Chapter 71

Clyde’s smirk faded slightly as he listened, his eyes studying me with a new intensity. I could see the gears turning in his mind, the way he was recalculating, reassessing. He hadn’t expected this from me, hadn’t expected me to stand my ground in the face of his taunts. But that was the thing about Clyde—he thrived on power plays, on challenges.

“Alright,” he said finally, his voice softer now, but no less dangerous. “You’ve piqued my interest, Isabella. What’s your condition?”

His question hung in the air between us, charged with a mixture of curiosity and caution. For a brief moment, I saw something in his eyes that looked almost like respect. It was fleeting, but it was there, a recognition that I wasn’t just going to be a pawn in his game. I was trying to carve out my own space, to find a way to keep a piece of myself intact in all of this.

Taking a bite from my food, I gathered my thoughts, trying to steady the tumultuous emotions swirling inside me. The flavors of the meal we