Chapter 31 - Shady Vibes

Though they met recently, the little moments they spent together were enough to have an everlasting effect on Edmund, her beauty and innocence acted like a drug to him.

‘I am an addict and my drug’s name is Isabella.’

He missed the sweet taste of her skin while he claimed every single part of her body, he missed the sensual music created by her delicious moans.

‘Fuck! I miss all of her.’

Edmund could not sleep a wink the previous night, he spent half the night pacing the room and the other half running different imaginary scenarios in his head, things he should have said or things he should have done, but didn’t.

Regret was crawling under his skin, ripping him apart, touching the core.

The hurt in her eyes was an image that would haunt him for the rest of his life, the frustration was eating him raw. As a matter of fact, he believed it would be easier for him if someone would rip his heart out of his chest.

His body was fuming with a mix of anger, despair and disappointment.

He came to the hospital first thing in the morning with a tight heart, hoping that Isabella would be there, but she wasn’t and she failed to show up.

His brother was still sleeping, so Edmund stepped out of his room to go grab a coffee and maybe make a few phone calls. He was unable to work the past days and his business partners were not accepting excuses of private matters, nor they should have.

But before work, he had more pressing issues to solve first.

“What do you have for me, Jason?” He demanded, his body tensed in anticipation.

“I’ve checked with my contact from the Police Department and the officer in charge with the car crash report quit his job a few days ago and I was not able to track him yet. Also, your sister in law’s blood samples are gone, some kind of lab accident. Weird, no?” He declared in a grave and pretty much implying tone.

“Yeah, very.” Edmund agreed, his mind trying to connect the dots.

‘Is there someone after my entire family? Is Moira in danger too? I allowed Isabella to go with her precisely because I thought that she would be safer.’

“I will keep investigating, but if you want my opinion, as much as you hate it, Luisa might be innocent.”

That was a hard pill to swallow, one that he might have to force down the throat, yet he must admit that confirmation was not entirely necessary, it became obvious the last few days.

“Let me know if you find something else.” He requested before hanging up the phone.

After a few more phone calls, he returned to his brother’s room. To his heart’s joy, he found Noah awake.

“How are you, brother?” He took his hand into his own, his brother was always a strong man and watching him that frail made his blood boil with rage and a strong urge to kill someone overwhelmed him.

Whomever was responsible for that will pay the price, he would make sure of that.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me, in a few days I’ll be able to dance.” He uttered jokingly.

“Make that a few months.”

“Is Isabella with you?” His eyes were searching the room.

“No.” Edmund answered in a rather sad tone.

“What is going on between the two of you?” His brother questioned, catching him off guard.

“What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t born yesterday, Edmund. I could sense the unusual tension between the two of you and I noticed the glances you stole at each other, so often that only a blind person would miss them.”

He felt his jaw clenching and his facial muscles tensing, the moment Noah’s words washed over him in a cold wave, an ache formed in his chest.

‘No, I cannot tell him anything, I promised Isabella that we will keep it a secret for now.’

“There is something else I want to discuss with you.” He changed the subject. “Can you tell me more about your accident? Do you remember that night?”

Noah blinked as if he was struggling to retrieve that incident from a hidden part of his memory. “Not much.”

“Anything weird, out of the ordinary?”

“Luisa said she lost control of the car, as in the car was not responding to her commands.”

“Tell me honestly, did she consume alcohol?”

“No, she never drinks and drives. Though it seems difficult for you to believe, she is a very responsible woman.” His tone was laced with indignation.

Edmund sighed. “Fine. One more thing.”

“I’m really tired brother, can we do this later?”

“One more, please, it’s important. Did you invite Regina here?” He inquired.

“Regina Michael?” His eyes of conflicted shine. “That Regina?”

“Yes.”

“God, no! It’s been years since she left and I hoped that you moved on.”

“I did.”

“Brother, our father never wanted you to know this, but he ran a background check on her and she was a gold digger. He offered her one thousand dollars to get away from you, and instead she asked for ten million to leave the country.” Noah confessed.

“Did he—?"

“Yes, he transferred ten million to her account and the rest you know.”

‘Motherfucker!’

* * *

Isabella’s head was throbbing, reminding her why she didn’t usually drink so much alcohol. The ache only mirrored the pain in her heart, that was growing unbearable with every passing second.

The knocks on the door only amplified her hammering.

“Please open the door, Isabella!” She heard Moira's pleading voice coming from the shower.

“Sure.”

The second she tried to get up was when she found that strength had left her limbs. She muttered a string of curses at herself and forced her body to obey.

She walked to the door and opened it to find a man in his late twenties, athletic and handsome she might say, his green eyes looking at her confused.

“I’m sorry, I must have mistaken the suite. Let me check with the reception again.” He spun on his heel to leave.

“Is it Alec?” She heard Moira again.

“Are you Alec?” Isabella inquired, he stopped and turned around.

“And you are?”

“Isabella. Isabella Stark.”

‘Stark.’

Alec’s lips formed a thin line, his eyes lit in shock and a spasm of irritation crossed his features. Yet in the blink of an eye, he wiped all those emotions from his face and flashed a big grin.

‘Isn’t he supposed to know me if he works for security?’ She wondered, but pushed the idea back. ‘You are reading too much into it again, the man is probably in charge of something else now, or someone else.’

“Nice to meet you, Isabella Stark.” He greeted holding out his hand and she accepted it.

“Likewise.” Isabella forced a smile against his shady vibes.

“Alec!” Moira jumped right into his arms, gazing at him as if he were her pride and joy, the light of her eyes and her most treasured possession all together.

“Oh, it’s so late, I need to take a quick shower and run.” Isabella declared, suddenly feeling like a third wheel.

She showered as fast as she could and left in a hurry, she wanted to give the happy couple some privacy. Though Moira said she wanted to come with her, she insisted on taking a cab to the hospital.

Arriving there, some sort of hope to see Edmund flickered in her heart, yet as soon as her eyes landed on him, she felt that invisible knife stabbing her heart over and over again. The pain of betrayal invaded her figure, and jealousy spread from the core to the edges like wildfire.

Sadness hovered over her heart, devouring her mind and soul. She almost forgot how disturbingly attractive he was, how she could easily lose herself in the blue pool of his eyes, feeling that the earth was just knocked from under her feet.

‘I really fell in love with you, jerk!’

She tried to calm her raging nerves and her erratic heartbeats, passing by him without a word, but he grabbed her waist and pulled her against his body.

Time came to a halt when he crashed his lips on hers. She tried to resist, she really tried, yet her treacherous body caved in. Her hands that pushed away his chest a few seconds ago were now enclosing the back of his neck, her knees were weak and mushy and all her body heat gathered in her feminine parts.

After what seemed like an eternity, he loosened his hold and eased away from her, and she walked away.

“You cannot see your sister.” He said, gripping her wrist.

Fear laced through Isabella, along with the shame of being that weak a few moments ago. “Why?”

He looked at her worried. “Because she is not here.”

“What do you mean she is not here?”

A feeling of panic settled in her being, triggering an uncontrollable shiver. The energy was draining from her body and she black out.