47. Taken

Innessa stiffened at the sight of him, but she instantly masked her expression, averting her gaze from him. Her cheeks heated up, recalling last night, and she avoided looking at him. 

"What would you like to order, sir?" She asked in a calm voice giving nothing away. 

Why was he particularly in that restaurant when he knew she worked there? What was his motive for showing up like that? 

"Anything would do," he said after a long pause and she was sure when the first time she asked him that question, he said you. 

"And drink?" She asked not looking at him at all. 

"Iced latte," he said. She knew he didn't like iced latte; the only reason he ordered it was because it was her favorite. 

"I'll bring your order in about ten minutes, sir," she said and walked away before he could say anything else. 

Innessa didn't serve him the food. She requested the other waitress to do it for her but she could feel Isaac's eyes fixed on her as she served the customers. 

She noticed two girls giggling and whispering as they went to Isaac's table. They conversed for a couple of seconds and then the three of them were staring straight at Innessa which startled her as she straightened not knowing why she was getting the spotlight from them. The girls faced Issac, he said something with a poker face, and the next thing the girls were approaching Innessa which made her tense as she tried to ignore them but they came to stand beside her. 

"Excuse me," the girl said as Innessa faced her with a polite smile. 

"Yes, ma'am. What can I help you with?" She asked politely, a bit nervous. 

"Are you his girlfriend?" The girl asked, pointing at Issac subtly causing Innessa to frown. 

"I am not. Who said that?" Innessa asked firmly. 

The girl rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, he could've just said no if he didn't want to give his number," the girl grumbled lowly but Innessa heard her as she shook her head giving Innessa an awkward smile, and walked out of the restaurant. 

Barely a couple of seconds passed and the door opened. A guy stepped in holding a huge bouquet of roses and everyone was staring at him. Walking over to Issac that guy handed him the bouquet and left. 

Innessa who already knew Issac was up to something got herself busy in her work when Issac approached her with the huge bouquet. 

She inhaled sharply feeling him standing behind her as he cleared his throat garnering her attention. All sets of eyes were on her which forced her to face him. 

"You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen. This is for you," he said holding out the bouquet, everyone went into a chorus of awwww and a few even clapped. 

She wanted to refuse but by the looks on people's faces, it was obvious that if she refused, they'd be mad at her. 

She politely took the flowers from him and mumbled a small thank you. 

Innessa expected him to say something stupid and corner her with his sweet talk but he said nothing and ambled back to his seat. 

The girl glanced at him through her lashes before she hurried into the staff room to place the flowers there and when she got back, the door opened and a couple of men dressed in a suit stepped in. 

The girl froze when her eyes met with the sharp blue eyes she had seen before. The person who stood in front of her was none other than Victor and he wasn't alone. Tall buff guys were beside him. 

She was too scared to even form a word or move. Thankfully her colleague stepped forward and guided them to the VIP table. Issac seemed to spot Victor as he frowned at him. 

Innessa's hands were all sweaty as she tried to focus on her job. She was glad that the VIP section was handled by the other waiter. She noticed that Issac was sitting beside Victor and they were talking. 

Innessa did her best to avoid them. Ever since Victor showed up Issac didn't look at her even for once. Why would Issac bring that man to the restaurant where she worked? Was he trying to threaten her again with Victor? Then what was that last night where he sounded so broken? 

To her utter relief, Victor with his men and Issac left the restaurant together. 

Once they were gone, she could breathe a little. After completing her shift, she headed out only to pause when she found Issac leaning against his car waiting for her. 

Upon seeing her he straightened up and approached her. "Can we talk?" He asked but she refused to even acknowledge him. She tried to walk past him but he blocked her way. "It's about last night," she stiffened and abruptly stepped back because he was too close all of a sudden. 

Issac noticed that the bouquet he gave her was nowhere in sight. Maybe she threw them away. Her hatred towards him was breaking his heart apart. 

The girl refused to meet his eyes. What she was fearing truly happened. She tried to walk past him but he blocked her way again. 

"I'm sorry please, Innessa. Last night I had this dream, it felt so real. Was I at your place last night?" He asked as she glared at him before averting her gaze. 

"Get out of my way," she said and it hurt him the way she talked to him so coldly as if he was nothing to her. 

His eyes darted to her neck and the mark was slightly visible from the scarf that covered it. He swallowed thickly, his Adam Apple bobbing up and down. So, it truly happened. He was there last night. He touched her. He f*cked up. 

"F*ck," he cussed startling her as he rubbed a hand down his face in guilt. 

"I'm sorry, I... I wasn't in my right state of mind. I... " She cut him off. 

"Why can't you just forget me, Issac? Why are you tormenting me? Just move on. You've plenty of options. Many girls want to be with you. Just divorce me. I swear I'll disappear from your life after my graduation. You won't ever see me. But please just leave me alone." she breathed deeply and continued not caring about the pained look on his face. 

"Please don't say that, Precious-" 

"Stop acting broken in front of me. It's not working. Why did you bring Victor to this place? Do you want to threaten me with him?" 

"What? It's not like that. I swear to God, I didn't even know he was in the city. It was just coincidental. Why would I ever threaten you with Victor?" 

"He's the same guy who passed you the gun when you aimed it at the priest at the time of our so-called wedding," she said sharply. 

She tried to leave but he wasn't having it. Issac grabbed her arm and pulled her into the dark alley, he pushed her against the wall, and he stood inches away from her with his hands resting on the wall on either side of her head as he stared down at her with those hawk-like eyes. 

"Go ahead. Say everything you want. Curse me. Slap me. Punch me. Shoot me if you have to but don't tell me to move on from you. I can't, Innessa. I f*cking can't. It's not in my control. You don't know how much I'm crazy about you," he said leaning closer as he cupped both of her cheeks making her look him in the eyes. 

"I love you so damn much. I've never felt such intense emotions in my life. These feelings are so dark and crazy that run deep in my veins. You don't know, precious. You're engraved in my soul. I can't move on. I can't live without you. There's no Issac without his Innessa," He sounded crazy and obsessed. 

Her heart was thumping so wildly and her stomach keep churning. With mustered up courage she grabbed his wrists and moved his hands away from her face. 

"If you want me to forget you then it's better that you just kill me," he said in a deadly serious tone. 

Innessa sidestepped him. He was so tall and predatory that his powerful presence scared her. 

With mustered up courage she faced him. "Why do you want to paint my hands with your blood?" She asked as the clouds rumbled and the first drop of rain fell on his cheek. 

"Why should I kill you?" She asked. 

"The only way you can make me believe that you truly love me is for you to leave me alone and forget me," she said in a soft voice, though it broke her heart as she said those words, it needed to be said. 

The untimely rain poured down on them hard as it drenched them instantly. The clouds rumbled and the lightning struck wildly causing her to shiver. 

Issac didn't move. Nor did he say a word as Innessa walked away from there. 

He stood there under the rain for the longest time when his phone went off bringing him out of his reverie. 

He went to the penthouse that night and sat there on the floor staring out of the glass wall as the rain poured down heavily with thunder striking savagely. 

He reread the love letter she had given him. Her sweet confession. Their old chats. Her pictures; which were saved on his phone. The whole night he sat there regretting each word that he said to hurt her. He regrets everything so f*cking badly. 

The only thing he wanted was her love. He knew he was f*cked up. He knew he was corrupted and an angel like her would never be with a sinner like him. He thought he was just attracted to her because her innocence called to his demons but he didn't even realize when his attraction turned into love. He knew she'd leave him if she found out his truth so he had no choice but to lie to her and keep her by his side. He did everything in his will to make her stay. He even took the darker path and forced her to marry him and the insecurity that she wanted a divorce ended up in him doubting her. He was a complete bastard and he knew that. 

Issac felt devastated, he did everything he could to win back the Innessa who loved him but he failed miserably. 

If the only thing he could offer her was heartache with his presence, then it was better for him to let her go for her happiness. If her peace was at keeping distance from him then he'd do it. He'd free her from himself. 

Issac knew she didn't deserve the pain he made her go through. Innessa deserved happiness. She deserved to be with a pious man. Though it would kill him to see her with another man. If someone else could give her peace and keep her happy, so be it. 

Issac had come to this daunting realization tonight that he lost Innessa the night he doubted her, when she needed him the most, he offered her suffering and pain. 

Issac called his lawyer in the middle of the night. He first apologized for disturbing him at this time and then told the lawyer to prepare divorce papers. 

A week later Innessa stepped out of her last class only to pause in the corridor when she noticed Issac standing leaning against the wall with his arms crossed waiting for her. 

She averted her gaze trying to walk past him but he held out his arm blocking her way. 

He held out a brown folder in front of her as she stared at it. 

"Take it," he said in his deep British voice but when she refused to oblige, he grabbed her hand gently and placed the folder in her hand. 

"What is this? I don't want anything from you-" 

"It's your freedom. My love for you is greater than my selfishness to keep you by my side," he rasped as she blinked at him and then at the folder, muddled. His voice caused her heartbeat to quicken. He sounded tired. 

"Sign them. I'll come and collect them after two days," he said and walked away as she stared at his retreating back. 

Stepping aside she opened the folder and her eyes widened seeing the divorce papers. Innessa inhaled sharply. The roses he used to send her every day at her door had stopped a week ago. 

He was letting her go. The Issac she thought was toxic and only wanted her to be by his side either by hook or crook was letting her go. The man who did everything in his will to keep her as his possession was letting her go. 

She was having a hard time believing it. Innessa had somehow come to the fact that Issac would never let her go and would keep tormenting her but he proved her wrong. 

He was letting her go because he loved her... 

She swallowed thickly and put the papers in her bag. Later at the dorm at night, she kept staring at the papers, reading every single line and she noticed Issac hadn't signed them yet. The girl felt uneasy, yes, she wanted to end things with Issac but what about the love she still had for him? Maybe it would fade away with time if she would move on in her life. 

Innessa couldn't bring herself to sign the papers that night. 

She went to work after her classes. The work was hectic and she was thankful for that because she didn't want to think about Issac but he was on her mind ever since he handed her the divorce papers. 

Innessa stared at the flowers that were now in the vase and rested on the countertop at the cashier's place in the restaurant. She inhaled the beautiful scent and plucked one of the flowers, putting it in her pocket. She didn't know why she did that. Maybe she wanted to keep it as his last gift. 

Innessa stepped out of the restaurant, bid goodbye to her colleagues and ambled down the street to the bus stop. 

She retrieved her phone checking through the messages when all of a sudden, a black van pulled in front of her. Everything happened in a blurry second when the door slid open and two men in black with their faces covered stepped out. She stepped back when they grabbed her. Innessa was about to scream when they clamped her mouth shut and dragged her into the van. 

Innessa struggled frantically, her heart thumping in her ears as she tried to scream but those burly men covered her mouth forcing her to inhale the chemical as her vision blurred and she slowly drifted into darkness in sheer fear. 

Issac sat in the lounge staring out of the glass wall as he smoked in darkness and silence when his phone blared. 

He answered the call. 

"The tracker was last located on the offside of the city before it went blank," the person on the other side said, making Issac frown. 

He completely forgot that he had ordered one of Victor's men to keep an eye on the tracker in Innessa's phone. 

"What do you mean?" He asked calmly, crushing the end of the cigarette on the ashtray. 

"The tracker was out of the restaurant as usual but it didn't take the route to the dormitory. The tracker was going at 140 mph before it went blank on the outskirts of the city," the guy said and Issac's eyes darkened. 

"Get me the CCTV footage of the area outside that restaurant," he said and dropped the call as he pulled to his feet. 

He quickly tried to call her but she had blocked him. Issac cursed under his breath when his phone blared off with an unknown number. 

He quickly answered the call. 

"Innessa Laskin, she's pretty," the man said on the phone, causing Issac's blood to boil in rage as his eyes darkened. 

"If you want her, come to this address. Do not dare to tell Victor if you want your girlfriend alive," that man said and dropped the call. 

Issac's jaw ticked, his heart beating wildly and blood in his veins roaring as he grabbed his gun and dashed out. The fear in his heart was so immense that his fingers trembled. 

If anything happened to Innessa, he would never be able to forgive himself. F*ck. What has she gotten her into?