CHAPTER ONE

ISABELLA’S POV

“This is the last time I am ever doing you a favor, Daniel!” I yelled angrily at him over the phone.

Who on earth makes a deal when they know they are going to lose? Well, look no further; it was my goddamn brother!

Here I was in the middle of the night, shivering to the bones, trying to help my brother complete his deal for us not to lose everything we had worked so hard from scratch.

I walked into the restaurant, and when I stepped in, my anger immediately diminished. The smell of food wafted through my nose, and the music was playing at a moderate level, which made me feel relaxed.

“A reservation for Mr. Black,” I said to the waiter who walked towards me. She scrunched her nose as she gave me a not-so-discreet once over.

But I didn’t let that bother me since that wasn’t what brought me here.

“Mr. Black?” The waiter questioned, like I had mentioned the wrong name.

“That’s what I said.” I could feel the anger pulsating through my veins, but I managed to keep it under control.

I was already angry that I had to be here in the first place, and this waiter was making things worse.

She eyed me again, and I swear her attitude was becoming unbearable. Who the fuck was this, Mr. Black? And how did Daniel get involved with him in the first place?

Whatever it was, I just had a hunch that Mr. Black was a powerful man, and the waiter didn’t think I was fit to meet up with him.

“Are you going to keep on interrogating me like a criminal? Or are you going to show me the damn table?” I folded my arms as I stared at her haughtily.

If she was going to give me haughty behavior, then I would return the energy.

“Right. This way,” she muttered and began to walk away while I trudged behind her.

We got to an exclusive area at the restaurant, and then the waiter walked away. I didn’t mind though; I preferred to be left alone at the moment.

I sat down and made myself comfortable while I waited for Mr Black to show up. The fact that he wasn't already here was a red flag to me.

Ten minutes came and went; soon, it was thirty minutes. I glanced at my phone, just to make sure I wasn’t the one who had arrived earlier than the expected time.

But I was right on time, so why wasn't Mr. Black showing up? I was already in a cranky mood because Daniel left me no choice but to be here, and now this Mr. Black was worsening my mood.

“Daniel, he isn’t here. Is this one of your pranks?” I texted my brother and waited patiently for Daniel’s texts.

As soon as my phone pinged, I quickly grabbed it from the table and checked his reply.

“Be calm, dear sister; he will be there soon." His reply read, making me roll my eyes and slide my phone into my purse.

There was no use texting him. This felt like a game, but I wasn’t sure yet, and if it turned out to be a prank, I swore that I was going to pay Daniel back.

I then thought of leaving but decided against it because what if what Daniel had told me weren’t lies?

“Ten more minutes. Ten more minutes, and if he isn’t here then I will leave,” I muttered under my breath while I rubbed my palms together, trying to create a little bit of warmth.

I stared at the door whenever someone walked in, and to my huge disappointment, they never walked in my direction.

I was beginning to get more pissed. I was about to carry my purse and leave the restaurant when a voice made me stop.

“Hi,” The deep masculine voice said, and slowly, I turned towards the direction of the voice, and I froze.

For a moment we made eye contact, our eyes searching deep into our souls, and then it clicked in my head that this face looked familiar, and then I gasped.

No! This couldn't be real! I couldn’t be staring at him. He was gone. Gone away from here, he couldn’t possibly be here looking like this.

I couldn't believe I was staring at him, but with my heart beating rapidly, I knew I wasn’t imagining this and that he was here right in front of me. Live and in the flesh, and also looking like a hot piece of meat that any lady would want to devour.

None other than Adrain Belkov.

“Hi Adrian,” I stuttered.

With how fast my heart was beating, I would swear he could hear it.

“Bella?” He looked surprised but then cleared his throat and glanced around.

I felt my heart skip at the way my name rolled off his tongue. The way it had always rolled off his tongue like a sweet melody.

“I believe you are Isa then?” He asked, the tone of familiarity dropping off his tongue. He pulled a seat and signaled at the waitress while glancing through the menu.

“Since when do you go by Mr. Black?” I asked him, trying to shake off the awkwardness of our meeting.

He paused, his fingers halting at the menu. He spared an indifferent look at me and then went back to the menu.

The waitress arrived, and Adrian gave his order. I didn't blame him for behaving this way, but at the same time, if only he knew the truth, he wouldn't be treating me this way.

“Because I am not Mr. Black. What would you like?” He asked, his gaze fleeting across me for a moment.

“Nothing yet,” I replied, and the waitress went away.

The nerves in my stomach couldn’t make me eat. I was undergoing all sorts of emotions as I sat still watching him.

I swallowed and glanced down at the menu. My hands were shaky, and my heart ached as I watched Adrian sitting across me and behaving as though we didn’t have a history together.

“Your brother owes us a huge amount of money.” Adrian began with a cold look and then sipped from his glass of wine.

“So he said,” I answered, deciding to shove my emotions away and focus on the reason why I was here.

He wasn’t looking at me even as he spoke. Did he hate me so much that he couldn’t spare me a glance?

“So where are the documents?” Adrain asked me, making my brows furrow.

“What documents?” I was confused at this point.

Daniel had only told me that going on a date with Mr. Black would deter him from owning everything we had, so what was this talk about a document?

“Look, I am not here to play games, Isa,” He said.

Isa. He called me Isa and not Bella. He was clearly drawing the lines between us.

“I know and trust me, nor am I,” I answered seriously.

He didn’t look like a man who had come to play games. He was different from the last time I saw him. He was now mature, devastatingly smoking hot, and had a well-defined broad shoulder.

His jawline was more pronounced than it was, and his gray eyes—damn, they looked more enticing now. He had also grown so tall now that he looked 6’1.

“I wasn't told about any document,” I added, and I watched how his expression went from calm to angry.

“Then I guess I will leave the situation for Mr. Black to handle. We are done here, Isa,” he said and stood up abruptly.

“Adrian, wait,” I called after him, but he didn't pay heed to me and continued walking out of the restaurant.

Feeling anxious, I tried to catch up to him, but his long stride wasn't something I could compete with. I wanted to explain why I behaved how I did in the past.

After all the years that had passed, he deserved to know the reason and the truth. So, I got out of the restaurant, but Adrian was already inside his car.

“Adrian, let's talk,” I pleaded, and he said something that shook me to my very core. Something I never expected.