Chapter 66: John Secrets

One thing Alex knew about John was that he was definitely keeping a secret. Right from day one, Alex could tell that John wasn't telling him everything. The way he put everything together, along with Tricia’s words, hinted that John was the one lying, and it wasn’t Tricia. Even if Tricia was lying, she was good at keeping it low-key and not revealing it through her words. Since she was a pro at deception, Alex knew he couldn’t force her to say a word. But John? John wasn’t that good at lying. He was clearly trying to protect Isabella, and that was enough to intrigue Alex. He wanted to know what was going on, why John was defending her, and what secret John was hiding that he knew nothing about. 

So, he stared at John, who was still on his knees, and hissed. 

“You know I can’t just watch you kneeling there and begging me. I know Mom is going to kill you, and that would mean you wouldn’t be able to see the light of day again because she would deal with you mercilessly. I don’t want that for my brother. So stand up. But you are going to trade this for something else. I want to know what really happened between Professor James and Isabella.” 

Alex said, and John looked like he had lost all his words. 

“Why would I even promise you that I would tell you everything? I... I don’t know what exactly you expect me to say to you. I’ve told you everything that happened. I saved her life that night with Professor James. Yes, he wanted to have his way with her, but he couldn’t do it because... because I was there! Okay? And he... he hates me now. I told you he hates me! And I can’t do his courses anymore; I have to avoid him at all costs until he leaves that school! What else have I not told you? I’ve told you everything!” 

John tried to explain, but it only angered Alex more. 

“You’re just beating around the bush again! I don’t care about whatever you said you did or whether you saved her life or not! That’s between the both of you! Why exactly have you kept this a secret? What exactly is going on? What don’t I know that I am supposed to know? At least don’t keep me in the dark forever! Let me know what’s going on! I feel like Isabella is keeping secrets from me, Lily is doing the same thing, and of course, Lily looks angry and is ready to spill it out. What if she spills a secret I know nothing about and I can’t even protect Isabella from it? If something like that happens, how do you expect me to save her? You know I can’t save someone if I don’t know what’s going on, right? I would literally become clueless!” 

Alex tried to explain to John, who nodded. 

“Yes, you are right. You are very much right. But I don’t know how to put this to you. I don’t know how to tell you this truth. It’s just that even if I try, I can’t say it. It’s between me and Isabella, and if Isabella is ready to tell you, then it’s fine. If you want to tell Mom and Dad that I’m smoking, it’s also good; you can tell them. But I can’t tell you what happened. And yes, I promised you I had a secret I would tell you. But then I realized it’s something I promised Isabella I would never tell you unless she tells you herself. And just so you know, it has nothing to do with Professor James, okay? It’s just something personal; maybe a surprise. I don’t know if she wants to do it for you. Don’t take it the wrong way. That’s all I can say to you. If you want to tell Mom and Dad about whatever I’m doing, then go ahead and tell them.” 

John said sadly as he walked away, leaving Alex speechless. The tables had turned on him. Now he couldn’t even tell on John, and at the same time, he hadn’t learned anything. Despite being happy that he was going to know something, John had twisted the conversation so well that he came out of it unscathed. 

“What the hell did this boy just do right now? Did he just find his way out of everything? Did he just slip away from my questioning?” 

Alex said to himself, completely surprised that John could do something like that so easily. Realizing that John was never going to tell him anything, he hissed and went to sit in his car, scrolling through his phone, hoping to find something, but there was nothing there. Just then, he realized Isabella had left her phone in the car. 

“Maybe when she came to get something, or when she came to drop her bag, she left her phone,” he thought. He picked up her phone and tried her password, but to his surprise, he realized he didn’t know her password. It seemed like she had changed it. 

“I can’t believe it. Isabella changed her password? I thought she wasn’t keeping any secrets from me and was going to leave her phone the same way!” 

Alex said to himself as he continued to try the password. Yet, it did not work. He knew that if he tried it five times, the phone would lock him out, and he wouldn’t be able to access it. So he left it. 

Anyways, he sat there for a while, continuing to go through his phone, trying to take in some fresh air after being heated up in the room with all the fixed eyes, weird conversations, and the brewing fight between one family and the other, despite their pretense of niceness. Alex just wanted to escape all of it. 

Then he heard a beep from Isabella’s phone. One thing Isabella did was that her phone settings were very different from others. She always made sure that the messages were visible even before the phone was unlocked. That was where Alex found his advantage. He picked up the phone out of curiosity and was shocked to see it was Professor James texting her. 

“How are you doing? Hope you are good. What made you fall sick? Are you allergic to something?” 

He read, and his heart raced. If Isabella was being used and Professor James wanted to have his way with her, how did he have her number? And why was he acting so caring? Alex would never even act this caring, even asking if she was allergic to anything. 

At first, he decided to dismiss it. But then another message came through from Professor James. 

“Why aren’t you replying to me? Or are you still angry with me because of what happened between me and Lily? I told you she forced herself on me. Don’t think too much about it.” 

He read again, covering his mouth in shock. What exactly was going on? He couldn’t just point fingers at Isabella. What if Professor James was the one pestering her with messages? Besides, his name was just saved as “James,” a random name that didn’t raise suspicions, but now Alex was suddenly very suspicious of Isabella. 

What if there was actually something going on between her and Professor James, and he knew nothing about it? He quickly dropped her phone and could hardly breathe, feeling as if Isabella had betrayed him. 

Even though he wasn’t yet sure, something within him continuously told him that Isabella had indeed betrayed him, and he couldn’t shake off that feeling.