"Marry me, Isabella. Not for love, but for survival." Alexander Steele’s offer is Isabella Moore’s only way out. Her fashion business is failing, her mother’s medical bills are piling up, and betrayal has left her broken. Bound by a fragile agreement, they step into a world of buried secrets and growing danger. The lines between trust and deception blur as old enemies resurface and hidden truths threaten to destroy everything. Can they fight through the lies and find love, or will their alliance shatter under the weight of betrayal?
View More"Isabella, I’m sorry, but it’s over. The investors have pulled out."
Those words landed like a gut punch, knocking the breath from my lungs. My dream of building a fashion empire and my desire to create something big appeared to slip through my fingers. This day was supposed to be my happiest moment, seeing my dream come true. One day, I struggled and fought hard for it.
Oh! Where do I even begin? What do I do now? Everything was crumbling before my own very eyes; everything was falling apart, yet nothing I could do. I gazed at the phone in my hand, unable to grasp what I had just heard.
As I looked out at the already arranged event hall before me, its beautiful decoration so enticing now felt like a mockery. I had been slapped bitterly, yet I could not retaliate. The models who had been preparing for months, their everyday rehearsals, the modelling dresses--everything seemed to fade into the ground as I stood there, paralyzed and confused, asking myself a lot of unanswered questions. Then I heard footsteps coming; it was then I realized myself. It was Emma's voice, standing beside me. Her tap brought me to realization, her expression full of worry.
"I heard what happened. I hope you’re okay?" She asked. I shook my head, my throat making it hard to talk. "How could I be okay, Emma? Everything I had fought for, everything I had dreamed of was collapsing." My hands curled into fists at my side; I instantly developed a fever and headache as I battled the tears I refused to let fall.
"At least you are famous now," Emma replied, attempting to make light of the situation. "Just... not for the right reasons or moment, though."
I let out a harsh laughter, but it was empty, the words filled with anguish. "Famous for my career that has just been ruined? Is that what you mean?" I couldn’t stop the mockery from slipping into my voice, but the fact was, it ached more than I wanted to admit.
Emma paused, staring at me with pity in her look. "You can’t let this define you or weigh you down. You’re stronger than that. You’ll bounce back."
I wanted to trust her or agree with what she said, but my condition couldn't allow me. I felt like I had lost something I could never get back. The fashion presentation, the designs, the models, everything had been stained by one thing—failure orchestrated by one envious cousin of mine.
Clara.
The realization struck me hard, like a slap on the face. My cousin, the one I had trusted, had arranged this calamity. She had circulated falsehoods about my business, twisting stories that damaged my reputation. But that wasn’t all. I discovered she had gone further than that—contacting my clients and encouraging them to withdraw out of transactions that could’ve changed everything about me.
The betrayal was crushing, and my hands squeezed harder as the anger rose inside me. How could she do this to me? How could someone I called family ruin everything I had fought for?
I walked away from the event hall, my head heavy with the weight of my thoughts. I needed to find a way to mend this, to preserve what little was left of my reputation. But where could I possibly begin?
"Isabella?" Emma yelled after me, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. The harm had already been done, and there was nothing I could do at that moment.
I caught sight of the investors exiting the premises, their looks frigid and indifferent. Some were on their phones; some were conversing among themselves. None of them even afforded me a look. It was over.
I let out a nervous breath and strolled inside my office, the only place I could at least pretend everything was normal, if only for a while. But even there, the agony followed me. The walls seemed like they were closing in as I sunk into the chair behind my desk, looking at the vacant chair opposite me. The chair where my mother used to sit at every major meeting.
She has always been telling me that failures were simply temporary setbacks, but now, her words seem hollow, like an empty promise.
I covered my face in my hands, the tears threatening to escape, but before I could break down, my phone chimed. I picked it up, anticipating more awful news, but this time, it was from my brother.
"Senior, you need to come home," he pleaded. "It’s Mom."
My heart skipped a beat. "What happened?"
"Mum's state of health is getting worse," he said, his voice sorrowful. "The doctor does not think she will make it through the night."
I felt like the earth had collapsed over me. My mother has been unwell for months, but this? This time was different. She had always been strong, always there for me. I didn’t have the power to understand all that was coming apart, but I couldn’t let her go without being at her side.
"I’ll be right there," I said. I managed to answer, my voice husky with emotion. I didn’t even have the energy to hang up the call, but concern for my mother's state of health made me awkward. I cannot let her go—not now, not when everything was falling apart for me.
I ran out of the office, getting one final look at the fashion show site. The site where it had all begun, where I had dreamed of success. And now, everything is ruined.
Emma came up to me just as I reached the elevator. "Ma, wait," she yelled. But I didn’t want to hear it. I couldn’t stand to listen. I saw myself as being a failure.
But Emma wasn’t backing down. "You will. You’re going to rebuild, Isabella. You’re going to recover from all you’ve lost."
I mustered a faint smile. "How will I? I have nothing left."
"You have yourself," Emma replied gently, her eyes full of calm resolve. "And that’s enough. Ma, I believe in you."
The elevator doors closed, and I leaned back against the wall, attempting to regulate my breath. Her words were consoling, yet the weight of my failure pushed down on me. I had no clue how I was going to rebuild or to start, but I can’t let myself fall apart now. My mother needs me.
Will I rise and battle for the dream Clara had taken from me?
Find out in the next chapter!
"Lucian, I need answers." Isabella’s voice quivered as she stood before him in the dimly lit study. Her pulse raced, and she tightened her hands to firm her determination. “No more games, no more cryptic warnings. Tell me the truth about your past with Alexander and why you're doing this”Lucian sat back in his chair, a dark smirk pulling at the edges of his lips. “Ah, Isabella. You finally come seeking the truth. But are you sure you can take it?”“Don’t say that I asked of it,” she hissed, edging closer. “If you want me on your side, then stop hiding behind riddles. What is the feud all about?”Lucian laughed, twisting the tumbler of whiskey in his palm. “The feud, as you call it, isn’t just about Alexander. It’s about justice. Your dear Alexander didn’t simply harm my family—he destroyed it and you’ve been playing into his hands all along.”Her stomach twisted at his words, but she refused to back down. “If that’s true, why haven’t you shown me some proof? You keep da
“You’ve been meeting and seeing Lucian behind my back?” Alexander’s voice pierced through the room. He stood at the window. His hands were fixed in his trousers pocket, and his stare drilled into Isabella, who had just entered the room. Isabella paused mid-step, the allegation striking her like a slap. “Alexander… I can explain.” Her voice trembled, exposing her anxieties. “Explain?” He smiled, his tone filled with anger. “What could you possibly explain? That you’ve been conspiring with the same guy trying to ruin me? That you’ve been lying to my face this entire time?” “I wasn’t plotting anything with him!” Isabella yelled. “Lucian approached me, and I was trying to figure out what he wanted. I did it for you!” “For me?” Alexander's laughter is devoid of humour. “That’s a good one, betrayal in the name of protection? How noble of you, Isabella.” “Betrayal?” She took a step forward, her voice increasing. “You’re the one I should tag a betrayal. How many secrets
" what more are you hiding from me, Clara?" Isabella’s voice quivered with anxiety. Her arms were crossed firmly as if she might hide herself from yet another discovery. "First, you confess to knowing secrets about Lucian, and now this? I feel like I’m drowning in falsehoods." Clara scratched her forehead, breathing forcefully. "Look, Isabella, I realize this is overwhelming but if you keep questioning me, we might lose time to attach up with him. Lucian isn’t waiting around for us to sort things out. He’s already ahead of the game." "Is that supposed to be comfort words to me?" Isabella shot back, her tone dripping with disdain. "Because it doesn’t. For all I know, you may still be working with him of which I can’t even tell. Maybe this is all part of his plan." Clara slapped her hands on the table. "I told you; I am not loyal to that serpent! He wrecked my life like he is doing yours. Fine. If you don’t want my assistance no problem, but stop behaving as if you could
“Clara,” Isabella’s voice was low. “Why are you helping me?”Clara stood by the wall, folded her arms, and smiled broadly. "Do you believe I’m doing this just because I’m kind-hearted?" she asked, her voice soaked with mockery. "No, Isabella, I'm assisting us because I also have an issue with Lucian. At this moment, we both have a shared enemy.”Isabella glanced at Clara, confusion twisting in her thoughts. "Lucian? What do you know about him?"Clara’s grin faded, her eyes hardening. “More than you think. But right now, you need to listen closely, because this goes deeper than you could ever think. Lucian has been tugging the strings behind all of this—between you, myself, and Alexander. He’s been manipulating us, setting us against one other.”Isabella took a step forward, her pulse hammering. “No... you’re lying. Why would he do that?”“Because he knows that the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Clara remarked with a gloomy chuckle. “He’s been manipulating us both to weaken
"Isabella," Alexander's voice broke through silence, as he came into the room. His look fixed upon hers. "What's going on with you today? You’ve been avoiding me since in the morning."Isabella glanced up from the papers in front of her, her heart beating. She had spent hours pondering Lucian's offer, caught between the weight of his words and her strong love for Alexander. Now, the time had come. "I want us to talk," Isabella began, her voice firm but frigid. "It’s about your past. About what you've been hiding."Alexander’s countenance tensed, his eyes blazing with something unreadable. “What are you talking about? You’re being theatrical, Isabella.”"No," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper as she took out the folder she had been holding all morning. The file seemed like it weighed a ton in her hands, each paper within it a piece of the truth she had unearthed. “I’m not being dramatic. You lied to me, Alexander. All these years, you’ve been hiding things fr
"Lucian," Isabella's voice quivered as she stood frozen awaiting Lucian's arrival at the office corridor after closed work, her facial expression was more of confusion. "What do you mean by that earlier?"Lucian’s face remained unreadable, his eyes focused upon hers. The quietness between them stretched like something heavy in the air. Finally, he began, his voice calm yet tinged with something deadly."I meant exactly what I said, Isabella." Lucian's tone changed a sparkle of something more personal flashing under his ordinary ace. "Your loyalty will be tested, and when the time comes, you’ll have to decide who you stand with."Isabella could feel her pulse rate go up, the weight of his words sinking deeper. "Stand with who? You or Alexander?"Lucian moved a step closer as if every action was planned. "What if I told you Alexander isn't who you think he is? What if I told you he’s been playing both sides all along? The reality you’ve been so anxious to ignore… it’s there in
"Isabella," Clara's voice was filled with a lovely tone as she approached the office door, her shoes tapping on the polished floor. "Alexander's been seeking for you. He needs to discuss the new merger plan with you."Isabella barely noticed her, still engrossed in the documents she was digging through on Alexander's desk. Her eyes wandered across the room. The item on his desk was a reminder of everything that had gone before his ambition to accomplish great things, his choices, and their future together. But it was the envelope, tucked under a stack of documents, that attracted her eye.She paused for a second before she carefully took it up. The envelope was sealed but contained no return address, simply her name written, tidy with familiar handwriting. Clara tried to distract her by bringing up a discussion."Clara, I'm not in the mood for gist," Isabella remarked, her voice stern. She had seen enough of Alexander's past with Clara, the tension, every time she was around, b
"You've been observing him the entire evening," Isabella said, glancing at Alexander. Alexander didn’t take his eyes off Lucian, who sat by the fire. “I don’t trust him, Isabella. He’s up to something.” “He’s just confused,” Isabella said, even if she distrust t her own words. Alexander’s gaze went to her. Isabella opened her lips to speak, but a startling snap of a stick from the outside of the camp caught their attention. Both turned immediately, their senses heightened. “Who’s there?” Alexander cried out, his voice loud. The atmosphere got heavier, weighted with an unsaid tension that sent chills down Isabella’s spine. “I’m not fond of this,” she mumbled, unconsciously edging close to Alexander. “Remain here,” he instructed his tone providing no space for debate. He rose, his hand reaching to the knife at his belt as he headed towards the direction that the sound was coming from. “Alexander, wait!” Isabella shouted, but he didn’t stop. The firelight flickered
“I can’t sleep?” Alexander's voice broke the silence of the night, capturing Isabella's attention.She looked up from her chair near the fire, her face glowing with the fire flames. "Not with all that’s on my mind," she confessed quietly.Alexander moved closer, taking a seat next to her. The warmth of his presence was comforting and disturbing, awakening feelings she wasn’t certain she desired to face.“maybe discussing might be of help,” he suggested, his tone calming.She paused briefly, then moved her head. “Talking won't make a difference, Alexander.”“It might not change the situation,” he said, his gaze steady on her. “But it might change how you feel about it.”She sighed the weight of their mission and their complicated relationship pressing down on her. "I have no idea where to begin."He extended his hand, gently moving a lock of hair from her face. The gesture was so loving that it caused her heart to race. "Start with what’s inside," he said, his hand lightly resting on h
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