Semua Bab FORBIDDEN ICE: CLAIMING THE CAPTAIN'S SISTER: Bab 211 - Bab 220

CHAPTER 211DISTRACTIONSROWANI’ve never been the kind of guy who zones out in class. I either don’t show up at all, or I show up and get through it with a full focused mind. But today? I might as well have been on another planet. The professor’s voice droned on about economic models and long-term market behavior, her slides flipping one after the other in a rhythm that should’ve kept me focused on the class. Instead, I was thinking about Isla.I couldn't get her out of my mind and thebway she smiled at practice the other day when Asher missed that easy shot or how she curled beside me on the bed the other night. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that we were okay. More than okay. We were solid.And I didn’t realize how close I’d been to losing that until we got it back. If she had walked away, if she had decided it was too messy, too complicated, too much… I would’ve lost it. Completely.I’m not dramatic about many things, but her? That’s different. I would’ve gone insane wa

CHAPTER 213WHISPERS AND SETUPSISLAI actually tried to focus for the first time that day. My notebook was open, my pen moving steadily as the professor explained the week’s final concept. I nodded at the right moments, underlined the important parts, even asked a question when something didn’t click immediately.I was doing well. Except every now and then, my mind drifted. To Ellis leaning back against the rink wall with that infuriating smirk, Rowan zoning out mid-conversation because he was lost staring at me and Noah’s quiet steadiness, the way he always seemed to watch before he spoke.I pressed my lips together and forced myself back to the present.Focus, Isla. You are in class, not tangled in three different boys’ arms.By the time the lecture ended, I felt oddly proud of myself. That pride lasted exactly five seconds.“Oh, and before you leave,” the professor said, adjusting her glasses. “You’ll all submit a five-page analysis on today’s topic. Due tomorrow.”A collective

CHAPTER 215PROVOKE MEISLASend me this message a year back and I'd have panicked, gotten hurt and hated Rowan for kissing another girl. But right now, all I felt was fury. My fingers tightened around my phone as I stared at the not so blurry image of Lara kissing Rowan. The angle was sneaky and very much planned. Whoever took it made sure it looked intimate in the correct way. But I knew Rowan. I recognised the stiffness in his shoulders even in that pixelated mess and I definitely recognised the way his hands weren’t on her. They were at his sides and that showed that he wasn't holding or reciprocating. I inhaled slowly and typed back a response before I could overthink it.“If you’re going to try and ruin my day, at least send something convincing. We all know the girl is the desperate bitcb. Try harder next time.”I stared at the message for a second, not feeling like I've said enough, until something clicked in my head again.Then added:“Also, desperation isn’t a good look.

CHAPTER 217WATER CAN BE YOUR FRIEND AND YOUR ENEMYISLAI had never felt that kind of helplessness before. It wasn’t just fear, it was the kind of panic that hollowed you out from the inside, leaving you trembling in your own skin.They dragged me the last few steps, my shoes scraping uselessly against the damp ground near the lake. My heartbeat was so loud in my ears it almost drowned out their voices.Almost.“Hold her still,” Jade snapped.Before I could twist away from their hold, they forced me down. My knees hit the muddy ground hard. Pain shot up my legs, but it barely registered because Lara shoved my shoulder, forcing me forward until my face hovered inches above the water.The lake was dark, still and quiet. My breathing came out uneven. “Please—”Lara’s grip tightened painfully in my hair. “This will teach you.”“Teach you to stay in your place,” Jade added coldly.My reflection trembled in the water. Wide eyes, disheveled hair with my cheek already swelling from the earl

CHAPTER 219BOILING POINTISLAWe didn’t go far, just behind the humanities building, where the tall hedges curved inward and blocked the view from the main walkway. It wasn’t exactly hidden, but it was private enough that the noise of passing students faded into something distant and unimportant.Rowan turned to face me fully once we stopped walking. His eyes scanned my face again, searching for something behind my eyes. And for a moment, I just stared at him.I stared at the crease between his brows, at the way his jaw tightened when he was worried and at the faint scuff on his cheek probably from a recent practice.He cared. That was the problem.If I told him the truth, there would be no containing the fallout. He wouldn’t just confront them, he would destroy them, and then everything would spiral into something uglier than I was ready to handle. Let's not even talk about what Ellis, Asher and Noah would do. My throat felt tight. So instead of speaking immediately, I cracked a sm