Chapter 4

Isobel put on some lipstick in the car, bringing some color to her pale face. Half an hour later, the cab pulled up outside Mysterio.

She headed inside and straight to a private room, where she saw a group of men and women. Some were singing and dancing, while others were drinking.

She was assaulted by a mixture of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and perfume as soon as she opened the door, which made her cough. She searched the place for Remy.

Instead of seeing him, she saw Ethan lying on a couch, downing glass after glass of liquor.

Isobel bit her lip, inwardly cursing, "Damn."

She knew Remy had tricked her into coming to see Ethan, which pissed her off. She turned to leave, but Ethan had already seen her.

His drunken eyes immediately lit up and focused, and he ran after her. He grabbed her and said, "Don't go, Bell. Let's talk about this."

She looked at him coldly. "There's nothing to talk about."

She wanted to break free of his grasp. Having his hand on her made her stomach turn.

Ethan refused to let go, though. He said, "I can explain, Bell. Heather and I really aren't like what you think. She seduced me!"

"I've heard enough." Isobel frowned at him. "I would've considered you a man if you'd just owned up to it. I didn't expect you to just push all the blame on a woman. Heather's a bitch, but you're no better than her!"

She wanted to roll her eyes at him but stopped herself when she thought about what a waste it would be of her beautiful eyes.

Ethan was rendered speechless. He'd never been treated like this since the day he was born, and Isobel had always been the one to pursue him. So, he'd always been egotistic.

His patience had just about run out at this point, and his expression darkened. "I've already apologized, haven't I? What else do you want? Don't tell me you really want to call the engagement off! Have you forgotten how you begged and groveled before I agreed to be with you?"

That pissed Isobel off. She would've been fine if he hadn't mentioned that; she couldn't help retching at his words.

Ethan's expression softened, and he stepped forward to hold her closer. "What's wrong, Bell? Are you okay?"

She pulled away from him, disdain and scorn written all over her pretty face. "I'll be fine as long as you stay away from me."

Ethan was mad now. "Don't take things too far, Isobel! You're not actually involved with someone else, are you?"

He grabbed Isobel again, his tone icy as he snarled, "Tell me who the guy from that night is!"

She snorted and sneered at him. "It's none of your fucking business. All you need to know is that I'm the one who dumped you!"

He didn't seem to hear her. He couldn't describe how exactly he felt about Isobel.

Did he love her? Yes, but how many people in their social circle were pure and chaste?

They were all rich kids who didn't need to worry about making ends meet, so they needed something to pass the time. Women were perfect for that.

Heather had thrown herself at him; he hadn't been the one to go after her. He'd initially thought that Isobel would've easily forgiven him after he'd apologized because of how much she loved him. He didn't expect her to seriously want to end things with him.

Ethan did want to marry her. After all, no one else's face could compare to hers after she'd grown into the gorgeous creature she was from the age of 18.

She was pure yet alluring. More importantly, she only had eyes for him. Every man in his social circle envied his good fortune.

At that thought, he said, "It hasn't been easy for us to get to this point, Isobel. I sincerely apologize to you for what happened, okay? I'm sorry."

As he spoke, he nudged her to the wall, wanting to kiss her. He thought his attitude was enough to appease her, but she did something he never would've expected—she kicked him in the groin.

The intense pain made Ethan turn ashen. Then, his face turned red.

Isobel scoffed. "You asked for it!"

She turned to leave but ran right into someone. She looked up while rubbing her forehead to see a man's flawless face.

Theodore didn't say anything. His usually calm eyes glinted with a hint of what seemed like mockery.