Mag-log in~Isabel~"We will have to talk after my dad's funeral, Alister, to settle some things. Please take Chloe home," William said as Professor Alister came walking towards the car with Justin.He took my small bag from Chloe's hand and tossed it into the back.Through the glass, I watched Chloe wave a small, hesitant goodbye, her smile faded as William threw the car into drive and pulled out of the police lot.There was only silence between us…i kept my eyes fixed on the road wondering if he was taking me back to the yacht or the mansion.Every few seconds, my eyes shifted to his hands.His knuckles were tightly wrapped on the steering wheel... I know we have things to discuss, but the way his jaw remained locked tight, sent my anxious thoughts into a spiral."I am sorry for everything making you come to the station…" I started unable to hold it in any more."Are you serious right now? God! Isabel!" He cut me off."The one thing I really don't get is why you hid this pregnancy from me. If
~Isabel~The doctor who faked Juliana’s ultrasound…the one blackmailing Juliana on the recording…was…was gone? And the judge who took Juliana's bribe during the Natrex Chemical workers' case had disappeared?How! What is seriously going on!!Those two were crucial witnesses to prove Juliana's crimes with the evidence i got...was someone helping her from the outside, or had she arranged their disappearance even before her arrest?Just then the doors burst open.William stood in the doorway with Justin right behind him…both of them on black suits but William looked as though he had aged five years overnight.Another cop moved to block his way, but William brushed past him without a glance back.His eyes were locked onto mine.. his expression darkened as he took in my state with a fierceness that made my breath catch in my throat.‘He hates me.’‘He surely hates me now.’ I thought."I'm here to take her home," William voice boomed through the room as he walked straight to my seat… he g
~Isabel~"Chloe? What's wrong? Is William with you? How's Arthur?" I asked already feeling impatient."I'm sorry, Izzy... Arthur…he's dead," Chloe replied clutching onto the paper bag she came with...I can see her grasp on it shaking."No! What?”“Are you serious? Tell me you're pulling my legs!"I tried to hold her hand but the officer grabbed my arms away...I fought to break his grip... desperate to reach Chloe…to grab her shoulders and force her to take those words back."Isabel," Professor Alister called.He stepped behind Chloe, his coat was wrinkled and his hair looked disheveled from the long night."She's telling the truth. We lost him last night. According to what I heard, he was overstressed and still brought in late.""No!" I screamed shaking my head....I slumped on my knees as my vision blurred with tears...He couldn't be dead…Not Arthur!"Oh shit, William is going to hate me. Oh my God, what have I done!" I sprawled on the floor as the cop tried hauled me up by my armpits
~William~ "Are you sure she instigated those photos to be posted?” I asked again, still not believing my ears. "Yes, sir. She routed them through an anonymous entertainment blog before it started going viral." Collins confirmed. I nodded, unable to speak as her betrayal hit harder than anything I had ever experienced… to think she was this kind of a person and my father had seen her as a perfect marriage candidate for me. Juliana… had grown up in the same country clubs as me, attended the same prep schools, walked the same red carpets at events... I had spent two years dating her in university, ignoring her proud nature, assuming she was just a spoiled heiress... I never guessed she was capable of calculating a public scandal while faking a pregnancy to force a ring onto my finger. "It doesn't matter," I said, trying to bury the pain as another thought crossed my mind. "It actually works for us. She's pressing charges against Isabel for privacy invasion and hacking her priv
~William~ "You can't come past this point! Family members stay behind in the waiting area," a tall surgeon barked, pushing his palm on my chest as I tried to follow the stretcher into the emergency room. He shoved Sarah and Justin back in the same motion. Behind his shoulder, I caught a glimpse of my father’s pale face on the gurney… oxygen mask fogging with every weak breath he was forcing in…before the frosted glass doors closed and locked us out. I stood frozen as I stared at the blurred blue scrubs moving back and forth behind the doors. ‘He will survive.’ I clamped my teeth together as I tried to convince the word into my brain…’He has to… Arthur Sterling doesn't give up.’ My father and I have an unusual bond...our relationship was forged mostly in boardrooms.. financial quarterly reports, and unspoken demands… He had built me from scratch…carving away my softness that my late mother tried to bring me up with and drove me to excel at every school subject, every de
~Isabel~ "Let me submit these first," Alister said turning back to the cops. A moment later, Detective Ian walked back in, carrying a folder. He sat down back on the chair across me and passed a document over the table, along with a pen. "Ma'am, we need both of your signatures on this record of statement," Ian said. Alister leaned over the table, picked up the pen, and signed his name swiftly on the line marked Counsel/Witness. He handed the pen to me. I signed my name with shaky hands that the letters looked a little rough. "It's done," I whispered passing the paper back to the detective. "I can go now, right?" Before Ian could answer, the telephone on the corner of the desk rang interrupting his reply to my question. Ian picked it then spoke up… "Detective Ian... “Right... “Understand." I watched his face as the person on the other end spoke, the tired patient look in Ian's eyes hardened into something serious... his jaw tightened… He slowly hung up the receiv
~Isabel~ The ride back from the office was silent. Upstairs, I locked the bathroom door, washed the ink off my face, and changed into the blue fancy dress my mother left on the bed, it was expensive, it felt wrong on me, not even my skin tone, but I wore it to avoid a scene at dinner. Dinner
~~Isabel~~ 5:45 AM! It was already morning, my alarm jolted me up, cutting straight through my skull like an emergency siren. I sat up, my heart racing as my eyes try to adjust to the dim light in the room. The sheets beneath me felt too soft, a mocking reminder of a luxury lifestyle I hadn't
~Isabel~ I didn't stop walking fast until I reached my room and the door clicked shut. I leaned my back against the cool wood, finally letting go of my breath that felt like it had been stuck in my lungs forever. My hands were trembling with nervousness. I started pacing across the floor, fe
Isabel's POV (Thirty Hours Ahead) Twenty minutes later, I pushed open a pair of double doors. The dining room glowed under a giant crystal chandelier. Arthur Sterling sat at the head of the table and laughing at something my had mother said. He looked exactly like his photos: silver at the







