Chapter 56

Chapter 56


The house was quiet when Julian walked in. Too quiet. He dropped his keys on the table by the door and stood there for a moment, not moving. The place felt heavier than usual, like silence had weight. He’d been at the office all day, pretending to focus on work, but his mind had been on one thing , Selene’s voice.

“You think she’s really involved?” he’d asked.

Selene’s reply had been calm but cold. “Yes. And if you don’t find out, I will.”

Now, he couldn’t get it out of his head.

He loosened his tie and poured himself a drink, but even the sound of the liquid hitting the glass annoyed him. He didn’t want the drink. He just needed something to do with his hands.

He took out his phone, scrolled for a second, then stopped at Isabelle’s name. His thumb hovered over the screen.

He didn’t like confrontation  especially not with people he once trusted. But he also couldn’t ignore it anymore.

He pressed call.

“Julian?” Her voice came through, soft but cautious.

“Can you come over?” he said.

There was a pause. “Now?”

“Yes. Now.”

He ended the call before she could ask why.

The wait felt long. He sat on the edge of the couch, staring at the floor. When he finally heard her knock, he didn’t move right away. He took a breath first, trying to pull himself together.

When he opened the door, Isabelle stood there, wearing a simple blouse and jeans, her hair pulled back. She looked surprised, maybe a little nervous.

“You sounded… serious,” she said, stepping inside.

“I am,” he replied quietly.

He gestured for her to sit, but she stayed standing. “Okay. What’s this about?”

Julian looked at her for a moment. Then he said, “You’ve been spending time with Katherine.”

Her eyebrows drew together. “What?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“I’m not pretending,” she said, crossing her arms. “We’ve run into each other a few times. That’s all.”

Julian gave a dry laugh, one without humor. “Run into her? Isabelle, I’ve been told you two meet regularly. That doesn’t sound like coincidence.”

She shifted, looking slightly uncomfortable now. “And who told you that?”

“Selene.”

At that, she exhaled sharply. “Of course. Selene always thinks she knows everything.”

Julian didn’t respond. He just waited.

Finally, Isabelle looked at him again. “Okay, yes. I’ve seen her a few times. But it wasn’t what you think.”

“Then tell me what I should think,” he said.

Her voice softened. “She reached out. Said she wanted to clear things up. About the company, about what happened between you two. I thought maybe she wanted to move on.”

Julian’s eyes narrowed. “Katherine doesn’t move on. She circles back until she gets what she wants.”

“Maybe,” Isabelle said quietly. “But she seemed different. And I thought if I listened, maybe I could keep her out of your way.”

He stared at her, trying to read if she believed her own words. “You thought keeping her close was the way to keep her out of my way?”

She sighed. “I was trying to manage it, Julian. You’ve got enough going on with Adele, and I didn’t want to add to it.”

Something in him snapped a little at the mention of Adele. “Don’t use her name like that.”

“Like what?” she asked.

“Like she’s part of some strategy.” His voice was calm, but it carried an edge now. “Katherine went to her hospital room, Isabelle. She sat beside her bed and told her things — lies. You think that’s nothing? You think your coffee chats with her didn’t feed that?”

Isabelle froze, the color in her face fading a little. “She went to the hospital?”

“Yes.” His voice was low, steady. “She told Adele that I’m still seeing her. That I’ve been lying all along.”

For the first time, Isabelle looked genuinely shaken. “Julian, I didn’t know she’d do that. I swear. She just said she wanted to make peace.”

“Peace?” he repeated, his tone sharp now. “That woman doesn’t make peace. She makes trouble and dresses it up as kindness.”

Isabelle’s voice cracked slightly. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Julian looked at her for a long moment — not angry anymore, just tired. “You should’ve known better.”

There was a long silence. The kind that stretches until it becomes almost painful. Isabelle lowered her eyes, whispering, “I thought I was helping.”

Julian set his drink down. “You weren’t.”

That was all he said.

Isabelle nodded slowly. “I’ll stay away from her.”

“You should,” he said. “Because if she drags you down with her, I won’t be there to pull you out.”

Her eyes lifted at that — hurt flickered there, but she didn’t argue. She just gave a small nod, then left without another word.

When the door closed, Julian sat down again. The silence returned, heavier this time.

He rubbed his hands together and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He didn’t want to believe that Isabelle meant harm. But in his world, good intentions still caused damage.

His phone buzzed again. It was Liam.

Julian answered, his voice low. “Yeah?”

“I heard,” Liam said.

“From who?”

“Selene,” Liam replied. “She said Katherine’s name came up again.”

Julian didn’t respond.

“I’ll handle it,” Liam said finally. “You’ve got enough to deal with.”

Julian closed his eyes. “What are you going to do?”

“Call her,” Liam said. “And end this.”