chapter 138

chapter 138
Declan's POV

Power didn't feel the way I thought it would and it wasn't because of anything but because I was having so much power and yet I still didn’t feel anything.

I had it all now. Everything I had ever worked and dreamed for were all mine. I had all my businesses which spread across continents.

My face was on magazine covers and everyone called me the man of the century. I had a bank account that made me untouchable and women lined up in designer dresses, flashing me smiles that promised me anything I wanted.

But every night, when the world went quiet. All of it dissolved into nothing. Because no matter how much I've gone far in life and no matter how much I have built. Isabella was still gone from my life.

It has been four years now but there was no day that passed without me thinking about her and wishing for her to come back to me.

She was the only woman I had ever loved. She was the only one that I hated and craved in the same breath. The one who had vanished, leaving my heart empty with an ache that no amount of wealth could fill.

“Sir, your car is ready.” Marcus, my personal assistant, said, breaking me out of my thoughts as I straightened my suit jacket. 

“That is good. We can't keep Alexander waiting. He is flying in today.” I said as Marcus nodded his head at me. One thing I loved about him was the fact that he was always efficient about things.

He knew better than anyone that Alexander Cruz wasn't just an investor to me. He was an old friend and he was one of the few people I still allowed to be close to me. 

After what took like twenty minutes. We reached the airport and it buzzed with its usual chaos. And obviously the media was always lurking around to do what they were paid to do.

The cameras flashed as I stepped out of the car and some people recognized me. Others whispered like I was some kind of legend but I ignored all of it because I was here for Alexander. 

But then my heart stopped.

Across the terminal and through the crowd I could see someone I never expected to see after so many years with two children, holding tightly onto her hands.

At first I thought that I was probably mistaken with my sight and then I had to remove my dark sunshade so I could see clearer.

And in that moment I got convinced that it was actually her. I knew her even before I saw her face properly, the way she carried herself with her head like the world couldn't break her apart anymore. 

She also wore shades and her hair fell down on her shoulders, just how I loved it. And her body had changed a lot, it looked so elegant and to me it seemed as though her body belonged to every magazine I had seen.

Isabella was finally in a place where I could sight her but I was still not close to her. For a moment I couldn't breathe as my heart tightened instead of my chest. Four years had passed, but she was in front of me and she was real. She was not a memory anymore or a ghost.

But she wasn't alone. The boy in her right hand looked around the airport with curious eyes. The grip on her hand was too protective in a way that made questions rise in my head.

Then the girl on her left hand was giggling at something I didn't even know about. Her braids were dancing with her as she jumped and held tightly onto Isabella's hand. And that was when I realized that there were twins.

And that realization made me feel weak. Did the twins actually belong to her? And did she marry some other man? 

If she married another man then it would be very problematic for her because I wasn't going to let her go away with it. Because we didn't get a divorce and I am still legally married to her so she could not just go ahead and get married to some other man. And if she did that then she will have the law and me to face.

I took a step forward as my instincts screamed at me to call out her name. I wanted to demand answers on why she left me and why she never looked back even once.

But another part of me. Which was the colder and sharper part of me that built an empire held me still. Because I knew Isabella so well, if she saw me then she was definitely going to run away and bury her secrets deeper. And I wasn't about to let that happen. 

So I stepped back and hid behind the people passing by. My heart was pounding so loudly and I was sure that people around me would hear. Isabella walked right past me but she did not notice my presence and I heard her laughing because of the twins that were cracking jokes at her as she led them towards the exit.

I pressed my palm against my thighs so tightly because I was already shaking from inside. I tried to make myself feel steady because everything was just like a roller coaster in front of me. My wife was in front of me. My Isabella. After all this while.

“Declan!”

The familiar voice called out to my name and I turned to see Alexander Cruz as he walked towards me. He was very tall and he had broad shoulders as though he owns the world. But his eyes still carried that mischievous spark it had when we were still children.

“Alex.” I muttered, forcing a smile as I hugged him briefly.

“You haven't changed a bit, Declan.” he teased, slapping my shoulders playfully. “You are still intimidating everyone around you. So tell me, do these women even breathe when you walk into a room?” he asked and I smiled at him.

“Maybe they just know better than to stay away from me instead of wasting our time. Or should I say my time because they properly don't have time” I said as he laughed and shook his head.

“Ah, it is written all over you and I can see that you're still the same arrogant bastard. It is just good to see that success didn't soften you.” Alexander voiced out but it didn't stop my mind from being somewhere else.

Every second, the image of Isabella with those children burned into me.

“Marcus” I called out and he rushed towards me immediately. “Can you please talk to Mason to come quickly and pick up Alexander, then tell him to take him to my mansion.” I ordered.

“Hey buddy. What's up? Aren't you coming with me?” Alexander asked.

“Obviously I am coming with you but not now. I have something very important to do and once I'm done I'll hit up with you at home.” I said.

“Alright. That is fine, see you soon buddy” Alexander said and instantly Mason arrived with the car and Alexander walked off, leaving me and Marcus alone.

“Sir where am I taking you to?” Marcus asked.

“You will be taking me to the office but I also want you to look into something for me.” I said quietly as I left no room for questions and he raised his eyebrows at me.

“Of course sir. What is it?” he asked.

“I want you to lay your hands on the CCTV footage of this airport and I'm going to send a picture to you so that you can use the picture to find out the information that I need. There was a woman in the airport and she looked like Isabella. She had two kids with her, a boy and a girl and I want to know about everything. I want to know who she is, where she lives, who her husband is, who the father of her kids is. Just make sure that you don't leave any important information out of it”

“Understood sir. I will get on it right away.” Marcus said.

\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was done from the office and now I was back at home. I had gone to see Alexander but then he was in the shower and he said he was going to catch up with me once he was done freshening up.

I went into my penthouse as I poured a glass of whiskey and I sat by the window staring at the city lights as a lot of questions flowed into my head. 

Did those kids truly belong to Isabella? Did she actually move on with her life so easily and got married to another man? And this timing after four years, would I really call this destiny trying to bring us back together?

I heard a knock on the door and I turned to see Marcus. As soon as my eyes got laid on him, I knew that he had fulfilled his mission and he walked towards me.

“What is the news?” I asked and he handed me a folder.

“She is actually the one but she does not go by the name Isabella Genovese or Isabella Westwood again but instead her name is Isabella Moretti. She is a model now and she's quite a successful one. She is based in Atlanta but currently here for a campaign in Florence.” he said and I instantly opened the folder with shaky hands. 

I saw glossy images of how on the runway and on billboards. She looked breathtaking, confident, and untouchable.

“Why do you think you changed her name to Moretti?” I asked as though I already knew the answer to my question.

She changed her name into Isabella Moretti because she had been hiding and she wanted to erase me or should I rather say she wanted to erase us from her life.

“There is really nothing official about her marriage. I couldn't find any husband, just her, her children, and a successful career.”

Immediately he said those words and my mind felt relieved. She wasn't married but those children had to find out who they biologically belonged to. And I smiled at myself.

“Welcome back my wife. How long did you think you could hide away from me? I searched for you and I didn't find you but you still found your way back to me. You are mine Isabella and you will always be mine.”