The Plan

Isabella’s POV

Aiden’s voice hit me with a force I was not prepared for.

He called my name, the one I had buried with every part of the girl I used to be.

“Claire?”

I froze. My back stiffened. My mind stopped for a moment. I felt my heartbeat spread through my chest like someone knocked on a locked door.

I slowly turned, and his eyes were already searching mine. He looked so sure of what he said, even though he whispered it like he was scared of being wrong.

I had imagined this moment many times.

But not like this.

Not in a karaoke room with his drunk sister sleeping on a sofa.

Not when my mind was already stretched thin from everything that had happened.

I swallowed. “I am not Claire,” I said quietly.

He stared at me like he did not hear me well.

“Isabella,” I continued, steadying my voice. “My name is Isabella.”

His brows came together slightly. “You look exactly like her.”

“Well, I am not her,” I said, lifting my chin a little just to give myself the strength I needed. “I don’t know who she is or why you think I look like her, but I am not.”

I walked past him and reached for the door, but he stepped sideways and blocked part of my path without touching me.

“Hold on,” he said. “Just give me a second.”

My heart beat hard again, almost loud in my ears. Every part of me wanted to push him aside and leave, but my legs stayed in place.

“I don’t remember meeting you,” I said calmly. “So I honestly don’t know what you are talking about.”

He ran a hand through his hair and studied me slowly. There was confusion in his eyes, and something else that made me uncomfortable. I knew that look. That look meant he was about to remember something he was not supposed to.

“Your voice,” he said quietly. “There is something about it.”

I let out a breath. “A lot of women in this city have similar voices, Aiden. I am sure of it.”

Before he could respond again, Nora groaned loudly from the sofa.

“Aiden,” she mumbled. “You are here.”

He moved to her immediately, leaving me with the little space I needed to breathe again. He helped her sit up, and she leaned her head on his shoulder without opening her eyes.

“You drank too much,” he said.

“You should thank Isabella,” Nora slurred. “She bought out the whole place so I could scream and cry with peace.”

I pressed my lips together. Nora meant well but I did not like how exposed I suddenly felt.

Then she lifted her head slowly and squinted at me. “Did you meet my brother? He is annoying. Don’t mind him.”

Aiden ignored her comment. “We should go,” he said to her.

Nora blinked and then smiled at me. “Isabella… meet my brother, Aiden Hale. Founder of… what company again, Aiden? I forgot. He is always in meetings.”

My chest tightened at the last name.

Hale.

I already knew, but hearing it again made my stomach twist.

“And this,” she continued, waving her hand like she was introducing me at an award show, “is Isabella Schneider. Founder of Vanguard Cypher Group.”

Aiden turned fully to me this time. His expression changed from confusion to something I could not name. Maybe it was surprise. Maybe respect. Or maybe it was interest, the kind that made me uncomfortable.

“You built VCG?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied with a small nod.

He stared at me for a while, as if trying to match the girl he once knew with the woman standing in front of him. When he could not, he blinked slowly and cleared his throat.

“That is impressive,” he said.

“Thank you.”

Nora suddenly shook his hand away and pointed at him. “Take me home, stupid. I want to sleep.”

He sighed and reached for her bag. Before he helped her stand, he looked at me again.

“Can we talk some other time?” he asked softly.

My breath caught again. “About what?”

“About you,” he said simply.

“No need,” I replied quickly. “Everything you need to know about me is already online. I am not that interesting in real life.”

His eyes stayed on mine longer than I liked.

“You are interesting,” he said quietly.

I didn’t respond. I picked my bag again, nodded politely and walked out.

I didn’t breathe properly until I stepped into the hallway.

I thought that was the end of it. I thought avoiding him would be easy.

But it was not.

Because we met again three days later.

And this time, I was not lucky enough to hide.

**********

Nora insisted we meet at a rooftop restaurant. She wanted to “properly hang out” as she called it. I tried to cancel twice but she was stubborn, and I was starting to feel bad for always telling her no.

So I went.

The place was beautiful with soft lights and music playing low. People scattered around with their drinks. The view of the city stretched far and clear.

I saw Nora before she saw me. She waved her hands like a child when she finally noticed me.

“Bella,” she shouted. “Over here.”

I walked toward her table with a small smile, trying to calm myself.

Then I saw him again.

Aiden, sitting right beside her.

My steps slowed for half a second, but I forced myself to move normally. I reminded myself that I could not look weak. Not in front of the man who helped break my heart into pieces years ago.

Nora grinned. “I dragged him out. He works too much.”

I took the seat opposite them, pretending not to notice that Aiden’s eyes were already fixed on me.

He greeted me with a soft smile. “Isabella.”

“Aiden.”

Nora started talking immediately. She was the type who never ran out of things to say. She talked about work, her father, her plans for a holiday she might never take. She made me laugh more than once. It felt easy with her.

Aiden said little, but he watched everything. He watched me. He watched the way I laughed. He watched the way I held my glass. He watched the way I avoided his gaze sometimes.

When Nora left to take a call, he leaned forward slightly.

“You really remind me of someone,” he said.

I sipped my drink slowly. “That is not enough reason to stare at me like you are solving a puzzle.”

He chuckled. “You caught that.”

“You were not exactly hiding it.”

He looked at me for a long moment. Then he said, “You are different, you know. There is something about you.”

I kept my face calm. “Most people just say I look tired.”

“No,” he said quietly. “That is not it.”

I should have walked away, but something kept me in my seat. Maybe it was my plan. Maybe it was anger. Maybe it was the part of me that wanted him to see what he lost. I did not know.

We talked a bit more when Nora returned. It felt strangely normal. I laughed more than I expected. I hated that part. I hated that my body still knew how to relax around him.

At some point, he helped me adjust my chair when someone bumped into me. His hand brushed my arm lightly and something shot through me before I could stop it.

I pulled back immediately. He noticed and immediately lowered his eyes, giving me space.

Good. He should.

When the night ended, Nora hugged me. “See you soon,” she whispered.

Aiden stayed behind for a second.

“Isabella,” he said softly. “We should meet again… Just the two of us.”

I looked at him. “Why?”

“Because I want to understand something.”

I swallowed. “There is nothing to understand.”

He smiled a little. Not the big smile I once knew. A smaller one. Sadder.

“I hope that is true,” he said.

Then he walked away with Nora.

I stood there for a long while, feeling heat gather behind my eyes. It was a quiet anger brewing inside me. He had no right to make me feel anything.

I returned home to find Mira asleep on the couch with her teddy bear. I carried her to bed gently and sat beside her, brushing her forehead.

“I am staying,” I whispered. “I will not run. Not this time.”

Because staying meant watching them crumble. Staying meant seeing the truth unfold. Staying meant getting justice for the girl who died and came back as someone else. The one who was living her second life.

Revenge was not a quick thing. It needed patience. And having Aiden near made everything easier. He would not break me again.

But I would use him.

I needed the Hale family to fall.

And this time, I would not be the one lying on a cold restroom floor.

This time, I would be the one standing.