WHISPER A FORBIDDING HEART

s much, a weight pressing down on Isabella as she sat on her seat. Ethan loo

er presence at the gala had unsettled him so deeply. But the lo

ndition of his touch sending an unpleasant feeling down her spine. They walked into the passag

handled yourself well tonight," he s

the surface. "Who was she? Victoria. She clearly knows you, and whatev

is expression unreadable. "

sed her arms, narrowing her

ise polished demeanor. "She's my ex-fiancée. We ended things years ago

y. She was just a placeholder, a piece on Ethan's che

u now?" Isabella asked, try

ed, his tone laced with frus

egrity on the line, and you can't even tell me what I'm about doing? How am I s

ntimidating and magnetic. "You don't need to worry

"You keep saying that, but it is not enough. If we'

with his usual voice. "Fine," he said. "Victoria and I were together for three y

widened in shock

e said she wasn't ready, but he later found out she had been meetin

and power, had been abandoned. The idea of him being vulnerable, hu

s back?" Isab

s. She sees this engagement as a game,

the feeling that Victoria's return was more th

irring trouble, but she's also highly protective of her image.

subject-for now. "Fine," she said. "But if she become

ession softening sligh

ldn't refused the unpleasant feeling at her. She agreed to the proposal to save her fami

r. She opened it, Ethan standing there, his usual

you, surprising her. "For

u don't need to thank me," she said. "T

o a faint smile. "Rig

but feel that there was something she wanted to say s

e up,her phone buzzing. It was

eful. Ethan isn't who he seems. Meet me at

message. Who could this be? And

age and finding out more, one thing was clear: the deeper