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Chapter 51 – The Mask Beneath the Crown

last update Last Updated: 2025-02-23 05:32:04
The days following Isabella’s declaration passed like a slow-moving storm—charged with unspoken tension, quiet understanding, and growing unease.

Alexander gave her space—too much space.

She would come into the penthouse after meetings, find his suit jacket draped over the back of a chair, a half-finished glass of scotch on the table, and the man himself nowhere to be found. He wasn’t ignoring her exactly; he was watching from a distance, assessing, as if waiting for her to flinch or run.

But Isabella didn’t run.

Instead, she threw herself into work. She buried her thoughts in reports, campaigns, and event preparations for the Laurent Foundation’s upcoming charity gala. The gala had been her mother’s favorite event every year—a celebration of fashion, philanthropy, and legacy. Planning it now, with her parents abroad and unreachable, gave her something to hold on to. Something normal.

But nothing about her life felt normal anymore.

Not after falling for a man like Alexander Knigh
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