OFF LIMIT

Chapter 11

Isabella

Three days had passed since that night.

Three days since Theo had sat across from me in the kitchen, treated the bruises on my wrist, and fed me cheesecake like I was still a little girl he needed to take care of.

I had tried not to think too much about it.

Especially how easily he had remembered my favorite cake.

Or how safe I had felt sitting there with him.

Life had slowly started moving again after what happened at Meridian.

My wrist was still bruised, but the pain had faded considerably. The memory, unfortunately, was harder to get rid of.

Still, I was trying.

And today was my first day at Kingsley Group.

I had barely finished getting ready when my phone buzzed.

I looked down.

Theo: I'll pick you up.

I smiled at the message.

Of course he would.

Me: You don't have to. I'll drive myself.

His reply came almost immediately.

Theo: Isabella.

I rolled my eyes.

Me: Theo.

Theo: Let me pick you up.

Me: I'll be fine. See you at the office.

I put my phone down before he could argue with me again.

Then I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs.

It wasn't until I reached the front door that I stopped.

I stared at my keys.

Then at the empty driveway.

Oh.

My car was still at Meridian Developments.

I had completely forgotten.

My mother needed her car today, and the other cars we had weren't being used anymore, so they had already been sold.

I couldn't exactly call Theo now and tell him that the car I had confidently claimed I would drive myself was sitting at the company whose CEO he had nearly beaten the hell out of three nights ago.

Absolutely not.

I quickly texted Sienna.

Thankfully, she agreed to drop me at Kingsley Group before heading to work.

By the time we arrived, I had managed to calm myself down.

Mostly.

Because standing outside those familiar glass doors brought back a memory I hadn't expected.

Five years ago, I had walked through those same doors beside my father.

Today, I was walking through them alone.

Except this time, I wasn't here as his daughter.

I was here as an employee.

And somehow, that felt much more terrifying.

I walked into the reception area, trying to keep my nerves under control.

The receptionist looked up with a polite smile.

"Good morning. How can I help you?"

"Good morning. I'm here to meet someone from HR about my position."

"Of course. May I have your name?"

"Isabella Sinclair."

Her fingers stopped above the keyboard.

She looked at me again.

"Sinclair?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

Something shifted in her expression.

Not badly.

Just surprise.

"Of course. One moment, Ms. Sinclair."

She quickly made a call and then came around from behind the desk.

"This way, please."

I followed her toward the elevators.

As soon as the doors closed, I caught my reflection in the mirrored wall.

I looked professional.

At least, I hoped I did.

I was wearing tailored black trousers that fit perfectly around my waist and legs, paired with a crisp white shirt tucked neatly into them. Over it, I had a fitted black vest blazer that gave the outfit a polished, structured look.

Small gold earrings.

My delicate watch.

Black pointed heels.

My hair was neatly styled, and my makeup was simple.

Professional.

Confident.

Or at least, pretending to be.

The elevator doors opened.

The HR department was quiet and modern, with glass offices and people moving between desks.

A woman in her late forties stood to greet me.

"Isabella?"

"Yes."

"I'm Marianne. It's lovely to meet you."

She shook my hand warmly and invited me into her office.

We went through everything.

My position.

My salary.

Working hours.

Benefits.

Responsibilities.

I listened carefully, taking everything in.

Eventually, she smiled.

"You're officially starting today as Project Manager."

Hearing the words made my stomach flip.

Project Manager.

I had actually done it.

Without my father's name.

Without Theo making a call.

Without anyone handing me a position simply because of who my family was.

I had earned this.

Marianne smiled again.

"And if I may say something personally?"

"Of course."

"Your father was one of the best people this company ever had."

My smile softened.

"He held an important position here, but more than that, people respected him. He cared about the company and the people working in it."

She paused.

"It's genuinely nice to see you here."

I swallowed.

"Thank you."

She showed me to my desk a little while later.

It was in a bright section of the office, near a large window overlooking the city.

My desk was already set up.

Laptop.

Notebooks.

Documents.

Everything I needed.

I sat down and took a breath.

Okay, Isabella.

This is real.

A few minutes later, I was introduced to the team.

There were several people working on the projects I would be overseeing, and I tried my best to remember everyone's names.

Then I met my mentor.

"Isabella, this is Elina. She'll help you get familiar with everything during your first few weeks."

Elina looked at me.

Then at Marianne.

Then back at me.

"Sinclair?"

There was something about the way she said it.

Not curiosity.

Something sharper.

I smiled politely.

"Yes."

She nodded.

"Right."

Her eyes lingered on me for a moment before she walked away.

I frowned slightly.

That was weird.

But I decided not to dwell on it.

I had work to do.

The morning passed quickly.

I went through project files, familiarized myself with current developments, organized my schedule, and started making notes about the projects I would eventually be handling.

For the first time since coming home, I felt like I was building something that belonged to me.

Then my phone buzzed.

Theo: Lunch.

I stared at the message.

Me: Is that an invitation or an order?

Theo: Lunch.

I smiled.

Me: Fine.

A few minutes later, Theo appeared at the office.

And immediately, I noticed the looks.

People glanced up from their desks.

Some tried to pretend they weren't staring.

Others didn't even bother.

Theo walked toward me as if none of it mattered.

"Ready?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

We went downstairs together.

I could practically feel everyone's eyes following us.

I tried to ignore it.

"So," Theo said as we settled at the restaurant, "how's your first day?"

"Good."

"Just good?"

I smiled.

"Actually, really good."

"That's better."

"I met the HR team. They were nice. I got my desk. I've already started going through the projects."

He nodded.

"And your mentor?"

I hesitated.

"Elina?"

"Yes."

"She seems... nice."

Theo raised an eyebrow.

"You don't sound convinced."

"I barely know her."

"Give it time."

I nodded.

We continued talking while we ate.

For a while, it felt normal.

Easy.

Just Theo being Theo.

As though nothing had changed.

As though I wasn't sitting across from the man I'd been secretly in love with for five years.

As though my heart wasn't constantly betraying me.

When we returned to the office, I went to the bathroom before getting back to work.

I had just reached the sinks when I heard voices outside.

I stopped.

Two women were talking.

"I still can't believe they hired her."

"Why not?"

"Come on. She's a Sinclair."

"So?"

"Her father practically built half this company with Mr Kingsley. You really think she got that position without connections?"

There was a pause.

Then the other woman laughed softly.

"Obviously not."

"Exactly. Project Manager on her first day?"

"Must be nice."

I stood completely still.

My stomach tightened.

I knew this would happen.

I knew people would talk.

I just hadn't expected to hear it so soon.

I took a slow breath.

Don't care.

They didn't know me.

They didn't know how hard I'd worked.

They didn't know about the applications I'd sent without using my father's name.

They didn't know anything.

I could have stayed inside until they left.

Instead, I walked out.

The conversation stopped immediately.

Both women looked at me.

I looked at them calmly.

"If you have something to say about me, say it to my face."

Their faces changed.

"We weren't..."

"I heard you."

Silence.

One of them looked embarrassed.

"I'm sorry."

The other nodded quickly, "Yeah. I'm sorry."

I held their gaze for another second.

Then I walked away.

My heart was pounding.

But I didn't look back.

I returned to my desk and continued working.

I wasn't going to let two strangers decide whether I belonged there.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted.

I glanced at the time.

Sienna had told me earlier that she would be working overtime because of her medical internship.

Which meant I had a problem.

I needed a ride home.

My car was still at Meridian.

Again.

I sighed and grabbed my bag.

There was only one person left to ask.

Theo.

I made my way toward his office.

His secretary looked up as I approached.

"Ms. Sinclair."

"Hi. Can I go inside?"

She hesitated.

"I'm sorry, he's in a meeting."

"Oh."

I glanced toward his office.

"Could you just tell him Isabella is here?"

She looked uncertain, but eventually picked up the phone.

A few seconds later, she hung up.

"You can go in."

There was something strange about her expression.

I frowned but didn't ask.

I knocked once before opening the door.

Theo's office was completely different from the rest of the building.

Dark.

Elegant.

Quiet.

The walls were charcoal, with dark wood furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. His desk was large and almost intimidatingly clean.

Everything about the room felt controlled.

Powerful.

Very Theo.

He looked up from his laptop.

"Sit."

I sat on the sofa across from him.

He studied me.

"What's wrong?"

"I need a lift home."

His eyebrows pulled together.

"Where's your car?"

I looked away.

"It's at Meridian."

The moment I said the name, his jaw tightened.

Of course, he remembered.

He closed his laptop.

"Give me your keys."

"What?"

"Your car keys."

"Theo, why?"

"I'll have someone bring the car here."

I sighed and handed him my keys.

He took them and immediately made a call.

"Have someone go to Meridian Developments and bring Isabella's car back to Kingsley Group."

He hung up.

Then looked at me.

"I have an important online meeting. Give me ten minutes."

"Okay."

I settled onto the sofa.

Theo opened his laptop again.

The meeting started.

I tried not to stare.

I failed.

This was the version of Theo most people knew.

Sharp.

Confident.

Authoritative.

His voice was calm but firm as he discussed figures, deadlines, projects, and decisions.

Every now and then, his eyes flickered toward me.

Just for a second.

Then back to the screen.

I looked away before he could catch me staring.

About ten minutes later, the meeting ended.

Theo closed the laptop.

"Let's go."

He stood and picked up his jacket.

As we walked out, he looked toward his secretary.

"Bethy."

"Yes, Mr Kingsley?"

"Cancel everything pending for the rest of the day."

She blinked.

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Okay."

We continued toward the elevator.

Once we reached the basement parking area, I looked at him.

"What time do you usually finish?"

“Nine. Ten, sometimes later."

I stared at him.

"That's insane."

He shrugged.

"It's work."

"You seriously work that late every day?"

"Not every day."

"Still."

He pressed the button for the car.

"Are you leaving early because of me?"

He looked at me.

"Yes."

I blinked.

“You've had a long day. You should go home and rest."

He opened the passenger door for me.

I smiled softly.

"Thank you."

He nodded and got into the driver's seat.

We drove in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

Then Theo turned into a small coffee shop.

I looked at him.

"What are we doing here?"

"Coffee."

"I thought you already had coffee."

"I did."

He got out.

A few minutes later, he returned with two cups.

He handed me mine.

I looked down.

An iced salted caramel and peanut coffee.

The whipped cream sat perfectly on top, but there was no extra drizzle. He’d asked for almond milk and sugar free syrups.

Exactly how I liked it.

I looked at him.

"You remembered."

He glanced at me as if it were obvious.

"Of course, I remembered."

Something warm settled in my chest.

I took a sip.

It was perfect.

We continued the drive home.

When we reached my house, Theo parked outside.

He got out and opened my door.

I stepped onto the pavement.

"Do you want to come inside?"

He shook his head.

"Another time."

I nodded.

"Okay."

He looked at me for a moment.

"Get some rest, Isabella."

"I will."

He waited until I reached the front door.

I turned around.

He was still standing beside his car.

Watching to make sure I got inside safely.

I smiled.

"Goodnight, Theo."

"Goodnight."

I walked inside and closed the door behind me.

For a moment, I leaned against it.

Three days ago, I had been sitting in his kitchen, letting him feed me cheesecake while I tried to forget the worst morning of my life.

Today, he had driven me home, remembered exactly how I liked my coffee, and made sure I was safe before leaving.

I knew what all of it meant to him.

Care.

Family.

Protection.

Nothing more.

And maybe that was the hardest part.

Because every little thing he did made me fall a little harder.

Maybe coming home was a bit dangerous to my heart.