Chapter Three: The Rules Were Made To Be Broken
1046 Words
Isabella Laurent had never been the type of person who enjoyed attention.
She preferred quiet places.
Small circles.
A simple life where she could make her own choices without people watching her every move.
Unfortunately, simplicity had disappeared the moment she stepped into the Cross mansion.
Now, everywhere she went, she felt like people were waiting for her to make a mistake.
The servants watched her.
The university students whispered about her.
And Adrian Cross watched her in a way she could not understand.
It was not admiration.
It was not kindness.
It was something far more confusing.
Curiosity.
And Isabella hated that she noticed.
---
The first week at university was harder than she expected.
People who had never spoken to her before suddenly knew her name.
Not because of her achievements.
Not because of who she was.
But because she lived under the same roof as Adrian Cross.
"That's her."
"I heard she moved into the Cross mansion."
"Do you think she's dating him?"
Isabella stopped walking.
She turned toward the group of girls whispering nearby.
They immediately became quiet.
For a moment, she considered confronting them.
But then she remembered something her father used to tell her.
"Never waste your peace trying to convince people who already decided not to understand you."
So she walked away.
She refused to let strangers decide who she was.
But that became difficult when everyone seemed determined to do exactly that.
---
By the afternoon, Isabella had already received dozens of curious looks.
She was sitting in the university library, trying to focus on her assignment, when someone placed a coffee cup beside her.
She looked up.
A handsome man stood there with a friendly smile.
"You're Isabella Laurent, right?"
She looked at the coffee.
Then at him.
"Do I know you?"
He laughed softly.
"No. But I know everyone knows you."
Isabella sighed.
"That's not exactly comforting."
The man pulled out the chair across from her.
"I'm Ethan Miller."
She nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you."
Ethan smiled.
"You're different from what I expected."
"Which was?"
He hesitated.
"Someone who enjoys attention."
Isabella almost laughed.
"Then whoever told you that knows nothing about me."
Ethan studied her with interest.
Before he could respond, the atmosphere in the library changed.
People became quiet.
Whispers spread.
Isabella didn't need to turn around.
She already knew.
Adrian Cross.
She looked toward the entrance.
There he stood.
Wearing a black suit, his expression unreadable, surrounded by two executives who looked terrified of disappointing him.
He wasn't supposed to be there.
This was a university.
A place filled with students, not business meetings.
But Adrian Cross had a way of making every place feel like it belonged to him.
His eyes moved through the room.
And stopped on Isabella.
Then they moved to Ethan.
Something dark flashed across his face.
It disappeared quickly.
But Isabella noticed.
Adrian walked toward them.
Ethan immediately stood.
"Mr. Cross."
Adrian looked at him.
"Do I know you?"
Ethan cleared his throat.
"No, sir."
"Then why are you sitting with someone who lives in my house?"
The question was simple.
But the meaning behind it was not.
Isabella closed her book.
"Excuse me?"
Adrian ignored her.
His attention remained on Ethan.
"Answer."
Ethan looked uncomfortable.
"We were just talking."
"About?"
Isabella stood.
"Adrian."
His eyes shifted to her.
The moment their eyes met, the room seemed to disappear.
"You don't need to interrogate everyone I speak to."
His expression hardened.
"Maybe I do."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"Why?"
A dangerous silence followed.
Because Adrian didn't have an answer he could say aloud.
He didn't know why seeing another man near her irritated him.
He didn't know why the thought of someone else making her smile bothered him.
He only knew he disliked it.
And Adrian Cross hated things he couldn't control.
"I don't like unnecessary distractions," he finally said.
Isabella stared at him.
"Ethan is not a distraction."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"You're defending him?"
"I'm defending myself."
That answer caught him off guard.
She wasn't protecting Ethan.
She was protecting her independence.
And somehow, that bothered him even more.
---
Later that evening, Isabella returned to the mansion.
She expected Adrian to ignore her.
Instead, she found him waiting in the living room.
The lights were dim.
The entire room was silent.
"You're upset."
It wasn't a question.
Isabella placed her bag down.
"I'm confused."
"About?"
"About you."
Adrian looked at her.
"That makes two of us."
She frowned.
"What does that mean?"
He stood.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like every movement was controlled.
"It means you don't behave like anyone else."
"Is that a compliment?"
"No."
She almost smiled.
"Of course not."
He stopped a few feet away.
"You challenge me."
"You make it easy."
His eyes narrowed.
"Most people would be grateful to have my protection."
"Maybe I don't want protection."
The words irritated him.
"Everyone needs protection."
"From what?"
His expression changed.
For the first time, Isabella saw the darkness behind his eyes.
"From people like me."
The answer was quiet.
Almost honest.
She stared at him.
Adrian Cross was not pretending to be a good man.
He knew exactly who he was.
And that was somehow more frightening.
"Are you warning me?"
"Yes."
"Or are you warning yourself?"
Silence.
The question landed harder than she intended.
Adrian looked away.
Because somewhere deep inside, he knew she was right.
He was not afraid of hurting her.
He was afraid of what would happen if he didn't.
---
That night, Isabella found another note waiting outside her bedroom.
No name.
No explanation.
Just three words.
Stay away from him.
Her heart tightened.
Someone was watching her.
Someone knew about Adrian.
Someone wanted her afraid.
She looked toward the dark hallway.
For the first time since arriving at the Cross mansion, she wondered if Adrian Cross was not the only dangerous person in her new world.
And somewhere else in the mansion, Adrian stood in his office, staring at security footage.
He had seen the note.
He had seen the fear on Isabella's face.
His expression turned cold.
Someone had made a mistake.
A very serious mistake.
Because they had threatened the one person Adrian Cross had not intended to care about.
And now...
they had his attention.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD