Me:There isn’t a no box as I’m not going to take no for an answer. Come on, Ava. It’s dinner. A guy’s gottoeat.
Ava: What if the restaurant stops serving breakfast at11AM?
Ichuckle.
Me:We’ll go to anotherrestaurant.
Although I’m loving Ava’s playful banter, on the inside, I’m dying. I haven’t inhaled a full breath since her first reply wasreceived.
I stare at the screen of my phone, willing for it to hurry up and deliver Ava’sreply.
Ava:Alright. Let me know the day and I’ll ask Mrs. Mable towatchJoel.
Fuckyes!
Me: Let me take care ofeverything.
My eyes lift from my phone when the door of the private jet swings open. My brows hit my hairline when the guy who was dancing with Izzy steps out of the jet with a little girl wrapped around his legs. My eyes snap to Isaac, wanting to gauge his reaction to being confronted by the guy who had every intention of adding Izzy’s name to the notches on his bedpost. My brows furrow when Isaac seems oblivious to the man’s significance in Izzy’s life. Isaac’s reaction can’t be true. He is always watching Izzy.Always.
I turn my eyes back to my phone and quickly type out amessage.
Me:I gotta go, babe, I’ll call youlater.
Ava:Okay. Talk to youlater.
I sit in the car for several minutes, quietly watching the exchange between Isaac, Izzy and Izzy’s half-sister, Callie. You’d think witnessing Isaac spend millions of dollars to secure Izzy’s sister would be the most admirable thing I’ve witnessed him do the past five years. It isn’t. It’s not evenclose.
* * *
After settlingCallie into her new room, Isaac strides into his office. His brisk pace slows when he notices me standing at the side of his desk, glancing at a photo of Izzy he has there. He seems to have an odd obsession with watching Izzy sleep, as this is only one of many photos he has of herdozing.
I place the photo on his desk and turn around to face him. “You knew what Izzy was going to do. You knew why she went to the Dungeon,”Isay.
Although you could construe my statement as a question, it isn’t. I know Isaac. I know himvery well. So I'm well aware my statement is factual, notfiction.
Isaac unbuttons his suit jacket, removes it, and slings it over the coatrack in the corner of the room. Remaining quiet, he ambles to a crystal bar set up at the edge of his desk and pours a large serving of whiskey into a crystalglass.
“You intuited Izzy’s next move before she even knew what she was going to do.”Just like I knew Ava was going to accept my invitation to dinner before I even sent themessage.
The corners of Isaac’s mouth lift in a wry smirk. “A game of chess is not a hard game to win if you study your opponent in greatdepth.”
My eyes widen. “You sent Ayden in knowing he was going to kiss her?” I ask, utter disbelief is heard in myvoice.
The smirk on Isaac’s face vanishes and a set of hard-lined lips ruefully take its place. “No,” he growls. “I sent Ayden in tostopIsabelle from kissing someone.” His voice is gruff anddangerouslylow.
He pivots on his heels to face me. “Isabelle knows me better than anyone. She knew I’d kissed Ophelia without me even needing to confess. In her heart, she knew I betrayed her. So she went to the Dungeon to exact her revenge. Ayden was the closest man I had on the ground. I sent him there tostopher kissinganotherman.”
He slams his whiskey glass onto the bar so roughly, the crystal chips from his brutal force. His nostrils flare as he inhales deeply, filling his thrusting chestwithair.
“Ayden had one task: use any tactic he could to keep Isabelle safe until you arrived. What I didn’t expect was to be blindsided by the man I trusted. I never suspected the man I would have bled for would be the one to cut me open andtearmy heart straight from mychest.”
The heaviness in my chest turns lethal. “Isaac,Idid--”
“You did it because you knew I'd be watching,” he interjects, his tone lowering to a vicious snarl. “Because you wanted me toseeit.”
Isaac’s face lines with anger when I nod my head, agreeing with hisstatement.
“What I can’t comprehend is why you did it. I’ve seen you with Isabelle. I know you care for her, but I never suspected it to be anything more than friendship. I’ve only seen the spark of admiration in your eyes once before. It wasn’t directed atIsabelle.”
