Nicholas looked from Isabella to Angela and back to Isabella, wondering what was going on with this two friends."Isabella cannot answer me because she can't talk?" he asked, his tone laced with mockery."Yes, Mr Hunt. It happened on the day of the wedding banquet and that was why Miss Alicia had to step in for Isabella," Angela explained. She knew she was taking chances with informing Nicholas about this, but she had no choice but to use pity as a shield for her and Isabella. Nicholas might be a terrifying man but at least, he should have a soft heart when he sees someone extremely pitiful, right?Nicholas' eyes hardened and a series of emotions fleeted past his eyes, as he closed the distance between himself and Isabella."Is it true?" he asked, his voice not the least bit gentle.Isabella knew she had no choice but to agree, unless she wanted Angela to be punished, so she nodded. What happened next was what she never expected.Nicholas turned around and hit the wall with his fist,
An angelic smile on her face, Isabella bowed slightly to welcome the doctor who had come to examine her in Nicholas' room. When she woke up this morning, her wheelchair was already beside the bed and she had wasted no time in getting ready. She wore the clothes which were placed on the bed.The clothes were a bit too extravagant for her, and she had wondered if Nicholas would ask her to pay for this if she damaged it. "Mrs Hunt, why would you bow to greet me? You almost made me feel like a king there," Isabella heard the doctor laugh, and she smiled back awkwardly. Why was he treating her so informally?"I am Joseph Franc, Nicholas' private doctor and now yours. How are you feeling today?"Isabella stayed silent, staring at the man like he had grown horns on his head until he realized where he went wrong."Oh! I'm sorry, Isabella. Slipped my mind so quickly and uhm...let's get back to work. Try to call out Nicholas, and let's see what happens. Raise your thumb if you feel air pass thr
Was she getting divorced right on the very next week she married her husband? Or did he find out about her numerous disabilities and decide to divorce her?! She had to stop that from happening.As she wheeled herself around to continue looking for Angela whom she would be able to share this latest problem with, she heard a voice which made her stiffen from behind."And where are you going?"Isabella didn't turn, and it didn't take Nicholas long either to walk over to stand in front of her. She pointed in the direction of her room to tell him where she was going, and it surprised her when a thin smile bloomed on his usually stoic face."That's great. I was actually heading there too, dear wife. Don't you think we should go together?"Dear wife? Why was he calling her dear wife when he would be leaving soon?Before Isabella could think much about it, her eyes strayed out of the window and caught Angela walking around on the paved pathway outside.She forgot her her fears for a moment an
Nicholas threw a glance at the watch on his wrist for the umpteenth time in two hours, his eyes straying to the door of his study. Was she not supposed to be here by this time?"You are off again, Boss. What are you thinking of?"A voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up at the laptop in front of him, where he was on a conference call with his subordinates."Mind your business, Stanley. When do we leave tomorrow?" he asked, oblivious to the way the mouths of those on the conference call with him, dropped to the ground in surprise.They knew their Boss and how angry he usually was if someone dared to interrupt their meeting for whatsoever reason but now, he was letting Stanley go like that. With just a 'mind your business'."I just asked a question. When do we leave tomorrow?" Nicholas repeated, his voice assuming an icy and impatient tone."Dawn, Sir! Around 5 am," one of them replied.Immediately he heard that, Nicholas pressed the button to end the call and rose to hi
Nicholas was fuming as he walked up the stairs, his brain shifting from one thought to another. All of them based on Isabella and her smile just now."She has never even looked straight in my eyes for more than two seconds and there she is, laughing just because she is with Joseph," he muttered under his breath.He ignored the greetings of two maids who walked past him as he was already lost in thoughts. He could admit that she was beautiful with that smile on her face but still, he was feeling horrible that he didn't put the smile there.Nothing he did for her since she arrived had put a smile on her face and she only seemed to be more and more discontented as time went by. He pushed the door open to his room and walked straight into the bathroom; a cold bath might cool his head."And if she walks in while I'm taking my bath, then the night would only be more beautiful," he smirked mischievously.Few minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom with his wet dark hair falling all over
With the help of the new wheelchair which was gotten for her, Isabella almost felt like she could walk. She was able to do numerous things which she previously found hard, or which she needed Angela's help for. Just like now, she was able to get herself on the bed by herself.She peeled off the towel wrapped around her body and picked up the nightdress she picked out earlier, when she found out something was wrong with it.This nightdress was black and the color was part of the qualities which made her pick it. She had chosen it thinking that her body would be completely obscure but now that she looked at it, she found out it was a netty material which would show off her body if she wore it."Why does this have holes? I should sew it tomorrow, if it's possible to block all of it," she murmured, ignorant of the fact that the dress was designed that way.Now that she could not wear the black nightdress again, she knew she had to pick another dress. Sighing in frustration, she retired her
Nicholas felt the towel drop from his hand at that beautiful voice. Yes, the sound was so deeply engraved in his mind that he would recognize it any day and anytime but not now. Isabella was not supposed to be speaking, right? And...she just called his name.On the other hand, Isabella was scared. Her happiness at the fact that she could now speak was overcame by the fear that she felt, when she realized that she just yelled Nicholas' name. She was well aware that she was supposed to address him formally, as a slave, albeit private, to her master."You called my name?" Nicholas asked gently, staring straight into her brown eyes."I...uhm, i—""Stop stuttering, Ella. Call my name again," he ordered.Isabella was surprised. Was this a trap or just a simple command? Anyways, she wanted to hear her own voice more so she complied."Ni...cholas. Nicholas," she repeated.Nathaniel nodded, a small smile tugging at the side of his mouth. He straightened himself and stood up straight as if to ge
Joseph's mouth fell wide open from the scene in front of him and as much as he tried to stop himself, he failed, causing that exclamation of surprise to fall out of his lips."OMG!"Hearing that strangely disturbing voice, Nicholas reluctantly pulled away from the kiss in a bid not to embarrass Isabella, but he could not do so as her hands were gripping his collar tightly, stopping him from moving any further from her.A weird happiness sparked up in his heart and he restarted the kiss, using one free hand to wave Joseph away from the room. The latter saw the sign and bolted out of the room immediately without needing a second command. He regretted coming here with such speed that had made him push the door open without knocking first. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he was not at fault. He received a call from Isabella which was disconnected almost immediately and his worried self had thought she called him because something was wrong with her. Who knew he
Doctor Jane Branston had expected only two reactions from Nicholas, but she got neither. She expected him to be either angry that she insinuated his wife was supposed to be pregnant or be happy that she insinuated that he was having a happy marriage with his long time obsession turned wife, but instead... His usually sharp blue eyes went dull, and a hint of fear crept into them. That was...unexpected. "Are you alright, Nicholas?" Jane asked, rising from her seat. She walked around the table and didn't stop until she was standing in front of him. "Your face changed just now," she added. Nicholas gritted his teeth, his jaws set in determination as he lifted his gaze to look at her. "Let this be the last time you're broaching that topic, Jane. You know the nature of my job, how dangerous it is. I can't burden Isabella with my babies when I won't be around to take care of them," he stated. "You're joking, right?" Jane asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. Since she grew up with thi
Isabella didn’t bat an eye when the car pulled up at the entrance of the Saint Violet’s Hospital where a team of doctors led by Joseph Franc were waiting for them. Having lived all her life without venturing out of the Yates’ Estate, there was no way she would know that this was the private hospital that was solely meant for the members of the royal family in the country.‘’Need a shawl? It’s cold outside.’’She turned, hearing Nicholas voice right behind her ears. It was strange; how this man acted. Just like earlier in the bathroom when he had offered to help take off her shirt, her cheeks had reddened instantly and she had immediately stuttered her disapproval. As she didn’t expect him to honor her words, it had come as a shock to her when he turned and walked out of the bathroom.His words when he got to the door, ‘’Wearing that horrified look makes me feel like a monster so keep it off your face. It isn’t like I would touch you without permission.’’For the rest of her bath and
Back to present... Isabella was taking the same decision with Nicholas. She knew being on his side was the same as being on the most powerful side, if she was comparing him to her parents. And at least for now, he wasn't whipping her yet so she could take shelter behind him. She might have to suffer just like she did with Mrs Grey those years before but it was still preferable to getting whipped and locked in the dark room with its countless torture weapons and insects. "You said what?" Nicholas' voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "I did it myself." Nicholas tilted his head, staring down at her with a complex gaze. Though he didn't want to believe her words that she did all these to herself, David's words from when he had asked whom the latter suspected to poison Isabella at the wedding banquet, echoed in his mind. "Miss Yates refused to tell you what was wrong with her even after you showed you were annoyed. And after it got to your knowledge, she still refused to accept th
Five years ago...17 year old Isabella waited alongside the rest of the Yates family members with their maids and butlers, outside the family mansion. As usual, she was positioned at the back of the maids, and her presence was just as important as that of Angela who was standing beside her. She was basically invisible."They allowed you out of the dark room because of the guest that's to arrive today?" Angela asked, surprise evident in her eyes. Isabella was usually locked in the dark room for a minimum of two weeks, but this time around she was already out even though she had only been there for just two days."That's what I think," Isabella replied. Tilting her head so she could see if her family members had already taken their positions in front of the workers, she added, "It was tougher this time. Dad put some bugs in the room."She rolled her sleeves up to reveal the purplish bite marks which she had itched until it turned to bigger wounds."Oh my goodness, Bella! How did you man
Nicholas stepped closer to the bed, his eyes narrowing at Isabella's action of covering her body. "How have you been?" he asked."Me? I—I have been well! Perfectly well...Nicholas," she added the last word after a moment of thought, as if she was wondering if he would be annoyed by that or not."I could tell. I've been here earlier today and I must say, you seemed to have enjoyed yourself during my absence," he murmured, his tone laced with sarcasm.Isabella, however, didn't notice anything wrong with what he said."How was y—your trip?" she stuttered, clenching and unclenching her hand that tightly gripped the sheets."Hectic, as usual. Though this one was particularly worse since someone refused to pick her calls or even return the calls she missed for two whole weeks.""Ah... I'm sorry for that. I was...Busy and uh—I did..." Isabella stopped talking when Nicholas took another step closer to the bed. If he took one more, he would be right beside her. And he did."I heard about the p
Raph beamed, revealing all his whites as he smiled."I will be 20 in a few days," he replied."It's my first time seeing you around. When did you arrive?" Nicholas' tone was strangely soft, surprising everyone in the room. Even Marcus was not left out."It's been a year, Sir."Seeing the questioning gaze in Nicholas' eyes, Marcus interrupted in their conversation, "After the incident with my son last year, I asked Raphael to come join me here. You have been mostly out of the mansion in the past year so that's the reason you weren't aware of his presence."Nicholas gave a curt nod. He could vaguely remember the man taking a long leave in the previous year due to a car accident that took the lives of his son and daughter-in-law. He could guess Raph was Marcus' grandson."So, do you have anything to say about what happened while I was away? Anything about the party or whatever you can think of," he asked.Raph nodded vigorously, ignoring the signal his grandfather was throwing at him."S
The mention of his wife's name sent every trace of drowsiness away from Nicholas' face."What's with her?"Joseph hesitated a while before speaking, "I...I think she's sick. Not physically so don't give me that glare. I think she's mentally sick."Whatever Nicholas had been planning to do to Joseph for saying Isabella was sick when he was the doctor in charge of her, he completely lost all motivation to do it. His doctor was simply stupid."If you're done, Joseph, could you get out of my room? I'm not in the mood for jokes," he stated, pointing at the door.Joseph sighed, "Then don't blame me when the maids begin treating her like a psycho."He straightened and turned on his heels to walk out of the room, thinking Nicholas would call him back. But it didn't happen. Instead, the man in question picked up the earplugs on the bedside table and placed it over his ears."Jobless," he muttered, though his voice was loud enough for Joseph who was at the door the hear him.The door closed and
"Where is my wife?" Marcus wasn't surprised that the question had been directed at him, and even though he knew Isabella was not behind him, he still turned out of formality."Master Hunt...ah, it doesn't seem like the Madam knows you are ba—"Nicholas strode off without listening to all that Marcus had to say. From the old man's hesitance from the get go, he knew what the answer was; and though he was surprised that Marcus was trying to cover up for Isabella, he didn't show it.Hearing the maids and butlers disperse behind him, he headed straight to the elevator which he had ordered to be installed, while Marcus hurried after him."Did she like it?" he asked.Marcus chuckled slightly at the shy question. In a way, he felt like both Master and Madam of the Hunt mansion were similar in a way. They had this childlike behavior that was hidden behind their countless facades of cold and strong individuals."What's with the laugh? Did she dislike it?" Nicholas asked again, his tone showing
"My god...Bella! You have over a hundred missed calls from... what's this? Who is 'Monster'?!" Angela asked. "Monster?" Isabella echoed. The only way to confirm Angela's words was by seeing it herself so she collected the phone and studied the characters by herself. She raised her head in confusion, "It's Nicholas. Where's the monster?"The two stared at each other in silence, trying to comprehend what was happening until it dawned on them all at once."Don't tell me..." Angela started, shaking her head slowly."It's not me," Isabella defended herself. "I asked him to save it himself and he did. I didn't know he used 'Monster'. Do you think it was a test? Does he already know I can't read? No, if he knows then...Hold on, Angel, do you think that's why he sent Mum and—""Calm down, Bella. I uhm, I think we should start seeing things differently. He didn't say anything but just saved it as this, then it could either be that's he's testing you or that he's teasing you. With his reputati