Chapter 18
962 Words
Chapter 18
"You have to tell me everything, Father," I said, clenching the phone more firmly. My heart raced within my chest as the seriousness of his end-of-tone settled in.
Alexander was nearby, his touch tenderly on my back, his presence calming me. His look, intense and mysterious, flashed with a whirlwind of unvoiced emotions.
My dad let out a sigh from the other end. "Isabella… this is not an issue to treat casually." “ The person who came called me wasn’t merely anyone. He has a connection with Alexander’s family. "
I gulped nervously. "Who is the person?"
For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then, gradually, my father uttered the name.
"Blackwood, William."
The atmosphere within us appeared to grow denser. Before, as I glanced at Alexander, I noticed the changes in his countenance. His jaw clenched as if he had heard the unexpected.
"Is it William Blackwood?" I asked again to ascertain the name, hardly louder than a murmur.
Alexander's fingers trembled on my lower back before he withdrew entirely, his expression inscrutable, eyes shadowed.
I had to push the phone far from my ear. I asked Alexander if he knew anyone of such.
"He was the closest business associate of my father," he stated, his tone steady yet frigid. "Until he turned against him."
The heaviness of his words gave me a shiver.
My father spoke on, his tone tinged with discomfort. "He kept his complete intentions hidden, yet he made it obvious—there are two options." "Help Alexander... or do what you know best."
A soft, humourless laugh slipped from Alexander. " As usual," he murmured. "The man consistently played both sides."
I held the phone tightly close to my ear again. "What did he propose to you, Dad?"
"A place at the table," my father confessed. "He aims to change the power dynamics in the company, Isabella." He thinks you’re a vulnerability that Alexander cannot allow. He believes… you'll be his downfall.
A void of silence extended between us.
Alexander's eyes locked with mine, an ungraspable emotion flickering within them. "Is that what he believes?"
His tone was calm, yet there was an underlying danger to it.
My father paused before responding, "He doubts you possess the ability to maintain everything your father created." He believes you’re too preoccupied, that you’re unaware of the approaching storm.
Alexander exhaled gently, his hands balling into fists. "Then he doesn’t know me."
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding. "What should we do?"
Alexander's lips contorted into what seemed like a slight smile. "We do not wait for him to take the initiative."
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We sat in Alexander's study, the room gently lit.
"Blackwood is a planner." "If he has reappeared now, it’s because he has already positioned his strategies."
I scowled, walking back and forth across the room. "Next, we must determine what those strategies are."
"That's why you're keeping out of this," Alexander stated, his tone assertive.
I halted mid-stride, pivoting to look at him. "Sorry?"
His eyes were fixed on me. "This battle does not belong to you, Isabella."
I released a quick laugh, folding my arms. "Isn’t this my fight?" The last time I checked, I was included in this. You and I—we're in this as one. "Or have you lost track?"
His jaw grew rigid. "That isn't what I planned for you."
"Then what was your intention?" I pushed. "From my perspective, it seems like you’re attempting to set me aside."
Alexander sighed, dragging a hand across his face. “It isn't about that.” Blackwood employs underhanded tactics. He does not only pursue business—he pursues individuals. "If you come too near, you become a victim which I am not ready to let that happen."
I moved ahead, my tone quieter now. "And if I withdraw, I turn into a liability."
His gaze scanned my eyes, a flicker appearing within them. Terror?
I extended my hand, grasping him firmly. "You previously mentioned that when you're with me, you don’t consider what you need to demonstrate—you consider what you might lose." Indeed, that works in both directions, Alexander. "I'm not leaving anywhere, we are together in this."
His hold grew firmer around mine. "You are unattainable."
I smiled softly. "I choose you because don’t give up on your dreams."
A rap on the door broke our conversation.
"Enter," Alexander summoned.
His aide entered, carrying an envelope. "This is for Miss Isabella."
I frowned, sharing a glance with Alexander before accepting it. The envelope was simple, lacking a return address, the paper a bit tattered as if it had changed hands too often.
An unusual feeling of disquiet took hold in my belly.
I gently opened it, removing the letter contained within. As I opened it, I gasped.
There, in clear, nearly unrecognizable handwriting, were only a handful of words:
You are not aware of the complete truth. Join me at midnight. Come alone.
Alexander snatched the letter from my hand, his demeanour shifting to a grim one as he read it. "Not."
I downed it. "It might be a person attempting to alert us." I tried to convince him.
"Or it might be a setup," he replied.
My thoughts raced. Who might have dispatched this? Blackwood? Is there someone employed by him? Or could it have been a different person altogether?
“Isabella,” Alexander murmured, his voice soft and measured. "You are not going."
I ought to have consented. I ought to have allowed him to shred the letter and set it on fire.
Yet a voice within me murmured differently.
Because deep inside, I understood—whoever dispatched this was aware of something we weren’t. And if I overlooked it… we could miss what was coming.
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