Chapter 16 You Can Tell Me

In his desire to cheer up his cousin, Aiden convinced her to accompany him to the casino, to distract herself, gamble and have a few glasses of champagne for a while.

"I shouldn't. She murmured, watching the bubbly drink, for she was already on her fourth drink.

"Oh, cousin... How many times are you given opportunities, how are you?" Unwind a little... This is all free, remember? Aiden raised his eyebrows mischievously, savoring a delicious canapé.

"I'm not used to drinking.

"Not that you were drinking the whole bottle..." Aiden rolled his eyes. Isabella smiled at him.

"I just hope your sister doesn't show up here or one of the Collins." Isabella looked around, worried.

"Don't summon them, please!" It seems that this ship is not big enough that I don't have to find them, and I can't stand them anymore.

"Well, there are two of us. After a drink, Isabella returned to focus on the game.

The experience was relaxing, for a while Isabella was able to forget about her problems and bad memories, she managed to have fun as what she was, a young woman. She did not stop laughing and thanks to the effect of the liquor, she became more uninhibited.

Aiden enjoyed his cousin's change of countenance and discovered that, deep down in that fearful and self-conscious girl, there was a bold, precious, and interesting woman, who just needed to tap into her potential.

When Aiden noticed that she was a little red and dizzy, he assumed that it was enough for that day, since it was late, so he accompanied her back to her cabin.

Aiden and Isabella were returning from the casino, she had never seen anything like it in her life and she thought it was the funniest, they were smiling together when out of nowhere, Isabella felt a strong hand that pushed her against a wall.

"What?" Isabella muttered, annoyed, because Aiden had hidden her behind a column.

"Shhhh, don't talk..." Aiden whispered. - Stay there, I don't want you to see these.

Isabella felt nervous, what were they hiding from? She crouched down slightly and passing behind Aiden, poked her head out.

Then, he saw Máximo and Valeria in the hallway, she was hugging him or, rather, clinging to him like a leech, Isabella's eyes opened wide at the image... A moment later, Valeria jumped on Maximo, her arms wrapped around his neck, and she pressed her lips on his.

Valeria tried to kiss him passionately.

Something happened inside Isabella, seeing that seemed disgusting to her? Yes, unpleasant? A lot.

But there was something else, a feeling that she could not identify, but that bothered her... Those intense green eyes that had always been watching her, that stern gaze, would now be fixed on someone else.

Isabella ran with all her might, taking the opposite path and very surprised, Aiden followed her at full speed.

"Isa, what happened?" He asked, when they stopped, already quite far away.

"You were right, I don't want to see that. She said frowning.

Aiden looked at Isabella perplexed, because in the short time he had known his cousin, he had rarely seen her frowning.

She was always scared or embarrassed, but angry? Only when Valeria insulted her mother.

"Isa... Are you jealous?"

"What?"

"Do you like Maximo Collins?"

"What?" No?! - Said the girl with a wrinkled brow, she looked confused. Aiden approached her very seriously.

"Tell me something...

"What?"

"You... Have you ever fallen in love?"

"Fall in love?" She thought about it for a moment, staring into space. "No... The truth is that I don't...

"I imagined it... Surely you haven't even had a boyfriend, right? Aiden took Isabella's hand gently, looking straight into her eyes. "Isa...

"Yes?"

"The truth is that I hadn't asked you before, why... Well, because I didn't want to overwhelm you or seem rude, but I need to know... What was your life like before you got here?

"What?"

"You can tell me, I'm not going to judge or belittle you, I think I've already shown you that I'm not that kind of person..." I just want to meet you... And understand you.

Isabella's eyes crystallized, she completely forgot what she had seen between Máximo and Valeria.

Isabella immersed herself in the blue of Aiden's eyes, which only exuded sincerity and friendship... The girl's heart was captivated.

For the first time in a long time, there was someone by her side who cared about her, who protected her, who didn't judge her, someone she felt safe with, that thought made her burst into tears.

"Isa..." Aiden took her by the shoulders, worried. - Isa, I'm sorry, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask you again, but please don't cry. Aiden begged, embarrassed.

"No..." she stammered, trying to control her tears. "It's not that...

"Then why are you crying?" Aiden took the young woman's chin to lift her face.

"It's because I'm very happy. She muttered in a thread of voice, smiling as the tears continued to flow, and then hugged her cousin tightly.

Aiden was surprised, he didn't understand his cousin's reasons very well, however, he didn't say anything else because he was afraid of making her cry again.

Upon arriving at Isabella's cabin, she herself invited Aiden in and told him her life story.

She told him everything that had happened, the death of her father, how she lived with her mother until she was diagnosed with cancer and that, thanks to a small trust left to her by Albert, her father, Isabella was able to take care of her mother during the illness.

However, the money was not enough to cover the countless hospital bills that were accumulating and after the death of her mother, the bank took everything from her, leaving her on the street.

Aiden listened to everything with his mouth open, occasionally taking a sip from the bottle of Whiskey he had taken from the minibar.

"Then..." You had a normal life until you finished high school..." Aiden concluded.

"Yes... Well, I studied and returned home immediately, I helped mom in the kitchen, she went out to sell sweets and cakes every day, because, although the money that dad left us was enough to live on, it was not enough to pay for my university, so we worked together to bring him together.

"Did you make the sweets yourself?"

"Yes!" Dad taught us, it's one of the memories I have of him, he was an excellent cook..." Isabella explained with a glow of illusion.

"A cook?" Aiden asked, puzzled.

“Yes, mom told me that after his family took everything from him and left him on the street, he got a job as a dishwasher in a small café, because he didn't even want to use the influences of his last name, from there he became a kitchen assistant and discovered his passion for cooking...

"Really?" A Sinclair of a chef?

“And he was the best, he worked a lot and managed to open his own café, of course, it was a small place... I still remember it, when I came home from work on a bicycle with a bag of sweets..." Isabella said, thoughtful, immersed in the memory.

"Had you managed to open your own café and was traveling by bicycle?" I heard that your father had died when he was run over on a bicycle... But now, I don't understand it... If he already had his own business, he might as well have bought a small car..." Aiden muttered skeptically.

“How do you think he was able to gather the trust he left us? Life is not as easy as you think Aiden, you have had everything on a silver platter since your birth, but when you have little... So, you must have priorities... Dad had had it all, and yet he thought of us first, before he thought of him...

"And what happened to the restaurant?" Aiden asked with interest.

"After my father's death, the customers stopped coming, it was all very sudden, mom tried very hard, but I still can't make it happen... I guess the customers were just going for my father's seasoning..." She shrugged.

"It's a pity... You know?" I always admired your father; I am his fan...

"Yes, you told me once..." Isabella smiled.

"I wish I had the courage he had to face them all..." Aiden commented, becoming very serious. "Do you know what it's like to leave everything, money, luxuries, your family, for the woman you love?" My dad thinks it's stupid, I say it's something worthy of respect.

"My dad was a great man... It was a pity that I couldn't share with him any longer..." Isabella muttered lowering her gaze.

“Were you always alone? Aiden asked suddenly, getting Isabella's attention. - I mean, didn't they have any friends or relatives of your mother? Isabella shook her head.

"My mother is a foreigner, when she lost her parents, she traveled to this country and lost contact with the rest of her family... I was always shy, I had some friends, but no close... My mom only had one close friend; her son was my only best friend...

"But what happened?" Why didn't they help them? Aiden asked, perplexed.

“Shortly after my mom got sick, they had to move...

"And they didn't keep in touch?" Didn't they tell you how dire their situation had become?

"We didn't hear from them anymore..." Isabella looked down, thoughtful. - I remember that, before leaving, Diego, who was my best friend at the time, promised to come back, he told me that he would get money, that he would become rich and help me with everything... You know? He was a great guy, only he was obsessed with money and at that time, I didn't understand why... But when money started to run low, when the bills piled up, when my mother's health deteriorated faster, because I couldn't get payment soon for the new treatment... That's when I understood Diego's obsession with money. A silent tear slid down Isabella's cheek.

Instinctively, Aiden approached her and hugged her, pressing her to his chest.

"I'm so sorry for what you've been through, cousin..." But don't worry, I'm sure that, from now on, things are going to change, everything is going to get better. He murmured with conviction, holding back his own tears.