Chapter 204
The moment Isabella stepped into Charisma Company the next morning, the air shifted.
Her coworkers averted their gazes as she passed, their whispers trailing behind her like shadows. It wasn’t until Evelyn slipped into her office unnoticed that Isabella finally got a hint of what was happening.
Frowning, Evelyn bit her lip. “Ms. Sinclair… have you made enemies again?”
Isabella barely glanced up from the documents in her hands. “Too many to count. What’s going on?”
Evelyn hesitated, then nodded toward the extravagant bouquet of roses in the corner. “You might want to check the lobby.”
Isabella arched a brow. The flowers were beautiful, but the man who sent them was anything but.
“There’s someone downstairs,” Evelyn added quietly. “Claiming to be your fiancĂ©.”
A cold dread settled in Isabella’s stomach.
She tossed the files aside and strode toward the elevators.
The second the doors slid open, a loud, obnoxious voice filled the lobby.
“—grew up together in the same orphanage, me and Isabella! Thick as thieves, I tell ya!” Darren was holding court in the middle of the room, gesturing wildly. “She promised me—swore on her life—that she’d marry me the second we turned eighteen. Said we’d have a dozen kids! But life got in the way, and we lost touch. Now, after all these years—”
He was putting on a full performance, and despite his ridiculous claims, a few of her colleagues were murmuring among themselves.
“Is this guy serious? Ms. Sinclair, with him?”
“Look at him. No way someone like her would ever—”
“But they did grow up together. Maybe there’s some truth to it?”
The moment they spotted Isabella, the whispers died instantly.
She had expected this. Darren clearly hadn’t learned his lesson from yesterday—and now he had the audacity to pull this stunt at her workplace.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
Without hesitation, Isabella strode forward and delivered a sharp kick to the back of Darren’s knee.
“Ow—!” He yelped, crashing face-first onto the marble floor. When he twisted to look up at her, his smirk twisted into a pitiful pout.
“Isabella, baby, I’ve been thinking about what you said. I know I messed up before, but I just wanted your attention! And now you’re hitting me—that means you still care, right? Let’s forget the past and start fresh. We can be happy together!”
Disgust coiled in her gut.
The sheer audacity.
Darren was shameless, relentless—still trying to manipulate her even after she’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him.
Her voice turned glacial. “Leave. Now. Or you’ll regret it.”
But Darren was like a cockroach—impossible to crush.
“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I know you still love me. What happened to you? You used to be so sweet.”
He wasn’t fazed by the violence. If anything, he was banking on the rumors spreading, forcing her to deal with him.
Just as she was about to handle this her way, a calm, commanding voice cut through the tension.
“Who’s causing a scene in my company?”
Isabella looked up to see Alexander approaching, Sebastian at his side, his expression dripping with disdain.
A man like Darren dared to make trouble here?
Sebastian didn’t hesitate. “Mr. Kingsley, this is clearly a competitor’s attempt to disrupt operations. I’ll ensure security tightens protocols. This won’t happen again.”
Alexander gave a curt nod, satisfied with Sebastian’s efficiency.
“Do you all not have work to do?” His icy gaze swept over the gathered employees, and they scattered like leaves in a storm.
Darren, however, wasn’t done. “Wait! Mr. Kingsley, you’ve got it all wrong! Isabella and I—”
Sebastian clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him out with practiced ease.
To everyone else, this would be dismissed as a petty disruption—nothing more. No one would dare question it, no matter how juicy the gossip seemed.
Once the lobby cleared, Alexander turned to Isabella. “Explain.”
It was obvious Darren had been harassing her.
She exhaled sharply. “We grew up in the same orphanage. He’s been a nuisance for a while. I’ll handle it.”
She should have broken his nose yesterday instead of holding back.
Alexander’s gaze sharpened. Something didn’t add up. For Darren to be this bold, there had to be more to it.
“As long as you work for me, this won’t be ignored. Sebastian’s dealing with it.” His voice was steel. “Don’t waste another thought on him. He won’t step foot in this building again.”
