Chapter 4

ISABELLA’S POV

The champagne bottle popped as Lucia opened it. She insisted we celebrate my first win.

“Here you go,” she said, handing me a glass.

“Thank you, Lucia, but I don’t think we should be celebrating yet. I still have to face the board. That’s where the real battle begins.” I said with unease in my chest.

Lucia sighed.

“Still, you bought us time. That counts.”

“Not really” I replied

Lucia studied me closely and slowly lowered her glass.

“What’s wrong, Isabella?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly.

She didn’t believe me. She knew me almost better than I knew myself.

After leaving New York I had moved to Paris, where I met Lucia. At the time, she was a corporate strategist and had just walked away from a powerful firm after being blacklisted for exposing internal corruption.

We recognised something in each other, our intelligence, survival, and refusal to stay broken.

Together, we built ISMARA, Lucia structured the company while I became the face of the brand.

“This is about Ethan, isn’t it?”

She knew the truth about my past and the scandal that drove me out of New York.

“I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that the man who ruined my life is standing between me and my mother’s legacy.”

Lucia held my hand.

“This wasn’t part of the plan, but we’ll find a way out. We always do.”

I exhaled.

“Thank you.”

“We have a long week ahead,” she said. “Get some rest.”

I left my glass behind and went upstairs.

I walked out of the bathroom, drying my hair with a towel.

My phone buzzed nonstop on the dresser.

I picked it up.

Several notifications filled the screen, but one message stood out. Unknown number. No words, just a link.

I tapped it.

The towel slipped from my fingers as the video played.

The sound echoed through the room.

My vision blurred, and the phone slipped from my hands.

Lucia rushed in, her face pale.

She didn’t say anything. She just sat next to me and embraced me.

My phone buzzed.

Lucia picked it up and froze.

“What is it?” I whispered.

She handed it to me.

Another message from the unknown number.

I’m going to burn you again.

Something in me snapped, and I started packing.

“What are you doing?” Lucia asked.

“I’m leaving New York tonight,” I said. “Coming back was a mistake.”

She grabbed my arm.

“No. You came back to save your mother’s legacy.”

“I failed.”

“No, you didn’t,” she said firmly. “Whoever leaked that video did it because you’re a threat. If you leave now, you’re giving them exactly what they want.”

I sank onto the bed.

“Then what do I do?”

“Give me a moment.” She left and returned with her tablet.

“The media is moving fast,” she said. “Half of them are calling you a homewrecker.”

“Homewrecker?”

“Yes. Ethan is publicly engaged to Sophia Vale.”

Sophia Vale, she was a senior colleague when I worked for Ethan.

“And the other half?” I asked

“They’re calling Ethan a cheat. His engagement just exploded.”

“That video is over five years old,” I said. “It’s time-stamped.”

“The version spreading online isn’t,” Lucia replied. “They removed the timestamp. They want it to look recent.”

I took a deep breath.

“Good.”

Lucia frowned.

“Good?”

“They wanted to shame me,” I said. “Instead, they dragged him down with me. Now he knows how it feels”

Her expression hardened.

“This still affects ISMARA. Investors hate scandal. We need a plan.”

We sat in silence for hours, ignoring the buzzing phones while Lucia worked.

Then my phone buzzed again.

Ethan Dexter.

“Answer it,” Lucia said.

“I’m not,” I snapped.

“You have to. I already thought of a solution that benefits you.”

I stood up and walked toward the window before answering.

“What do you want?” I asked.

He didn’t answer immediately. When he spoke, his voice was tight.

“Where are you?” Ethan asked.

“That doesn’t concern you.”

“I'm sure you've seen the video spreading online and it affects us both.”

“What do you want?” I repeated

“We need to talk. Privately.”

“No.”

“This scandal won’t disappear,” he continued. “Your mother’s company is already unstable. This could destroy it.”

My grip tightened around the phone.

“Meet me,” he said, and hung up.

My phone buzzed. He sent me an address.

Lucia stood immediately.

“You have to go, Bella. If you don’t control the narrative, they will,” she said. “And you didn’t survive six years just to let them drag you back into this dirt.”

“I won’t go alone.”

“I’m coming with you.”

We arrived at the location shortly. The hotel belonged to Ethan’s group. The penthouse was quiet when we arrived.

Ethan stood by the window. His back was turned to us. His jacket was off, and his sleeves were rolled up.

He turned when he heard us.

For a moment, no one spoke.

“You look calm, Ms. Moretti,” he said.

“I’ve learned to be.”

He looked at me.

“The timing of this leak seems…too calculated.”

“Are you accusing me?” I asked, visibly irritated by his mere presence.

“No.”

Lucia stepped forward.

“Ms. Moretti’s reputation is also at risk because of this.”

The door opened, and a man walked in with files. He whispered something to Ethan, then stepped aside.

“The board is panicking,” Ethan said. “Both of our companies are bleeding money as we speak.”

He looked at me carefully before continuing.

“There’s only one way to neutralize this. A public relationship,” he continued.

“Not an engagement. A marriage.”

I stared at him.

“You’re insane.”

“It changes the narrative,” he continued as if he didn't hear me protest. “Two consenting adults. A private relationship. No scandal.”

“Excuse us,” Lucia said, pulling me aside.

“You have to agree.”

“You expect me to marry the man who destroyed my life?”

“No. I expect you to protect what you came back for. If you marry him you gain access to his voting shares,” she continued. “Enough to stop the sale and enough to force a restructure.”

My voice broke, “I can’t.”

“You can,” she said softly. “You have so much to protect, and right now Ethan’s the only way out. Trust me.”

I nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

We walked back to Ethan.

“What about your fiancée?” I asked.

“She’ll be handled.”

“And the marriage?” Lucia asked

The second man, Caleb, answered.

“One year,” he said. “Public and controlled.”

“There will be rules,” I said. “No control over my company. No access to my private life. And when this ends, you walk away.”

“Agreed,” Ethan replied.

I extended my hand. He took it without hesitation.

The documents were placed in front of us. We signed.

Lucia glanced at her phone.

“The press will be here any moment.”

Ethan straightened and looked at me.

“Then we should give them something worth watching.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “We should.”