Isabella POV:
"Isabella?" I heard my boyfriend Mike calling my name.I felt my heart drop slightly from his tone.It was gentle, too gentle and Mike was always angry.Standing up on my feet, I tried to see if he brought someone else with him.When I saw only his head, a little breath left my lips before tilting my head down."Come here, sweetie." He said.I found myself nodding my head, I didn't want any beating, I'm still healing from the old ones.I hate when he beats me, I hate when he insults me and makes me feel small.We have been in a relationship for 2 years and in those 2 years was only beating and apologizing for what he did, then beating again.The same routine over and over again.As I walked towards Mike, memories of our tumultuous relationship flooded my mind. The scars, both physical and emotional, served as a constant reminder of the toxic cycle we couldn't escape."Isabella, you know I care about you, right?" Mike's words contradicted the cruelty she had grown accustomed to. The sudden tenderness only fueled her confusion.Nodding silently, I hesitated, wondering if this was just another twist in the unpredictable narrative of our connection. The fear of the unknown loomed large as I braced myself for whatever lay ahead, hoping against hope for a chance at genuine change.Mike reached out, his touch sending shivers down my spine. Instinctively, I flinched, bracing for impact. Instead, his hand gently cupped my face, a stark contrast to the violence etched in my memory."I've been thinking, Isabella. Maybe we can break this cycle, start anew," he murmured.I looked up at him, trying to read him.I can't believe these lies anymore, this would be the 18th time he has said this."Answer me, Isabel." He said.My heart beat faster at the tone again.What kind of man Is this?"ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF?" He yelled.Immediately I closed my eyes waiting for the hit.But nothing came.Opening my eyes slowly, I looked at him with one eye open."Just, just get food ready when I'm back." He said with a chuckle then walked away.I looked at him from behind as he walked out of the house.A breath left my lips as I looked around.Is this a dream?I thought before shaking my head.As I gathered my thoughts, the silence in the room felt heavy. The familiar sounds of his anger were replaced by an eerie quiet that unsettled me. With cautious steps, I moved towards the kitchen, still processing the surreal encounter.Preparing the food, my mind raced, replaying the countless times Mike had promised change only for history to repeat itself. The cycle of abuse had carved deep scars, both visible and hidden, and the scepticism within me fought against the glimmer of hope.As the aroma of the meal filled the air, I couldn't shake the question echoing in my mind: Was this a genuine turning point or just another deceptive calm before the storm?I glanced at the door, half-expecting Mike's return to bring back the harsh reality I had grown accustomed to.The minutes stretched into an uneasy anticipation as I finished preparing the meal. The sound of the front door opening startled me, and I tensed, bracing for what might come next. As Mike walked in, his expression seemed different – a strange mix of nonchalance and something I couldn't quite decipher.He sat down without a word, and a heavy silence settled between us. The air was thick with unspoken tension, and I found myself cautiously watching his every move."WHAT?" He snapped looking at me.I jumped slightly at his tone before looking back at the ground."Have you got a job, Isabella?" He asked.I looked up, my eyes wide out.I forgot about this discussion."Well?" He asked."Uhm, I uhm" I whispered."What cat got your tongue?" He said with a smirk.Again I looked back down not knowing what to say.A sigh left Mike's lips, then I heard his chair move making my head snap up."When can you be ever useful to me?" He asked, touching the tip of my hair."Do you think I'm going to be paying every bill in this house?" He asked.Quickly I shook my head."Isabella, Isabella, my poor girl," Mike said.The tone scares me."I'll give you two days, I'll be traveling for two days and when I get back, you should have a job, ok?" He said, looking at me.Quickly nodding my head, I whispered an 'ok' because he doesn't like when you nod.Mike always wants answers."Good girl, now go eat." He said pointing at the table.I looked at him with shock, eat?He wanted me to eat?What about the fat rule?"Yes, go eat, now." He said again walking towards his side of the table.Nodding my head, I followed him slowly, my head title down.Mike smiled at me before eating the food.I looked down at mine, asking myself if it was safe or not.Or is this another test?"Isabella?" He called me.I looked up again, my fingers away from the spoon away from me."I don't like repeating myself, Isabella." He said, looking at me with those stormy eyes."I'm not hungry," I whispered back.A chuckle left his lips before looking at me."Not hungry?" He said."Not hungry?" He asked."Uhm, I'll eat," I said quietly, picking up the spoon."Good, and when you're done, you can sleep." He said with a smile.Again I looked at him.What's with all this?Are we playing a game, are there people watching?I thought before looking around."Isabella." He sang.With a breath, I picked up my spoon and ate slowly."Good girl, now I'm off to bed, please take care of my house, and not bring men around." He said before walking toward me.Then bent over and placed a kiss on my head.With a smile from him, I watched him walk out of the kitchen.This is a different game.I thought before pushing the food away.Isabella POV:The next morning, I woke up to an empty house.Mike left without telling me.I didn't know if I should be happy about this.Am free for just two days.Something like this had never happened before.I kept asking myself if it was ok for me to escape, maybe try again.But I know He would still find out because Mike always knows.Shaking my head, I rolled out of my bed and walked toward my bathroom.My eyes connected to my room, the sight of my face made me sick.Mike never hit my face, he didn't want people to notice it.So it was only my body.Shaking my head, I took off my clothes, before walking into the shower.A sigh left my lips as the warm water ran out."Now what? What job can I look for?" I thought In my head.It is hard to look for a job especially when I didn't finish school.No one will want to accept me.Shaking my head, I stepped out of the shower, grabbing my towel.When I was done cleaning, I grabbed my big hoodie and shorts.I didn't want people looking at
Isabella POV:The men took me to a mansion, I kept looking at the house as I was pulled in.But all I could think of was what to do next.There's no way they are letting me go and Mike's friends saw them take me away and for the fact I didn't try to fight back.They will tell Mike a whole different story.As I was led into the house, I was greeted by a tall, dark-haired man with piercing green eyes. He looked me up and down, and I felt a shiver run down my spine."I'm Fed, the head of this family," he said, his voice smooth and cold. "Welcome to my home."I swallowed hard, my mind racing as I tried to figure out a way to escape. But before I could think of anything, I was led down a long hallway, the walls covered in paintings and tapestries.We stopped in front of a large wooden door, and Fed opened it, revealing a large room with a roaring fireplace.I was pushed inside, and the door slammed shut behind me.I whirled around, my heart pounding in my chest. The room was empty.No one
Isabella POV:I awoke to the muted light filtering through the small window, unsure of how much time had passed. The air felt heavy with anticipation as I rose from the bed, still clad in the same clothes from the day before.The door opened once more, and the man who said he should kill me stood there, his gaze inscrutable."Get ready. Boss wants to see you" he said, his voice devoid of emotion.Without thinking, I stood up immediately, not ready to get him angry.We walked around the house.I was honestly trying to meet up with him but his long legs were hard to meet.As we approached a heavy wooden door, my apprehension intensified.The man pushed it open, revealing a room shrouded in shadows. A figure sat behind an imposing desk, the dim light casting an enigmatic aura around them."Isabella, I presume," the middleman said, his voice low and commanding.I nodded, feeling a mix of vulnerability and defiance.The air seemed to thicken as the boss assessed me with penetrating eyes.
Isabella Pov:After cleaning all the rooms, I walked out with a smile on my lips for having the energy to finish everything on time.I had a feeling the men were no longer at home because I heard cars driving out when I was cleaning.Shaking my head, I walked back to the kitchen, my tummy made a groan reminding me how hungry I was.When I arrived at the kitchen, Lisa looked up at me."Aw, you look so stressed sweetie." She said walking toward me.I forced a smile as Lisa stood in front of me. She put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it."Why don't you sit down, I'll get you something to eat." She said as she pointed toward the chair.I sighed and sat down, my mind racing with thoughts. I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next. I felt like I was in a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from.Lisa placed a plate of food in front of me, and I stared at it blankly. I couldn't bring myself to eat."Come on sweetie, you need to eat. You're no good to anyone if you don't take
Isabella's POV:In my head, I tried to shake off every kind of thought I was having run through my mind.Taking deep breaths and calming myself down.Brace up girl, let's just focus on now, here in this kitchen with Lisa. I then turned to face Lisa, she already had all the ingredients to be used for the baking out on the kitchen counter. Do you know how to bake?Lisa asked me.Not good at it, I just try baking sometimes.Oh don't worry girl, I'll teach you today. I am very good at it.Well let's start, get the dry ingredients together while I mix the wet ingredients for the next couple of hours was so much into the baking and it was so fun that it helped me forget my worries for a while.I had all my focus and concentration on the baking to even be worried or concerned about anything else.One of the other ladies entered the kitchen. I remembered that Lisa called her Christabel earlier in the day when I met them in the kitchen and she introduced us.Hello ladies, Christabel greeted
Isabella POV:Hearing him ask me about it caused chills to run over my whole body.I was so scared to the bones, I didn't know what to say.He spoke up but I did not utter a word, instead, I stood there, lost in thoughts not knowing what to do.I'm talking to you.Will you give me an answer already girl before I lose it? Say something!Nate's voice resonated loudly in the room bringing me out of my lost deep thoughts.Hey you, you better speak up now I hear you say.Uhm … I … I don't know.I said out of confusion and frustration.I haven't thought about it and I thought you gave me until the end of today before giving you my reply.My boyfriend is a dangerous man and I'm sure his friends have told him about me and what they saw yesterday. I'm pretty sure he's on the lookout for the people who took me.I don't want any trouble for you and your people and at the same time I fear that if I return to him, that might probably be the end of me. He might just beat me to death or he might not
Isabella's POV I stood there In front of him, looking away from him, silence took over the whole room as no one uttered a word. I eventually said something after contemplating for a while. Can you please give me some more time to think about it? I don't want to do something or make a decision I'm not sure of. He was just starting at me, and then, it took him a couple of seconds before he answered All right then, if that's what you want. When will I get an answer then? I don't have too much time to bother about this for long. I hate people wasting my time so don't make it take too long before you make up your mind. Okay sir, thank you I said but I was still standing there. I was afraid to leave when he hadn't told me to. Yeah! That's all, you may go now. I hesitated a bit. I said go, leave, now. I took to my heels and rushed out of the study. Immediately I came out of the room, I sighed deeply, I didn't even know I held my breath the whole time I was in the room with hi
Nate's POVAfter I told Isabella to leave and she'd left, there was some sort of emptiness and loneliness I felt within my spirit.There's more to this feeling and I'll make sure to know what this is.Not long I heard a knock on the door, and then two of my men entered. Andrew and Damien Boss, we've got news, Damien spoke up,We heard that the contract for the building project is going to be assigned to another company.My guy, Ten, discovered that there was an inside job and there was someone else pulling the strings.He said, he heard them discuss our plans and procedures for the project but they said something like we weren't capable enough to get the job done.Yes boss, Andrew said, they are in the process of calling for a meeting with our opponents and awarding them the contract.When they both stepped in, I knew something was going on, then I was also glad to have a distraction, something to keep me from thoughts of Isabella.But this, this right here I never saw it coming.I w