Chapter 152 A Distraction
ISABEL'S POV
“That’s not true,” I said, but even as the words slipped out, I knew they didn’t carry the weight they should have.
Melissa stared at me, unmoving, her expression unreadable at first. Then her lips curved slightly — not into a smile, but into something sharper.
“So you expect me to make a scene?” she asked slowly. “To embarrass myself? To risk getting caught or questioned, all so your IT guy can walk in unnoticed?”
“That’s not how you should look at it,” I replied, forcing calm into my voice. “It’s temporary. Just a short distraction.”
“A distraction that puts me front and center,” she shot back. “While you stay safely hidden.”
“It won’t take long,” I said. “Once Jack is inside and set up, everything will fall into place.”
“And where does that leave me?” she asked, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
I stopped pacing.
For a moment, the room felt smaller, heavier. I could hear the faint hum of traffic outside, the ticking of the wall clock. I chose my words carefully.
“You leave,” I said.
Her eyes widened instantly. “Exactly.”
“You leave because your job is done,” I added quickly. “You don’t need to stay longer than necessary.”
“So I don’t even get to see the outcome?” she asked, disbelief lacing her tone.
“You’ll see it later,” I said. “Everyone will.”
She let out a dry laugh, shaking her head slowly. “You say that like it’s nothing.”
“It is nothing,” I replied. “Compared to what we gain.”
She stepped closer now, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. “So I’m supposed to trust that?”
“Yes,” I said firmly.
Her eyes searched my face. “Why should I?”
“Because once that tape plays,” I continued steadily, “Anna would be too shocked, too emotionally wrecked, to run anything properly. The companies, the public image, the family’s reputation… all of it will start slipping through her fingers.”
Melissa’s brows furrowed as she listened.
“I’ll keep up my naïve act,” I added, tapping my chest lightly. “Sweet, harmless Isabel. The one nobody sees as a threat. And while they’re scrambling to fix the mess, they’ll need someone else. Someone ‘clean.’ Someone they think they can control.”
I pointed at myself.
“And that’s when they hand it to me.”
Melissa exhaled slowly. “And you’re sure of this?”
“I’m sure,” I said without hesitation.
She stared at me for a long moment, then let out a humorless laugh. “You really believe you’re that convincing.”
“I know I am.”
Her expression shifted, skepticism mixing with something else — curiosity, maybe even temptation.
“You promised me this would benefit me too,” she reminded me.
“And it will,” I said sharply. “You think I’d forget about you after all this?”
“I think you’re very good at putting yourself first,” she replied.
I stepped closer to her. “You trust me, don’t you?”
She didn’t answer immediately.
That silence stretched, and I felt it dig under my skin.
“You’re asking me to take all the risk,” she said quietly at last. “And you didn’t even bother to tell me until now.”
“I had to,” I replied. “If I told you earlier, you would’ve said no.”
“And now?” she asked.
I met her gaze fully. “Now you’re already here.”
She scoffed softly.
“And I can see it,” I added. “The same thing that’s driving me. That fire. That need to get back at Anna.”
Her jaw tightened.
Melissa turned away from me, running a hand through her hair as she paced across the room. She took three steps, then four, then stopped, clearly trying to rein in her frustration.
“If this goes wrong…” she began.
“It won’t,” I cut in immediately.
“But if it does,” she said, turning sharply toward me, “I’m the one standing at the entrance, drawing attention, while you and Jack disappear.”
“We won’t disappear,” I said calmly. “We’ll redirect attention. There’s a difference.”
She let out a sharp breath, folding her arms again. “You really planned this down to the last detail.”
“That’s what I do best,” I replied, allowing a faint smile.
She studied me like she was trying to peel me apart layer by layer.
“I don’t like this,” she said flatly.
“You don’t have to like it,” I answered. “You just have to do it.”
Her lips pressed together, tension etched clearly across her face.
“If you think about it the right way,” I continued, softening my tone slightly, “you’re actually the heart of this plan. Without you, Jack doesn’t get inside. Without Jack, the tape doesn’t play. Without the tape, nothing changes.”
She laughed bitterly. “Funny how the ‘heart’ of the plan gets kicked out afterward.”
“You’re not getting kicked out,” I said. “You’re stepping back because your role is complete.”
“That’s not how it feels.”
I tilted my head. “Then tell me how it feels.”
She hesitated, then sighed. “I had plans, Isabel. I thought you had a way to bring me in properly. I imagined walking into that ceremony like I belonged there.”
I didn’t interrupt.
“I was going to enjoy it,” she continued. “The atmosphere. The attention. The men.”
I smirked slightly.
“And the part that really annoys me,” she added, “is that I have to embarrass myself in front of someone I hate.”
“Which is for the greater good,” I said smoothly, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Think long-term. Today is nothing compared to what comes after.”
She didn’t shrug me off, but she didn’t relax either.
“If this works,” I said carefully, “when I become CEO, I’ll make you managing director.”
Her head snapped up. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “MD?”
“Yes.”
“But I don’t know anything about running a business,” she said, reality catching up with her excitement.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” I replied confidently. “For now, let’s just get through today. Handle it perfectly.”
“Handle what perfectly?” a male voice asked from the doorway.
I turned sharply.
James.
He leaned casually against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, like he’d been standing there longer than he should have. The door was slightly open — open enough.
Melissa’s eyes widened dramatically.
I smiled.
“Your ex,” I said calmly, “is about to get the shock of her life.”
James’s lips curved into a grin. “Now that,” he said, pushing himself off the wall, “sounds like something I’d love to hear more about.”