Chapter 86
Isabella’s piercing gaze remained locked on Ethan’s chiseled jawline, utterly dismissing Sophia’s presence as if she were mere wallpaper.
“Amusing, Mr. Blackwood,” she drawled, her voice laced with venomous amusement. “How swiftly you spin your little tales. One might think you’re jealous of those who seal deals with more… tangible assets. Still smarting from rejection, perhaps? Did no one bite when you tried?”
Her lips curled into a glacial smirk, her eyes slicing through him like shards of ice.
“Not surprised your partners are all relics. You can’t handle the younger, more desirable ones, can you? You assume everyone shares your trashy preferences.”
Sophia sneered, but Isabella felt no urge to justify herself. Defending her honor to such people was exhausting—especially when their minds were already poisoned against her. Instead, she delighted in turning their own toxicity back on them, letting them choke on their filth.
Their opinions of her were nothing but a mirror of their own twisted souls. Ethan’s assumptions only exposed the rot festering in his heart.
This woman… How dare she humiliate him like this?
“Ugh—” Ethan choked out, but only garbled, pained noises escaped.
Noticing the knife in her hand hovering dangerously close to his tongue, Isabella tilted it upward just slightly, sending a fresh wave of terror through him. His eyes bulged in silent panic, darting toward Sophia in a desperate plea for help.
But Sophia stood frozen, statue-still, fear rooting her to the spot.
“I-Isabella! You’re insane!” Sophia stammered, voice trembling as she stumbled back.
She watched, horrified, as Isabella rose to her feet, each step deliberate—slow, heavy, like the final thud of a coffin lid sealing shut. Ethan’s desperate gaze meant nothing now. Self-preservation had taken over.
“Stay away from me!” Sophia’s voice cracked, her attempt at authority crumbling. “Are you seriously considering murder in broad daylight? There are cameras everywhere! You won’t get away with this!”
Her threats sounded like the whimpers of a frightened child, pitiful to Isabella’s ears.
“Relax,” Isabella said, tilting her head. “I’m not doing anything drastic. Just giving you both a taste of your own cowardice. Funny, isn’t it? The loudest barkers are always the weakest biters.”
Her eyes turned to steel, voice hardening.
“You want the Everett Group deal, don’t you? Here’s my offer: choke down that pathetic pride of yours, really swallow it, and maybe I’ll consider it.” A cold, mocking laugh escaped her. “Money doesn’t move me. But watching you two grovel? Priceless.”
As she stared at Ethan, she realized the boy who once promised to marry her was long gone, replaced by this pitiful excuse of a man. Memory loss had stolen her past, but what remained was a thoroughly repulsive creature.
Out of the corner of her eye, Alexander—who had been silently observing the entire spectacle—wore an expression of amused fascination.
The way Isabella had moved earlier, precise and lethal, hadn’t changed at all. She was still the same—unyielding, relentless. She might play the role of an ordinary woman to the world, but beneath the surface, her true nature was as sharp as ever.
And it suited her.
A gem this brilliant wasn’t meant to be soft.
She was made to cut.
“Miss Sinclair,” Alexander’s voice dripped with disdain as he leaned casually against the table. “Why waste your position at Everett Group on trash like them? Let them drag you to court. I’ll ensure you have the best legal team in the city. Trust me—Ethan will be the one paying you damages when I’m done.”
He wasn’t bluffing. With his resources, victory would be effortless. Turning this into a scandal that would dominate headlines for weeks? Even easier.
Isabella sighed, frustration evident.
“Let it go. A business deal isn’t worth the effort. They’re already pathetic enough.”
Turning to Alexander, she let a mocking lilt slip into her voice.
“Do you really think Mr. Blackwood, with all his pride, would dare show his face after being bested by a woman?”
Her words were salt in an open wound. Light in tone, but the sting was undeniable.
“He has nothing left. If word gets out, they’ll laugh at him.”
