Then she came out of the room, walked into the kitchen, and stood before the fridge. She hesitated and then turned around, re-entering the room.She set an alarm for 5 AM, woke up, quickly took a bath, and got dressed. Stepping out of her room, she went into the kitchen and started cooking.When Laura woke up and saw Isabella in the kitchen, she was surprised; she didn't expect Isabella to wake up this early to prepare breakfast."Isabel, dear, you are awake," Laura said with a smile on her face.Isabella looked towards her mother and replied, "Mother, I am preparing your favorite meal."When Laura heard this, a smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Isabel. Do you want some help?"Isabella, who was busy at the cabinet, retorted, "No need, Mom. I can do it myself.""If you say so," Laura replied, not wanting to pester Isabella. For the past few days, Isabella had been hiding away from everyone, so Laura was naturally happy that she was ready to step out of her room and cook.She turn
It was still summer, and the open bar, though breezy, couldn't lighten the tension between the woman and the girl sitting by the pool.Laura gazed at her daughter Isabella, her face lined with worry and anxiety, unsure of how to begin."Mom, why are we here?" Isabella asked, confused after sitting in silence for two minutes.The table held only two bottles of water, and her mother hadn’t spoken since they arrived. They had just relocated to a new city, and Isabella was uneasy because her mother hadn't discussed their accommodation, despite her repeated questions during the journey.Laura took Isabella’s hands, her eyes meeting her daughter's with tension. She finally spoke, "Isabella, I found you a dad."Isabella’s reaction was one of disbelief, her eyes wide as if hearing an unfunny joke."What?" she exclaimed, shocked and incredulous."I'm sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. It’s been just us for the past eighteen years, but I’ve found someone I love. His name is Lorenzo, and he’s a goo
Isabella stopped trying to convince her mother when she realized her words weren’t being taken seriously. “Isabel, your dad is waiting for us. Let’s head to dinner,” Laura called from the doorway. With a sigh, Isabella set the book she had been reading on her bed and followed her mother out of the room.Lorenzo was already seated at the dining table when he spotted Isabella, and a smile spread across his face. "I've prepared dinner for us. My cooking may not be perfect, but I promise you'll enjoy it."Laura returned his smile warmly. "I've tasted your cooking before; you're the best I've ever known. If every man cooked like you, women would fall in love every day," she said, playfully flattering him.Lorenzo chuckled, his gaze lingering on Isabella for a moment before he spoke again. "Enough of the pleasantries, let's eat."They all sat down and enjoyed the meal in comfortable silence.After they finished eating, Laura turned to Isabella and said, "I've finalized the transfer. You ca
Isabella's face was a picture of confusion. The unexpected fame left her speechless; she hadn't even completed the necessary formalities to be assigned to a class, yet her name was already known by a group of boys.One of them chuckled and said, "Laura is her surname. Doesn't that mean she doesn't know who her father is?"At this, Isabella felt a tightness in her chest. This had always been her soft spot; she had hoped that moving to a new city would help her escape it, but here it was, haunting her once again.The group of boys erupted in laughter at her expression, their eyes glinting with mockery as they snickered."Her mother must be a bitter single mom," the leader sneered, his laughter booming.Isabella's fists clenched tightly at her sides, anger boiling within her at the disrespectful jab aimed at her mother."Excuse me," she said, her words sharp and laced with fury, her face contorted and her eyes bloodshot.As she tried to move past, the fat boy who had led the group steppe
Laura's face was etched with distrust and doubt; it was clear she didn’t believe a word Isabella had just said. She suspected that Isabella didn’t like Lorenzo and was trying to convince her to abandon their relationship.Taking Isabella's hands, Laura sat her down and, locking eyes with her, said earnestly, “Isabel, Lorenzo is a good man. He will be a wonderful father to you. Please give him a chance. He even welcomed us into his home—remember, this isn’t just ours.”Hearing her mother's response, Isabella felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. She hadn't expected her mother to doubt her."If you say so," Isabella sighed, resigning herself to the situation."Come on, let’s have dinner," Laura said, offering her daughter a warm smile.They both went out together and had dinner with Lorenzo, who kept stealing glances at Isabella, making her feel uneasy. She avoided his gaze and ate quickly. After stacking the used plates, she took them to the kitchen to wash them.As she was bus
Isabella instinctively covered her breast with her arm and tightly clasped her legs together, her heart racing. Glancing at the slightly ajar bathroom door, she noticed Lorenzo had stepped back. In a hurry, she finished her bath and swiftly wrapped herself in a towel.After she emerged from the bathroom, Isabella noticed that Lorenzo had left the room. Quickly, she locked the door and exhaled in relief.She didn't dare venture outside, still shaken by the fear that Lorenzo have barged in while she was bathing.A knock at the door made her heart skip a beat."Isabella, are you in there?" It was her mother, Laura's voice coming from the other side.Isabella's racing heart calmed, and she hurriedly opened the door. Upon seeing her mother, she fell into her embrace and burst into tears."Mom," she sobbed.Laura's face was filled with confusion, but she gently patted her daughter's back, comforting her with concern. "Sweetheart, what's the matter?"Isabella didn't speak; she just wept in
Isabella knew that without tape evidence, her mother wouldn't believe a word she said. When she pushed the door open, the moaning became louder. To her shock, her gaze fell on Lorenzo, who was sitting in a chair, staring intently at the television. The couch he was sitting on backed the entrance door, so he didn't notice Isabella's arrival. Then Isabella shifted her gaze towards the direction he was looking at, and to her shock, she saw a man with a BBC pinning down a young girl while hitting her from behind.The way she moaned and how the man handled her roughly filled Isabella with a tingling sensation she had never felt before. Her nipples suddenly hardened, and she clamped her legs together, feeling a rush of heat.Her clumsy gesture caught Lorenzo's attention. He paused the porn he was watching and craned his head toward Isabella's direction.He gasped in shock and pretended to turn off the television. "Isabel, you’re back from school?" he asked, stating the obvious.Isabella o
Cecilia and Isabella's attention was caught, not out of curiosity, but because the name called was the same as the one who had sent the letter to Isabella."That is the school hunk,"Cecilia introduced, sounding a little disinterested.Isabella watched with interest as a young lady walked up to him. They were too far away to hear what they were saying, but she could guess that the girl meeting him was trying to woo him."Stop staring at him. He has never dated anyone, and there was a rumor he was gay. He is the captain of the basketball team, with so many girls falling over him, but he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Sigh... it would be terrible to look so good and then be impotent," Cecilia lamented, looking like someone who had lost a million dollars.Isabella started laughing. "Cecilia, stop saying what you don’t know..." Isabella chuckled in reply.Just then, a shadow fell over them. Looking up, Cecilia was shocked to see that the owner of the shadow was Lewis. He flashed a smile at Is
Then she came out of the room, walked into the kitchen, and stood before the fridge. She hesitated and then turned around, re-entering the room.She set an alarm for 5 AM, woke up, quickly took a bath, and got dressed. Stepping out of her room, she went into the kitchen and started cooking.When Laura woke up and saw Isabella in the kitchen, she was surprised; she didn't expect Isabella to wake up this early to prepare breakfast."Isabel, dear, you are awake," Laura said with a smile on her face.Isabella looked towards her mother and replied, "Mother, I am preparing your favorite meal."When Laura heard this, a smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Isabel. Do you want some help?"Isabella, who was busy at the cabinet, retorted, "No need, Mom. I can do it myself.""If you say so," Laura replied, not wanting to pester Isabella. For the past few days, Isabella had been hiding away from everyone, so Laura was naturally happy that she was ready to step out of her room and cook.She turn
Lorenzo lit a cigarette and watched from the chair he was sitting in.He sat quietly, observing every movement around him. His gaze darted toward the direction where three men in suits were walking into a private room through a doorway that led to the east wing of the bar.A smile appeared on his face when Laura turned around and ground against the man she was dancing with provocatively. When the man wrapped his arms around Laura's waist and kissed her cheek, Lorenzo began whispering words into her ear. Lorenzo squinted his eyes while a smile danced at the corners of his lips.He stood up when Laura slapped the man and then tried to run away, despite the loud music.Lorenzo could hear the violent roar of the man as he cursed, "Fuck you, bitch!"He wanted to drag Laura back to the dance floor when she ran toward him, but when he stretched out his arm, he saw Lorenzo staring at him coldly.He froze, and fear creased his face.Laura walked up to Lorenzo, grinning foolishly. She appeared
That was all Laura needed to hear before she walked toward the young man staring at her.When she stood over him, she said quickly, "Follow me to the restroom."Then she quickly walked away, panicking.The young man's face was filled with question marks.As Laura walked toward the restroom area, the more nervous she became. She didn't look confident anymore; she became even more anxious and began doubting her charm.She even regretted doing it at first. She didn't realize she was walking too fast, and the young man was struggling to keep up with her.She was about to step into the restroom area when the young man called out to her, "Hello, miss, hold on!"That was all she needed to hear before she regained her confidence. She took a large stride into the restroom area. The young man was confused, wondering what she was up to, but he shrugged and followed afterward."Hold on, miss. You asked me to come to the restroom; can you explain why?" the young man asked, looking a little impatie
Lorenzo stopped what he was doing over the car bonnet and straightened his back, he looked at Isabella and smiled at her warmly before asking gently "You look so nervous, Laura, are you alright?"Laura nodded fervently, and then rubbed her palms on her trouser, she then replied unhurriedly "Lorenzo, you know Isabella is just a kid, she has never called anyone her father, I hope you can understand this"Lorenzo chuckled and then grabbed the tools in his hands and continued working on his car while responding "Is that what is making you so nervous?"Laura didn't deny it, she replied "I don't know what is wrong with Isabella, she is acting so strange"Lorenzo laughed and then replied "She is just throwing tantrums, give her some space she will be alright"Lorenzo closed the car bonnet and then turned around and kissed Laura's forehead, and then added "You shouldn't think much about it"He then carried his tools into the tool-box in his car booth, then he said to Laura "Are you ready? let
When Isabella heard what Lorenzo said, she stared at him in shock and disbelief. She couldn't believe her ears, so she repeated, "What?"Lorenzo unapologetically retorted, "You heard me, Isabel."Isabella's eyes turned bloodshot with anger, and her lips trembled. She wanted to say a thousand words at once, but she couldn't speak. Her face was creased with so much anger."You took my virginity, and this is what you're saying? That I am your stepdaughter now?" Isabella asked, looking surprised, hurt, and furious.Lorenzo nodded and continued without showing any remorse. "That was the biggest mistake I made, Isabel. Now I regret it. I have no intention of having sex with you anymore."Isabella was so angry that tears rolled down her cheeks. She just stared at him without speaking."Lorenzo, honey, I just got an email from the City Bank. Not bad! I think I got a grant approval," Laura's voice traveled from outside the kitchen. When Lorenzo heard what she said, he walked out of the kitchen
When Laura, standing behind the door, heard Isabella's scream, she was shocked."Isabella, are you alright? What happened?" Laura asked worriedly. She hadn’t expected Isabella to scream at the top of her lungs.Isabella covered her ears and then hid under her duvet, completely ignoring her mother at the door.Laura continued to knock, but Isabella refused to open it. While she was at it, Lorenzo approached her and said, "Let her be. It’s the stress of her upcoming exams; she has to study well. Don’t you want her to do excellently? If you keep pestering her, she won’t be able to go to the best university."Laura immediately stopped knocking. She also wanted Isabella to be among the top-ranked students taking the upcoming exams. Although she had managed to attend adult school to get certified as a nurse, she knew how rigorous studying could be.Reluctantly, she replied, "Are you sure she’s fine?"Lorenzo answered without hesitation, "Of course she is. Come on, let’s go for a walk. You’r
Isabella suddenly fled from home.She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, and when she couldn’t run anymore, she sat under a tree and laid her head down. She didn’t realize when she fell asleep.When she opened her eyes, it was already dusk. Thinking Lorenzo would come looking for her, she walked to the town on foot, about five to eight hundred meters from the tree where she had been resting.When she arrived in town, her heart became numb from consistent disappointment. Step by step, she strode to the nearby store to get some snacks and water.After consuming them, she decided to turn on her phone, hoping to receive a call from Lorenzo, who would have already discovered that she wasn’t at home.She sat on a bench in the street, staring at her phone blankly. She couldn’t believe Lorenzo had forgotten about her—her own mother too.She clenched her phone tightly."Are you heartbroken?" she suddenly heard a voice ask.Startled, she craned her neck toward the direction of the voice,
Lorenzo looked at her intently without saying a word, which made Isabella nervous; she fidgeted while avoiding eye contact.Wordlessly, he took off his gloves and then left the farm for the farmhouse to clean up. When he came out of the farmhouse, he had already changed into a white button-up shirt.He looked at Isabella, who hadn't moved an inch for the past ten minutes, and then said, "Isabella, you should realize that no one cares about you and your mother. None of them came to your rescue when you needed them the most..."He paused, staring at Isabella's face and studying her reactions. Isabella felt anxious as she remembered how her mother would always return home tired and exhausted, to the point that she would worry; nobody even offered to help."Lewis doesn't love you; rather, he hates to see you and me happy. He didn't want our family to exist, and when he achieves this, do you think he will still care about you?" After finishing his speech, Lorenzo didn't say another word an
When Isabella heard this, she was shocked. She asked tentatively, "Which hospital?"Cecilia replied helplessly, "Lewis didn't tell me which hospital it is; he didn't want me there."Isabella frowned, but she didn't make any comments. Throughout the lesson period, she was thinking about Lewis's well-being, wondering how he was holding on.The moment it was break time, she got out of the room and made a call secretly, without Cecilia's knowledge.But Lewis didn't pick up her calls, no matter how many times she tried. After school, she still tried Lewis's number, but he didn't answer.Annoyed, she stopped calling and got on the school bus. When she returned home, she was grumpy. She still tried his phone number, but he never answered.When she arrived home, she didn't see Lorenzo at the door. She opened the door and walked in, only to find that Lorenzo wasn't at home.She went to check the kitchen and saw that there was no prepared food. She returned to her room and checked her phone, ho