Shame.

Shame weighs on my shoulder. Never did I think Isabela would sink onto her knees, asking to suck me off. I didn't know what I was thinking, dropping my guard down, but when my other head is involved — I don't always tend to think rationally. She just looked so damn captivating on her knees, begging to suck my cock — how could I refuse?

To think my dick would've been the first one to go in her pretty, sweet mouth.

Jesus fucking Christ.

My dick twitches.

It's not right for me to fantasize about my boss's fiance like this. Except it wasn't a fantasy, it almost became a reality. Her lips only barely graze my cock, and I nearly creamed all over her face. One thing is for sure, I need to give the driver's seat to the head on my shoulders, not the one between my legs.

We cannot overstep our boundaries again.

It was just a quick lapse of judgment.

Never again.

From now on, I'm going to put Isabela first, and it isn't clever for us to rile Damien with the idea of something going on between us. There wasn't ever supposed to be anything between us, and there still hasn't been. We will start on a blank stake. Forget everything that happened and remain platonic.

Because if it goes any further, it would be impossible to walk away from her.

She deserves the entire world, and I won't ever be able to give her that. Not with all the things I have left to be worried about. I'm not her prince charming-- just a villain crossing the same path. Isabela will be the last thought on my mind, falling to the bottom list of my priorities.

I need to focus on helping her before Isabela.

Heavy footsteps creak as they become louder, reaching closer and closer to the living room. Using the controller, I reduce the sound on the television and rub my chin. My eyes fixate on the wrestler on my screen, getting lost in the color as they blend together when I don't blink for a solid two minutes.

Two legs block my view.

His finger presses against the button on the corner of the television, and the match vanishes. My eyes flicker up. Damien. His stomach topples over his golden belt as he rubs it and plunges into the beanbag chair. Stern lines frame his feature as he spreads his thighs.

"Pour me a drink, Julian," Damien demands, smacking his thigh for emphasis.

Clenching my jaw, I grab a tumbler from the coffee table and fill it mid-way with scotch. Damien snatches the mug, spilling half the drink on Isabela's hot pink carpet. She's not going to like this. Actually, where is she? It's painfully silent in this house.

"She's sleeping," Damien blurts, wiping the dipping alcohol off his chin. "Apparently, her day was excruciatingly long. Tell me the truth, Julian..." The glass pierces my eardrums as he drops the cup on the table. "What were you doing in Isabela's room with the door closed?"

My heart thuds. "Helping her with her homework. She's really committed to her studies, Damien."

"Then why was she face-planting the floor with her lace underwear on display?" Damien asks, his voice rough like the edges of spikes.

Fuck.

Those pretty purple lace panties.

I almost forgot about them. Isabela has an ass to die for. Especially in those sinful mini-skirts and tight jeans. Her ass could create sinners. I always imagined what her cheeks would be like underneath the fabric, but the glimpse I got proved Isabela's ass was out of this world. Ideally, I would've admired it longer if Damien hadn't stormed in with an agenda on his mind.

Trying to catch us red-handed.

Tipping the bottom, I refill Damien's glass. "You scared her. She went hysterical when you stormed into the house, thinking we were about to be murdered."

He hums, bobbing his head. "Interesting. How is she? In school? Who does she socialize with?"

My eyes narrow.

Twenty questions. I can play that game. What is too much? Where does my mouth pass the line? If I withhold too much and Damien finds out-- I'm useless. I won't be any use to Isabela and her if I'm out of this job.

"Two girls. Typically outspoken youths. Everleigh Madden. Twenty-three-years-old. The daughter of Josie and Ellen Madden. Adopted. Hanni Kim. Twenty-two-years-old. The daughter of Ha-eun and Min-Hyuk Kim. Both dropped out of college to party and sell on the streets." I spill like a waterfall. "Mediocre shit."

Damien's jaw clenches as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Are they like Mika?" My eyes widen a smidge. "Yes, Julian. I do my own research. I know you used to work for the Morterero familia as a bodyguard until his fiance sadly passed away. Except she never did. She was hiding in my house, turning my girl against me."

"You probably did that yourself," I mutter under my breath.

Damien burps, splashing his spit on the floor. "Answer the question."

I rake my fingers through my hair. "They have similarities, but they wouldn't turn her against you-- at least not more than she already is."

Rage washes over Damien. He hoists from the beanbag chair, cranes his arm back, and smashes the tumbler against the beige wall. Glass shards decorate the floor like mined diamonds, glowing under the fluorescent light. Isabela's framed picture of a random cat meets the wall, shattering into pieces.

"Why does she keep doing this shit?" Damien fumes, pacing back and forth, passing the television. "I want to be a good fiance and keep my hands off her, but she makes it so fucking difficult! She's getting too cocky for my liking. Isabela thinks just because I'm not here, she can do whatever she wants. Well, she's fucking wrong!"

My eyes dart to the top of the staircase. Dark, meaning Isabela is still asleep. "Calm down."

"Why?" Damien screams into the void. "Because that bitch is sleeping up there? Does it look like I give a fuck? I'm itchy to teach her a lesson. Maybe then she will stay in line."

My heart thumps. "What do you have in mind?"

Damien stills for a moment. "Her family. That's the only thing left she cares about. You talk to her, right Julian?"

"Barely."

His lids droop as his hands clench the backside of the chair, trying to stay balanced. "What do you know? You have to know something? See, Isabela talks to anyone who's nice to her. She had to mention something."

I sigh, roughly dragging my hand down my chin. "It's hard to know anything when she refuses to speak to me. She's still upset about the birth control mishap."

Damien rolls his eyes and releases a frustrated sigh from his lips as he slumps back into the beanbag chair. "What a brat. It's been weeks already. God, I can't believe she's going to be my fucking wife."

"You can always let her go," I blurt without thinking.

His neck almost snaps from how fast his head turns. "Very funny. I would be an idiot to let her slip through my fingertips. All my buddies are fucking jealous of me." A vile grin spread across her face. "They all wanted to purchase her, but I offered the highest amount. Put me in debt, but a fucking good one."

My stomach recoils. Isabela isn't just a piece of meat on the market, but Capos only sees women as an exchange. Foul excuse of human beings. It's exhausting how the world continuously treats these low lives better than the sweet souls at the bottom of the food chain. The vibrant humans always suffer the most. It isn't their fault they don't survive when they were born to remain on the bottom.

I fucking hate this world.

Satan's home would be better fitting.

Damien shrugs. "Well, if you can't tell me anything, then I'll just have to beat it out of her." Using his legs, he boosts himself to full length and beelines to the staircase. "Don't mind the screaming. In fact, head out for a walk. An hour or so."

The rhythm of my heart erupts like a ball in the pinball game, bouncing around my ribcage. "Wait!"

Fuck.

It was an instinct. 

Damien halts on the footsteps.

It's either a fit of anger from Isabela for revealing where her family lies or letting the physical abuse begin. Neither is ideal. I don't want to jeopardize my progress with Isabela, but maybe it's the only way to keep myself from falling into her whirlpool. I can't develop a crush on a girl who refuses to say a word to me.

I used to be heartless.

It's time to resort to that guy again.

"Isabela mentioned her familia reigns in Brooklyn," I explain, scratching the back of my head.

Damien scoffs. "I already know that. I had Rover scour through every corner of that fucking town, and her familia was nowhere to be seen. Thanks for nothing."

"I wasn't done yet." My eyes flutter close as I deeply exhale. "Isabela hinted they were hiding on her family's estate in the Bronx. That's the last she heard of them."

Satisfaction washes over his face. His eyebrows jump to his hairline as he descends the steps and rests against the railing. Guilt gnaws at me like a piranha, eating my organs bit by bit. I just want to do everything in my power to keep Damien from laying another hand on Isabela.

She's the sun in my orbit-- I didn't want to watch her dim her light. Isabela loves her life right now. For the most part. With Damien residing in Italy, Isabela is free to live her life as she pleases-- for the time being. It's a breath of fresh air for her after the all the misery she has and will endure.

Damien slips his cell phone out of his pocket. "I have a flight. I'll be back soon. Make sure she stays in line."

"Alright."

My response is low, monotone, disingenuous. Isabela isn't my prisoner. The only thing I'm going to stop her from doing is opening the room to the feelings section.

I'm not entirely sure if Isabela has intentions with me further than a casual hook-up, but I don't want to find out. All I know is I need to pull the brake on her feelings for me.

Make her despise me.

Make her treat me like shit.

Help shape her into an all around human-being who no one could take down.

It's going to be hell, but sacrifices are my forte. That's nothing new to me. I've always had to choose one thing over the other, and Isabela cannot be more important than her.

It just wouldn't feel right.

My eyes dart to the top of the staircase when the wooden planks creak. Isabela rubs one eye as her other hand clings to Cuddles.

With sleepy, hazy eyelids, Isabela yawns and says, "Is he gone?"

I nod. "Yeah. He will be back next week."

Her fingertips glide back and forth on the railing as uncertainty lingers on her face. "A-Are you heading to bed?"

I bob my head.

Isabela gnaws at her pink lips. "Cuddles isn't doing a good job at keeping me warm. I was wondering if you could come lay with me. For a bit." Nerves linger in her tone.

"I need to clean the mess Damien made before I head to bed." My eyes bounce to the broken glass by the television.

"Oh." Isabela blinks. "Maybe aft—."

"Don't wait up." My voice is laced with venom.

I don't spare another glance at her. I don't want to see the disappointment. Assholes don't care. They stomp, hurt, and shatter everything in front of them. Isabela needs to understand-- we won't last a day together.

Too different.

Two stars from different universes.

A weed and a flower.

A rose and a thorn.

Water and fire.

Nothing good will come from us.

Sorry for the big wait especially for a somewhat filler (👀👀 not really) but I know you all want more Julian and Isabela 😝😝

Soon soon soon... be patient with me!

Do you think Damien is going to use the information Julian gave him? What do you think will come out of this chapter?

Who else wants to pinch Julian for turning down our baby girl 🥲🥹she didn't deserve that right!!

Thank you so much for supporting my book and I can't wait to chat with you guys in the comments !! Love ya 💜💜❤️❤️💜💝💝