Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

~Isabel~(Thirty Hours Ahead) I pushed open a pair of massive oak doors. The dining room was glowing under a giant crystal chandelier. Arthur Sterling was at the head of the table, laughing at something my mother was saying. He looked exactly like his photos: silver at the temples, sharp suit, the kind of calm that comes from owning continents. My mother looked like a totally different person. She’d ditched the struggling mom vibe and was draped in champagne silk with a diamond necklace. She looked like she’d been rich her whole life. "Bel! You’re here!" She got up and kissed my cheek. She smelled like expensive rose oil, not the vanilla lotion I remembered. "Arthur, this is my Isabel." Arthur stood up with a warm smile. His eyes were kind, but sharp. Like he was already calculating my worth. "Welcome, Isabel. I hope the flight was okay?" "It was... fine. Thank you, Mr. Sterling. For everything." "None of that. Call me Arthur. Come, sit. We were just waiting for—" The heavy door

~Isabel~ 5:45 AM. The alarm clock on my nightstand rang, it sounded like a literal siren waking me up in one jolt. I rolled out of the silk sheets that felt way too smooth and expensive, like they were making fun of my dry low maintenance skin and stood in the middle of a walk-in closet the size of my old apartment. My eyes landed on the dark floral dress hanging there. I reached for it, my fingers just brushing the fabric, before William’s voice hissed in my head: (“Take this off and burn it.”) I pulled out a stiff charcoal blazer and a crisp white shirt from my suitcase instead. It was professional, uncomfortable, and felt like wearing a suit of armor. After showering I dressed, looking at myself in the full-length mirror, my reflection was that of a stranger in a borrowed life. Why was I doing this? I wasn't here for a free ride. I had spent two long, exhausting years back in Brooklyn, New York working every shift I could find, saving every single penny just to pay my ow

Fifty-nine minutes. That was all the time I had before my life either became a success or crashed and burned in front of a dozen TV cameras. I hurried away from William’s office, my heart thumping against my ribs. I didn’t even know what the crisis actually was about. Was the company in trouble? Was William in trouble? I felt like I was walking into a trap, and I had no idea how to get out. I ducked into a small breakroom, desperate for a glass of water. "You look like you're about to see a ghost. Or maybe you just saw William’s coffee bill. Either way, you should probably sit down." I jumped, nearly spilling water all over my blazer. Sitting in the corner was a guy who looked like he lived on energy drinks and computer screens. He had messy curls and thick glasses, and he was wearing a hoodie under a blazer that was definitely too big for him. He looked like the kind of guy who could hack into a bank but forgot to brush his hair. "I'm Isabel," I said, trying to stop my ha

This ride back to the Sterling manor was supposed to feel like a victory lap. I had survived the cameras, handled the sharks, and saved the project. But inside the Bentley, it felt like I was being transported to a high-security prison.William sat in the driver’s seat, his face looking like it had been carved out of stone. He didn’t look at me once. He just stared at the road, his knuckles white against the steering wheel."You realize," he finally said, his voice a low, scary growl that made my stomach flip, "that what you did today wasn't saving anything. It was a disaster.""The stock price went up, William!" I snapped back. My heart was still racing from the adrenaline. "The reporters were actually smiling. People like the project now! How is that a disaster?""Because you promised them the impossible, Isabel!" He finally looked at me, his honey-colored eyes flashing like fire. "A three-month deadline to start construction? We don't have the permits. We don't have the builders. W

Sunlight poked through the heavy velvet curtains the next morning, but it felt like needles pressing into my eyes. My head was thumping with a rhythm that matched the dull ache in my bones, and every time I tried to swallow, it felt like I was gulping down broken glass.I tried to sit up, but my world spun in a dizzying circle of cream-colored walls and expensive furniture. I was shivering, even though my skin felt like it was on fire. The clock on the bedside table read 9:00 AM."Oh no," I croaked, my voice sounding like a rusted gate. "University..."Today was my first day of classes. My dream of starting fresh at a top-tier London school was supposed to begin today, but my body had other plans. The cold rain and the long walk in the dark had finally caught up with me.A soft knock at the door made me jump, and then it swung open. My mom and Arthur walked in, still dressed in their elegant clothes from the night before, looking like they had just stepped off a private jet."Isabel?