Chapter 6

Isabelle’s Point of View: “Welcome, Isabella.” I turned around to see Achilles with a small smirk. Frustrated, I let out a sigh. “I thought you couldn’t care less about the CA branch.” “Oh, that’s true.” He came and then stood by the table. “But you see, it has suddenly become so interesting.” “Aren’t you too busy with opening a new branch in NYC?” I carefully went to the other side of the room to avoid getting in any uncomfortable position. “No. I have decided to stay here for a while.” I scoffed. “Anyway. How’s the hotel? I thought it’d fit your interest,” he said. “You booked it?” “I own it.” I looked around the room and furrowed my brows. “I thought all hotel chains Roman Enterprises owned were named Roman Hotels.” “Well, that was when dad owned them.” He took a seat on the couch. “I don’t see the need to include the name everywhere.” “So, you’ve come here to flaunt your money and how you own the places I pay for? I know how rich you are. I know I am going to work with you. You can leave.” He looked at me and shook his head. “That’s not what this is about.” “Then what?” He came toward me, and I bit my lip. He looked so intimidating; his aura was powerful. His handsome face glistened in the light and his eyes were like a deep sea. I froze for a moment when he came closer. I remembered what happened when he came closer last time. It wasn’t pretty. I wanted to escape, but it felt like he had complete control over me. He touched my cheek, and heat rushed to them. I looked into his eyes and they held my gaze for a longer time. I wanted to believe something, but I knew that the last time when I expected something… it left me broken beyond repair. He touched my lower lip with his thumb and caressed it slowly. I closed my eyes, and a moan escaped my mouth. He closed the space between us. I soon felt his breath fanning over my face. I could feel it making me go insane. I felt the chills dance down my spine and spike my desires in ways I knew weren’t good. “This isn’t right.” He whispered. Hell, I know that. I’ve known that for forever and it doesn’t make things better. It isn’t a big enough reason to stay away. “But dad isn’t here anymore.” He continued the sentence I didn't know was incomplete before he joined our lips together. The kiss was soft in the beginning. His soft lips kissed mine like feathers. I wanted more—so much more. But I had learned to be satisfied with what I had, so I kissed him back slowly. He pulled me closer. When I collided with his body, the nerves in my body felt lightened. It felt like the dead cells were reborn, like all the slow processes in my body suddenly escalated because they didn’t want to waste a moment. As if they suddenly realised that time was short. Like they suddenly knew that the moment would end soon. He continued kissing me and then kept me on the couch without getting away. We regained our breath when he stopped for a second. The atmosphere suddenly turned hot after he closed the lights off with the remote. He kissed me again and his time; it was more passionate. He devoured my mouth with his tongue and then his hand went below my top. I was paralyzed underneath him; it was so hard to do anything when my fantasy was coming true. It felt like a dream. A dream that would leave me more haunted… since it couldn’t be true. He touched me in the ways I had always fantasised him to. He kissed my neck while I breathed heavily, taken aback by the tension. He removed his shirt and when I looked at his bare chest; I realised that he was even sexier than I imagined him to be. Even in the dim light, I could imagine his well-built muscles. His hand went over my body, and my hands went to his back. Things escalated, and he was about to remove all of my clothes before something clicked in my mind and I said: “Ace, you can’t do this and go away again.” He stopped, and I could hear his breathing. “We can’t be together.” His deep voice was soothing to my ears. “I know,” I whispered. “So why are you…” I could feel his forehead against mine. “That doesn’t change the feelings.” “Feelings?” I questioned. “We aren’t meant to be brothers and sisters, Bella. You should know that better than me.” “You have feelings for me and still destroyed everything I love?” I couldn’t believe that he could say that he had “feelings” for me after everything he had done to me. He didn’t reply to that and kissed my neck. I moaned. It was hard. It was so hard to resist him—but I had to stop. If he couldn’t stay, then why was he doing this? I didn’t want to be used and left. No, he had humiliated me enough. “Don’t go on if you can’t stay,” I whispered and sighed. For a second, when he continued kissing me, I wondered if he had heard me and decided to be brave enough to stay. But he stopped. He fucking stopped and exhaled. “Okay.” I saw his dark figure. I saw him getting up and picking up his shirt. I saw him wearing it and after a minute, I also saw him leave me.