chair beside her tightly in her grip. 

"Please, Bella."

“Leave… Just leave from my room.” Her voice was strangled with pain and anger.

Just when Isabella was about to crumble, Oliver appeared in the doorway. His eyes were filled with concern. 

"What's going on?" He asked.

She couldn’t bear herself anymore. She was even struggling to breathe. She clutched her chest and collapsed on her knees. 

“Bellaaa…” 

Saanchi ran near her and tried to hold her but she pushed her away. 

"Don't touch me! Just… Stay… Away…” She somehow managed to say. 

Oliver too walked closer and whispered something to Saanchi. She looked down at her daughter in pain and pity before leaving. Then Oliver got down to her level with a worried expression. 

“Breathe, Bella. Breath. Everything is fine.” He spoke softly.

His voice felt like a lifeline in chaos to Isabella. He moved closer, his hands extended in a comforting gesture. She clung to him. Her body was trembling, tears streaming down her face and his touch was grounding.

“Let me help you, babygirl. It’s okay. Everything is okay. Just relax. I've got you now. You're okay” Oliver in a soothing voice. He held her tighter as if protecting her from the world and hiding her in his embrace. 

He remained on the floor with her, holding her close. She was a mess and he was shielding her. His shirt was soaked with her tears, which made her cry even more though she hated crying.

"I'm going to lift you now, okay?" Oliver broke the silence after a good moment of silence. 

Isabella only sobbed but kept mum. Oliver gently lifted her up from the floor, cradling her in his arms. Her body trembled with each sob that wracked through her. He carried her to her bed and carefully laid her down, making sure she was comfortable.

He was about to leave when she clutched his collar tighter, not willing to let him go. "I'll be right back, Bella. I'm going to get you some water.”

She nodded weakly. He left the room briefly and returned with a glass of water and a small pill bottle. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

Oliver gestured to Bella to drink some water. She obeyed. The cool liquid helped to calm her trembling body a little. He then took out one tablet before leaning closer to Isabella with his eyes full of tenderness, as he held the tablet out to her.

"Take this, Bella. It will help you." He murmured gently.

With trembling hands, she took the pill from him and swallowed it down, knowing that it would take some time before it kicked in. Until then Oliver continued to hold her and she felt good. She felt peace being in his arms. 

"It's going to be alright. You're safe here. I'm here for you.” Oliver kept whispering these words in her ear with reassurance.

The weight of his words sank into her heart, gradually soothing the storm that raged within her. With each passing moment, her sobs began to subside, replaced by a deep exhaustion. She found solace in his embrace.

As her breathing steadied, Oliver gently brushed his fingers through her hair. His touch was gentle and soothing. He stayed with her, offering his presence as a silent support. Suddenly she had a feeling that she could lean on him, that he would be there for her.

“You know you don’t have to do this. You didn’t sign up for this.” Isabella whispered, raising her head a little to look at his face. 

"I know."

"You…"

"I want to." Oliver ended the discussion, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

In the silence of the room, she finally surrendered to exhaustion and her tear-stained cheeks were pressed against his chest.

"Oliver." She mumbled with her eyes half closed.

"Yes, Bella?"

"I'm sleepy."

He chuckled softly. "Sleep, babygirl."

"Oliver." She whispered once again, struggling to stay conscious.

"Yes?"

She took a while before answering. "Thank you."

Isabella felt him kissing her forehead another time. “You don’t have to thank me for anything.”

It was barely a few minutes before she drifted into deep slumber. 

A   MONTH   LATER

“Mom, do I really have to go and give these files to Oliver? Why can’t the driver or anyone else take it?” Isabella groaned, clutching the files in her hand. 

“Yes, Bella. It’s really confidential, so he can’t trust it with anyone except us. I need to be somewhere urgently else I could take it. Also he is like a father to you, so you can do it for him.” Saanchi muttered in a matter of fact tone while Isabella pressed her lips into a thin line.

“No one sucks their father's cock, right? But I have sucked the cock of this father-like figure quite a few times now.”

She muttered under her breath, making sure it was audible to her mother. "Fine, it's just giving him these nicely and respectfully. I will do just that." She walked to change before leaving for Oliver’s office. 

It’s been a month already since Isabella shifted with her mother and Oliver. After the first night of her with Oliver, their equation changed forever and that was not the last time. They managed to steal little moments with each other but it was never enough for them. Meanwhile, her equation remained the same with her mother, yet they tried to maintain the temperament. 

Isabella couldn’t help feeling nervous as stepped out of the car in front of Oliver’s office building. It was huge. As she reached the entrance, she was stopped by a few men in black suits. They had never seen her around before. 

“Your card, Miss?” 

She felt a little awkward. “I don’t work here. I’m here to meet Oliver. Kindly call him and confirm.” 

"Your name, Miss?" He requested.

“Isabella.” 

He moved away from me to make a phone call. A few seconds later, he was back. "Please go on in. It’s 25 of the elevator."

"Thank you." She mumbled and walked in.

Isabella walked into Oliver’s office and it was simply breathtaking. Actually, she was impressed by the entire interior of the office. Everything out there screamed wealth. Her eyes wandered around his office. She'd never been in his office before, it was so neat and perfect.

She was busy admiring the cabin when Oliver came there. He leaned his shoulder against the door and watched her like a lion creeping up on its prey. She shrieked as her gaze suddenly fell on him. 

“You scared me!”