Found paths

l this? Are you going to marry Dexter e

e one that had been until shortly after her father's death. After that, Elena had announced her decision to sell the beau

he house, which had perplexed Isabella. She says that when I took over dealing with clients, your father's company s

in a gesture that was already characteristic of her every time Elena mentioned her late mother. She always felt the urge to defend he

pretty sure she would have treated Daddy's customers v

stility. And Dexter agrees with me that, all these years, you've been making things very diffic

bella's stomach churn, and the rest of the conve

y, a complicity that certainly did not exist between the two of them. Isabella just wanted to stop listening to Elena talk

eautiful: tall, blonde and with a very good figure. The complete opposite of Isabella, who had always been the spitting image of her mother: short, with black hair full o

n her father had decided to remarry at fourteen, Isabella had convinced herself to accept this woman who was to beco

of how he felt about his stepdaughter had taken place three months after arriving at the house, when he had announced that he thought it's best to send Isabella to a boarding school, instead of continuing to live there with them and study. At the private school, he had chosen mother before succumbing to the terrible wasting disease that had ended up killing her

she was seventeen; she was now eighteen, and in

rything was hap

other was buried was waiting outside. In the next room from her was her father's old lawyer, who w

ven though you know he doesn't love you? His mind went back over the words

d," he gasped, "...and that's wh

are silly, Isabella. There's only one reason Dexter wants to marr

runs the business," she reminded her stepmother. And he knows p

e on, Isabella, don't you really believe that Dexter is in love with you? His tone of hers bordered on mockery again. He's a

, contrasting with Elena's triumphant smile. She hated her

o say, trying to regain cont