Chapter 10 A Lioness

Almost making a parade, Valeria went to where Aiden, her brother, was with Isabella. But noticing that the girl was trying to run away, Valeria quickened her pace, arriving just in time to stop Isabella by holding her by one shoulder.

At the same time, a strong handheld Valeria's wrist with conviction.

"Hey! What do you think you do?! Aiden roared, pulling Valeria's hand away from Isabella's shoulder.

"What are you doing, Aiden?!" Let me! She screamed furiously.

"No!" Leave her alone and don't dare touch her again! Aiden replied, frowning.

Máximo watched the whole show from a distance, the screams also caught the attention of Emily and Carlos, one of Hector's sons, who were chatting next to the bar counter.

Máximo pursed his lips in a line, frowning, realizing how this Aiden was defending his supposed girlfriend.

The rage was not enough, Valeria looked around, everyone's eyes were on her, and it was all because of the dead fly of her cousin and her own brother, who defended her.

She would not allow such a great humiliation and make a spectacle of herself, much less when Maximo Collins himself was watching them with obvious interest.

Completely ignoring her brother, Valeria took a step forward, staying very close to Isabella, who had stayed in the same place, static, full of nerves.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Why do you think you can walk around, with the rest of us? Valeria growled under her breath; her jaw clenched. "You're not one of us, you may have our last name, but you're not a Sinclair."

"Enough, Valeria! Aiden murmured irritably.

Isabella pursed her lips in a line, feeling her heart racing, an endless number of emotions accumulated in her, fear, shame for how everyone looked at her and anger, she already knew that without needing Valeria to tell her, she already knew that she did not belong in that place.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I'm leaving..." Isabella turned to go to her room, her cheeks feeling warm and her pulse racing.

"Isa, wait!" Aiden tried to restrain her, but a few words that Valeria let out were what caused Isabella to stop.

"And remember, dead fly, don't forget it again, you're a bit of a thing, a failure like your mother surely is!" - Valeria said in order to show off in front of Máximo.

"What?" Isabella turned on her heels. Valeria looked at her full of arrogance and satisfaction.

"That you are nothing, less than that, just like your mother, hers if you are a worthy heiress. Valeria stressed with a smile full of petulance.

"Don't talk about my mother..." Isabella replied between her teeth. - You have no rights; you didn't know her...

"Didn't I know her?" What, he's already dead? It doesn't matter! Everyone in the family knows it, that your mother is a freeloader, a climber..." Valeria mocked.

"Listen to me carefully...!" This time it was Isabella who stepped forward, staying very close to Valeria, and grunted under her breath. "You can say what you want about me, but I won't let you say anything about my mother. Never, ever insult or mention her again. Isabella replied, feeling her body tremble, full of anger.

"Oh, yes?" Valeria raised an eyebrow arrogantly, because she would never allow that stupid girl to talk to her like that. "Your mother is a preyed-on dog..." He whispered in Isabella's face, provoking her and that was enough.

For the first time in her life, something exploded inside Isabella, a contained anger that completely blinded her and made her jump on Valeria like a lioness.

The two women grabbed each other's hair, Isabella's grunts could be heard, while Valeria only complained and screamed.

"For God's sake!" What kind of people are this family?! Emily complained, watching everything from her seat, perplexed. At the same time Máximo felt how his whole body tensed, although that situation seemed ridiculous and outrageous to him.

In a matter of seconds, everyone watched as the two girls, in the midst of the grabs, fell headfirst into the pool.

Isabella finally let go of Valeria, the rage was instantly erased, as soon as she was enveloped in the water, the girl began to kick desperately trying to get afloat, but she did not know how to swim.

Máximo saw how the women sparkled all over the place when they fell, a moment later, Valeria, the young woman who had been harassing him for the last few days, came to the surface, but the other young girl, the one he had supposedly mistaken for a homeless woman, was still at the bottom, underwater.

Maximo took a step towards the pool, his instinct told him that this young girl needed his help, however, a second burst of water made him react, Aiden, the girl's boyfriend, had already jumped into the pool for her.

Isabella was suffocating, she kept trying to kick, but no matter how hard she tried, it was impossible for her to reach the surface to get some air. She was beginning to swallow water and was beginning to think that she would not get out of there, when strong arms surrounded her, bringing her to the surface.

Aiden held Isabella firmly and dragged her quickly to the edge of the pool.

"cof, cof ... " Isabella was coughing on her knees at the edge of the pool and trying to catch her breath.

"Isa..." Aiden caressed his back sweetly, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Maximo, who practically snorted at the sight of him. - Relax, breathe, are you okay? I'll take you to the infirmary...

"No..." Isabella muttered, rising tremblingly. "I'm fine, I want to go to my room, could you" come with me?" Please...

"But...

"Please..." she whispered pleadingly, and Aiden couldn't argue.

In a gesture that surprised everyone and with a quick movement, Aiden wrapped Isabella in his arms, carrying her against his chest, like a little girl, but with the movement Isabella made a small gesture of pain.

"What's wrong?" Are you ok? Aiden asked worriedly.

"Yes, it's just... It's nothing... Please, I want to leave now..." she muttered, not opposing Aiden's gesture as he carried her.

"Aiden!"

Valeria's scream was heard from the water, indignant, seeing how her brother was helping that stupid girl, while she had left her there, lying and ignored.

A second later, Maximo knelt on the edge of the pool, Valeria swam closer, thinking that he would help her out, however, Maximo only pulled out of the water a colorful sarong that floated on the surface, which Isabella had thrown out when she fell into the pool.

Valeria hit the water angrily, seeing how Máximo left the deck, thoughtful, with that piece of cloth in his hands, leaving her completely ignored as well.

*

"Isabella, please, we should go to the infirmary." Aiden insisted worriedly, already in Isabella's room.

"No... Really, I'm fine, I just need... Rest. She tried to mediate, while looking for a towel.

"But... What is that?" The boy asked, impressed to see Isabella's hip in the open air, because she was no longer wearing the sarong.

She walked quickly to a coat rack, took a dressing gown, and put it on, tying it around her waist, to cover herself.

"What do you mean?!" You have a purple leg! Did Valeria do that to you inside the pool?! Did he kick you or something?! You have to see a doctor! Aiden looked truly shocked.

"Aiden... Please..." Isabella approached her cousin, looking him in the eye. - That's nothing, it's a blow I had a few days ago, it's already passing...

"A few days ago?" He asked suspiciously. “Maybe in a run over?

"What?!" No! Isabella turned around, trying to hide her face, as she was surprised by her cousin's cunning. - Please, I need you to get out of my room, I'm fine, okay? Now I just want to be alone and rest.

"Isa... I just want to help you... Support you... But I also can't if you don't tell me anything about your life and always want to be alone. He murmured sadly.

"I'm sorry..." Isabella felt her eyes fill with tears, he was right, but she didn't want to cause anyone more pity, how could she just tell anyone everything that had happened? "But please, really, I need you to go..." Right now, I need to be alone.

"Good..." Aiden nodded, disappointed. - I'm very sorry, Isa, it was all my fault, I shouldn't have taken you out of your room. With a sad expression, the boy turned around and left the room.

Isabella took a deep breath, it gave her a lot of pain to see Aiden leave like this and because of him, she would definitely have to work things out with him, because her cousin had been the only kind person she had met on that cruise.

She would talk to him, but later, because right now, she had to calm down and control her emotions, Isabella could still feel her body trembling with rage and the fear that she had almost drowned.

Not three minutes had passed in which she could relax, when a knock sounded on the door of her room, Isabella sighed in frustration.

"Aiden, I'm sorry..." Isabella said as she walked towards the door. - But I already told you, I'm fine and I want to be alone... - She was left with her mouth open, when she opened it, she found Máximo Collins face to face.