The next morning, Isabella avoided Sebastian entirely. She woke up early, sneaking into the kitchen to prepare breakfast before he could join her. She busied herself with the simplest of tasks, her heart heavy with the memory of last night's confrontation.

When Sebastian finally appeared, freshly dressed and looking as if he hadn't slept either, she didn't dare meet his eyes.

"Good morning," he said, his voice soft but probing.

That's what he is scared of the most and exactly the same is happening. She replied without looking at him.

"Morning," she mumbled without looking at him, wiping the already clean counter.

"Isabella..."

"I should head home after breakfast," she cut him off, her voice brisk as she began setting the table. "There's still so much work waiting for me."

"You don't have to rush." Sebastian stepped closer, his presence unsettlingly magnetic and her breath almost hitched in her throat when his cologne hit her senses. "We need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," she said, her tone firm despite the tremor in her hands. "Last night... let's just forget it, okay?"

Rest of the chapter is available on stck.me freely and link of my stck.me account is available in my bio