THE BILLIONAIRE'S ASSASSIN

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER TWO

Isabelle stared at Glitch with an unreadable expression. She had understood what Francis meant earlier, that was why she was fast to give the first shot. She had no intention of killing her, so she shot her in the arm instead.

Glitch lay on the floor sweating profusely. She had lost a lot of blood, but that doesn't mean she was going to back down. She stared at Isabelle with gruesome hate, her brain racing on how to counter her next attack.

Blade's eyes went wide at the sight in front of him. “What the f**k Nyx, was that necessary?”

“Yes Blade, that was absolutely necessary,” came Francis' voice.

Blade turned sharply at him. “What?” Glitch also turned to stare at him, shock evident in her face. Nyx didn't turn, her attention was focused solely on Glitch, she wouldn't want to take any chance.

“I'm sure you understand English Blade," Francis said, a cruel smile playing on his lips and that was when realization dawned on them. Francis wanted this opportunity to be to the death between them, but somehow Nyx understood this faster.

“Enough of the chitchat already. Now, yield Mirabelle,” Isabelle muttered, her gun aimed at Glitch again. Her voice edged with something sinister and dangerous.

“Never” came Glitch's voice, resilience evident in her tone.

“Fine then, I guess you want to play the hard way,” she mumbled coldly.

This time Glitch didn't wait for her to make the first move, she secretly slipped a small knife out of her boots and lounged it at Isabelle. Nyx dodged the knife with great speed, but she knows Glitch more than anyone; this was only a distraction. Turning, Glitch was already on her feet and within the skip of a heartbeat she fired a bullet at Isabelle.

Again, Isabelle dodged the bullet, escaping by just an inch. With her gun in her right hand, she reached for the pocket knife in the sleeve of her jacket, she pulled it out and lounged the knife at her. Glitch avoided the blade successfully, but an excruciating pain shot through her arm which made her slow down on her tracks.

A grin spread across Isabelle's lips, that was the opening she had wanted. Everything after that happened fast. While Glitch was distracted by the pain she was feeling, Isabelle seized the opportunity; she squeezed the trigger without a second thought and this time the bullet landed on her thigh.

Glitch went down, her face twisted in pain as an agonizing scream tore through her lips.

“That's enough, Isabelle,” came Francis' voice loud and commanding.

Isabelle stared at him with a furrowed brow; she had wanted to end this all once and for all.

Blade stared at the ladies in front of him; his lips slightly parted.

“What the heck is wrong with both of you? Are you really going to kill yourselves for some simp?” he snarled, his fingers running through his hair.

“Correction Blade, Alexander is not a simp, got it?” Isabelle retorted sharply.

Blade scoffed then walked over to Glitch, her body had turned numb and cold. He picked her up, carrying her in a bridal style and walked out the door.

“Now this is why you're considered the best, but why do you want this badly though? I’ve never seen you get this provoked before,” Francis questioned with a raised brow.

“It's none of your business. What's the plan?” she asked flatly.

“First, I think we need to study him closely—”

“That won't be necessary,” she cuts him off.

“Why?” he asked with a questioning gaze.

“I’ve studied him for years, so I think that's enough,” she replied confidently.

Francis stared at her, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he couldn't read her; her face held no expression.

“Fine then. You need to get all the personal information about the Cross family and their multinational conglomerate company, CII. You'll need to get close to Alexander Cross to achieve this. For decades, the Cross family has been on top of the food chain and, somehow, with Alexander controlling everything, they seem invincible. However, there's more to Alexander and the mission you're about to embark on is going to be very dangerous. So, what's your plan?”

“Do I have to kill him?” she asked.

“Of course. You need to get all the informations first, then eliminate him.”

“There’s a PA vacancy available; I think that's where we’ll start from. However, I want this project to go in my own way and, on my own terms, no interruptions whatsoever.” Her voice carried weight, but her expression remained unreadable.

“Sure, I trust you'll do a good job,” he stated, then his expression turned serious. "Remember Alexander is more than what he seems, and you need to be more of Isabelle than Nyx, so you need to be clever with whatever you're cooking up in your head”

Her lips curled into a sly predatory smile, "I've waited for this opportunity long enough, and I don't plan to ruin it. Leave everything to me. I’ll get the job done.”

She stood up “I'll take my leave now. I can't go home tonight so I'll be staying at a hotel. If you need me, let me know” with that she walked out the door.

“I’m sure there's more to this, Isabelle, but as long as you get the job done, I really don't mind,” he murmured to no one in particular.

THE NEXT MORNING

Isabelle strode out of the hotel she lodged at last night. She was about to board a taxi when a sudden commotion caught her eye.

She saw a group of high school boys who were bullying a kid. She paused not to help, but to watch how the kid handled himself. The kid did nothing to stop their taunts. He stood silently, his head low, and then realization dawned on her — the kid was autistic. He pressed his palms over his ear, his body trembled rigidly; with quivering lips he hummed out words under his breath.

Isabelle clenched her fist tightly, the scene playing before her brought back memories of the first time she met her brother. She was an assassin, but that doesn't mean her heart was made of stone; she showed mercy only to those who are deserving, most especially children.

She strode forward, wanting to interfere. Suddenly, she halted when she saw a lady running towards them. The lady launched at the group of boys, hitting them with her purse; her sudden action made them scramble, but she didn't stop rather she chased after them.

Isabelle stood bemused by what had just happened; slowly her gaze drifted to the trembling kid.

She walked up to him and pulled him into a hug while patting his head tightly. After some minutes, he calmed down and his breathing was now more stable.

The lady ran back to them, her chest heaving in a sharp uneven burst. “Hey, step aside,” she said, pulling Isabelle away from the kid.

She held the boy close, making him look at her. “Liam, are you okay? Did they hurt you?” she asked, concern etched on her face.

Liam nodded slowly. “I’ve told you, Liam, you need to learn to speak up for yourself. Why do you keep letting them get under your skin?” she asked, her voice rising slightly but with a hint of control.

“I'm sorry aunt Chloe,” Liam mumbled.

“It's fine, Li, you don't need to apologize, I just want you to be stronger for me OK,” she muttered, a sweet smile playing on her lips.

Chloe turned sharply to Isabelle, who had been standing there watching them with a poker face.

“And you. Why didn't you make a move when you had the chance?” she pried with a glare.

Isabelle's brows furrowed. “I did make a mov–”

“I'm not interested in your excuses,” Chloe cuts her off. “ You're so lucky nothing happened to him; you would have been the first to face my wrath,” she snarled at her tauntingly.

Isabelle tilted her head to the side, staring at the brave lady in front of her. A grin washed across her lips; if only she knew who she was up against, she wouldn't have the bravado to stand before her. Isabelle took a deep breath, she was Isabelle now, not Nyx — she needed to think and act like Isabelle.

“What, Cat, got your tongue? Chloe asked with a sneer.

“I’m sorry” Isabelle muttered

Chloe's lips parted slightly. She hadn't expected her to apologize; she mouthed an ‘oh’, then spoke

“Uhm, it's fine, no damage was done.”

She stretched her hand forward, initiating a hand shake “I’m Chloe by the way, sorry if I might have sounded rude earlier; I often get pissed whenever my cousin gets harrassed like this.”

Isabelle shook her hand, a polite smile etched on her lips. “It's fine, Chloe, the name’s Isabelle, by the way, and I understand you completely. My brother was once autistic.”

“I guess we have something in common,” Chloe said. “I like you, you're cool. Friends?” she muttered, her head tilted slightly.

“I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in having friends,” Isabelle declined instantly.

Chloe frowned. “Well, it wasn't a request. Whether you like it or not, we're friends now and that's final.”

“What?” Isabelle asked with a somewhat confused expression.

“You heard me right; we're besties now, so deal with it.” She reached forward and took Isabelle's phone and unlocked it with her face ID, then she imputed her number.

Isabelle stared at her, she was amused and intrigued by the lady before her.

“Here, I'll call you later, bye,” Chloe said, handing her phone back to her, with that she left with Liam.

A small smile crept on her lips, aside her brother; Chloe was the only one that made her smile this much. She shook her head slightly, then walked away.

ISABELLE'S APARTMENT

Isabelle strode into her room, switching on the lights. She walked toward a picture frame that hung on the wall. Moving it slightly, she pushed a button and a secret door opened. Slowly, she stepped in and inhaled sharply. This room was all she was, all her gadgets were kept here, and she trained here often.

Isabelle walked towards the obsidian table in the room. She took a picture from the table, staring at it intently, a small devilish smile tugged at her lips. “Finally, Alex, very soon I’ll have you all to myself.”