CHAPTER 14

“Now that you're going to stay with Marie at the villa, you’ll have to be very careful!” Andrew told her in a severe tone. He finished drinking his coffee and put the cup on the breakfast tray his daughter had brought him earlier. “Stay always close to her, listen to her, and don't go snooping around too much. Always listen to what she has to say and remember that you are there to work, not to behave like the mistress of the house! You will do exactly what you are doing here, in this house, and even more since the Graysons house is so big.”

"Yes, Father," she said quickly.

“When you won’t be taking care of those little girls, you'll have to help out with cleaning and other chores. You don't have to stop and laze around, that's not why I gave you permission to stay with the Graysons. You were not raised to behave like a damn princess, remember it well!”

"Yes, Father," she replied again.

                 There was a knock on the door and after a few seconds, Lucy entered Andrew's room.

"Mr. Baldwin, the car that Mrs. Grayson sent for Isabelle has already arrived," she said softly and hurried to get the tray, but he stopped her.

“Leave this tray right here, Isabelle will take it. Get out of this room right now, I want to be left alone with Isabelle. I still have some things to say to her!”

              Isabelle looked at Lucy and saw the sadness on her face. She wanted to tell her father not to treat her like that, to show Lucy some respect since she was taking care of the house and of him, but Isabelle had to bite her tongue for the umpteenth time. She wanted to take Lucy with her to the Graysons... Once the old housekeeper left the room, she turned her face right back to her father.

“She is so nosey! I should fire her!” he exclaimed after the door was closed. “Now, back to you and what you should do once you’ll get to the villa. Remember to pay attention to everybody and to everything. Even if Billy won't be there, you'll have to turn Marie into your ally. She is the key that will open the door to that great future for me… and for you. Marie Grayson is the one who will help you become her son's wife.”

                Isabelle hated this conversation, but lately, her father did nothing but repeat these words to her over and over again. So, when he accepted Marie's request to let her stay at ‘Villa Mimosa’ until Billy and Christopher returned from England, Isabelle sighed with relief and thanked the universe for this brief time-out away from her father. Who knows, maybe he'll forget about this argument... or at least when she’ll get back at the ranch, Andrew won't repeat it as often as he did in the last few days. She approached her father and, with a light touch, she adjusted his shirt’s collar and picked up the tray to take it to the kitchen.

“Take care of yourself, father. Remember to take your medication,” she said softly, not looking directly at him. This way, her father won’t see her worried look, because she knew that this would make him angry. “Take it every single day.”

                 Andrew stared at her completely perplexed. A little voice in his head was pushing him to touch his daughter's hand, to tell her something nice, something only a good father could say, but almost immediately he canceled this thought. Andrew Baldwin wasn’t a weak man; these gestures had no purpose in his mind.

"Of course, I will take care of myself!" he exclaimed in a tone so cold that she felt her blood froze. “Stop acting this way, you know it bothers me. Now get out of my room! Go and do what I’ve asked you to do. And don’t blow this thing off!” he added and with an annoyed gesture, Andrew showed his daughter the door.

               Seeing his attitude, Isabelle pushed back her tears and left the room. In the kitchen, Lucy was waiting for her. She saw her little girl’s face and immediately she understood what happened with her father. Lucy took the tray, she placed it on the table and then held her tightly in her arms, hugged her as if she was her daughter.

“Sweet girl, please, don't worry about your father or about me. Here, at the ranch, things will be just fine. I’ve already given your luggage to the driver,” she whispered softly caressing her head. “Now, go and do what you want to do, not what your father says. Do what is right for you, for your future. Mrs. Grayson will help you if you’ll ask her, I’m sure about it.”

            While the driver closed the car’s door, Isabelle closed her eyes and the tears went down without asking permission. She couldn’t believe that the man who she adored so much during her childhood, was treating her as if she was leverage between him and the Graysons. Andrew practically threw her out of the house, without realizing that it was the first time she would be away from him, from Lucy, from this ranch that she didn’t like much but Isabelle had become accustomed to calling ‘home’. On one hand, she was feeling content because staying a few days away from him, Isabelle would be able to breathe and to feel free, she would talk to other people, people that would truly listen to her, to what she would have to say. But on the other hand, being alone, with only Marie and the girls at the villa was scaring her a little because she knew that Shawn would also be there.

           He loathed her and was using every chance he’d get to remind her what he was feeling. Isabelle wanted Shawn to stop this senseless hatred and listen to her for a second. She was positive that telling Shawn her reasons, explaining to him how things are without giving up too much information about the situation with her father, would have changed the situation between them. But until then, Isabelle already knew how to solve this problem: she will have to stay away from him as much as possible. Maybe he too will stay away from the villa, maybe he'll spend all his time outside the house, along with that unbearable woman he chose as his girlfriend.