Chapter 53: A FAMILIAR FACE

The Unexpected Traitor

As I walk into the hallway, I can't stop shaking my head. Victor Kingston I now understand that he is responsible for all of this. How can I tell Lucian, though? I don't even know how to describe the link. Hearing a voice I haven't heard in years makes my head spin. 

"Isabella?" 

My heart almost stops in my chest as I freeze. It can't be that person. My breath freezes in my throat as I slowly turn around. 

Someone I thought was forever gone from my life is standing there in the dark hallway light. Aaron. My pal since childhood. The one who disappeared when everything broke down. 

I can't believe what I'm watching, and my hands shake as I look at him. He looks tougher and older now, but those eyes... Anywhere, I would recognize them. 

"Aaron?" My voice is hardly heard, and there is a sense of doubt in the air. "Why are you in this place?" 

With a look of sorrow on his face, he moves closer. "I didn't want you to learn this way, Isabella." 

"Discover what?" My voice breaks. I am already aware. I need to hear him say it, even though I can feel it in my bones. 

Aaron takes a deep breath and looks down at the ground. "I did it." 

The comments were like a kick to the stomach. I take a step back, my head spinning as my knees give way. The criminal is him. 

"Why?" With each word, my heart breaks as I manage to choke out. Why would you act in this way? Aaron, we were pals. To me, you were like family! 

My words make him flinch, and his hands clench into fists. Isabella, it wasn't meant to be this way. I had no choice but to betray you, even if I didn't want to. 

"No option?" Even I find the sound strange, so I chuckle coldly. Aaron, we always have a choice. You made yours. 

A Last-Ditch Request 

Aaron moves forward and tries to explain, his eyes filled with despair. “You don’t get it, Isabella. Clara... Clara is not the true enemy. 

I blink, puzzled. "What are you discussing? For months, Clara has been trying to kill us. She has ruined everything! How can you say that she isn't an enemy? 

Aaron drops his voice and shakes his head. Isabella, she's not the one with the strings. Someone else is out there. Someone more dangerous. 

I feel sick to my stomach. " Who? Who is responsible for all of this? 

Aaron stops, looking around the hallway in case someone is listening. He confirms my biggest fear by saying, "Victor Kingston." 

Aaron's comment proves what I already knew—that Victor was involved. My heart is racing, and I'm becoming nervous. 

"You think I'll think Clara is a puppet? That all of this is the work of Victor Kingston? My feelings are out of control as my voice raises. Aaron, how can I be sure you're telling the truth? How can I be certain that you didn't simply defraud us? 

My charge makes Aaron flinch, his eyes sparkling with pain. Isabella, I didn't betray you for cash gain. I took that step to keep you safe. 

"Keep me safe?" I shake my head, laughing angrily. "How am I protected by betraying us?" 

Aaron takes a step forward, his words urgent. Victor Kingston wants your death. He was going to chase you down if I didn't help him. I couldn't allow that to occur. 

His words cause my breath to stop in my throat and my heart to halt. "What makes Victor want me dead?" 

Aaron's eyes are sad when he looks at me. Isabella, because of your father's character. He fears that you will discover the truth. 

The fact. As I try to put everything together, my mind is racing. I can't understand how Aaron's betrayal, Victor Kingston, and my father's lies are all connected. 

Aaron takes hold of my arm and draws me in before I can continue. Isabella, you must have faith in me. I've always tried to keep you safe. 

With tears in my eyes, I yank my arm away from him. Have faith in you? After all that you've done, how can I trust you? 

For a short time, Aaron's face drops, and I see the boy I once knew—the one who would have done anything for me. However, I'm not sure what to think anymore. 

The Tipping Point 

Footsteps echo down the hallway before I can finish speaking. As he takes in the situation, Lucian appears, his eyes black with rage. 

"Get out of his way, Isabella." Lucian's eyes are fixed on Aaron, and his speech is low and deadly. 

I stood motionless between the two guys, my heart beating. With his hands clenched at his sides, Lucian approaches, his eyes sharpening. “Get out of here,” I said. 

"Wait, Lucian—" I start, but he interrupts, his voice bubbling with barely controlled anger. 

Isabella, I don't give a damn about the lies he has told you. He is a rogue. He will now be held responsible for selling us out. 

Aaron's voice falters as he lifts his hands in defeat. "I can explain, Lucian." 

Lucian, however, is not interested in hearing it. He suddenly leaps forward, snatches Aaron's collar, and slams him against the wall. My heart is beating and I gasp as the sound reverberates across the hallway. 

"Stop, Lucian!" I scream and run forward, but Lucian glares at Aaron and his hold just gets tighter. 

"You've finished lying," Lucian snarls. "You have stopped deceiving us." 

Aaron flinches, his face red from gasping for air. "Listen to me, Lucian, please. It isn't what you think. Clara... Clara isn't the true enemy. Victor Kingston is here. 

Lucian stops and narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Winner?" 

Aaron nods, panting hard. "He has always been fooling us. Clara is merely a pawn in his plan. 

Although Lucian's hold slowly relaxes, his eyes stay furious. "Why ought I to trust you?" 

Aaron looks at me, his eyes beseeching, his words scarcely audible above a whisper. "Because I took that action to keep Isabella safe." 

Lucian freezes as the words hang in the air, turning to face me. "Is that accurate?" 

I'm at a loss for words. My heart is split between the new reality Aaron just revealed and the truth I've always known, and my mind is rushing. Was all of this really done to keep me safe? Is this another lie, or what? 

Lucian takes a step back while keeping eye contact with me. "Isabella?" 

With my heart rushing in my chest, I take a shaky breath. I stammer, my words hardly audible, "I don't know." "I'm not sure what I should believe anymore." 

As Lucian turns back to Aaron, his eyes grow gloomy. "You believe that by using her, you can save yourself?" He has a poisonous voice. "You won't make it out of this alive." 

"No!" I yell as I move forward and take Lucian's arm. "Wait, Lucian. We must listen to him. We must know the truth if Victor Kingston is truly guilty of this. 

Lucian pauses, anger burning in his eyes. However, the sound of footsteps reverberates down the hallway before he can comment. 

We all turn to face the noise, and as a person rises from the darkness, my blood chills. 

Victor Kingston is here. 

As Victor looks straight into my eyes, his smug smirk makes me shudder. His voice is smooth and deadly as he answers, "I see you've figured it out, Isabella." "But now it's too late." 

Beside me, Lucian stiffens, his hands squeezing. "Winner." 

Victor's smile gets bigger. Lucian, this is no longer your fight. It wasn't. She has always been the center. 

As Victor's words take hold, my heart thuds in my chest. Lucian and his business were never the exclusive center of this. I was the subject of this. And now I find myself in the middle of a struggle that I never expected.