ISABELLA POV After everything… the sleepless night, the unanswered questions, and the gnawing guilt, I’d made my decision. I was going to see him. Alone.I stood, grabbed my purse, and slipped into the hallway.My heels clicked against the marble, sharp and deliberate, but halfway to the staircase, a voice like nails on glass stopped me.“Running off somewhere?”I turned, and there she was … Macy.Her arms were folded, her expression smug in that way only someone who knew they could get under your skin would wear.“I don’t have time for you,” I said, stepping past her.She shifted, blocking my path. “Of course you do. I mean, it’s not like you’re sneaking off to see him again, right? I’m sure Xavier would love to know how loyal you’ve been lately.”I clenched my jaw. “Step aside.”Macy smirked, tilting her head like she was enjoying the smell of blood in the water. “Or what? You’ll run crying to Xavier? Please. He might play protector with you, but I know what you are, Isabella.
Xavier’s POVThe message from Camille glared up at me from the phone screen."Done."A slow smile crept onto my lips. My eyes burned..not from guilt, not from hesitation…but from pure, unfiltered desire. If only Isabella had loved me enough to forget Drake, none of this would have been necessary. She could have been mine from the beginning. My queen. My everything.Too bad it had to come to this.I glanced at the side mirror of my car, watching my own reflection for a moment, the shadows carving hard lines into my face. Then I stepped out. My boots crunched against the gravel.I had arrived at my hideout..a place I once promised myself I’d let go. Somewhere I thought I’d never need again. I wanted peace, a life with just me and Isabella. But they had chosen war.And now… it was my turn to show them exactly how much of a beast I could be.The metal door groaned open as I stepped inside. A few of the boys straightened immediately, bowing their heads in respect.“Boss.”I gave a short no
CAMILLE POVThe second I turned, my stomach twisted.There she was … Drake’s grandmother.The smirk tugging at her wrinkled makeup lips wasn’t the warm, cookie-baking kind. No. This one dripped venom, the kind only someone who’s been waiting to stab you in the back for years could manage. Her eyes pinned me like I was some dirty speck she couldn’t wait to scrub off her spotless floor.“I knew it,” she hissed, her voice low but sharp enough to slice through the silence. “You whore. You seduced my son, and now you’re carrying a bastard.”My jaw clenched, but I stayed still, letting her walk toward me. Her brows arched high in fake pity as her gaze raked me from head to toe…. slow, deliberate, judging every inch.“First, it was your friend,” she said, her tone dripping with disgust. “Now it’s you? I could manage Isabella, but you…” Her lips curled. “You dirty hag? Never. Better trash that bastard in your tummy because I definitely know it’s not for my son.”For a moment, I almost laughed
Drake’s POV“No… damn it…”The words fell out of my mouth like broken glass.I gripped my head, palms pressing into my temples, trying to stop the storm tearing through my skull. My breath came in short bursts.This couldn’t be happening.Not now.Not again.The image of Isabella’s face flashed in my mind …. her eyes, the ones that could cut through every defense I’d ever built. How could I possibly look into them and tell her this?How could I tell her that the woman standing in front of me …her best friend ….was pregnant with my child?My stomach knotted until I felt sick. I backed away from Camille, every step making the room feel smaller.“Do you have any idea what this means?” I finally rasped, my voice trembling. “How the hell am I supposed to break something like this to Isabella? She’ll never believe me. She’ll think I… I…”“That you what?” Camille’s tone was sharp, defensive.“That I betrayed her again!” My voice cracked under the weight of it. “After everything that’s happen
DRAKE POV The silence in the house was the kind that crawled under your skin. I sent all the maids off.I sat on the couch, elbows resting on my knees, phone lying face-up on the coffee table. I’d left the resort hours ago..I hope she got my message. She had to. I've been checking my phone, if I got any message or call from her.But nothing.The more time passed, the heavier my chest felt, like someone had lodged a fist right beneath my ribs and refused to let go. I hated this waiting game. I hated the feeling that someone else..he..had her ear when it should have been me.Xavier.His name alone made my jaw clench until I felt my teeth ache. He had been threading poison into Isabella’s mind for months, wrapping it in silk and calling it truth. He knew exactly where to press, which old wounds to scratch open. And she…God, she was too trusting when she wanted to believe in someone.He’d turned her against me with and without getting his hands dirty. Every doubt in her heart, he watered
CAMILLE POVI sat in my cramped sitting room, my legs crossed, a glass of cheap wine in one hand and disgust churning in my chest. My eyes swept over the walls …faded paint, furniture I didn’t even like. Everything here felt so… small.This wasn’t the life I wanted.The clock ticked too loud. The silence screamed at me. I leaned back on the worn-out couch and let out a low sigh, blinking slowly as I stared up at the ceiling like it owed me answers.Isabella.Her name alone sparked something sharp and bitter in my throat.Two billionaires wrapped around her perfect little finger. And for what? That face? That pity sob story? Her dramatic life that just happens to attract powerful men like bees to honey?Jealousy burned hot in my veins. I hated the feeling..but I hated her more.My phone beeped.I glanced at the screen.Xavier.I smirked before even opening the message. He had replied."We’ll go with Plan B. She still loves him."Tch.“Pathetic,” I muttered under my breath, pushing off