Isabella looked at him coldly, despite being choked. She stared at Lorenzo fearlessly without making any sound.Lorenzo stopped strangling her and then spoke softly, "I never planned to hurt you, Isabel. Why...?"While he was talking, Laura's voice came from inside the house, asking, "Honey, is that Isabel?"Lorenzo glared at Isabella with a threatening look before replying, "Yes, she is here with me, darling. We will talk some other time."He turned around and left, while Isabella pushed the entrance door open and walked in. When Laura saw her daughter, a smile appeared on her face.But the moment she noticed the palm prints on Isabella's neck, the smile disappeared. She asked worriedly, "What happened to your neck, Isabel? Did you fight at school?" Isabella shook her head and retorted, "No."Laura then looked toward the door, filled with panic, knowing that Lorenzo was the only one outside the house.Although she was suspicious, Laura still asked, looking very uncomfortable, "Isabe
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
Isabella looked at him coldly, despite being choked. She stared at Lorenzo fearlessly without making any sound.Lorenzo stopped strangling her and then spoke softly, "I never planned to hurt you, Isabel. Why...?"While he was talking, Laura's voice came from inside the house, asking, "Honey, is that Isabel?"Lorenzo glared at Isabella with a threatening look before replying, "Yes, she is here with me, darling. We will talk some other time."He turned around and left, while Isabella pushed the entrance door open and walked in. When Laura saw her daughter, a smile appeared on her face.But the moment she noticed the palm prints on Isabella's neck, the smile disappeared. She asked worriedly, "What happened to your neck, Isabel? Did you fight at school?" Isabella shook her head and retorted, "No."Laura then looked toward the door, filled with panic, knowing that Lorenzo was the only one outside the house.Although she was suspicious, Laura still asked, looking very uncomfortable, "Isabe
Done talking, she turned around and walked back inside the classroom.When she returned, Cecilia was no longer crying; rather, she was writing. As Isabella approached, Cecilia gripped her pen tightly and forced a smile. "What did he say?"Isabella looked regretful, shook her head, and then sat down.Although Cecilia feigned sadness, the evil glint in her eyes couldn't be hidden; she was truly furious.Isabella was unaware of this. She was pondering what Lewis had said. Although she wanted Lewis, she knew that with Lorenzo around, it was impossible.Lorenzo hated Lewis so much that he would never allow their relationship. Isabella clenched her fists tightly, wondering why she had to consider how Lorenzo would feel when he didn’t care about emotions.She lowered her head while thinking and didn’t even realize that the electric bell had already announced the end of classes for the day."Isabella, you are the only one in the classroom. Is something the matter?" her teacher, who had just n
Faced with this question, Isabella stared at him with an expressionless face; she had been too hurt in the past few days for her heart to feel anything but pain."I don't owe you anything, Lorenzo. You belong to my mother, and you are my stepfather. I have to keep some boundaries," Isabella repeated his words.When Lorenzo heard this, a smile appeared on his face, as if he had expected the response. He rubbed her cheek with his fingers and then said softly, "Isabella, no matter what you say, you will always be mine, and mine alone. No one can have you."Isabella just stared at him blankly, not bothering to respond.No matter what Lorenzo said, Isabella remained silent, which infuriated him. He grabbed her arms in anger, shook her, and sneered, "Talk to me, Isabella!"Isabella yelled in response, "Let go of me!"Immediately, Laura's voice came from inside the house. "Isabella!"Lorenzo quickly let go of Isabella's arms, and she ran off. When Laura came out of the house with a face crea
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 under the car bonnet and straightened his back. He looked at Isabella and smiled warmly before gently asking, "You look so nervous, Laura. Are you alright?"Laura nodded fervently and rubbed her palms on her trousers. She then replied unhurriedly, "Lorenzo, you know Isabella is just a kid. She has never called anyone her father, and I hope you can understand this."Lorenzo chuckled, 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 strangely."Lorenzo laughed and replied, "She is just throwing tantrums. Give her some space; she will be alright."He closed the car bonnet, turned around, and kissed Laura's forehead. Then he added, "You shouldn't think too much about it."He carried his tools into the toolbox in his car boot, then said to Laura, "Are you ready? Let's go."Laura looked at h
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