Chapter 8- He's back

The island stood silent, only the waves crashing softly against the rocky cliffs at a distance could be heard.

The marble floors were cold beneath Isabella’s bare feet as she descended the grand staircase. The fever that had burned through her body the previous night had receded, but she was still weak. Her head still ached faintly. Her limbs felt heavy, but it wasn’t the illness that pressed her forward, it was hunger. She hadn’t taken a bite all day and her stomach had been growling nonstop.

It was a few minutes past seven when she arrived in the dining room. The long dining table was set, all the sumptuous mouthwatering meals inviting her to dig in

Isabella walked blindly toward her seat, dragging her body forward, her steps slow and tired. And then...

"You’re three minutes and ten seconds late again."

The voice came from the farthest corner of the room, deep and smooth.

Isabella froze in her tracks. Her heart skipped a beat, her hands trembling at her sides. Slowly, she turned her head toward the voice, her eyes scanning the dark corner of the room at the farthest end.

There he was. Nikolai Volkov, seated on an armchair by the fireplace, his head bowed, eyes cast on the wristwatch. The tailored black suit he wore clung to his broad muscular chest. As if he had been waiting for her, he stood and glanced at her, his expression gentler than the last time she could remember. His piercing blue eyes...those eyes she had dreamed of, cried for, cursed in his absence in the past month were fixed on her, longer than usual, his usual tensed jaw unclenching.

Isabella's breath caught in her chest.

"Have you been breaking the rules, princess?" Nikolai asked, taking long strides towards her Astonishment, disbelief, and relief, all these emotions collided inside her. Isabella rolled her eyes, he had a nerve to care about time and her breaking the rules when he had vanished for a whole damn month.

The world around Isabella blurred, her knees weakened, and before she could stop herself, she was running to him.

She crossed the hall in a rush and fell into his arms, burying her face against his muscular chest. Failing to restrain herself, tears spilt down her cheeks, her chest breaking open with a sob she hadn't realised she had been holding.

His familiar scent, a mix of wood, mint and his expensive cologne flooded her senses, breaking her completely. Her fingers firmly clutched at the fabric of his suit as though he might disappear if she let go. Her tears dampened the crisp fabric of his shirt, her body so small against the steel of his frame.

Nikolai was taken aback. For a few seconds, he stood still, his body rigid, his arms half-raised in hesitation. He was not a man used to this open display of need and emotions. The last time anyone had clung to him this way had been years ago, a memory so far buried that he no longer wanted to remember.

But seeing how Isabella was trembling in his arms something inside him shifted. Slowly, almost reluctantly, his arms came down around her.

At first, it was awkward, but as she continued sobbing in his arms, her hands clinging tighter, the stiffness melted away. He drew her closer, one hand rising to the back of her head, patting her softly while the other pulled her closer to him. As much as he didn't care to admit but he too needed that hug. His chin rested lightly on top of her hair, his body a wall as if to shield her from the world.

"It's okay princess. I'm here now," he murmured, soothing her back gently.

At last, when her sobs stopped, she shifted slightly, tilting her head up just enough to meet his gaze, her eyes red and her cheeks streaked with tears.

"Nikolai. You’re here," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry I pried into your business the other day. I've been so worried about you. Please don't leave me again. I swear by your name that I won't pry into your business again," Isabella murmured wiping the tears in the corners of her eyes.

The moment Isabella had mentioned worrying about him, Nikolai's lips curved into a small smile which vanished in the next second because it hurt him seeing the torture he had brought her. His eyes, still dark and unreadable, softened by a fraction. His thumb brushed a damp strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her eyes before pulling her face up.

'I didn't leave because you had pried into my business, but I had a business meeting to attend to,' Nikolai thought but dared not voice it out.

"I'll never leave you again princess, and if I do, I'll always come back to you," Nikolai assured. "Your father left you in my care, remember," he added.

The last statement made the little smile on Isabella's face vanish. She glanced up, searching his face for something more, but as always, Nikolai gave little, just a cold absent-minded stare.

She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his chest once more, this was a one in a lifetime opportunity, and she was going to utilise it to the maximum.

Nikolai’s gaze shifted past her, to the fireplace, his hand still patting her back. But his mind was elsewhere.

The ambush at the airport still replayed in his head. Someone had dared to test him. The thought made him frown, and the temperature of the room dropped by a few degrees which made Isabella subconsciously shiver.

After a long silence, both deep in their thoughts, the growling of Isabella's stomach snapped them from their trance.

Embarrassed, Isabella hid her face with her palms which made Nikolai chuckle. He lowered his lips to her ear, his voice deep and manly, his breath a whisper that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Time to eat, princess" he said quietly. " The food is getting cold."

Isabella followed him, her heart warm, clueless of the storm knocking on her door.