Chapter 4 - The Puppet Master
Isabella shoved the heavy gun into her designer purse and sprinted out of the abandoned greenhouse without looking back.
She rode a city taxi back to the estate boundaries, slipping through the service gate just as the rain began to fall.
She crept silently up the grand staircase, desperate to check on Leo before Sebastian realized she was missing.
When she finally pushed open the door to her lavish bedroom, she froze in absolute terror.
Sebastian was sitting comfortably in her velvet armchair, casually swirling a glass of expensive amber whiskey in the dark.
He did not yell or demand to know where she had been creeping around in the miserable weather.
Instead, he smiled, a sight so incredibly rare and unsettling that it made Isabella’s stomach violently turn.
He softly complimented her damp hair, stating that a mother should occasionally take brisk walks to clear her anxious mind.
Isabella forced herself to swallow her fear, apologizing sweetly for leaving the house without her security detail.
Sebastian stood up slowly, closing the distance between them until she could smell the sharp alcohol on his breath.
He gently tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear, his cold fingers sending shivers down her spine.
He announced that they would be hosting a very intimate, highly exclusive dinner party tomorrow evening in the main dining hall.
Isabella asked nervously who they were expecting, praying that it was just a group of boring corporate executives.
Sebastian reached into his tailored suit jacket and handed her a thick, embossed cream-colored invitation card.
She opened the card with trembling fingers, her eyes immediately locking onto the single name printed in elegant calligraphy.
It was Julian's full name.
May you like
Sebastian whispered softly that he always believed in personally thanking the men who generously contributed to the Vance legacy.
He promised it would be a night that neither of them would ever forget.
