CHAPTER FIVE

~ISLA~

  The slap came without a warning.

My head snapped to the side, pain blooming across my cheeks as gasp rippled through the gathered employees. She tasted the blood instantly. 

“How dare you” Her adoptive mother, Sophia began. “Who gave you the right to make Cassandra cry?!” She screeched, her eyes blazing with fury.

I lifted my gaze up slowly as Serena grabbed onto my shoulder.

Cassandra immediately ran forward with her eyes red and her lips trembling.

“Mother please” She said softly as she grabbed onto Sophia’s arm. “It's not Isla’s fault. I understand why she's hurt” anyone would be”

I almost scoffed at her Oscar worthy performance. Who would think this was the same girl from last night?

Cassandra turned to me.

“We didn't mean any of this nor did we mean to hurt you” She uttered with tears slipping down her cheeks.

“It happened so suddenly and feelings are not something he or I could control” She added before walking over to me and grabbing my hand, her eyes shining with false sincerity.

“I don't want you to hate me. You're still my sister” 

I couldn't help but grimace at her words. Cassandra has never treated me like a sister. 

She was my biggest bully and did everything in her power to make sure I was unhappy. She had everyone fooled into thinking she was an innocent girl who unfortunately got separated from her parents and because of that, she could do no wrong in their eyes but I saw through her easily.

Her eyes filled with tears glimmered with satisfaction as they met mine.

“She's heartless,” Someone whispered.

“After everything Cassandra has been through, how can she be so cruel?”

“No wonder Aiden left her” I clenched my fist at their words, wondering how the tables had been turned on me, how everything was my fault.

Sophia grabbed Cassandra, pulling her behind her as she glared at me.

“You have nothing to apologise for, Cassy. You owe her nothing while she owes you everything. If you hadn't been lost all those years, we would have never adopted such a witch like her” 

Her words landed harder than the slap because despite the fact that after Cassandra Showed up, I was instantly tossed to the side and treated like an animal, there was a time when they treated me nicely. They treated me like a human.

I guess that was long forgotten now that their precious daughter had returned.

“So you should be grateful. You should get on your knees and thank Cassandra and I for the life you have now” I couldn't help but scoff at her words.

 What did I have to be grateful for? If anyone saw the way I lived, they would believe I had ties to the Anderson. Everything I have now, I worked hard for it.

“Let's all calm down” I turned to the voice and saw Aiden as he walked up to us. He glanced briefly at me before turning to Sophia.

“We can talk about this in private, not here” He stated like the peacemaker he was acting to be, like everything wasn't his fault. 

Even now, despite everything, my heart still ached as soon as I saw him.

He turned back to me and Cassandra used that medium to throw herself at him while sobbing.

 “This is all my fault. I never wanted this, I didn't want to hurt anyone. Maybe we should call off the wedding…”

“Over my dead body, Cassandra! For what? Her? She's a nobody who was dragging Aiden down anyway. I can't even phantom why your grandmother had given her such a huge inheritance…”

“Maybe because she saw how dark and evil your souls were. Maybe because instead of seeing me like an animal, she saw me as a human whom she raised” I hadn't even realized i was the one talking till they all turned to me with shock written on their faces.

Usually, I don't talk back but anger I had never felt before was surging through my veins and I needed you to let it out.

“Isla…” Aiden began but I raised up my hand to stop him.

“I regret the day you ever adopted me because living at the orphanage was way better than living with you! I have nothing to be grateful for to you and especially not to Cassandra!” I screamed as angry tears streamed down my face.

The whole room gasped while Sophia's face darkened with rage as she stormed towards me.

“You bitch!” She lunged at me, grabbing me harshly by the hair then slapping me several times on the cheek before throwing me to the floor.

“You ungrateful bitch! You would have died if we didn’t save you” She screamed kicking me roughly on my side and I grimaced as her heels dug into my side.

I glanced up and no one made a move to help, not even Aiden who had a grim look on his face.

It was also like this. No one helped me when I was being attacked by them but when I talked or fought back, I was the bad guy.

I let out a bitter laugh.

I could never win.

“What are you laughing at, you bastard?” She grabbed onto my cheek, digging her manicured nails into my cheeks. I groaned as I grabbed onto her wrist.

“You are nothing without us. If I kill you now, who will care? Who would dare challenge me?!” She screamed then lifted up her hand to slap me again. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact but it never came.

When I opened my eyes, I gasped when I saw who It was in front of me.

It was Jaxon and he was holding onto Sophia's Wrist.

Time seemed to stop in their moment and everyone seemed to be holding their breaths.

What was he doing here? 

“Who… who the fuck are you?!” Sophia screeched, finally finding her voice but I could see she was awestruck by how handsome he was. Anyone would be.

He shoved her hand away with controlled force, causing her to stumble back a step and Aiden was there to steady her.

He turned to me and his blue eyes were ice cold. It was so beautiful, I momentarily forgot what was going on till he touched my cheek where Sophia had dug her finger into and I flinched.

Without another word, he bent down and scooped me in his arms and I gasped. 

“Who the fuck are you? Let her down!” Aiden finally spoke. I kept my eyes on the beautiful Jaxon as he turned to glare at Aiden.

I could see the fear in Aiden's eyes as soon as Jaxon turned to him. I couldn't blame him, he was looking extremely more intimidating than he did this morning.

Not to talk about the fact that he towered over Aiden and everyone easily.

He didn't need to say anything, his presence had already said everything it needed to.

At that moment, I couldn't believe a man like him could be homeless.

Without another word, Jaxon turned around and walked towards the exit with me in his arms.

“Don't just stare, stop him!” Sophia yelled and the security guards slowly approached us but just one glare had them pausing.

“Stop me, I dare you” Jaxon finally said and his words immediately stopped them.

“If you step out of here, I'll ruin you both! I'll make sure you rot in prison” Sophia screamed but neither of us turned around.

As soon as we were outside, it glanced up at him and instantly, our eyes connected and in that moment, I knew I was about to make a decision that  could alter my life forever because I just realized I might need him more than I thought.

  “Is… is your offer still up? Will you be my bodyguard?”…