Chapter 4: A bargain with a stranger

For several moments, neither of them spoke, they simply looked at each other, two strangers who had somehow arrived at a conversation neither could have anticipated.

Isabella couldn't tell what was going through Adrian's mind, his expression remained composed, but there was a faint curiosity in his eyes.

As for Adrian, he had come to Montclair to handle private business, he had not planned to become involved in anyone's personal affairs, let alone agree to become a stranger's groom in exchange for a meal.

Yet here he was, agreeing to something he would normally have dismissed without a second thought, before either of them could say anything else, Nadia approached the table.

“Madam Isabella, your attention is needed at the counter.”

Isabella briefly closed her eyes, Of course, now?

She turned toward Nadia, “I'll be there shortly.”

Then she faced Adrian again.

“I have to attend to something.”

He nodded, Isabella reached into her bag, brought out a card, and placed it on the table in front of him.

“Call me when you're free.”

Adrian glanced at the card.

“Very well.”

Without another word, Isabella walked away, Adrian watched her leave before picking up the card.

What kind of woman was she? She had approached him with a strange question, demanded that he become her groom, and then walked away as if the matter had already been settled.

He had met countless people who wanted something from him. Most approached him with carefully prepared requests, flattering words, or desperate attempts to impress him.

Isabella was different, she had looked him straight in the eyes and asked him to become her groom because of a meal, the thought was absurd, And yet, he found himself admiring her determination.

She had wanted something, and she had asked for it without hiding behind unnecessary explanations, he liked that.

Adrian glanced at the card once more before slipping it into his pocket, perhaps Montclair would prove more interesting than he had expected.

When Isabella returned to the counter, Hannah was waiting for her with an expression that immediately made Isabella suspicious.

“What?” Isabella asked.

Hannah pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.

“Nothing.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because I just witnessed something beautiful.”

Isabella stared at her, “Beautiful?”

Hannah nodded enthusiastically.“The way you two looked at each other! If someone had walked into this restaurant at that moment, they would have thought you were a newly married couple.”

Isabella groaned.“Please don't start.”

“I'm serious! The silence, the eye contact, the way he looked at you—”

“Hannah.”

“What? I'm only saying what I saw.”

Isabella shook her head and glanced toward Adrian's table, he was still there, looking at his phone, she turned back to Hannah.

“I got him.”

Hannah's smile disappeared.“Got who?”

“The groom.”

For a moment, Hannah looked as though she hadn't understood the words, then her eyes widened.

“Wait, What?”

Isabella pulled her closer and lowered her voice.

“He agreed.”

“He agreed to what?”

“To become my groom.”

Hannah stared at her in disbelief.

“Isabella!”

“Keep your voice down!”

“You're telling me that a man whose name you don't even know has agreed to marry you?”

“Technically, I asked him to become my groom.”

“That doesn't make it any better!”

Isabella sighed.

“I know how it sounds.”

“No, I don't think you do, What did you promise him?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“He asked me to prepare Tortilla Española. I told him I could, and he said he would give me anything I wanted if I made it for him.”

Hannah's expression changed.“And you asked him to become your groom?”

“Yes.”

“And he agreed?”

“Yes.”

Hannah opened her mouth, then closed it again, for several seconds, she could only stare at her friend.

Finally, she asked, “Isabella, are you sure this man is serious?”

“I don't know.”

“You don't know?”

“I said I don't know, Hannah!”

Hannah lowered her voice.

“Then why would you trust him?”

“Because I have no other choice.”

The words came out more quietly than Isabella intended, Hannah's expression softened, they both knew what was at stake.

Victor Blackwell wasn't a man who accepted rejection easily, and Isabella's desperate lie had placed her in a dangerous position.

Still, Hannah couldn't ignore the strangeness of what had just happened, then another thought occurred to her.

“Wait a minute. You said he asked you to prepare Tortilla Española?”

Isabella nodded, Hannah stared at her.“Isn't that the same food your mother asked you to make when she was sick? The one she ate before she died?”

Isabella's expression changed, For a moment, the noise of the restaurant seemed to fade into the background.

She looked into the distance, her mind returning to the memory she had never been able to understand.

“Yes,”

she whispered, Hannah watched her carefully.

“That's strange.”

Isabella didn't respond immediately, she had thought about that day countless times, she had wondered why her mother had requested that particular meal when she was so ill, she had searched her memories for an explanation, but nothing had ever made sense.

And now, a stranger had asked for the same dish, a stranger who had just agreed to become her groom.Isabella slowly shook her head.

“I don't understand it either.”

She looked toward Adrian's table again, for the first time, her decision to approach him no longer felt like a simple bargain.

There was something about him she couldn't explain, and there was something about her mother's final request that she had yet to uncover.

Perhaps the two were connected, or perhaps it was only a coincidence, But Isabella had learned that some coincidences were too strange to ignore.

*****

Isabella couldn't stop thinking about the stranger, even after Adrian left the restaurant, his calm voice lingered in her mind.

Who is the bride?

Me.

She covered her face with both hands. What had she been thinking? She had asked a man whose name she barely knew to become her groom, and he had agreed as though she had asked him to pass the salt, It was unbelievable.

"You're doing it again," Hannah said.

Isabella lowered her hands. "Doing what?"

"Thinking about him."

"I'm not thinking about him."

"Then why have you been staring at the door for the past five minutes?"

Isabella sighed and reached for the glass of water on the table.

"I made a terrible decision."

Hannah pulled out a chair and sat opposite her.

"Finally, something sensible has come out of your mouth."

Isabella shot her an annoyed look.

"Thank you for your support."

"You're welcome." Hannah leaned forward. "Now, tell me what you're planning to do."

Isabella stared at her glass.

"I don't know."

"Isabella, you cannot marry a stranger simply because you're trying to escape Victor Blackwell."

"I'm aware of that."

"Are you? Because yesterday, you looked that man in the eyes and practically asked him to marry you over a plate of food."

"I didn't say he had to marry me immediately."

"That makes it worse!"

Isabella couldn't help sighing, Hannah was right about one thing, she knew absolutely nothing about Adrian, she didn't know where he came from, what he did for a living, or why he had agreed to such an unusual proposal.

For all she knew, he could be just as dangerous as Victor, but what other choice did she have?

Victor had made his intentions clear. He wanted her, and he was prepared to use her family's property to get what he wanted.

She had spent years protecting her parents' legacy. She couldn't allow Daniel's mistakes to destroy everything they had worked for.

"I'll speak to him when he calls," Isabella finally said. "We'll discuss the arrangement properly. If we cannot agree on reasonable conditions, I'll find another way."

Hannah raised an eyebrow, "And what if he asks for something you cannot give him?"

"Then I'll refuse."

"And what if he changes his mind?"

"Then I'll deal with it."

Hannah shook her head.

"You make everything sound so easy."

"It isn't easy." Isabella's voice softened. "But I can't afford to give up."

For a moment, Hannah said nothing, then Isabella's phone vibrated against the table, she glanced at the screen.

A message from an unknown number appeared.

Her expression changed as she read it.

I hope you're preparing for your wedding, Isabella. I would hate to discover that my bride-to-be has been lying to me.

Victor Blackwell.

Her fingers tightened around the phone, Hannah noticed the change in her expression.

"What happened?"

Isabella handed her the phone, Hannah read the message, and the colour seemed to drain from her face.

"That man is terrifying."

"He wants to frighten me into changing my mind."

"And is it working?"

Isabella took the phone back.

"No."

But as she stared at Victor's message, she couldn't ignore the cold feeling settling in her stomach, Victor was not a man who made empty threats.

If she wanted to escape him, she would need more than courage, she would need a plan, and she would need her mysterious stranger to keep his promise.