Isabella’s POVMy fingers drummed lightly on my thigh; the silence in the room was uncomfortable.Evelyn sat perched on the edge of her chair, holding the test result in her hand. Her eyes were switching between the paper and me. She hesitated; the crease on her forehead deepened as if searching for the right words. The silence was becoming unbearable."Evelyn, just tell me... What is the result saying?"I finally whispered, my voice trembling despite my best effort to keep it steady.Her lips parted, then closed again. She glanced at me, her gaze filled with a mix of uncertainty and concern. Slowly, she began to speak."Isabella, I don’t quite understand this." She trailed off, her eyes scanning the page again."According to the result, there’s... something unusual. Something foreign that seems to be affecting your antibodies."My heart skipped a beat. "Foreign?" I echoed, my voice almost inaudible. Evelyn nodded, her expression puzzled. "Yes. But we can’t determine what it i
Isabella’s POVA MONTH LATERMy black Mercedes-Benz halted a few spaces away from the construction site of our new center.I stepped out, sensing the grit of gravel under my heels. The air was heavy with the scent of fresh cement and wet earth. The new hospital project was right in front of... a skeleton of steel and glass stretching towards the sky.The first two floors were already enclosed, and workers hurried around, their shouts mingling with the hum of machinery. I let a small smile form on my lips, a rare moment of satisfaction settling in as I walked further in, observing the progress with two hands on my waist.It was all coming together. My long-awaited vision is taking shape brick by brick.I walked even closer, my eyes scanning every detail.Everything seemed in order, but I knew better than to relax yet.There was still so much to be done, so many things that could go wrong. I had to stay vigilant.“Madam Isabella! What a pleasant surprise!” A voice called out from my
Isabella's POV"Isabella," Emily's voice was taut and controlled as she continued."I need you to come to the hospital immediately." My heart started pounding, each beat louder than the last. "Why? What’s going on?" “Please, just come quickly,” she replied, her tone worryingly urgent. After that, the line went dead. I set the phone down slowly, feeling the anxiety rise within me. The quiet room suddenly felt oppressive. I felt drained.I did not like the way she sounded; I almost felt like calling her back and asking to tell me what she had discovered first before I could think of coming. But there was no need; I didn't have much of a choice.I stood up too quickly, the chair scraping against the floor. My hands darted over my desk, searching for..
ISABELLA POVAs we continued to hold each other, I sensed a shift in the room. My father and the others were watching us.All of them are going completely silent. Their eyes, though touched by the moment, were also asking questions. Their faces were a bit puzzled by the strong emotion I was displaying for what was supposed to be a normal family meetup. When I finally pulled away from my mother's embrace. Her eyes—those deep hazel gloves of hers, locked onto mine. They saw the little streaks of tears hiding inside them; they almost saw the pain I was nursing.I looked away. “What’s wrong, Bella?” She asked, her voice soft and searching.I opened my mouth to say what I had planned to say an hour ago, but it was too heavy. My mouth bowed to the
ISABELLA'S POVI couldn’t keep my eyes off Lilian, studying every line of her face for a clue, a hint of what she was about to say. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and her eyes darted back and forth as if she were second-guessing the decision.My patience was wearing thin; the silence stretched unbearably.“What is it, Lilian? What did Scarlett do?”I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. My heart thumped a little too loudly. Wondering if she was somehow in trouble, I just saw her about an hour ago, with my family, crying out loud.Lilian took a deep breath, glancing away for a moment before her gaze locked back onto mine. "I saw Scarlett... with another guy," she finally said, her words slow and careful."I saw her in the club. They were... close in a romantic way. This was just minutes after Scarlett confronted Nathan and me at the restaurant."My facial rumpled on their own accord, and my shoulders fell.The world seemed to tilt for a second. “Scarlett?” I whispered.
ISABELLA'S POVLilian’s suggestion was like a punch in the face, an insolent slap.I tilted my head to the side, trying to process it, but the more I thought about it, the worse it sounded. “No way.” I shook my head firmly, my resolve hardening with every passing second.“That's impossible,” I said aloud, my voice sharp and definitive.“I won’t do it.”I could feel my hands gripping the edge of my chair, my legs holding firmly to the ground.Go back to James? Seduce him? Even if he were just a normal ex, it would be humiliating enough, let alone after what his family had put me through. After the way they had thrown me out of my matrimonial home like some piece of garbage?I could still hear their voices in my head, the cruel words they had hurled at me. "You’re not good enough! Hopeless beggar! Eating James's wealth! Parasite!" They had cursed and cried, their faces twisted with disdain. “Never!”I muttered again, almost choking on the word.“I’d rather die than go back to him.
ISABELLA'S POV Three days after learning about the poison, I made my way to the meeting with the research team, just as I had told Evelyn. The room was modest but functional, filled with a long oval table where several researchers were seated. They were all dressed in various shades of white and blue. I could feel the weight of their gazes on me. It had been close to an hour since I came, and a lot of helpful connotations were being made. "We’ve reviewed all the data we have so far, and there are several theories on how the poisoning could have occurred.” Dr. Patel, the lead researcher in the room, was saying. "We believe it could have been administered through inhalation, perhaps in a confined space." he suggested, with his hands hanging halfway. I nodded, keeping my face neutral, though my ears were literally standing. "And what about ingestion?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. A woman with a short blonde bob and a sharp face who sat across from me chimed in.
ISABELLA'S POV I turned away from Amanda, my stomach knotting with disgust at the arrogance in her tone, and glanced back at Sarah, still on her knees in the middle of the restaurant floor. Her face was still wet with tears, her breaths hitching as if each one might be her last. Around us, the murmurs grew louder, a wave of whispers and speculative glances sweeping through the room. Lilian's eyes met mine across the table, her expression clouded with confusion. She seemed to be silently asking "What is going on here?" But I barely had time to acknowledge her gaze before Amanda's voice boomed again, her words filled with venom and self-righteousness. "If you don't compensate me immediately," Amanda ranted, "I swear, I will see you in court! You won't get away with this. None of you will!" Her voice cut through the air like a blade. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but the scene was too surreal for humor. Finally, she revealed the cause of all this drama: