Chapter 124
No.1
The door opened. A tall, powerful figure entered.
Victoria looked up. Nathaniel’s handsome face captivated her. Her body burned, but a sliver of rationality remained. Wait. Let the scent affect him. Let him make the first move.
He walked toward her. He didn’t notice her flushed state. He didn’t speak. He picked up the photo album on the table and began flipping through it.
Halfway through, his movements slowed. His gaze finally landed on her.
The sound was intoxicating. His Adam’s apple moved. He closed the distance between them.
Finally. She had succeeded. She was Nathaniel’s woman. She would never wait for Alexander again.
Isabella Montgomery pulled up to the Blackwood Estate on her motorcycle. She spotted Oliver in the living room, intently focused on his laptop.
She approached cautiously. “Christopher, where’s your father?”
“Daddy went out earlier and hasn’t returned. Why are you home so soon, Mommy?” Oliver set aside his device and hurried toward her. He lifted his arms expectantly. Isabella instinctively scooped him up. “Did your father drive himself?” she pressed, a frown forming. “Or was Dominic with him?”
No.2
“Uncle Dominic was driving,” Oliver replied.
Isabella quickly calculated the timing. Dominic typically drove around 40 kilometers per hour. The trip from the estate to The Ivy should have taken no more than 25 minutes. She had been gone for half an hour—so why wasn’t Nathaniel back yet? Had she misjudged the situation? Maybe he hadn’t heeded her warning and went to meet Victoria after all. A surge of unease shot through her. She set Oliver down on the sofa and pulled out her phone to call Nathaniel.
Beep, beep, beep!
The line rang, then went to voicemail. A robotic voice informed her, “The number you have dialed is currently unavailable.”
Isabella’s frown deepened. No answer. Could Nathaniel actually be in trouble? She turned back to Oliver. “Do you have Uncle Dominic’s number?”
“Sorry, Mommy, I don’t,” Oliver said, his expression growing anxious. “Mommy, do you think something happened to Daddy? When he left this morning, he said he had a very important meeting—something about your future happiness. He left in a rush and cleared his entire afternoon schedule. I tried calling him ten minutes ago too, but he didn’t answer. He still hasn’t called me back.”
Isabella’s concern spiked. No answer for ten whole minutes? Nathaniel was notoriously reliable. It was completely unlike him to miss calls—especially twice. Something was definitely wrong. She faced Oliver immediately. “Christopher, stay here, okay? Mommy is going to find Daddy.”
“Okay!” Oliver nodded vigorously.
Isabella snatched her motorcycle keys and bolted for the door. Her mind raced with thoughts of the Nightshade perfume’s potent effects. She had developed it herself; she knew its power better than anyone. Ordinary drugs might cause discomfort and weaken resolve, but a strong will could sometimes fight them off. Nightshade was different. It induced powerful hallucinations, warping the victim’s perception of reality, making them see someone else entirely. It attacked the mind directly. No amount of willpower could resist its grip. If Nathaniel had been with Victoria because of her own creation…
No.3
The mere idea sent a white-hot fury coursing through her. So consumed was she by her thoughts that she didn’t see the solid figure blocking her path until she collided with a hard wall of muscle.
Staggering back, Isabella looked up, her brow furrowing in instant recognition. It was Nathaniel! He stood there, aloof and impeccably handsome in his tailored suit, looking completely unruffled.
“You’re back?” she asked, her voice tight. “Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
“Hmm?” Nathaniel noted her flustered state, then his gaze shifted to Oliver.
Just ten minutes prior, Nathaniel had used Dominic’s phone to check on Oliver. He’d explained his own phone had malfunctioned and specifically instructed the boy to reassure Isabella if she returned home early.
Meeting his father’s questioning look, Oliver flashed a mischievous grin. “Daddy, I told Mommy you were in trouble. She was rushing out to find you. See? Mommy does care about you! Have fun!” With a gleeful chuckle, he scampered off on his short legs.
Isabella stood frozen, completely dumbfounded.
The little schemer had tricked her.
A visible lightness seemed to wash over Nathaniel’s features. His eyes locked on hers, a teasing glint in their depths. “You were worried about me?”
No.4
Four words. Spoken in a low, husky tone that carried an unexpected tenderness.
Isabella’s cheeks flushed. She turned and walked toward the sofa, forcing an air of calm. “I was just concerned you might get bitten by that snake. You’re still my contractual partner, after all.”
Just contractual partners? That was a weak excuse.
Nathaniel’s lips curved into a faint smile as he watched her. “Isabella, admitting you care about me—or even worry about me—isn’t something to be ashamed of.”
Cough, cough. His choice of words was… bold.
“Care about you? In your dreams!” Isabella denied it vehemently. “I was worried you’d get hurt because of me. I don’t want to owe you anything.”
Nathaniel gave a slight smirk but said nothing. He took off his jacket, hung it on the coat stand, then moved to sit beside her. “If I really had been bitten… would you look down on me?”
Look down on him?
Isabella frowned. “What about you?” Her gaze was serious, darker than usual.
No.5
His lips tightened slightly. “Do you really think I’m that shallow?” His voice was deep and steady, piercing straight through her. His expression was solemn—not dismissive in the least.
For a moment, Isabella almost believed him. But what man in the world wouldn’t care about something like that?
A faint smile touched her lips. “Whether it’s true or not, only you would know. But why did you agree to meet Victoria today? Was it because you wanted to know what happened five years ago?”
At that, Nathaniel’s eyes darkened. He reached for his phone to show her something, but it had suddenly stopped working. He fixed her with a questioning look. “What if I said I only wanted to help you solve your problems? Would you believe me?”
Solve her problems?
Isabella was sharp. She understood almost instantly. “Victoria is a fraud. You can’t trust a word she says. As for what happened five years ago… it’s not a big deal. But if you really want to know, I can tell you.” She picked up the glass of water from the coffee table and took a sip.
Nathaniel watched her closely. Drinking before speaking—she was nervous. She wasn’t ready.
Just as she set the glass down and opened her mouth to speak, he cut in. “You don’t have to tell me. I just want to know one thing: Does that incident force you to make choices you don’t want to make? Or… does it still cause you pain?” His tone was full of genuine concern.
Isabella’s lips curved slightly. “If it did, why would I have spent so much time with him on stage last night at the ceremony? As for pain…”
No.6
She met his gaze, her voice low and intense. “The more you ask, the more it hurts. Even if you knew everything—even with all your resources—you couldn’t fix it.”
“Nathaniel, like I’ve told you before, some things in this world can’t be solved with money or power. Material problems are easy. Matters of the heart… are much harder to untangle.”
It was rare for Isabella to speak to him with such gravity. Nathaniel’s expression grew somber. He had never seen her this serious.
After a moment, he nodded. “I understand. From now on, I won’t pry. But if you ever decide you want to tell me… I’ll be here.”
Isabella’s brow furrowed. He wasn’t going to ask anymore?
Suddenly, Maxwell burst into the room, his voice bursting with excitement. “Boss Isabella! Big news! Huge breaking news!”
“What’s going on?” Isabella’s brow furrowed. Why were her people so jumpy lately?
Maxwell blurted out, “You won’t believe who Victoria slept with! It was Harrison—Alexander’s personal assistant!”
Isabella’s eyes narrowed. Harrison?
No.7
Now that was interesting. She had sent the message to Alexander, but he sent his assistant instead?
And Victoria wanted Nathaniel, but ended up with Harrison?
Maxwell asked, “Should we leak this? Or let Alexander handle it himself?” If this got out, Victoria’s reputation would be ruined.
“No. We watch. Where’s the fun in ending her too quickly?” A cold smile touched her lips, beautiful and dangerous.
A thought struck her. She glanced toward Nathaniel’s room and stepped back into her own. Closing the door, she asked, “What about the task I gave you earlier?”
“I looked into the Blackthorn Syndicate immediately. They’ve had a strong underground presence in Westchester for over a century. Their profits come from assassinations, mercenary work, and similar operations. They use low-level thugs for collections and fights. Essentially, they’re task-for-hire. My findings confirm Victoria had contact with them five years ago,” Maxwell reported.
Isabella’s expression darkened. Knowing it was the Blackthorns simplified things.
But Maxwell wasn’t finished. “They have roughly ten thousand members in Westchester. Causing them trouble is one thing, but capturing every single member is impossible. Most are rarely at their main base.”
Isabella frowned. Without a full capture, a complete investigation was off the table. They didn’t even know which branch Victoria had dealt with.