ISABELLA POV“Where are you?!” I hissed into the phone.“I’ll be there in a moment, just wait for me,” came Alexander’s reply.I hissed and dumped the phone into my purse. If he knew he wasn’t going to make it on time, what then was the use of me coming here? I would have just stayed back at home instead of parading here in this ridiculous dress. The party itself was not the problem; it was the people in the party… and my dress.I hated my dress. Edward had styled me, complaining about not being there but letting me go and represent him. It was ridiculous. He didn’t have to dress me in awful clothes just because he wouldn’t be here with me. What in the world was he trying to prove? Sometimes I wish I could just stone him to death. If he was here with me, he would have styled me in something better and chic. He would have made sure that my hair and makeup and everything were perfect. He would have paraded me in his arms like a damn trophy that was showing off to his old friends.I hate
ISABELLA POVI found myself in the restroom, adjusting the hideous gown that Alex tried to ruin. Why couldn’t he just get the memo and respect himself? If only he knew the kind of danger he was in, we wouldn’t be having unnecessary conversations about whether I wanted him or not.I adjusted my hair one last time before leaving. I needed to find him and talk about what just happened. We’ve been crossing far too many boundaries that I wasn’t comfortable with. Anyone could discover us, and now that Lucas was hot on my tail, we needed to be more careful. Hopefully, he will understand this. Alex was not where I left him. I looked around, allowing my eyes ro roam around the place, but still nothing.“Hello miss,” an old man said in front of me.I focused my attention on him. I didn’t want to talk to Edward’s friends anymore and this man seems like one of them.“Oh, it's you,” he said cheerily and then looked around me. “He isn’t here with you?”“No he’s not,” I replied coldly.“That’s good.
ALEXANDER POVI saw the look on Isabella’s face before she excused herself to use the bathroom. I wasn’t particularly upset to be with Madison in that position, but I was just hoping to show her that I was still a hot, wanted guy. It felt stupid and silly, but pushing me away during intimacy was just as pathetic. Madison had come at the exact time and I just couldn’t stop the words coming out from her mouth. She was exceptional at what she did, including making other ladies feel jealous. I didn’t want that, so I proceeded to tell her.“Maddy—”Her smile was bright as she looked away. “I’ve just seen some old friends of mine. Hold that thought; I’ll be right back.”Then she vanished into the crowd. I didn’t want to start asking questions about which friends she knew here and how she had even been connected to come to this kind of party, but I held my tongue and grabbed a glass of champagne. It was better to drink my way through this party and finally go home. Perhaps then she would be
ALEXANDER POVWhat the fuck was Madison doing on that stage?I know my thoughts were the same as everyone else because we all had the same expression on our faces. Isabella shifted slightly and the guy she was with shifted into her, mimicking her movements. I hated it very much, even more than I hated Madison on that stage. She was crazy; she’d do anything to get my attention—even if I was dying at that point. Going on stage so everyone would be quiet and pay attention to you was… honestly, I had no words for it.She giggled as if drunk, even though I knew that she was fully sober. Madison had not even taken one shot of alcohol here; her acting drunk was just a way to show people that she stood in solidarity with them not being sober either. Sheesh, what a joke!She looked around one more time before she started. “Don’t be nervous; most of you here look like I want to uncover your secret or something.”A few people laughed at her joke while others murmured about how she was wasting th
ISABELLA POVI felt his eyes bore into mine. He was relentless in the way he made his presence known, and I was so used to his moods that I knew he was unhappy with me.What did he want? He was with his girlfriend. She was laughing and twirling and holding him like she never wanted to let go. Shouldn’t he be happy at least? He has what he wants—which is her.Andy led me by the waist out of the dance floor. He was exhilarated and I felt tired. My feet hurt and all I wanted to do was sit down. Eventually, he led us to a chair and allowed me to drop heavily on it. There were two unopened bottles of water on the table and I took one. I stared at him as I drank the water. It was surprising seeing Andy here, but also refreshing. Somehow he seems to always come out at the right moment.When the brat Madison left the bathroom, I stayed there for several minutes to get my wits together before leaving. Who knew that I’d see Andy here, looking as lost and confused as hell?“You look amazing, Bel
ISABELLA POVWhat the hell did she want? What was her plan? Why did she want us together so badly?These were the thoughts that floated through my head as she boldly challenged Andy. I watched her carefully, scrutinizing her every move. Sure, she was a beauty, but Alexander would have honestly done better than her. To say that I was disappointed in his choice of women—including me—was an understatement.Madison laughed and leaned towards Andy, then repeated her question. “Come now, tell us. Do you want to stay with us or not?Andy nodded slowly, glancing briefly at me. I wished he had looked at me long enough to see that I honestly did not want to be here and I didn’t care. But he was concerned for both of us; he wanted to be likable and not step on toes because now Alex was involved and said to be my stepson. It was infuriating.Madison clapped her hands in excitement and giggled girlishly. “Oh now that everyone’s agreed to be here, let’s play a game,” she said.“What kind of game is
ALEXANDER POVWas it safe to say that I did not like this Andy guy? I didn’t like him at all, and it might even be bordering on hate. Some people might say it is jealousy, and yeah, that might just be the feeling too. What I hated the most was when he talked about his crush. He had doe eyes and spoke slowly as if reminiscing the times when it was just him and this crush of it. As if that wasn’t enough, he mentioned her name and gave her those puppy-doe eyes.I knew he was referring to my Isabella. The looks he was giving her all night alone were enough to set me off on fire. Each time I looked over at them, he was smiling and touching and leaning in. There was never a time he did not touch her. During their dance, his hands were practically all over her. She might go around convincing people that it was just a platonic dance, but I didn’t buy that.As much as Isabella didn’t want to admit it, her dress was spectacular. It was not her taste, but it had a deep neckline that showed half
Chapter 61ALEXANDER POVShe was already getting drunk. I could see that she didn’t want to answer the question, but there was no way Madison would let her be. They were all waiting for her answer, including me. She gave me a disappointed look when she saw that I too, was waiting for an answer. It wasn’t my fault at all, but that of curiosity. I desperately wanted her to say yes, that she loved someone else and it was me. I didn’t want to just lay in the sack for her, but I guess I’m getting that either.“Are you sure you want me to answer that?” She asked Madison, her words slurring as she spoke.She’s drunk, I thought again to myself. I imagine that the pressure she would be feeling while looking at us would be magnified in her drunken state.“Go on, answer the question,” Madison pressed sweetly. “We’re all dying to know about you and you’ve not been making it easy, sweetie.”Isabella started to roll her eyes but somehow ended up rolling her head to the table. Andy held her just in