LOGINThe man who stepped out of the car was the same one Isabella had met earlier that afternoon—Miguel.“Miss, it’s you!” Miguel exclaimed, clearly delighted to see her again.“You?” Isabella’s voice came out faint, her face pale and her eyes still puffy from crying.“Have you been crying?” Miguel asked, narrowing his eyes as he studied her expression.“No,” Isabella shook her head quickly.“Don’t lie,” he said gently. “You clearly have. You can talk to me if you want. And… what are you doing walking alone on a road like this?”‘This man is so annoying. Why is he acting like we’re close?’ Isabella thought irritably.“I’m fine, sir. This has nothing to do with you,” Isabella replied curtly. She hated when strangers tried to meddle in her business—especially someone she barely knew. She turned to walk away, but Miguel stopped her.“Wait, Miss! Where are you going? Let me give you a ride,” Miguel offered, reaching out to lightly grab her arm.Isabella quickly pulled away.“No need, sir. But
The next morning, Isabella woke up looking unusually cheerful. The sprain in her ankle was gone, and she hummed softly as she prepared breakfast for her husband.Aunt Anita had already dropped by earlier and mentioned she’d be heading to the supermarket to restock the household supplies. Isabella handed her some cash with a polite smile and told her to be careful on the way.Maximilian stepped out of the bedroom and headed toward the kitchen for breakfast. But before he reached the table, his gaze fell on Isabella—and for a moment, he froze.That morning, she looked… different. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, and the simple mini dress she wore traced her figure with effortless grace. She looked stunning—so much so that Maximilian forgot to breathe for a second.Isabella, however, noticed his lingering gaze and immediately frowned.“What are you staring at?” she snapped, her tone sharp enough to cut.“You wish,” Maximilian shot back, quickly looking away. “Who’d bother stari
Maximilian had just arrived at X Café—the place his younger brother had mentioned.As soon as he stepped inside, his sharp gaze swept around the cozy interior until it landed on his brother, sitting in the corner with a woman.The moment Miguel noticed his brother’s arrival, he quickly told the woman beside him to leave, wanting some privacy.Then he stood up and walked toward Maximilian, pulling him into a tight hug.“How’ve you been, bro?” Miguel asked, releasing him with a warm smile and gesturing toward the seat opposite him.Maximilian sank into the plush sofa, shrugged off his jacket, and tossed it carelessly aside.“How do you think?” he replied flatly.“This is all your fault! If you hadn’t run away, I wouldn’t have ended up marrying that woman!” Maximilian snapped, grabbing the wine bottle in front of him. He poured himself a glass and downed it in one go.“I’m sorry, Max. I really thought that if I disappeared, Mom would cancel the engagement. I never imagined she’d make you
That evening, Isabella walked out of her office after another long day at work. The sun was dipping below the horizon, and it was well past the end of office hours. She walked toward the main road, hoping to catch a taxi.The distance from her workplace to her house was much farther than to her mother’s, so walking home wasn’t an option—especially not in heels.Step by step, she scanned both sides of the street, her eyes darting left and right, hoping a taxi would appear soon. But after nearly twenty-five minutes, there was still no sign of one.Just as she decided to cross the street, a motorcycle suddenly came speeding from the side road.Startled, Isabella jumped back to avoid it—but lost her balance and fell hard onto the pavement.“Ah—ow!” she hissed in pain, clutching her ankle. The sharp ache shot up her leg as she tried to get up, but her ankle was badly twisted, and standing was nearly impossible.A sleek black car screeched to a halt in front of her.The door opened, and a t
Max got up from his seat, opened the wardrobe, and grabbed a random towel and a pair of Isabella’s folded pants. Then he walked toward the bathroom door to hand them over.Coincidentally, Isabella was doing the same thing as before—peeking out through the small crack of the door to check if Max was still there. To her shock, he was standing right in front of her.She gasped and quickly slammed the door shut.“What are you doing out there? Are you trying to peek at me, huh? You’re unbelievable!” she shouted from behind the door.“Open the door,” Max called back, knocking firmly.“Hey, idiot! I have no interest in peeking at you! I’m just giving you a towel,” he yelled, clearly annoyed.The door creaked open just a little.“Oh… I thought—hehe, never mind. Thank you, Max.” Isabella smiled awkwardly, snatched the towel and clothes from his hands, and slammed the door shut again so hard that Max’s ears rang.A few minutes later, Isabella came out of the bathroom, hair still damp. She rumma
Isabella stayed seated on the bed, too lazy to get up. After a moment, she lay back down again, then finally forced herself to rise. As she tied her hair up and wandered aimlessly around the room, she accidentally bumped into Max—who had just stepped out of the bathroom.For the second time, Isabella found herself face-to-face with his bare chest. Her face instantly turned crimson, and she spun around, refusing to look at him.“Put on your shirt already! You really need to break that habit,” Isabella snapped.Max said nothing. He walked over to the wardrobe, grabbed a shirt, and put it on.“Are you dressed yet?” Isabella asked after a moment.“Yes,” Max replied flatly.Isabella turned around—just as someone knocked on the bedroom door.She frowned. Who could that be? There was no one else in the house besides her and Max… right?“Come in,” Max said.The door opened, and a woman in her late forties stepped in, smiling politely.“Good morning, Miss. Good morning, Young Master,” she gree







