For someone like Isabella Evans, a one night stand was never in the books. But her entire life changed on her wedding day, when she finds her husband-to-be, cheating with his secretary. After getting her heart broken, she retires to a bar where she sleeps with a stranger before leaving town the next day, only to discover in a few weeks, that she was pregnant. Seven years later, she had birthed twins for a man she was sure she would never see again, but fate brings her back to her hometown where she settles for a job with a very successful hotel. What happens when she finds out Leonardo, the most powerful billionaire in Norman is her boss, and even worse, that the reason her heart pounded each time she saw him was because he was the man she knew a few years back—the father of her kids. Even further complicating things was Colton, the man she was supposed to marry then. Now pursued by two men, Isabella is faced with the toughest decisions. When would Leonardo recognize her and in fact realize he has children of his own? How would Colton face such reality? And alas, who would she choose—the father of her kids, or her first love?
view more“The dress is beautiful, Isabella.”
Joan’s brittle fingers battled around the zips of the white flowing gown wrapped around her best friend. Isabella looked into the mirror before her with blood-filled cheeks and a rain of anxiety washing over her face.She heaved in a deep breath so the zip could go all the way up and then Joan backed away.“You’re beautiful” Her voice was gentle and Isabella’s hands fell to the table. “Am i making a mistake?” The bride asked with worry in her eyes.“Every twenty two year old is out there, making a life for themselves. A name—am i making a mistake getting married to Colton?” She asked, genuinely and Joan took her hands, although it wasn’t the first time that day that Isa had panicked.And she looked into her hazel brown eyes.Maybe she was right to panic.And right to worry about getting married too soon, but if there was one thing Joan knew, it was how much Isa loved Colton. And how ecstatic he’d be at the pinnacle of the altar.And often times, she wished she had that. She wished she had loved someone enough to want to get married to.“You’ll be alright, Isabella. I know how much you love Colton and by tomorrow, you’ll look back and realize all of this anxiety was unnecessary” Joan whispered, and they both scoffed. She withheld the tears in her eyes to not ruin the makeup.“I’ll go see what is going on downstairs” Her best friend pulled away in the knee-length floral bridesmaid’s dress and closed the door behind her.Isabella was left alone, and she gazed at her reflection in the mirror for a brisk second—that is until her phone buzzed against the table. It was Kayla, Colton’s secretary.He was a senior partner at one of the local firms and she often contacted Kayla when she wasn’t able to reach him. But never the other way around. And although his secretary was to be in attendance, she worried why she would call.She picked it, placing the phone to her ears and Isabella’s lips fell wide open at the sensual noises that she heard. “What?” She gasped aloud, perhaps she might have been butt-dialed. But some sense of intrigue seeped into her veins that she didn’t hang up.“Fuck me.”Loud moans echoed from the phone as Isa pushed a hard lump down her throat. It was obvious Kayla was having sex, because she recognized that shrill voice. In fact, both the voices. Her brows suddenly crinkled in despair. “It can’t be possible” She was quick to mutter, disregarding her gut feeling. But the words that came next rang a migraine throughout her head.“Deeper, Colton. Deeper.”“We won’t ever do this after today” Kayla was breathless and Isa let go of the phone. It crashed into the ground with a thud. Her heart was troubled—maybe it was possible. It couldn’t be her Colton, the man she trusted with her entire life and loved so dearly.He’d hate her so much to cheat on her own wedding day.Grasping her dress, Isabella made her way through the door with swollen cheeks. She wouldn’t believe until she sees with her own eyes.She wouldn’t cry until then, not when Colton was just down the halls from her. Pacing towards the door that held the bitter truth, she finally heaved a deep breath.Her life was going to change once she opened that door.She wanted to knock but then realized it wouldn’t really be smart. Instead she twisted the knob and pushed it open. And behold, her eyes met the both of them, naked in each other’s arms. Colton was in his wedding tuxedo and Joan, in her bridal dress.They stopped for a second with Kayla muttering a laughter. She had done it on purpose—calling Isabella to see the man she was about to marry breathing down her neck.“How could you?” Her heart trembled as she let go of the door.“Isa” He called but she ran away, and almost bumped into her step-mother.“What is it?” Samantha asked, seeing her stepchild’s troubled face and Isa was about to rip off the gown from her body. She had never felt so disgraced. “Hey” Samantha pulled her and she snapped.“He cheated on me, with his secretary” She yelled.“What kind of man cheats on his wedding day?”Samantha wasn’t fazed, but all she did was heave a sigh and Isabella stepped backwards. “You knew, didn’t you?” She covered her lips.“I heard the sounds, Isabella listen to me” Samantha urged, grasping her hands.“You can’t turn your back now, not when everyone is waiting downstairs for you. Imagine what your father would say, imagine what the whole town would say” Her step-mother cried, always thinking of the impression she gave others and the tear slipped down Isabella’s face.“You’d bring disgrace to our name. I’m afraid you have to get married today. It’s bad enough we already gave you away at this age, think about us”“And what about me?” There was a crack in Isabella’s voice as Samantha let go of her hands.“You already made a choice, and that was to marry him. Whatever love you had then, find it” Samantha’s voice grew evil and Isa realized then, she didn’t have a choice.The white veil covered her reddish face as Isa held the tears at the brink of her eyes. The congregation stood, eyes darting to the aisle she walked on. A distance from her was Colton, hands folded in front of him with his innocent gaze.Was she really about to still marry him after what he had done?A few more steps led her to the altar, and her silver pumps buried into the floral carpet.“Do you, Colton Chambers take Isabella Evans to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, to guide and protect, till death do you part?” She fastened her veil so no one would see her swollen eyes.He turned to her with his pretend charm. “I do” The applause overshadowed his voice before the priest turned to her.“And do you Isabella Evans, take Colton Chambers to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, to love and respect till death do you part?” He asked, and his words were followed by a grim silence. One very loud, ironically. She scoffed from her lips, battling mentally what she was about to say next.And she wrinkled the bouquet of flowers in her hands, like a fuse, she sparked. “You bastard!” She gritted through her teeth, throwing the flowers in Colton’s face. He was in shock and so was the rest of the people.“Isabella” Her father’s voice thundered in her ears as she faced the priest.“He cheated on me!” She turned to face the stoic expression plastered between his brows and Samantha shook her head next to him. Isabella was perplexed at the silence.“He cheated on me with her” Pointing across the hall to Kayla, she yelled. For the next few seconds, no one said a word to defend her, not the priest and not even her father as he pocketed his hands.She shook her head in the grim realization that everyone might have known and she was just being the idiot—being oblivious.But it ended that day.She ripped the veil off her face, revealing the smeared mascara around her eyes and her washed lipstick. She might as well crash the entire wedding, because there was no coming back after that.Climbing down the altar steps, she pulled off her shoes and Joan stood by the door. “If you walk out of there—“ Her father’s voice halted her. “Never came back” He threatened and tears stung the back of her eyes, the last of them.She turned back to him and heaved a deep breath from her lips, before she nodded.And without saying another word, she ran through the cathedral doors, slamming it behind her. She was done with this place, and she made up her mind to spend one last night before leaving this city that caused her the greatest pain of her life.FIVE MONTHS LATER.Isabella gathered the hems of her flowing white dress as she heaved in a deep breath. Her face turned crimson with blood draining from her cheeks and she turned to Joan who was right beside her. "I'm so nervous" She whispered beneath her breath with her shoes grazing into the fields.There were roses all around them and they stood just behind the door yet to open. "The dress is beautiful, Isabella. You're perfect.” Joan whispered, being her maid of honor for her second wedding and they shared a chuckle."It's like a full circle moment" Isabella beamed a smile and Joan rested unto her arms."But it's different now" She said."Either way i'm glad i get to do this with you again. I'm glad i still have you" Isabella pushed a hard lump down her throat. "Have you thought about what Leonardo said?" She asked for the nth time and i remembered months ago when he told me of his plans to leave Norman.That it was up to me though, to decide what exactly a fresh slate meant."I
“Hey” Her soft voice drew to him as he brought his eyes to open. The incessant beeping of the heart monitor subdued behind her voice and Em inched closer to him. Gerald’s eyes were slow but the moment he recognized her, there was a large grin that spread across his lips. “I’m here” She comforted, leaning forward to place a kiss on his cheek.“You’re okay” Her hands pressed lightly on the wrapped gunshot wound in his chest and he nodded. “Isabella?” He softly asked and Em held his hands to her lips and with tears in her eyes, she nodded. “She’s okay—”“Everyone’s okay.”His hands fell around his wrist and there was the bracelet he’d gotten for her thirty years ago. Gerald’s eyes shimmered with tears as he gazed upon the beautiful beige dress she still wore. “You kept it” He whispered and Emily nodded her head fraily.“Of course i kept it” She smiled. There was a minute of silence between them as she wiped beneath her eyes but then Isabella knocked upon the doors before walking in. “You
Leonardo burst out the other side of the door and the heat from the serenading flames hit him in his face. He tied a cloth around his nose and he searched through his foggy vision to make out everything around him.It was a painstaking effort with his feet crunching into a piece of glass and the parts of the ceiling that had crumbled to the ground. “I say we take ahead!” Theodore yelled, looking at the only way still feasible. Leo choked but somehow managed to get himself in order in a minute.The sound of approaching sirens blared from outside the door but by the looks of it, they seemed still far away. He didn’t have time—and so did Isa. “Let’s go” He chanted and they filed down the corridor, searching each room for what was left. The whole house was dark, even as the skies were visible through the shattered roof. “Isabella!” He yelled at the top of his voice, taking down the mask across his face for a second. “Joan!” Theodore yelled too, in the hopes that she was here as well.“Is
TWENTY FIVE MINUTES UNTIL MIDNIGHT.The car finally came to a halt and from a distance walked Sheriff Stevens accompanied by both Christian and Theodore. In a world that had gone digital, it was surprising that they didn’t show up with a large bag of cash to submit to the mafia Lord but rather just a plain-old cheque.“You’re nothing like i expected” Constantin turned around when he suspected their footsteps had drawn them close enough. The sheriff met his cold gaze with a defensive stance. “I’ll say the same” He muttered and then his eyes roamed both Christian and Theodore who acted like bodyguards. “I thought i told you to come alone” He looked as far as the car but with the silence that enclosed them on this deserted coast, he was moreso convinced. “Do you want your money or not?” Stevens hissed back at him, pulling out the cheque from his pocket and Constantin scoffed from his lips. “I’m not stupid. Bring out all the hostages and then i’ll give you the money.” The sheriff negoti
Stevens dashed across the bordering sign that demarcated Norman and Riverdale with his hands firmly grasping the steering wheel. He was on the edge of his seat but somehow managed to steal a glance at the clock.ONE HOUR UNTIL MIDNIGHT.“We can still make it” Gerald piped forward, drawing the chair behind. Em was at the front seat and she allowed their eyes to meet in a tensive second. “It’s okay” Gerald whispered with an affirmative nod. “It’ll soon be over” He reached to her hands and Theo pushed a hard lump down his throat. All, that on his mind was Joan’s safety and whether or not she was okay. “Do you have the complete money now?” Emily turned to the sheriff, still reeling in the disbelief of how they raised a hundred million dollars in twenty four hours. He nodded, darting a stare back at her. “I mean Harold was the last. He was able to get an upfront deal of about forty for the shares of the Norman hotel. Christian wired my ten and Gerald as well—And your uncle transferred t
The slow jazz pierced through Emily’s ears as she wrapped her hands around Gerald’s neck. Indulged in the dance, she didn’t raise her head but that was until it was his turn to swing her. She moved her hips so elegantly like she was young again and after an hour, she admitted to be wrong because there was something about the dance that eased her tension. The music stopped and there was a round of applause, the same moment that allowed them to intimately look into each other’s eyes. “You were amazing” Gerald whispered but before Em could mutter another word, her eyes caught him.“Klaus!” She blurted out.There he was, by the bar downing a glass of champagne with a younger mistress in his hands. He was headed for the stairs and Emily fixated his eyes on him, unwilling to let him misplace in the colorful crowds. She tried to catch her breath and the hemming of her dress as she moved closer.This place was big, the walls a glittering gold with a low hanging silver chandelier dropping fro
Isabella awoke to a dimly lit candle in the corner of the room.The crimson orange flames flickered in her eyes with a slight pitter-patter sound of the wax burning. It curved to the side and just that single piece was able to warm the room, ridding it of it’s unconducive iciness. She shivered off the remnant cold as she sat up. The heavy chain followed even the slightest movement of her hands, letting out a thunderous clang as she retracted them. Her eyes met Kayla who was quivering in fear just opposite her. “It wasn’t there before” Isa’s voice interrupted the eerily silent room. Her eyes looked pointedly to the candle flame but then suddenly something fell right in front of her.“Oh my God” She clutched her chest, startled to her bones and Kayla let out a shaky scream. The pair of black rubber boots that sauntered towards her drew her attention before whatever it was that was thrown to her. “Take a look” The familiar voice towered over her and Isabella didn’t even need to lift her
“I’m sorry but Mr Sanders left a little while ago” The woman behind the desk pressed her lips together and it was a like a sword of disappointment struck through Emily’s chest. She batted her lashes and then exchanged glares with Gerald.“I’m sorry—to where?” She stuttered.Her hands reached across the counter and she tapped her fingertips into it. “And when will he be getting back?” She asked and the receptionist was a bit reluctant divulging any piece of information for these strangers in front of her. Emily saw the crinkle form between her eyes and a sharp breath escaped her lips.“Look i know you know who i am.”“If not from my last name then perhaps from Klaus telling you never to engage with his own niece if ever she came around. Short, brunette haired with the mouth like a tap is exactly how he would describe me—““I don’t know what you’re talking about” The lady replied.“Well i call bullshit” Emily cussed and Gerald found his hands holding her back. “My daughter, Klaus’ fucki
Leonardo snapped his eyes open with an agonizing pain spearing through his neck and along the veins of his numb limbs. He was carried by two hefty arms into a large, dark room and when he realized that his consciousness was regained after an hour long sedation, he struggled to break free from the grasps of the arms that restrained him. “Where’s Isabella!” Was the first question that he yelled out through his panting lips. He threw his head upon his shoulders as he was dragged, his feet barely an inch from the callous grounds. And then he was thrown in the deepest and darkest part of what seemed to be a dungeon. The beads of sweat that formed across his head tricked down his body and he wiped across his face, lifting his gaze to see the masked men in front of him. Leonardo was short of breath as he staggered to sit up, using his barely formidable arms as a wedge. He was able to lean against the wall as he searched for his breathes.“Where’s Isabella?” He looked around him and there d
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Mga Comments