Chapter 20
The revelation of the Vincent at the start of the new school year convinced Belle more than ever that she would have to find a woman for her brother so that she could ensure her place in her grandfathers’ wills and thus, the happiness of all. But where and who? Or should that be where and whom?
“What are you talking about?”
“Huh?”
She must’ve been thinking out loud again—a bad habit for one so devious—when suddenly she came face to face with Ms. Martinez, who taught senior English.
“Oh, sorry, Ms. Martinez, I was just working out loud.”
Alicia Martinez opened her dark, wide-set eyes and shot her a knowing look. Belle hated that she saw right through her.
“You know, Isabelle, if you applied yourself to your schoolwork the way you apply yourself to your ‘thinking out loud a
