Isabella's pov;At Ethan's room,"I can handle such details, you are not required to do so. There are also maids and Butlers on hand to assist." Ethan stated."Do I appear to be a weak person? I've worked on building sites and carried large objects, so helping you organise isn't something I'll have trouble with.""Building sites?""Yeah, That was one of my side hustles.""Are there a lot?"I chuckled and replied, "Yup! I worked as a garbage girl in restaurants, a bartender in nightclubs, a server in cafes, a librarian assistant in bookstores and flower shops, distributing brochures and lifting heavy objects on building sites...""Hold on! Woah! You appear to have taken every job on the planet."I laughed and replied, "When compared to working here, the jobs I applied for were not as demanding. Those jobs are hourly, so I get off quickly, but it's completely different here. And I'm not sure when the contract expires.""Will you not come here if the contract expires?""Um... I don't know
Isabella's pov;I arrived at Mr Martinez's place.When I reached the main door, I noticed Mr Martinez on the phone, so I began climbing the stairs discreetly."Wait!"I heard Mr Martinez asking someone to wait. I turned here and there to find who he was telling to wait for but there wasn't anyone nearby. Was that for me? I turned to face Mr Martinez. He motioned for me to come down. Why is he calling me? I descended the stairs and approached him."Why are you late?" he inquired after ending his call."Huh?" I checked the time on the clock. It's 3.30 p.m. I said, "This is the regular time for me to return home. When I have basketball practice, it could take up to 5.30 p.m.""Well, when will you be having your basketball practise?""It'll be on alternate days, but I do not attend every class. I only go when I'm interested, and if there's a match, I'll go to practise.""Fresh up and come downstairs," he added with a nod."All right, Mr Martinez."I dashed upstairs and entered my room. I l
Isabella's pov;I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock beeping beside me. I turned off the alarm and checked the time. 6.30 am? Huh? But I don't recall setting the alarm at this hour the night before. I lay back down on the bed and pulled the sheets over my head to sleep, but I couldn't, so I got up and proceeded to the bathroom to take a shower.When I emerged from the chilly shower, I noticed a large number of shopping bags on the other side of the room. Things we bought the day before. Did we spend a lot of money at the mall? How am I going to get everything to the camp? Is it their intention to get rid of me? I ignored it and went downstairs after getting ready for school.At the dining table, Mr Martinez and Ethan were eating breakfast. I approached them and sat with them for breakfast."Brother mentioned that You're heading to a study camp, where are they taking you?" While I was waiting for the food, Ethan inquired."Didn't he tell you where it was?""No.""Diablo Mountain.""Ma
Isabella's pov; Butler assisted me in transporting my trip bag from my room to the car while Mateo was loading the travel bag into the car. I got into the car and waited for Mr Martinez to come outside the house to say goodbye. I wanted to see him before going to the camp because during breakfast, I didn't get to see him. When I asked the workers, they said he was still in his room. I assumed I'd see him if I ate my breakfast slowly, but he didn't come down. I waited at the table for him after breakfast, but he never showed up.According to the maids and Butlers who work in his residence, he's never been a late riser. Why, then, is he still in his room? Was it because of the kiss from the night before? Was he feeling awkward to look at me or... Was he timid? My own ideas made me chuckle."Shall we go, Ms Garcia?" Mateo questioned as I watched the main door of the house waiting for Mr Martinez to emerge."Could you possibly wait a minute longer?""Certainly, Ms Garcia." He then got int
Isabella's pov;"Wow! It tastes fantastic. Wanna taste, open your mouth, ahhh…" I gave a portion of my steak to Sophia.She held out the piece to me and said, "I've got one. Eat yours.""Okay." And while I continued to eat my steak, I added, "I assumed Ms Devlin would present another activity as soon as we got down from the mountain. Thank goodness she didn't. I was exhausted after returning from the peak." "Yeah," she said as she ate her supper.Peter and the others were eating vegetables because the victors had steaks for dinner.I took the steaks, walked over to them, and handed them to them, saying, "I've finished my portion. So take it.""Are you sure you're going to give it to us?"I nodded and handed it over to him.Peter and his colleagues thanked me and took the steaks from me. I returned to Sophia and sat alongside her. "I can't take your generosity." She teased me. I laughed and kept eating my BBQ meat.After dinner, we walked into our tents, which we had set up in the camp
Isabella's pov;The third day of camp,"Since you were hiking and playing treasure hunt these two days, you would have recognised the layout of Mount Diablo by now, so today we will be going on a field trip up the mountain, which is the main purpose we came here for," Ms Devlin said after eating breakfast. "Because every plant in the park is protected, collecting or destroying anything inside the park, including mushrooms, is prohibited, bring anything you need to take notes with you, such as a note and a pen, and when you're ready, gather at the big rock at 8 a.m. sharp." And then he departed."Why are you still standing here?" Sophia shook me. "Let's go to the tent and get our belongings."I nodded and followed her to the tent. How could she act as if nothing had happened? Is it because it happened a long time ago? Was it true that time made us stronger? However, losing someone close to our hearts... Argh! If I were in her place, I'm sure I'd be in a state of trauma right now."Hey!"
Isabella's pov;After the exhausting camp, I returned to Mr Martinez's residence."Ma'am, Allow me to take the bag to your room." Mateo insisted on lugging my suitcase to my room."That's alright. I'll bring it with me. Mateo, it's not even that heavy.""However, ma'am...""The truth is, I despise it when people do my work for me. Did you get it?"He bowed his head and grinned."Thank you for understanding, Mateo."I grabbed my bag and hauled it into the house. When I entered the house, I noticed Mr Martinez and Big Brother conversing with each other. Looking like they were discussing something serious, might be work I guess. Seeing me dragging the bag, Butlers offered to assist me but I declined and carried my bag up the steps by myself. I entered my room, sat on the bed, and sighed as I looked up at the ceiling. After sleeping in the tent for three nights, the nice bed beneath me felt so good. I rolled on the bed and somehow fell asleep.After a while, I awoke. It's 5 p.m., accordin
Isabella's pov;Museum of Sonoma County.Museum? Of all places, did he really want to take me here?I'm standing in front of a structure carved with an ancient design and bearing the name Museum of Sonoma County. What brought Mr Martinez here? Is this where he wanted me to go? After my mother's workplace, this is the most boring location on the planet I've ever been."What are you waiting for? Come on." He motioned for me to follow him inside.When I entered the museum, I felt like I should have gone to school today, I should have pretended to have something essential to accomplish. What am I doing here? Why did I say yes when he asked me? I'm not happy here. It's very quiet. Because the place was so quiet, I could hear people's footsteps. It felt like I was in some haunted place.Mr Martinez paused in front of an artwork near the entrance for a long time, staring at it. I'm starting to feel sleepy here. A guy in his late 50s glared at me when I let out a yawn while waiting for him to
Isabella's pov;Noah, Evelyn, Sophia, Carey, Liam, Jenny and I gathered at Sophia's house since Mr Martinez's house was surrounded by the cops."Why did you ask me to bring these things?" I said as I dropped the bag on the floor. "Do we really require this?""If we're going to rescue someone, we have to be prepared when the attackers come for us," Noah explained."Why do you sound like we're in a crime movie?" Sophia inquired of Noah.I took six walkie talkies, gave one to each of us, and kept one for myself."What are you going to do with these?" Evelyn asked as she took the handcuffs from the bag.Noah, "I don't remember asking you to bring the handcuff. What is this for? Or did you bring this for your foreplay?"I hit him on his head and said, "Foreplay, my a**. After saving Alexander, we can catch them using this and hand them over to the cops."Sophie, "We're going to fight them?"Evelyn said, "We're going to save Alexander, not going to fight with those guys. That job will be don
Isabella's pov;I came to Mr Martinez's house to confess my feelings properly to him. When I entered the premises, there were a lot of guards patrolling outside the house. One of the guards asked me while I tried to enter the gate, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" "I'm Isabella. I came to…" Before i finished, the guard who knows me came and explained to the new guard and let me in the house. Why are there so many guards out here? I walked in the pathway and entered the house. When I entered the house, it felt like I'm entering a police station because there were a lot of cops inside the house and there was equipment placed here to there in the house. Equipment which is used by the cops. One of the cops was operating a device which looked like a scanner, some were talking in walkie talkies.One of the cops came to me and asked, "Who are you? Who let you in? How did you enter the house?" And inquired in the walkie talkie that, "I asked you not to allow anyone inside the house,
Isabella's pov;"Sorry for disturbing you in the middle of the night; I had no idea where to go. That is why I have come here.""It's all right. You are welcome to visit me at any time." With his words, Harry consoled me.I went to Harry's house because he was the only person who came to mind while I was wandering through the park.I took a look around the house and asked, "Are you the only one here? Where have the others gone?""They moved to Atlanta about a year ago.""Didn't you go with them?""I stayed behind by myself.""How come you didn't join them?""I waited for someone to come back."I'm afraid that it wasn't for me."Um… Can I stay here for a few days if you allow it?""Can I ask?" he nodded, handing me a glass of water."I'm not in the mood to talk about anything. I'm exhausted. Can I sleep now?""Okay, fine. Come with me, and I'll show you to the room."In the middle of the night,Harry tapped on my shoulders and asked me to wash my face because I was crying since I steppe
Isabella's pov;Mr Martinez gave me a peck on my cheek before joining me for breakfast. Why is he kissing me everytime he sees me? I let out a yawn while eating my food. "When did you go to sleep last night?" "Around 11."He patted my head and said, "Go to sleep before 10 from now on.""Mr Martinez?" I used a soft voice.He let out a chuckle and asked, "What is it?""Do I… still need to… pay that… ten million dollars?" "You should.""What!?""No matter who you become to me. You have to pay the compensation." "That's not fair."He patted my head and said, "Work hard and pay me back." and made a smile. While leaving for the company, he quickly gave me a kiss on the lips and said, "I'll be back soon." Which made me smile.I waved at him when he was leaving the house. It feels like we're newlyweds.In the afternoon, a maid informed me that there is a package waiting for me at the doorstep. I came downstairs to check what it was. It was a big package. What might be inside this packag
Isabella's pov;Returning to California,I sat down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The kiss came back to me. Because I was shy, I rolled on the bed. He gave me a kiss. Did he kiss me? He kissed my lips!!! It was fantastic!! Where did he get that skill? Why was his kiss so delicious?I could still feel his lips on mine when I touched my lips. He was gentle, passionate, hot, and steamy. It had every flavour that a kiss should have. Why am I so fixated on his kiss? Why can't I get it out of my head?Someone came to the door and knocked. I got out of bed and walked to the door, which I opened."Big brother?""I heard you and Mr Martinez went to Ethan's wedding," he said as he walked in."Yeah, we had a good time.""Did anything happen over there?""Like, like what?""I'm not sure. Perhaps it's a fight or a quarrel?""No, it was incredibly peaceful and enjoyable.""Really?""Mmmhmmm.""Then why is he acting that way?""Like, what way?""Mr Martinez did not appear well in the morning.
Isabella's pov;After ten minutes, I took him to our hotel room. I walked to the bed, closing the door behind me. I carefully placed him on the bed and sat beside him. What do I do now? I didn't ask him what I should do after making him this way."Can you speak, Mr Martinez?"While lying on the bed, he mumbled something. Did I put too much in his drink?When Mr Martinez mumbled something else, I approached him and asked, "What did you say?""I'm getting hot... I'm getting hot..." In his place, he squirmed like a worm."Wait.""How are you feeling now, Mr Martinez?" I asked as I turned on the air conditioner."It's... it's hot... hot…"I raised the temperature to 16 degrees, but he still squirmed on the bed, as if he was in pain."Mr Martinez, I'm at a loss for what to do. I'm sorry... Mr Martinez, please accept my apologies. I had no idea you'd be in such pain. Mr Martinez, please accept my apologies.""Take me to the shower," he said as he drew me closer to him."Huh! Okay, fine. I've
Isabella's pov;.On the way to the United Kingdom to attend Ethan's wedding,"Are you still upset with me?" Asked as he walked alongside me into the airport.I ignored him as I dragged my suitcase into the airport.He got boarding passes for both of us and sat beside me at the waiting area.Mr Martinez inquired, "Why are you still upset? We'll be at your brother's wedding. You should be content right now."I ignored him and inserted earphones into my ears to begin listening to music.After many passages, we boarded the plane and walked to our seats. However, our seats were quite far apart. Why did he get seats like this? Instead of Mr Martinez, who was supposed to be there, there was a guy who's on the seat beside mine. "Sit with me," I said, staring at him and taking my seat.Mr Martinez approached us and asked the guy beside me, "Sir, Can we switch seats? My seat is located over there. Can you please go ahead and take that seat?""Why should I have to? I like this seat, and there's
Isabella's pov;I was standing in front of the park where Harry had invited me to meet him."Shall we go in?" Mr Martinez inquired.I nodded and followed Mr Martinez into the park.As I walked through the park, I looked around for Harry."Bella!"I turned to face the source of the noise. It's Harry calling. He suddenly ran up to me and hugged me. I forgot everything and hugged him back when he hugged me warmly.He broke the embrace and held my cheeks together, asking, "How are you doing? When did you return here?""I'm not sure which question to answer first." I said with a nervous chuckle."It's all right. Give it your all."Mr Martinez cleared his throat to remind me that he was still present."He's Alexander Martinez, CEO of Skyland Corporation," I said to Harry, pointing to Mr Martinez."I'm aware of him. What exactly is he doing here, Bella?"I looked at Mr Martinez to see how he would react, but to my surprise, he appeared calm."Why did you ask that, Harry? What if those words h
Isabella's pov;During the graduation celebration,Big brother inquired, "Why are you standing here by yourself, Isabella? The party's for you. You should be enjoying it with your friends rather than being alone.""I'm not feeling well.""What is it?" He checked my temperature and said, "You don't look like you're sick. Does it hurt…"Before he finished, I said, "No... my friends have arrived...""So?""It's strange to talk to them."He patted my shoulder and said, "Simply go talk to them. You won't feel strange once you start talking to them.""Are you certain about that?"He indicated with a nod."Okay."I approached my friends, who were gathered in the hall, each holding a glass of wine."Hey! What were you doing? We were waiting for you." Noah stated."I was around here."Sophia dragged me along and forced me to sit with them, asking, "Are you embarrassed?""How do you find it so easily?" I asked, nodding.Evelyn stated, "That is something even I can say. Your expression says it al