Amanda was exasperated, she took a deep breath. Isabel patted her on the back to ease her stress, then she continued scrolling through her phone. Her fans and Triss' fans were all sharing her latest statement. Within minutes, the post had gained a tremendous amount of traction and had overtaken the previous “Triss Ravine - Casting Couch Regular” trending keyword. There were many comments from netizens, some of the comments that received the most attention included: “Even Isabel is voicing out about this scumbag, I believe her.” “Triss is friends with Isabel, isn’t she? What if Isabel is just helping her?” “Isn't it natural for friends to help each other? Since she’s speaking up for Triss at a time like this, this shows that she’s a loyal and empathetic friend. If you ask me, this is further proof that Triss was framed.” “If you take a closer look at that picture, Triss looks like she doesn’t want to be there at all. She’s even trying to shove the man away.” “
Isabel played it off with a chuckle. “Don’t worry about it, I just saw someone writing a hateful comment.” Amanda and Carla did not press her for more details after that. It was only then that Isabel realized that the car had stopped outside her apartment already. After saying goodbye to Amanda and Carla, she got out of the car. As usual, she went to the lobby and took the elevator to her floor. It was already dark outside, the corridor was dimly lit by overhead ceiling lights. She strode toward her unit and stopped outside the entrance. Just as she was about to unlock the door, an ominous figure burst out of the shadows and flanked her from behind. She was caught off guard and quickly swung around but it was too late. A hand latched itself firmly around her throat. Decker pinned her against the door, one hand around her throat. The usual tender glow in his eyes was replaced by a menacing glare. Isabel gasped for air. She clawed desperately at Decke
Isabel promptly locked the door after that. Shut outside, Decker was too stunned for words. It took him several seconds to register what had happened. Then, he chuckled lowly and said out loud, “Isabel, you’re welcome to come back to me at any time, I live right next door. I’ll wait until you figure things out.” She ignored him entirely. She still had not gotten over the shock of suddenly having Decker confront her and choke the breath out of her. It was an invasion of her safety. This man was far more dangerous than she had imagined. Although she would not say that she was afraid of him, she still recognized that she was threatened by a man as bold as he was. She sat huddled on the sofa with her phone in her hand. She swiped through her list of contacts, going through each of her family members. After giving it some thought, she gave up on the idea of going to them for help. If she had told them about Decker pestering her, it also meant that they would find
Isabel shot a look at him. “What’s with that attitude? You don’t want me to sleep over at your place, do you?” Roland muttered stiffly, "...No." Isabel eyed him severely. His face was spelled with the same stoical calm, it did not seem like he did not want to help her. Her expression softened, and she confessed, "It's my ex-boyfriend." Roland’s expression shifted for once. "Your ex-boyfriend came to pester you?” Isabel hugged her bag tightly while she walked on, she answered hesitantly, “Something like that.” “Do you need help chasing him away?” he asked concerningly. “No, I'll take care of it myself, just focus on your work, don’t worry about me.” He had to help her handle affairs at Carter Corporation till dusk every day. She could not possibly trouble him any further. Besides, it was better that she handle her personal affairs on her own. Besides, Decker was no ordinary threat. She doubted even Roland could help. Roland peered at her and stopped tryi
It seemed like the room was a guest room. Everything was made ready for the eventual guest. It would appear that she was the first person to ever use this room at all. She went to the bathroom and took a hot shower. She recalled back to the first time she met Roland. Both he and his mother hailed from Westboro and had been in Westchester for a year by now. With the respectable position he held in Carter Corporation and his impressive salary, why did they not have any friends or family coming to visit them? Perhaps they did not have any such relations? Roland may seem emotionally distant, but he was not someone who was pompous or the type to hold himself above others. Martha was as friendly as they come. Furthermore, she had a refined air about her, one would imagine that she came from an educated and cultured background. It was unlikely that these two did not have friends or relatives. The more she thought about it, the more curious she became. Still, she acknowled
Isabel turned off the alarm clock on her phone since she had the day off tomorrow and slept until nearly eleven the next morning before she woke up at last. Remembering that she was at Roland’s house, she hurriedly got up out of bed and walked out of the bedroom, just in time to bump into Martha who seemed to have just returned home. She was carrying large bags from her shopping trip. She greeted Isabel with a warm smile, "Isabel, you woke up! Did you sleep well last night?" Isabel helped her carry the bags into the house and said with an equally bright smile, "I slept great, Aunt Martha.” "That's good to hear,” Martha continued, “I think it’s going to take at least half a month before they get things back in order at your place that just got burned down. I bought a bunch of living essentials for you. You can stay with us for now.” As she said this, she extracted a pair of pink slippers from her bag meant for Isabel to use. In addition to the slippers, she also bou
There was a still look in Roland’s eyes as he looked at Isabel. Isabel withdrew her hand and approached the sink. She turned on the faucet and doused her hand in cold water with her back facing Roland. There was a mirror in front of the sink, so she caught a brief hint of Roland’s reflection in it. While washing her hands, she subtly inspected his reflection in the mirror. She saw Roland staring at her from behind for several seconds before he went to pour the contents of the pot into a bowl. His movements were practiced and graceful. Isabel snuck another look at his face. He seemed very focused on his task and did not seem to be thinking about anything else. He probably did not think much of it when she grazed her fingers against his palms. With that, she heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she wiped her hands and walked out of the kitchen. Roland had already set the food on the table and had sat down. When he noticed Isabel stepping out of the kitchen, he asked in con
Roland had a white towel wrapped around his firm waist, covering the entire lower half of his body. With the light shining on his body from above, the striking outlines of his muscles were visible. He usually looked quite lean with clothes on, so it was a surprise to Isabel to see that his figure was easily comparable to the male models she usually saw. She gulped subconsciously and forced herself to shift her gaze to his face instead of gawking at his body. “I, um, would you believe me if I told you I accidentally went into the wrong room?” Roland stopped in front of the bathroom door and looked at her with a pair of quiet eyes. "I believe you.” Isabel was frankly a little taken aback by his naivety. How could he be so easily convinced? She stared at him awkwardly before asking, "Why are you taking a shower at this hour?” Roland replied, “I was occupied with a lot of work today.” "Oh." Isabel looked at his defined muscles before asking nonchalantly, "Are you