ISABELLA POV
“ I don’t want to talk to him,” I said in a low voice. “ I came here to drink till I forget everything that happened or at least till everything feels numb,” tears slipped out of my eyes as I hiccupped. “ Are you stupid or just naive? Do you really think drinking is going to numb your pains?” A masculine voice beside me came. “ Who the hell are…” my anger quickly faded away once my eyes met the older man beside me. His shiny black hair styled in a pompadour with intense grey eyes were all too captivating. “ Who the hell are you to butt into our conversation?” Cario raised her voice on him. “ Your conversation wasn’t exactly private to say the least,” he sipped from his glass. “ That doesn’t mean you can just butt in, idiot!” I insulted. “ Besides, what would you know? You all are scum,” I accused as I emptied another glass of alcohol into my mouth. I hiccupped. “ And here you are crying over scum, you’re pretty much trash yourself, don’t you think?” He calmly dismissed me. What was his deal? I stood up from my seat and grabbed his shirt. “ Are you picking a fight with me, Grey eyes?” “ And if I am?” He smirked. “ Crazy bastard,” I cussed underneath my breath before letting him go. “ Wallowing in self-pity is kinda humiliating, don’t you think?” He rested his chin on his hand. “ Sometimes, the only way to win is to fight fire with fire,” he tapped his fingers. “ Do you like me, mister?” I leaned closer towards him. “ Interested would be the word,” he corrected. “ But you’re not my type,” he stated. This guy asked me for more reasons than one. “ Too bad, I find you attractive even if you're a total asshole,” I grabbed his shirt and kissed him. He tasted like expensive wine - I like it. After a rather impulsive kiss, I let go of him. “ You really are daring,” he snickered. “ Don’t regret your actions now, Missy,” he grinned. As much as I hated his guts, I didn’t mind getting laid by him. Pulling me close to him, he grabbed my neck from behind and returned the favour.My eyes fluttered open as the blinding rays of light slipped through the windows. Was it morning already? I sat up.
“ I feel terrible yet not terrible,” I muttered as I held my head in pain. I was having a hangover from last… My eyes widened as the word last night rang in my head. I tried to recount everything that happened after I went drinking with Cario and the embarrassing clip of me forcefully kissing a stranger came to mind. “ You’re pretty active for someone with a hangover,” an oddly familiar voice said. I looked up and saw the same stranger I had kissed back at the bar. “ W-what are you doing here?” I stuttered, my voice raised. “ Are you stalking me?!” I pulled the bed sheet to cover me better. Wait… I looked under the bedsheet and I was… “ Seems your memories from last night have finally come back,” he chuckled, finding my embarrassment and shock amusing. “ You really are not in any way aware of your surroundings for you to think that I’m stalking you when this is my house,” he sighed. I wanted to bang my head against a wall right now. To think I actually had sex with a random man just because he was hot. “ You didn’t tell me you were a virgin though,” he always had something to say. “ Just go if you have nothing else to say,” I was too embarrassed to boldly and shamelessly answer him right now. “ This is my room so well,” he shrugged, not budging. “ You said you dated your boyfriend for five years so why didn’t he touch you?” He kept pushing this question. “ Maybe because he was busy knocking up my younger sister,” I said nonchalantly with a shrug. “ Ahem, take a shower, get changed and come downstairs,” he said before leaving. “ What was that all about?” I groaned. >>>>>>>>>> A few minutes later I wore the new clothes he had brought me. I guess even jerks can be thoughtful once in a while. “ Have a seat,” he said as I walked in. “ What’s this about?” I mumbled as I obediently sat down. My eyes met that of a man in a suit with glasses. I had seen him at the bar last night as well. “ Why the hurry?” Grey-eyes teased. “ I have classes to attend, genius,” I snapped. “ You didn’t seem as bothered when you drank to stupor and threw yourself at me,” he teased. “ But I do agree about getting over this because I’m a busy person,” he handed me a glass of lemon water for my hangover.Isabella's POV.“I have confirmed it,” my journalist said over the phone with a calm and professional voice.“Evelyn Genovese wired funds to an anonymous account used by city gold media. And that is the same media house that printed those false accusations and the headlines about your scandalous affair on the night of the ballroom events. She was the one who paid them to tarnish your reputation” he said.I was seated in Declan study room as I balled my right hand into a fist. I was so angry that I could feel my chest tighten.“Are you sure about this information you're giving to me right now? because if it is the wrong information, then you know the consequences right?” I asked.“Yes, Mrs Westwood. The information I am giving to you is very legit, and there is no mistake because I traced the account. And there is more to all of these, I just found out that she has been feeding anonymous tips to them for months, and all of the tips are always about you” he said.I should have known bet
Declan's POV.I knew something was wrong the moment she didn't finish her wine. It was a quiet evening but it was too quiet for the usual Isabella I always know.Isabella was a woman who always matched my sarcasm with her own with that fire in her eyes but tonight, she had barely touched her food and her glass hadn't even been sipped from. Then her laughter, it was nowhere to be found. Whenever I asked her a question she would smile at me so perfectly and reply with a yes when she didn't want to talk too much. But I knew better because I was beginning to read her silences just as much as her words. “Are you okay?” I asked, keeping my tone light as I cut into the roasted chicken we both had prepared earlier. “Yeah I am fine Declan. You know I'm just tired because it has really been a long day” she replied and this was the third time in this week she had said those exact words to me. But then I began to think too deeply about the whole matter. We hadn't even been to events nor have
Mia's POV.I stared at the screen as my fingers trembled slightly. I scrolled through the anonymous messages, the screenshots, and the voice notes. The group chats were filled with laughter and memes about me. My name, my picture, and my affair with Ryan had been exposed before everybody. The whole world knew about it and the way I threw myself at him. “Used doll” That phrase hit me harder than anything else. It was repeated over and over again. I was called a worn out play thing and the girl Ryan West always had fun with but would never take seriously. And that is when it occurred to me that they all knew.The elite circle I once proudly walked among were all laughing behind my back. All thanks to him. I squeezed my phone in my hands until my knuckles turned white. The sender hadn't signed their name but I didn't need to guess who it was. It was Levi. He was the only one who could go this far and still smile at me as though nothing had happened. He told me that he was not goin
Isabella's POV.Declan left me alone at home to attend a board meeting. And I finally found a moment to breathe as the breeze from the balcony was gentle against my skin as I stood with a glass of wine trying to steady my thoughts.Lately my life has been so confusing. From public scrutiny, to secret contracts, and buried emotions. And peace had become a rare visitor in my life.The doorbell rang and my heart jumped in my chest. I placed the glass back on the table because I ordered something so I thought it was the delivery but it was quite so soon for me. Or probably it was even Declan forgetting something again.I rushed downstairs and when I opened the door it wasn't even the delivery man. Neither was it even Declan, instead it was Levi.“What the hell are you doing here Levi? Why are you still stalking me? Don't you ever get tired?”I asked, folding my arms across my chest but he didn't flinch at my words. Then I gripped the door tighter.His shirt was unbuttoned and his sleeves w
Declan's POV.Isabella had left the room and I was all alone by myself trying to figure out the necessary things I needed to do to stop Mia from saying anything to the public.“Why do you always seem so calm even when the world is burning?” Isabella said, bashing into my room again and I placed a hand on my forehead. “I thought you left,” I muttered.“I wanted to leave but I couldn't leave” she said and I walked closer to her until I stood in front of her. “You asked me why I always remain so calm whenever the world is burning and I want to also ask you why you always seem to be running away from something. Even when you are still standing still” I asked her and she shook her head at me. “What does that even mean?” “You have to tell me what it means” I voiced out and the air between us shifted.They were unspoken words in the air and she didn't look away this time. I could see the storm in her eyes, flickering behind her braveness. I could see that there was something vulnerable o
Declan's POV.I was losing my tie when the door opened. Isabella heels clicked its way into my room and even without looking. I could tell that something was off because the silence wasn't her usual kind.She stood in the living room with her arms folded across her chest. Her lower lip tucked between her teeth like she was trying to bite back panic. “What happened to Bella?” I asked, turning to face her fully and I noticed her hesitation in speaking. “Mia knows” she finally said and I narrowed my eyes at her.“Know what?” I asked and she gulped hard“She knows about our marriage and she knows that it is a contract marriage” she said and I didn't blink neither did I even flinch at her words. Instead I grabbed the alcohol bottle beside me and poured myself a drink, sipping it slowly.“Aren't you surprised Declan?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at me as I met her gaze calmly.“No. It was only a matter of time before someone overheard or figured things out. But it doesn't change anyth