Chapter 006

Echoes of cheers and side whisperings from the excited guests saturated the hall. Isabelle’s heart raced like whirl wind, beating heavily inside her chest against the walls of its bony cage.

It was an in-house party to celebrate one of Carlos’s business breakthroughs.

As she stood beside Carlos, beaming with smiles mixed with uneasiness, he wrapped his arms around her waist possessively. The penetrating gazes of the guests with their furrowed eyes in shock pierced into Isabelle’s eyes as the reality of her situation sank in. She was now portrayed as the wife Carlos Fernandez – the ruthless billionaire.

”Breathe, Isabelle,” Carlos whispered softly in her ears, his breath warm against her skin.  He widened his teeth for a smile; an attitude that was unlike him. “Now, smile like you mean it.”

Isabelle forced a smile slightly, subtle lines swept across her cheeks. She tried to maintain a steady composure. She had agreed to this charade in the first place, just that the suddenness seemed to be not part of the deal.

With her left hand curled in his, Carlos guided her through the crowds, introducing her to groups of his countless business associates and socialites, Isabelle struggled to keep up with the big names and penetrating faces. She could hear as much as she could feel the weight of curious stares accompanied with their hushed whisperings.

“I never thought I could live to see something of this nature,” an elderly woman in an expensive gown remarked to her companion as she took a sip from her glass of wine. “Carlos Fernandez, married? And to such a young thing, no class.”

Isabelle felt her cheeks flushed, aware of the fact that she was out of place for a great man as Carlos. She wasn’t a stranger to social gatherings, but this one? It was entirely a different world – a world of power, wealth, and carefully guarded secrets.

As the night was speedily crawling in into the hall, Isabelle was left on her own as Carlos fell into a deep discussion with some group of investors. She took a deep breath as she headed for a quiet corner of the ballroom.

“Well, well,” a familiar voice intoned, sending a chill down Isabelle’s spine. “Who else would it be if not the new Mrs. Fernandez?”

Turning around slowly, Isabelle came face to face again with her estranged friend – Allison. Allison’s cheeks flushed with sharp and predatory smiles, her eyes gleaming with barely conceived malice that hoped to tear her prey apart.

“Not again!” Isabelle muttered to herself, maintaining her composure. “Allison, I’m sorry I slapped you. I acted out of rage.”

Allison had come to the occasion as a potential member of the company – a topping contestant for the face of Fernandez Holdings.

“Oh, c’mon, let that be,” Allison said, waving a hand. “I would’ve returned it a thousand times stronger than what you gave me if your uh…didn’t come for your rescue.” Allison signaled at Carlos with her lips pointing out.

Isabelle muttered a smile. She lifted her and grabbed a glass of red wine from the tray held by a waiter passing by. She knew what Allison had come for, but wasn’t ready to give it to her.

“Well, that aside, I have to admit, I’m impressed,” Allison said, taking a sip of champagne from her glass. “I never thought you had it in you to land a man like Carlos Fernandez.”

The implication in her tone was clear enough for a child to understand, and Isabelle surge in anger. “Come plain. What are you implying?”

Allison shook her head in disgust and sighed. “Come on, girl. We both know what ladies in your position are capable of. You’re just after his money and power, that’s all. I just hope you know what you’re getting into.”

Isabelle’s blood was beginning to boil beneath her skin, when a heavy hand rested on her right shoulder from behind before she could respond to Allison.

“Is everything okay here?” Carlos asked, his expression unreadable as his gaze moved from Allison to Isabelle, his tone deceptively calm.

Isabelle nodded in affirmation, forcing a quick smile as Allison quietly walked away.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of forced smiles and polite conversation from the guests. Exhaustion clung to Isabelle’s bones like a heavy shroud, each passing moment a blur of yearning to go to bed and rest.

………

The party was finally over. All the guests had left. Carlos led Isabelle to her room in a way that she had never expected it. “Try to get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll start preparing you for your new role.”

As he turned to leave, he was halted by a weak voice coming behind. “Carlos, why me? Why did you agree to this arrangement?”

Carlos stood still for a while at the door, backing her and then he gently turned to face her. “This is time you should rest, Isabelle. Goodnight.”

With that said, he turned and left. Isabelle tried to sleep but streams of thoughts about her relationship invaded her memory, stealing every iota of sleep in her eyes. She was carrying the child of a man she knew nothing about, pretended to be his wife and the uncertainty of what the future holds.

Since sleep had eluded her eyes, she crept out of her bed through the slightly opened door into another room that also slightly opened with dim light. As she pierced inside, she realized it could be Carlos’s study. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a massive desk dominating the center of the room.

Curiosity took the better of her as she began running her fingers along the spines of leather-bound books, her heart pounding with the thrill of trespassing.

Something caught her attention – a small safe, partially hidden behind a painting on the wall just after one of the largest of books. She nervously took out the document in the safe, flipped it open, scanning page-by-page. It appeared to be some sought of legal document, filled with complex terminologies beyond her comprehension.

“Genetic experimentations,” “unauthorized trials….” A photo of a pregnant woman fell down from the file. She bent to pick it. The woman was dressed in white, in between her legs, where stains of blood.

Isabelle was still trying to make sense of this strange file when suddenly she heard footsteps approaching the study. In a panic, Isabelle shoved the documents back into the safe quietly, her heart pounding so loudly that she was scared it had expose her.

Hiding behind the slightly opened door, it was swung opened and quickly and completely closed, revealing Carlos as his narrowed eyes rested on Isabelle, her whole body fidgeting like she was going to faint.

“Isabelle,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

The weight of what she had discovered pressed down on her, filling her with terror she had never known before. She couldn’t utter a word no matter how she tried. It hung in her throat like a suffocating shroud.

As Carlos approached further, he noticed the document on the shelf had been tampered with. The safe was still opened – a looming betrayal pointing at Isabelle.

Isabelle went face down, thinking about what becomes of her and her unborn child. She knew she had stumbled upon something she shouldn’t have seen; something far more dangerous than she could ever imagined. Her face slightly moved up to meet with the raging eyes of Carlos.

It became clear to her; there was no going back to what she had seen…