Author's point of view... The next day morning, Claudia stepped into Isaac’s hospital room, her expression composed yet determined. She gulped nervously. She had been searching their house for that one thing the whole day but couldn't find it there. The only possible place it could be is in Issac's personal belongings. And Isaac had it kept near him before he passed out that day. "Those papers must be in the hospital room. In his safe... I have to find it...I have to find it today..." Claudia was determined to get that blueprint at any cost by the end of the day or Michael could do anything to her. The hum of medical equipment filled the background as she found Lissa, weary and haggard, sitting vigil by Isaac’s bedside. Claudia slowly walked towards her and placed her hand on Lissa's shoulder. "Mom, you look exhausted. When was the last time you had a proper rest?" Claudia asked gently. Lissa sighed, she looked at Claudia and smiled then her eyes went back to Isaac’s still f
Author's point of view... Izzy's heart pounded as Lissa's roar filled the room. She felt Isaac's grip tighten on her hand, a silent plea for calm amidst the storm. It must be Claudia who might have called Lissa here, Izzy thought. Lissa was about to grab Izzy's hair and drag her out of the room when two strong men positioned themselves protectively before Izzy, their imposing figures casting long shadows in that dimly lit room. Lissa stopped puzzled. So what Claudia said was right! This bitch had mingled with some dangerous men. Lissa cursed Izzy in her heart. "What the hell do you think you are doing, you nasty piece of shit?" Lissa could no longer hold her anger inside, "Can you be more shameless Izzy? Your father is fighting with death every day in the hospital bed and you are clinging with men out there..." Lissa's eyes blazed with fury but she stepped back immediately. Her hands clenched into fists. "Get out! Just the thought of you being his daughter disgusts me..
Author's point of view... Inside the hotel room, Robert was on his chair, calm and composed as ever, talking to Mike on his phone. "Did you get anything, Mike?" "Yes Boss, their family got involved with some local gangs. Her brother's sudden death is indeed something suspicious" Robert's eyebrows cocked up. "Um hmm...What suspicious?" Robert asked curiously. "It was a kidnap and murder case but shockingly, no one complained about it" Robert gave it a thought, "Wasn't their family a normal middle-class family?" Robert threw another question and Mike took a minute to understand. Why would they have any enemy to go so far? Why would someone kidnap their family member and for what? Mike replied immediately, he had been digging up everything about Izzy's family and surprisingly the more he dug, the more he discovered. "Their family was well-known in the entire town and lived a normal life as what I heard about them. But it doesn't look good deeper." "Why didn't they
Author's point of view... After driving through the forest in the outskirts of the city, they reached a huge gate opening into a vast garden. This place was like a hidden paradise in the heart of the woods. Sweet fragrance of flowers and fruits, filled the air with freshness. As if already instructed, the driver rolled down the window glasses to let that fresh and fragrant air inside the car. Robert was leaning his head on the seat while his eyes were closed. The usual creased brows were now relaxed. After kissing Izzy just now, he actually felt good. He didn't know if that came from tricking her or the unique taste he felt on her lips. Izzy looked at the paradise outside the window then at the predator next to her. They doesn't match. Not at all...! She pondered. After about ten minutes of driving through the greenery, they eventually pulled up in front of a massive mansion in the midst of the garden. Given how it seemed, this mansion might almost be referred to as a cast
Author's point of view... A maid...! Harvey raised his head and his smiling face contorted into a confused one. He read the cold expression on his boss's face and grasped something. No matter his woman or maid, that girl had offended his boss somehow. "Oh..." Harvey nodded. Izzy was not surprised by that response. When she had signed that blank contract, she truly had signed her life away, she knew her role could not simply be his caretaker, but she could at least protect herself from being his bedmate and personal servant and anything else he wanted her to be by being a maid instead. Robert glared at Izzy without a blink. He wanted to see her begging him or at least there had to be some panic in her behaviour but there was none. Izzy silently agreed with him as if she was relieved to be a maid. That irritated the young man. He gritted in anger but refrained himself from showing it. Izzy blinked at him in a daze. He looked angry, but didn't have any idea, why. Did she s
Author's point of view... Izzy trembled as the two men advanced. She didn't know what to do. It was just her first day in that mansion and she was being harassed by these bastards. She felt she would faint at any second. "Don't...don't touch me..." she stammered stepping back until her back hit the wall. She hugged herself and closed her eyes. Greg grinned menaceingly while Tony's hand was just inches from Izzy when gunshots rang out, shattering the tense silence. Izzy jerked and opened her eyes to see what happened only to find the two men crumpled to the floor, clutching their legs, blood pooling beneath them. Izzy covered her mouth and stood frozen, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. Behind her, Robert stood with a smoking gun, his expression unreadable. He casually blew away the smoke from the barrel, a look of satisfaction crossing his face. Izzy's knees went weak, and she felt as if her body was turning to jelly. "What the hell were you doing
Author's point of view... Izzy had just witnessed something that she had never seen before. In her world violence and killing are only talk of the people in the illusion world of movies. But Izzy had never seen such things entertainingly even if that was supposed to be just for an act. Now that it happened right in front of her eyes, she couldn't help but feel frightened. Frightened as a hare on the road before the flashing headlights. She couldn't think much, she couldn't talk much. The sound of the gunshots keeps ringing in her ears. Robert did that to save her, to let the others know that this girl was his and no one was allowed to mess around with her. Or maybe he wanted to frighten her, show her what he was capable of. And after that, Izzy strangely felt the saviour to be her real predator. She was in a trance when he coldly asked her to follow him. It was only after getting into his bedroom that she finally realized what exactly was happening to her. She jerked out
Author's point of view... "You are just...too slow to complete it on time?" he snapped and Izzy frowned, she felt as though her ears heard something odd. Slow...! She moped almost ten rooms and two big halls including the stairs. It was equivalent to her school campus back then and here he is calling her, "Slow...!!" Izzy felt like crying, but couldn't shed any tears. Robert sat leaning back on the bed, resting his hands on either side, a slight cunning smile tugging on his lips. Izzy shrank into the corner. He smirked, he was coming right away to what he wanted to say, slowly, cunningly. "Wasn't that hard for you to work restlessly?" he asked breaking the silence. Of course, it was hard..! She was feeling tired as hell, every part of her body ached but she couldn't possibly complain about her work on the very first day, right? Unaware of what he actually meant, Izzy shook her head, "No it wasn't that hard" she said gulping down the words in her mind. Robert narrowed h
Author's point of view...Just then, the kitchen door creaked open, and Lissa stepped out. She looked pale, her face carrying the weight of guilt and shame that had built up over years. She stopped a few steps away, her gaze glued to the floor. Izzy felt a tug of empathy at the sight of her aunt, who had always been hard on her. But now, seeing Lissa’s pained expression, Izzy understood the complicated truth. Slowly, Lissa took a deep breath and, with trembling hands, sank to her knees in front of Izzy. Her voice was barely a whisper, choked with tears. “Izzy… I don’t deserve your forgiveness, not after the way I treated you. I was so blinded… by jealousy, by my own misunderstandings. I thought—I thought you were Isaac’s mistake, something that reminded me of a betrayal that never even happened.” She covered her face, breaking down. “Stella… your mother… she gave us everything. And I repaid her by hurting her daughter. I’m so ashamed.” Izzy’s heart ached at the rawness in Liss
Author's point of view... The next day, they received an invitation for a family banquet from the Sintclair family. The old patriarch of the Sintclair family had arranged this banquet just for Izzy to introduce her as his granddaughter. After being dressed up, Robert drove them to the Sintclair family mansion, nestled among vast gardens and surrounded by elegance that hinted at generations of stories. Izzy’s nerves tightened as the towering mansion loomed closer, her hand instinctively reaching for Robert’s. He looked over, his eyes warm and steady. “Don’t worry, Izzy,” he murmured, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m here, every step of the way.” She nodded, offering a small, grateful smile. “Thank you… I don’t think I could do this alone.” They stepped inside, and she was greeted by a room filled with unfamiliar yet strangely welcoming faces. She felt the weight of their gazes, curious, surprised, even delighted. She heard whispers of, "Doesn’t she look just li
Author's point of view... Getting back to the city, Robert immersed himself in his work. It was his way of dealing with grief. Though Izzy was always by his side, they rarely had anything to talk about. They eat together, live together, and sleep together, but there is still a distance between them. After a few days, Robert arranged for Izzy to return to her studies. Though she was so surprised, she was happy to be able to continue her studies. She took a specialization course in psychology. It was her dream to become an efficient Psychologist just like her mother and with her mother's professional books at her assistance, she was destined to exceed in everything. It had been six months since Izzy started college, and she had to stay in her college dormitory as the college she chose was far from the city. Robert missed her so much. He often drove all the way, for hours, to her college just to see her and hug her. Though she wasn't allowed to step out of the dormitory, who
Author's point of view... The day had begun with an air of hope, but it would end differently than anyone could have foreseen. It was a beautiful day, peaceful and filled with happiness scattering everywhere. Robert and Izzy stopped by to have a heartfelt meal with her and Nancy insisted on cooking it herself. Meanwhile, Robert took Izzy to roam around and she enjoyed playing in that beautiful scenery. Fresh air, fragrance of flowers and greenery. It felt like she was in heaven. "This is so beautiful..." Izzy exclaimed and Robert hugged her. "If you like it, we can visit more often in your holidays" "Hmm..." Izzy looked up and Robert smiled. Their cute conversation was interrupted by an affectionate call from Nancy."Kids... come here, the food is ready" When she called, Robert recalled his best days from the past when Nancy was with him, taking care of him, cooking for him. Though he can't get those days back, at least he have her now. He smiled and grabbed Izzy's hand to walk
Author's point of view... The very next day, Robert took Izzy to the Erickson estate in the country side. They had a vast land with so many farms and a lot of greenery, quite pleasing to the eye. As they drove into the countryside, Izzy’s eyes sparkled with delight. She took in the lush green fields, the quaint little cottages, and the open sky that stretched endlessly above them. There was a refreshing, earthy scent in the air, and Izzy felt as if she'd stepped into a fairytale.Her eyes lit up and Robert, who was in a deep thought, was so pleased to see her shine. He was silently sitting beside her, watching her with a gentle smile spreading across his handsome face. He’d never seen her this excited before, and it softened something within him. When they reached the village, they were greeted warmly by the locals. Though the villagers had little in terms of wealth, their welcoming smiles and heartfelt gestures more than made up for it. Erickson Corporation had implanted many
Author's point of view...! After saying whatever he wanted to say, Marco brushed his suit with his hands and walked over to the entrance. He stopped and stared back at Izzy as if filing his thirsty eyes with her one last time. She resembled so much of her mother, those beautiful pair of eyes and that adorable face, everything of Izzy, reminded him of his love, Stella. After admiring his long-lost daughter, Marco's gaze shifted back to Robert. And there was a change in his demeanor. The once soft and tender look was replaced with a harsh and cold one, but strangely, his gaze had a mixture of satisfaction and jealousy. He was indeed satisfied as his daughter was with a strong man, just like him but there was a pang of jealousy in his heart too. Izzy slowly clung to Robert's arms; her eyes were fixed on the stranger, who was supposed to be her father, though. If things were not what they are now, would she be looking at him with those scrutinizing gazes? He scoffed internally, pro
Author's point of view...! Marco looked down, guilt etched into his features. It was true. He was indeed a monster at that time. “Perhaps I did. But she was my life, and I will regret letting her go until my last breath,” he said, regretfully. "I want to take you with me, Izzy. I want to make up to you, to Stella. I want. To give you everything that I wasn't able to all these years..." "Enough..." William roared, "Take that kid with you...? Are you not satisfied that you destroyed my daughter? And now you want to ruin that innocent child...! I would never allow you to do that." The room fell into silence again. The old man was so angry that his entire body was shivering. "I will never allow you to take that child away?" William turned to his granddaughter and then to Robert as he declared in a commanding tone, "I am here to take my grandchild along with me today, she is my blood, the only thing that my daughter left behind..." the old man couldn't hold on any longer and bur
Author's point of view... As everyone settled into the grand sitting room of the Erickson mansion, the air was thick with anticipation. Marco took a deep breath, his usually hard gaze softened by sorrow and reflection. He stared at the floor for a moment, his voice low as he began. "Back then, I was the king. The one on the top where no one ever dared to look into my eyes." He said, though the words sounded as if he was proud of himself, his expression showed darkness that held inside his heart. He continued, "When you're at the top, people assume you have it all: power, respect, wealth. But the truth is, you are utterly alone," Marco stared, his gaze distant, caught in memories of the past. "I was strong, alive, yes, but I was not living. Until one day, I met someone who didn’t care about my status, my wealth, or my power. She was the first person who looked at me as simply a man. She dared to slap me across the face when I crossed a line, unafraid of who I was." He gla
Author's point of view... "Let's fight till the end..." Robert and Marco were like two huge bulls ready lock their horns. Their men were ready to start a fight on the spot. No one intending to back off. As Izzy noticed the thickness in the air, she shuddered and as if smacked back to reality, she instantly stood between them. Stopping them from fighting. "Please stop it..." she said to both while turning her head to Marco, she requested in a low tone. "Sir...I think you got the wrong person. I don't know you sir. My name is Izzy Brown and my father is Isaac Brown. My mother died when I was young and I never heard her talk about you or anything related to you..." "Isaac ...that bastard..." Marco gritted in frustration. "He was her bodyguard not her husband..." Izzy frowned. She was so angry that she wanted to push that man away and yell at him. She scoffed bitterly. Did he mean that her mother, the lady who lived her entire life, though smaller, in dignity had ch