ISABELLA’S POVToday was exactly two years since I married the man I had loved for five years. A smile caressed my lips as I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and turned my head to steal a glimpse of the pretty red and white cake sitting in the transparent box on the passenger seat. My phone dinged continuously, but every time I looked at it, it was just classmates from way back, expressing how lucky I was to be married to the once school hottie and a multi-billionaire. Maybe my marriage wasn't as rosy as people thought, but I was at least glad I got to be with him. Alaric Wolfe….His name rang in my head for the umpteenth time. The image from the first day I saw him seeped into my mind. It was my first day in college, and I was just a shy, nerdy girl with whom no one wanted to relate. Even my sister did her best to avoid me. “Who walks around in glasses and an ugly outfit like that? Reputation, girl. I don't know about you, but mine matters.” She had said, sounding so disgus
ISABELLA’S POVA sharp pain ran through my head as I drifted my eyes apart. The harsh, sterile light hitting my sensitive eyes caused me to blink. The smell of antiseptic filled the air, mixed with the beeping sounds of the machines. I tried to take in everything about my surroundings. Before everything went blank, the image found its way in. “Oh! You awake?” A gentle female voice said, and I turned my head slowly due to the pain of seeing a pretty lady who seemed to be in her twenties smiling at me. She was dressed in a nurse uniform. She had black hair and looked like she was pleased with her job. “How do you feel now?” She questioned; however, I felt my mouth was too dry to respond. It felt like I hadn't drunk a drop of water in ages. My throat was so parched, with my head throbbing.My whole body was on fire. It felt as though it was stung by needles, and I groaned. “What day is it?” I managed to croak out, my voice a shadow of itself. I could feel my energy draining with string
ISABELLA’S POV“See what the cat dragged in after four days.” Elena let out a smug look on her face. “Just enough time to have all the fun in the world while your husband suffers. Poor Alaric. It must be such a headache to be married to you.” She added, her tone dropping, causing me to clench my teeth.Two years after school, and yet nothing had changed. That is such old bitchy behaviour from a spoilt brat. I rolled my eyes and tried to walk past her, squeezing Mireille’s hand not to give a response. My whole body was on fire. The pain was getting worse with every second that ticked by, even though the Doctor admitted to giving me painkillers. I still had to show up some other days to get checked. “You don't get to leave when I’m talking!” She threatened, pulling me back and causing my head to let out a bang. My heart rate rose, and I could feel it hammering against my chest as memories of the accident flooded my mind. I could smell the lingering petrol in the air. The world was clos
ISABELLA’S POVI took a deep breath as my eyes ran through the well-light room. Tables and chairs were in every corner of the room, and so were people I had never met until this moment. My fingers were trembling from the nervousness. This was an art competition, and I didn’t even know if I was supposed to be there. Mireille had submitted one of my Alaric paintings to sign up for this. I saw contestant number 5 doing his own thing, and the crowd cheered him on. According to rumours, there were ten participants, most of whom had influential people or knew the judges. In contrast, all I had was Mireille.“I can’t do this,” I mumbled, and she immediately caught my palms in her, squeezing it gently.“Of course, you can. I know what you are capable of, Isa. If you ever feel nervous, remember the one time I peed myself in front of my crush and didn’t do the same.” I chuckled slightly, her words calming me a little.“Contestant 6, come up stage.” I heard one of the judges say into the microp
ISABELLA’S POVThe sun was shining brightly in the sky yet Alaric was nowhere to be found, even after I sent a mail to him, demanding that he showed up. I grunted as I tapped my shoe heel against the floor due to the nerves wrecking inside me. It felt so strange, unreal that I was about to put an end to this bondage. This term called love that had tied me down for so long. It was almost nine am and my flight leaves in thirty minutes.“We need to go, Isa. He is not coming. He doesn’t care enough to.” Mireille said, her left hand wrapped around my shoulder. “I’m glad you know you deserve better now.” She added in a whisper and I felt my eyes soak with tears.For once I had thought he would care enough to be here. To let me go of my heart, and stop hurting me. But how can he let go of something he never wanted in his possession. I bit on my lower lip and nodded before getting back into the black Mercedes Benz the company had pick me up. Even as the door closed and the engine roared to l
ISABELLA’S POVI dragged in a deep breath as my fingers trembled coldly. I was sitting in one of the offices that the red haired secretary had directed me to, just two days after i got to Florida. My heart couldn't stop beating so fast as I awaited them to get here. I meant the CEO of DeluxeArts, said to be in a meeting. I was dressed in a wine-colored cooperate gown that stopped a little above my knees, paired with a white heel and bag. Mireille picked them out. I took in the sight of the office as the large glass windows flooded the room with light, while overlooking the buzzing street. The office was separated by glass walls that made her feel almost seen and each calling painted in matte black. In front of land laid a sophisticated piece of wooden furniture with a monitor and keyboard on it. There were books, and paintings hanging and neatly arranged on the shelves. Everywhere smelt so intoxicating.The glass door pushed open and I watched a middle aged man walk into the room, dr
ISABELLA’S POVBeing back in Alabama sent my nerves on a spiral mode. Not much has changed, except a little bit of color upgrading from most buildings. Mireille had tried talking me out of coming but I couldn’t bring myself to turn down the company, later she had begged to come along and protect me, but I wasn’t selfish enough to let her when I knew how much it would affect her work. However, the company had prepared a hotel room for me and a car. But I still had heavy eyes that ached terribly from the lack of sleep because I couldn’t stop thinking about how Alaric was just an hour drive from the hotel. Standing in the hall as I watched the hired staffs carry out their duties made me feel a little at ease. This was the biggest art auction I was holding with prominent people coming to watch and my heart swelled with immense pride. I did it. I had a name for myself. Built a life for myself. A smile caressed my lips and I dragged in the flowery scent that flooded the air. As much as I
ALARIC’S POVIt was a shock when I returned from my work trip from Columbus and found the house empty. There was no sign of her or her things. Even after pacing the house and calling her number, I still couldn’t reach her. At first, some of me believed she was playing hard to get. She wanted me to chase her and give her the attention she sought, but I couldn’t. I had told her from the very start that I would never learn to love her if she took my father’s offer to wed me to protect the family’s reputation. Growing up, I despised being seen as a tool, just a means to keep something together or in place, just like my parents did. Father was only with Mother cause she had me. After all, his family cared too much about reputations, and they would risk anything to keep the Wolfe’s name untainted. I never saw Isabella as desperate until she agreed to their offer without caring about how I felt or what I thought was right.It was funny how the nerdy girl who made my heart flutter with her b
ISABELLA’S POVWhen I got to the restaurant, four people were inside. It was 6:45, so I sat at the corner, checking the time while I awaited the mystery man. Somehow, the time seemed to stretch longer. “Your chicken, ma’am.” I heard a waiter say, causing me to raise my head and look his way. He was dressed in a brown shirt and pants with a white apron around his neck and holding a tray.“I didn't place an order,” I informed him, watching him smile before placing it down.“You don’t have to worry, ma’am. It has been paid for.” With time, he disappeared behind the doors, standing in the far corner of the shop.My eyes darted around the room in confusion. Something vibrated against my lap, and I pulled out both phones to realise it was the burner phone. “How do you like your chicken?” The voice on the other end penetrated the air.“Who are you? What do you want?” I questioned, firmly gripping the phone. I tried to stop my voice from cracking.“You didn't come all that way to play games
ISABELLA’S POVWas I dumb for sending a message to this unknown person? Even though the doorman claimed a delivery man delivered it, I wanted to believe he would come again. It was three in the night. I couldn't sleep, even though Alaric had done everything to calm me down. Our flight was scheduled to leave in the morning, and I was pacing up and down the room.“Be a man and face me, coward.” This was the message in the paper I had given him.Did the mystery man collect it yet? My nerves went on the verge of breaking. My heart was hammering so fast against my ribcage while my fingers were as cold as ice. After long, heart-crushing minutes of thinking, I finally snuck out of the room and headed down the elevator. As soon as I stepped out, I saw him in the corridor.“Any news?” I asked and watched him shake his head in denial. An exasperated sign slipped free, and I ran my fingers through my hair, a million trains of thoughts whirling in my head. The weather was chilly, best for a walk
ISABELLA’S POV“We found something.”It was early morning, and Alaric and I drove to the station after the policeman called. My body was still sore from last night, and my heart was beating so fast that I held tightly onto Alaric’s hand. The street was barely empty, yet he managed to maneuver his way, and in minutes, we were standing in front of the police station. I dragged in a big breath as I wondered what news awaited me. This was either going to scar me for life or save my best friend. It was as though he noticed my fear because he held my hand.“If you ever feel uncomfortable, let me know, and we are out of here.” His words held a reassuring tone, which made me slightly calm. Two unfamiliar faces were there when we got to the office they had directed us to. One was sitting in front of a laptop while the other man, who seemed older, stood beside him. “From the tattoo in the picture, we managed to narrow it down to these three men.” The older man informed me, and I watched the
ISABELLA’S POVI had taken forever to snap out of the phase while Alaric spoke with the two police officers. Different scenarios had played out in my head. Mireille had always seemed so happy and carefree that I never thought she could hide something. She shared everything with me about how her first sex went. How sex with her new man was. How engagement was planned out. Everything except the important details.Who was the savior? I could barely determine what they were saying, but I knew he handed them what we had gotten from her house and the car. One of the police officers had said something about us taking a big risk and suggested that we stay put until we got the news. I had yet to tell Alaric I had gotten a package back in Alabama. I doubted that it mattered anymore. “We will get back to you, Mr Wolfe.” He said before flashing him a smile. Alaric hummed thanks while I laid my head between my palms, trying to solve the mystery.What clue were we missing? I thought as I tried
ISABELLA’S POV“I don't think we should do that after what happened last night.” He responded, dishing the chicken, fried potatoes, and egg on a plate and handing it to her.“We?” she repeated, then added, “Thank you for the food.”He hummed as he poured her an orange juice. “You don't think I will let you go alone, right?” She was speechless for a second. She wasn't entirely expecting him not to follow her, and she didn't want to bother him. “Enjoy your meal while I go take a bath, okay.” His hand was resting on the table as he spoke before he raised a palm and touched her forehead. “You seem better now. Let me know if it changes.” With this, he walked out of sight.Her mouth tasted bitter, but she managed to chew the food because she couldn't let his effort go to waste. Soon, he was dressed in a light blue shirt and cream-colored shorts. His face was neatly shaved, too. She was done, too, and within minutes, they were in his car, driving towards Mireille’s apartment.Her heart be
THIRD PERSON’S POVHer heart thumped loudly against her ribcage, her fingers were trembling, and she felt a cold spine run through her veins. “Stay right there,” Alaric ordered before shoving the door open and running to the street. He had parked the car in a safe place, but she could barely make anything out as blood rushed to her ears.He knew the homeless man had to be involved. He was conversant with how things like this worked. A surge of adrenaline ran through him as he stormed into the streets. His eyes moved over the countless people. He could still remember what the homeless man was dressed in and what he looked like. Sweat broke across his face as he stepped into people’s faces to check if the homeless man had changed into another outfit. He had read too many crime books to know how this works while growing up. Finally, he caught sight of the tattered black hoodie. He grabbed him by the shoulder with renewed hope and flipped him around.“Ouch, you're hurting me, " a femal
ISABELLA’S POVI froze. His words replayed in my mind, but this time, slower. It felt like the world was crumbling beneath my feet as time had stopped. My body trembled vigorously. Mireille. Mireille was dead.Tears rolled down my cheek as I gripped tightly onto my wine-suit trousers. It felt unreal, and the words sounded foreign for a second.Alaric closed the gap between us, his palms grabbing my shoulder. The pain broke my heart. “We can't say it's her until we see the body, " he said, and I could tell that he was only trying to calm me down. I booked us a last-minute ticket, and our flight leaves in an hour. Your bag is packed as well.” He formed as he pulled me up gently, and I leaned into him. I could barely make out anything in my surroundings as we walked out of the building and into his car. The second the door to the car closed, I let out a scream, hitting the seat head. Alaric stepped in from the other side.“To the airport, Enzo.” Enzo glanced at me through the review
ISABELLA’S POVThe day of the auction slowly rolled in, and even though my life was a wrecking ball, I managed to hold it together. But I had to admit I was zoning in and out multiple times. I had a dream concerning Mireille overnight. In the dream, she was begging for help, blood all over her.I sighed again and dragged my mind back to the bidding. The theme of it was beauty. Luckily, I managed to source the best of all the paintings. I had painted an image of Mireille; she was the only one who knew the meaning of beauty. Her eyes glowed up genuinely every time I succeeded with work. Her smile seemed to light up every dark room in the house. Her words uplifted my soul, and she loved me unconditionally. As the time ticked, I tapped my feet against the floor, waiting for it to end, but it seemed to stretch more. I hadn't seen Alaric all morning, and more weird thoughts ran through my mind. “The boss is here, ma’am.” A female staff whispered against my ear, and I startled a little bef
ISABELLA’S POVTwo days had passed, and there was still no sign of Mireille. Her phone number was not going through, and I made another shocking discovery. It was almost as if she vanished into thin air. Dread spread through my trembling body as I paced up and down my office. I didn't have a choice but to be here. The urge to ditch everything and take a flight to Florida engulfed me. I had spent the previous night rolling and tossing on the bed. Different thoughts ran through my mind. What could have happened to Mireille? Why was she not calling or messaging me?The fourth auction was tomorrow, and I could not leave. I had so much to attend to. There were a lot of paintings I had to bring in. I had to take care of the guest list, coupled with the fact that my boss was looking up to me to make this a success. The door creaked, and Alaric stepped in, dressed in an all-white suit. The way he carried him with so much grace and confidence was attractive. The dangerous aura that emanated