Chapter 9: Under His Protection
568 Words
Isabella's fingers tightened around her phone.
"My address..." she whispered. "How could this happen?"
Ethan's face hardened.
"It wasn't an accident."
His assistant nodded nervously.
"Our cybersecurity team believes someone deliberately leaked Miss Hart's information to several media outlets."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Isabella's first thought wasn't about herself.
"My mom..."
She grabbed her bag.
"I have to get to them."
She rushed toward the door, but Ethan caught her wrist.
"Wait."
"They're in danger!"
"So are you."
"I don't care!"
"I do."
The words escaped Ethan before he could stop them.
Both of them froze.
For a brief second, neither spoke.
Ethan slowly released her wrist.
"I mean..." he said quietly, "you're my responsibility now."
Twenty minutes later...
Three black SUVs sped through the city.
Inside the first vehicle, Isabella sat beside Ethan.
Neither of them spoke.
She stared out of the window, silently praying her family was safe.
When they reached her apartment building, chaos greeted them.
Reporters crowded the entrance.
Camera flashes lit up the evening.
Microphones were shoved toward anyone leaving the building.
"Isabella!"
"Is it true you're marrying Ethan Kingsley for money?"
"How much is he paying you?"
"Did you steal him from Victoria Sterling?"
Her chest tightened.
"This is my fault..."
Ethan opened the car door.
"No."
"It's mine."
Before she could respond, he stepped out.
The reporters immediately surrounded him.
"Mr. Kingsley!"
He didn't answer a single question.
Instead, he looked at his security team.
"Clear a path."
Within seconds, the guards formed a protective circle around Ethan and Isabella.
For the first time that day...
She felt safe.
Upstairs...
Mrs. Hart opened the apartment door.
The moment she saw Isabella, she burst into tears.
"There are reporters everywhere!"
"I was so scared!"
Isabella hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry, Mom."
"I never wanted this."
Mrs. Hart looked over Isabella's shoulder.
Her eyes widened.
The handsome man standing quietly in the hallway could only be one person.
"Ethan... Kingsley?"
He gave a polite nod.
"Mrs. Hart."
She looked from Ethan to her daughter.
Then to the engagement ring.
"What is going on?"
Isabella's heart sank.
She wasn't ready to tell her mother the truth.
But before she could think of an excuse...
Ethan spoke.
"I love your daughter."
Isabella's eyes widened.
What?
She turned sharply toward him.
His expression remained calm.
He continued,
"I want to marry her."
Mrs. Hart covered her mouth in surprise.
Then she smiled through her tears.
"If you truly love her..."
"Please..."
"Take good care of my daughter."
Ethan looked at Isabella for a long moment.
Then he answered softly,
"I will."
For reasons she couldn't explain...
Those words felt different.
Not like part of a contract.
Not like a lie.
As night fell, Ethan's security team escorted Mrs. Hart and Noah to a private residence owned by the Kingsley family until the media attention died down.
Watching her family finally safe brought tears to Isabella's eyes.
She whispered,
"Thank you."
Ethan looked away toward the city lights.
"You don't have to thank me."
"I made a promise."
Before Isabella could ask what he meant...
His phone rang.
He answered.
The expression on his face changed instantly.
His jaw clenched.
"What?"
He stood abruptly.
"Are you sure?"
A long silence followed.
Then he ended the call.
Isabella felt a chill.
"What happened?"
Ethan looked directly into her eyes.
"The leak..."
"...was only the beginning."
- Writer
