Maybe a hard life just makes you resilient. Isabel Jones had survived—somehow, she'd been saved. When she woke, it was already the next morning.
"Fractured right arm, mild concussion, multiple bruises..." The doctor stood at her bedside, watching as Isabel blinked back to consciousness. "Any other pain? Anything else feel off?"
Isabel shook her head and reached for her phone. One glance. Maximilian Riley hadn't even bothered to call. But then—Maximilian, who never posted on social media—had uploaded a photo. A stunning seaside, breathtaking.
Of course, the real focal point was Kayleigh Fernandez in a Victorian-style dress. She was beautiful. More captivating than the view itself.
Isabel curled in on herself, dragged the blanket over her head, and cried.
After four years with Maximilian, what was she to him, really?
Nothing.
...
The moment she was discharged, Isabel went back to her rented apartment, took some ibuprofen, and slept. She was a survivor; her body knew how to endure. She slept the whole day, and when she woke, she finally felt half alive.
After slapping on a few pain-relief patches, she headed to work. She still had intern pay to collect, after all.
"Did you see Maximilian's post? Wow. He never posts, and he did it just for Miss Fernandez."
"Maximilian is, like, the definition of a gentleman. All these years, he's kept it clean—waiting for Miss Fernandez."
As Isabel stepped into the office, she caught her coworkers gossiping.
She laughed under her breath and took her seat. Sure, Maximilian loved Kayleigh. That part was real. But him being some saint who kept his hands to himself? Yeah, right.
It was almost funny. Maybe all men were the same—love in one box, sex in another. He loved Kayleigh in his heart, but that hadn't stopped him from sleeping with Isabel.
"Miss, this is our work area. Mr. Riley said you shouldn't—"
A commotion broke out by the elevator.
Isabel glanced over, and her blood ran cold.
Francis Wood had arrived.
"Move." Ruby's command cut through the room. She was all high-end suit and high heels, and she was heading straight for Isabel.
Isabel lowered her head, shoulders hunching on instinct. The shadows of freshman-year bullying were still buried deep in her bones.
"Isabel, my brother is coming home today. He and Miss Fernandez are getting married." Ruby whispered it in her ear, every word dripping with malice.
She laughed, soft and cruel. "Four years ago, I told you. The day my brother throws you away will be your last."
Isabel went rigid.
Four years, and Ruby still wouldn't let her breathe.
Then came the slap. Sharp. Loud. Right in front of every employee.
Isabel didn't hit back. Didn't make a sound.
She could admit it: she was too scared to provoke Ruby. God knew how many times she'd imagined fighting back. But as long as she wanted to live, she couldn't.
If she ever truly hit her breaking point, she'd take Ruby down with her. For now, she was a coward. A coward who wanted to survive...
"Remember that slap? My brother hit me because of you back then—sent me overseas! He'd never raised a hand to me before. All for you!" Ruby laughed, fury twisting her face, and poured the coffee from the desk over Isabel's head.
"Isabel, you think sleeping with my brother means you've won? What are you next to him? Nothing but an orphan. You think he'd marry you?"
Ruby shoved Isabel's head again, her voice full of disdain. "Leave Riley Corporation. Or I'll expose your past in the company group chat."
Isabel stayed silent, head bowed.
The dirt Ruby was talking about? Stripping her naked freshman year and taking photos. Or maybe sleeping with her brother.
No one in the office dared stand up for Isabel. Ruby was the heiress of the conglomerate.
"Isabel... what did you do to piss off the Riley family's heiress?" a colleague finally whispered after Ruby left.
Isabel smiled and wiped her face with a tissue. "We were college classmates. Just... old issues..."
...
In the restroom, Isabel hid in a corner, fixing her clothes.
She didn't cry.
As a freshman, she'd been naive enough to cry about how unfair the world was.
Was being an orphan her fault?
Did having no connections and no one in her corner mean she deserved to be bullied?
Now she understood. Being an orphan was the original sin. Having no connections, no support—that was the crime. People who bullied you never needed a reason.
Ding!
Her phone chimed. Maximilian had transferred fifty thousand dollars to her via WhatsApp.
Of course. The office had been a whole scene today. Maximilian had to know Ruby came to confront her.
A slap for fifty thousand dollars.
Quite the transaction.
"I called Ruby and told her off. Buy whatever you want."
Maximilian followed it with a voice message.
Always the same—buy whatever you want.
"Thank you, Mr. Riley."
Isabel accepted the money like it was her earnings. She needed to keep it.
She stared at the chat, not sure what she was hoping for. Maybe that Maximilian would show some concern—at least ask if she'd been hurt in the car accident that day. But he didn't ask anything.
She closed her phone and went to HR to submit her resignation. Since she was still an intern, the process wasn't a hassle.
Tomorrow was the thirteenth. That evening, she'd go to Riverview Villa to meet Mr. Alexander.
As long as she seized this chance, she could get out of the Newport for good.
Escape Maximilian Riley.
