CHAPTER 15

~~~ ISABELLE ~~~

It took me longer than usual to get home. I kept wandering for a while to ensure Damian hadn't sent anyone to follow me home. Fortunately, he didn't, but I didn't want to take my chances, so I lingered around the beach for a while, processing everything that had happened earlier in the evening.

Damian Crown was my mate.

I found it hard to stomach. I didn't want to do anything romantically with him. I wanted to do the opposite— ruin him and his brother. I wanted to see them suffer the same way they had made others suffer. I wanted to give them the pain they had given to the people I loved and cared for.

It had been so fucking easy for them to wipe away everything that had mattered to me in a single blow. Damian destroyed everything I had with a single stroke. How could I ever think of being with him?

Now that I was reminding myself of the past, of the terrible flashbacks and the nightmares, the effect of his pheromones seemed to be washing away gradually. I was no longer distracted by the thoughts of his lips, his heart-aching smile, or his addicting scent.

The bitter memories of the past helped me flush away all that nonsense until I could only focus on what mattered most to me- the downfall of the Alpha brothers. I had been working on this for the longest time, not even months but years. I had carefully planned and executed everything. It took me a lot of hard work and determination to get where I am today.

I wouldn't let anything ruin it. Mate and Damian be damned. I moped by the sea for a while before returning home, the fresh tears of my old wounds fuelling my thirst for revenge.

I got to work as soon as I got home. I was aware that Damian must have been combing the Internet looking for me, and when he failed to find anything useful, he would go to the pack to look for me.

That'd take at least a few hours, and I had only that amount of time to plan my next move. They might still be confused, but they were clever. Once they found out I was never part of the small pack downtown; it wouldn't take them long to put two and two together.

Hmm…. It'd be interesting to see how that would play out. I wondered if I could leave them a hint just to be fair to them, but they don't deserve such things. So I do what I'm good at.

Ambush.

I get myself an entire wine bottle before I sit down at my computer to fuck with their systems again. I have done this numerous times in the past. It was almost becoming my pastime hobby, but this time, things were different.

I had an even stronger reason to fuck with them this time, and I wasn't going to let it go to waste. I flipped through all the files, looking for something to put them on edge. I had gathered enough material on them over the years to blackmail them, but that wasn't my style.

I stopped at the file where I had been tracking all their offshore bank accounts where they stored away most of their funds. I wondered how they'd react if I were to freeze one of them.

Suddenly, an evil idea crossed my mind. I chugged down more wine as I pulled up all their bank details, business transactions, and tax returns. The more I scrolled through all the info, the more excited I got. I was already forming a plan, and I couldn't wait to hatch it.

All I had to do was wait for the perfect timing. I knew exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. I did all the preparation before I began packing my stuff.

Now that the brothers knew I was here, I had to move. I wasn't in a hurry, though. Even if they got the best people on their side, it'd still take them a long time to find out where I operate from. Still, I felt like moving. They had spoiled the city for me.

I couldn't live here anymore, especially after finding out Damian was my mate. The more I thought about it, the more disgusted I became.

However, my wolf had different thoughts about him. Even if somewhat reluctant, she wanted to give him a chance, especially after meeting him tonight and seeing how different he seemed from what I had perceived him to be.

Well, fuck that. I didn't want to see him again. At least, not alive. Mate bond be damned. It was forever ruined for me. The hope I had in me all this time died the minute I met Damian, and I hated him for that.

I could've lived forever with that morsel of hope even if I had no mate, but he had to ruin it for me... just like always. Why was I even surprised by this?

The brothers did what they were good at. Now, it was my time to go fully into operations. I had held myself back a lot in the past, but not anymore. Not that I was planning to nuke them all in one go.

Nah! That'd be too boring. I wanted to, no scratch that. I needed to see them suffer slowly and gradually. I needed to see them slowly falling apart, even if it meant I had to wait for a couple more years. Fuck it, I'd enjoy their downfall like film noir. I needed to see them suffer. I needed to see them slowly lose hope to live. I needed to see them losing everything and everyone they cared about without being able to do anything to stop it.

That'd be fucking magnificent, but even after that, I doubted I'd be satisfied. No, I guessed not. But their fall was ensured, and nothing could stop it.

AUTHOR’S REVIEW: Hmm…. Isabelle….