The press conference was bedlam, as if a thousand different reporters had all had the same idea to storm into the same room at the exact same time. Flashbulbs went off in my face, and it felt as if the weight of their questions in general was bearing down on me from every possible direction."Isabel, is it true that you've been complicit in this scandal?""Did you know about the fake documents?""Why are you still standing by Jaxon after everything that's happened?"I wanted to disappear-finally, just vanish into thin air-but I couldn't. Not now. Not when everything was falling apart around us.The questions kept coming, one after another, relentless. I felt the heat of their gazes, the tension thick in the air. There was no escape from this mess I'd somehow found myself in.Jaxon stood beside me, cool as always on the surface, but I could see it all-the clenched jaw, the tension strung in his shoulders. All that confidence in him now turned masklike, barely concealing the cracks.I l
"Come on, Isabel. You’re making this harder than it needs to be," Jaxon says, his voice teasing but there’s an edge of impatience underneath.I look up from my plate, meeting his eyes across the table in the dimly lit corner of a restaurant. His dark hair is mussed, as it usually is, and there's that familiar intensity in his gaze, like he's staring right through me. I can't tell if he's frustrated with me or just frustrated with himself. Maybe both."I'm grateful, not making anything harder," I reply, laying my fork down. "You're the one who insisted on dinner."Jaxon raises an eyebrow. "I'm just trying to thank you. For having my back, for not buckling under the pressure." He leans in a little closer, lowering his voice. "For being you."I try not to raise an eyebrow, but there's a warm spot in my chest that doesn't want to stay buried. "You really didn't need to do this, Jaxon. A simple thank you would have sufficed."His smile relaxes a little. "But I wanted to do more. This. feel
It had been a long exhausting evening, yet the moment I stepped inside the door, for some reason, I felt wide awake. The quiet hum of the city clung to my skin like a second layer, but here, everything felt different, closer and warmer, real. The silence in the room, however, wasn't soothing. It felt like something was waiting to happen, something inevitable.And then, there was Jaxon.Hey," he said, standing near the entrance, his hands in his pockets, his gaze steady, like trying to read me. There was this tension in the air, a sort of electricity humming through the space between us. We'd been avoiding this-this thing between us-for too long, pretending it wasn't there, but I could feel it in the way he looked at me, in the way his eyes flickered between hesitation and longing.I crossed the room, the steady beat of my heart pounding in my chest as if it was trying to get out. "Hey," I said softly, trying to keep my voice even, calm. I knew it wasn't going to work. I knew this mome
The air in the room was thick, too warm, too heavy.I opened my eyes, but I didn't move. Not yet. The weight of his arm was draped across my waist, his body curled around mine as if we fit. As if we belonged. The slow, steady rhythm of his breathing filled the space between us, calm and even. My heart, though? That was another matter.Panic set in before I could stop it.I needed to get out of here.I slid slowly out from under his arm, wincing when he stirred but didn't wake. The sheets tangled at my legs, and for a second, I froze, half expecting him to reach for me. He didn't.I sat up on the edge of the bed, swallowing hard. The cold floor beneath my feet was grounding, reminding me this-whatever this was-was a mistake. I had let this happen. I had let him happen. Now I needed to leave before I let myself believe this was something it wasn't.I reached for my clothes, finding them in a messy heap on the floor. The night before came rushing back in pieces: his hands, his lips, the
"You ready?"The voice barely registered. My reflection in the mirror was all I could focus on. The ivory dress clung to my body like a second skin, the lace sleeves delicate against my arms. My hair was curled, pinned, perfect. I looked every bit the part of a bride. But I didn't feel like one."Isabel?"I blinked, turning to find Hazel standing in the doorway, her eyes filled with something I couldn't quite put a name to: worry, hope, desperation-perhaps all three."You, okay?" she asked, coming inside.No, I wasn't okay.I forced a smile. "Yeah. Just… nervous."Hazel studied me a long moment before closing the space between us. "Are you sure about this?" The words came out soft, cautious.My stomach twisted."You don't have to do this," she carried on, tone softer now. "If you don't want to, I mean."I let out one of those half-shaky laughs. "Kinda late for second thoughts, isn't it?""Not really," she said. "You can still walk away."Walk away.It was as though the words caved in
"Isabel."I froze.I'd been avoiding this moment, dodging his calls, pretending like I could outrun the weight of it all. But here he was. Right in front of me.Jaxon stood on my porch, hands stuffed into his pockets, shoulders tense like he wasn't sure if I'd slam the door in his face or let him in.I gripped the doorframe, my heartbeat a mess. "What are you doing here?"His jaw tightened. "I needed to see you."I swallowed hard. "Jaxon, I-""Just hear me out," he cut in. "Please."I hesitated, then slowly stepped aside.He walked in, glancing around like he half-expected me to have packed my bags and left town. And honestly? A part of me had thought about it.The silence stretched between us, heavy, unspoken things filling the space.Finally, he exhaled. "I messed up."I looked at him then. Really looked. His eyes were tired, his tie missing, his hair a little too messy for someone who usually had it all together.I crossed my arms. "Which part?"His lips pressed into a thin line. "
The sheets felt too heavy. Too warm. Too…wrong.I blinked up at the ceiling, my heartbeat thudding in my ears. The room was still dim, morning light barely filtering through the curtains.Jaxon stirred beside me.Panic shot through me so fast I almost couldn't breathe.This was a mistake.I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could, my legs still unsteady. My dress lay on the floor, tangled in a mess of forgotten choices. I snatched it up, slipping into it hastily, my fingers fumbling with the zipper.I needed to go.Now."Running already?"His voice was groggy, rough with sleep. But it held something else too. Amusement.I froze."I'm not-" I swallowed. "I just have things to do."Jaxon shifted, propping himself up on one elbow. The sheets pooled around his waist, and it took every ounce of self-control not to look. Not to remember how his hands had felt on me just hours ago."You're lying."I sucked in a sharp breath. "I'm not."He let out a low laugh. "You always do this, you know t
The air between Jaxon and me had grown thick. I could feel it weighing on my chest every time I saw him, even when we didn't speak. I'd told myself I could go on like nothing was different, that the night we'd shared meant nothing, but every time he was near, something stirred inside me. Something I was concealing from.It wasn't just the way his presence seemed to fill every room. It was the little things-the way his fingers would brush against mine when passing me a cup of coffee, the way he stood just a little too close when we talked, as if he couldn't help but close the distance between us. And each time, my breath would catch and my heart betray me, pounding harder than it should."Hey, Isabel," Jaxon's voice cut through the murk of my mind.I turned to him, forcing my shoulders to relax, to act like this wasn't torturing me. "Yeah?"He stood just inside the doorway, eyes sweeping over me with that familiar intensity. His lips were curved, like he was going to say something teas
Two more snows had fallen. The members of the international class noticed that ever since Maureen returned from the final round, the atmosphere between her and their "boss" seemed to have subtly changed. Before the final round, they seemed inseparable, obviously lovebirds. After the finals, who knows what happened? Or if it's just their imagination, but Maureen appeared to care more about their "boss," almost like an eagle protecting a chick. For instance, their class advisor, Teacher Logan. Because of Liam, Teacher Logan hadn't received a performance bonus in three years, and his resentment was more than justified. Finally, after Maureen transferred into their class this semester, the number of incidents involving Liam dramatically decreased. Teacher Logan thought he could relax a bit, but the last school celebration performance was unexpectedly changed by Liam! The school leaders were furious. Now, this month's bonus was gone again! Teacher Logan was so enraged with Liam th
The two hadn't had their fill over there, so they decided to cook some noodles when they got back. "I'm actually a little angry." Maureen stirred the noodles in the pot with a long pair of spoons, her tone still choked with emotion. She avoided looking at Liam, her eyes lowered on the boiling water and the tumbling noodles in the pot, her eyes rimmed red, "I asked you before, about the wound on your neck, you told me that the instant noodle glass bowl exploded! Do you have no heart, no feelings?" Maureen couldn't help but drop her Spoon. She should have realized it long ago, she had been living there for so long, and she had never seen Liam eat instant noodles - his refrigerator was completely empty, not a single instant noodle or glass bowl, what noodles was he supposedly making?! Liam was always lying to her! Seeing Maureen crying all the way back in the cold wind, her eyes swollen to the size of walnuts, Liam felt deeply distressed. He lightly patted Maureen's back, trying t
Maureen was the first to take a bath. After Liam entered the bathroom, Maureen wandered around the apartment in her fluffy pajamas, bored out of her mind. Being in love is such a fascinating thing. Before, besides studying, she found dramas and games enjoyable. Yet, after falling in love, when he was not by her side even for a moment, she got bored no matter what she did. Nothing was as fun as spending time with Liam. She wanted to do everything with him, whether it was watching dramas or eating. Just one glance from him, and her feelings could experience the dramatic waves, drowning in the deep ocean, the best bite of a summer watermelon, or the tartest segment of an orange. The spacious apartment changed gradually after Maureen moved in. Maureen was like an invader, painting the previously icy and quiet apartment with colors everywhere. She was afraid of the cold, so Liam always had the heater on, causing the previous bone-chilling feeling to disappear. She was afraid of t
There's a small step at the entrance where shoes are changed. Liam leans on the shoe cabinet to stand up, and Mr. Boris carries his wheelchair in. Liam hops up on one foot. He glances at Maureen, trying to hop in a nonchalant and handsome manner. But how cool and handsome could he possibly look hopping around on a single foot? Liam feels a bit embarrassed, murmuring discontented, "Who decided to put this step here?" Maureen watches from the side, her heart pounding. She subconsciously raises her hand to help him, fearing a second injury due to a slippery tiled floor. However, Liam, who seems to intentionally show off his skills, or something like that, refuses her help and smoothly completes a series of movements. Maureen: "Once he's up, Mr. Boris quickly pushes the wheelchair behind him. He holds onto the handles, sits back down in the wheelchair, raises one plastered leg, and with great effort, positions his plastered foot correctly. He then raises his handsome eyebrows a
The next day, Teacher Logan specifically noticed that it was again Maureen who was pushing Liam's wheelchair into the classroom. The group of boys in the class were extremely envious, while Liam coolly tucked his hands into his pockets, raised his chin, and wore noise-canceling headphones around his neck. He looked both arrogant and pleased. Liam wished he could show off Maureen to the entire world. Teacher Logan, on the other hand, was extremely frustrated. Right after the class, Teacher Logan asked Maureen to his office with a stern face. "Has someone been bullying you in the class recently?" Maureen was taken aback,?" No." Teacher Logan sighed deeply and said, "Maureen, you can tell me if someone is bullying you. I will back you up." Maureen thought for a moment and really couldn't think of anyone who could bully her. In fact, when she transferred to the international class, she had made the most important decision to stick with Liam. This could be the so-called stra
The three of them came out of KFC, it was so blistering cold that Liam put Maureen's hand into his own pocket. Niel, with his sharp eyes, suddenly called out to Maureen and pointed in a direction with his milk tea in hand, he said: "Am I seeing things, or is that Bianca? Is she dating someone now?" Bianca's contract with the talent agency, Maureen heard about it too. For the past month, Maureen had barely seen Bianca in school. She seemed to have disappeared completely from her sight, someone she used to bump into every few days on the streets. The main reason was that even though the controversy of the true and false heiress was over, Bianca still faced some stares. If it wasn't for the sake of graduation, Bianca wouldn't want to attend school at all. She spent most of her time in society, working. So, seeing Bianca again out of the blue at the school gate was quite a surprise for Maureen. She followed the direction Niel pointed and glanced over. Outside Secondary School wa
"Sir," The butler came in with a phone in hand. "The hospital replied they are willing to sell, but," Under Augustin’s gaze, he swallowed hard before continuing. "The price is three times higher than what we previously sold it for." "Three times?!" Victoria widened her eyes in surprise, her voice sharp. "This is downright robbery!!" Augustin’s eyes darkened, his face looking extremely unsightly. "Did they specify why the increase in price?" "They said someone is willing to purchase at a high price, which led to the price hike." The butler nodded affirmatively. "So, do you still want to buy it?" Augustin pressed his lips together. Before he could even speak, Victoria on the side grabbed the opportunity to interject. "We cannot buy it,” There was a hint of anger on her slightly chubby face. "Augustine, we can't be the scapegoats." "What do you know?" Augustin looked at her with deep, mysterious eyes, his voice icy. "In a few days, it will be grandpa Luther's birthday ban
The house was dead quiet. The type of quiet that feels too still, as if everything were holding its breath. The letter had left its mark, but I tried to shove it away. We'd already been through enough, and I refused to let something like this get the better of us. Jaxon was right; it was only a prank. Nothing more.Already Hazel had gone to bed, which left Jaxon and me still sitting in the living room trying to process it all. I was holding our son, this tiny little ball of a boy cuddled into my side, his soft, light breath a reminder of the fragility but beauty life had become. And in this uneventful drive home, at least, I felt normal settle over us.Jaxon sat across from me, his eyes scanning the letter again, as if willing it to change. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t make sense. Who would want to hurt us now?”I shrugged, glancing down at our baby’s sleeping face. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s someone who never really let go.”He let out a deep sigh. "
Laughter and murmurs of quiet conversation filled the house. It was so still, so right with the world. I had never felt this relaxed in my life. I was seated on the couch, Hazel perched on the arm beside me, as we watched Jaxon bounce our son in his arms. He looked so natural with the baby, like he had done this all his life. And in many ways, he had-just never with a child of his own. But that didn't matter. We were here, together; our little family was complete."Did you see the way he smiled?" Hazel laughed. "He's definitely a charmer. Takes after his dad."Jaxon was smirking, rocking the baby gently. "I think he is more like his mom. Look at those big eyes."I grinned, knowing full well what he meant. The baby had my eyes, sure, but he also got my stubbornness. I could tell that already.But before I could answer, there came a soft knock on the door. I turned, wondering who it could be. It was still early, and I wasn't expecting anyone. Jaxon stood up, a bit too quick, and I caugh