I tossed my coffee cup against the wall.
I didn't care that the hot liquid splashed all over the place. I couldn't hold anything anyway because my hands were shaking so much.
With concern in her eyes, Maya hurried into my office and asked, "Isabella, what's wrong?"
I yelled, "Everything!" "Everything is wrong!"
Like a shattered film, last night kept replaying in my mind. Sophie's text message. The storage facility. Marcus Webb demanding blueprints we didn't have while brandishing a gun at my sister's head.
The gun, the threats, or even learning that Marcus had been controlling Sophie for years wasn't the worst part, though.
The worst thing was how secure I had felt in that eerie, dark place when Kieran held my hand.
Maya gently inquired, "Did you find your sister?"
I sagged into my chair and said, "We found her." "Everything should be perfect. Marcus is in jail, and she is alive."
"But it's not?"
"No, it's not."
Because Sophie had said, "I'm sorry I lied to you about everything. I was trying to protect you from Marcus, but I made everything worse," as she gazed at me with shame in her eyes.
"Thank you for saving her. She needs someone like you," she said, giving Kieran a look that might have been one of gratitude.
Someone similar to him. Even so, what did that mean?
On the desk, my phone buzzed. The screen glowed with Kieran's name.
I gazed at it until the ringing stopped.
Then it buzzed once more.
And once more.
Maya questioned, "Are you going to answer that?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Because my heart did crazy things every time I heard his voice. Because I had truly wanted to when he had taken my hand last night and said, "Trust me." Because I was afraid I would no longer despise him.
Instead, I said, "Because we have work to do." "Tomorrow is the Morrison Project presentation."
"I assumed you were collaborating on that with the Hawthorne company."
"We are, but that doesn't mean we have to discuss personal matters."
Maya's eyebrow went up. "What personal stuff?"
"Nothing. There's no personal stuff."
"So why do you refuse to take his calls?"
Someone knocked on my office door before I could come up with a clever lie.
I called, "Come in."
Kieran appeared to have been up all night as he entered with two coffee cups.
He remarked, "You're not answering your phone."
"I have been occupied."
"With what?"
I pointed to the papers strewn all over my desk. "Work."
"We need to discuss last night, Isabella."
"No, we don't."
"Yes, we do."
Maya shifted her gaze between us as if she were watching a game of tennis. She retreated to the door and said, "I'll just... go get more coffee."
I said, "You brought coffee already."
Maya hurriedly said, "More coffee," and vanished.
One of the cups was placed on my desk by Kieran. "You like sweet things when you're upset, so I brought you the kind with extra sugar."
How was that known to him? I hadn't informed him.
"I'm not angry."
"You hurled coffee at the wall."
The brown stain on my office wall caught my attention. "It was an accident."
"Isabella."
I looked up because of something in his voice. His soft blue eyes were filled with concern.
"What happened last night was intense," he remarked. "It is acceptable to feel perplexed."
"I am not perplexed."
"Then what are you?"
"I'm..." I paused. Who was I? I'm afraid. jumbled. I didn't want to be fighting feelings. "I'm all right."
"You don't look well, but you keep saying that."
"How do I look?"
"As if you're fleeing from something."
"I don't flee from things."
"You tried to flee from me yesterday, the day before that, and now you're trying to do so again."
"I am not!"
However, I knew he was correct even as I was saying it. I always found an excuse to get away from Kieran whenever he got too close or showed me concern or safety.
He whispered, "Why are you afraid of me?"
"You don't frighten me."
"Then what are you afraid of?"
Before I could stop it, the truth escaped. "I'm afraid I'll like you."
There was silence in the room. Kieran gave me a hopeful look as he gazed at me.
"You like me?"
I put my face in my hands and said, "No! I mean... I don't know. Maybe. A little." "This is really confusing."
"Why is it confusing?"
"Because we're enemies and I'm supposed to hate you because your family destroyed mine."
"Who says what?
"Says everyone!"
"What do you say?"
I glanced up at him. "I claim that you were the kindest person to me in years, that you stayed with me at the hospital when I was ill, and that you saved my sister's life last night."
"And that scares you?"
"Yes, it worries me! What happens when you decide that it's not worth the trouble to be kind to me? What happens when you grow weary of handling my issues?"
Kieran walked around my desk until he was directly in front of me. He then lowered himself to meet my gaze.
"Isabella," he said gravely. "I'm not leaving."
"You're unaware of that."
"Yes, I do. I realized something last night when I saw Marcus pointing that gun at you."
"What?"
"Much more than I should, much more than makes sense, I care about you."
My heart began to race. "Kieran..."
"I understand that our families have a complicated history, but I also know that everything else vanishes when I'm with you."
He extended his hand and lightly touched my face. "You inspire me to be a better person because you're brave, intelligent, and attractive."
Unconsciously, I leaned into his touch. "This is insane."
"Maybe. But sometimes crazy is good."
I leaned forward and gave him a kiss before I could talk myself out of it.
It was intended to be a brief kiss. A test to confirm the authenticity of the spark I sensed.
However, everything caught fire the instant our lips met.
My hair got caught in Kieran's hands. I wrapped my arms around his neck. The kiss was perfect, sweet, and desperate.
We were both having trouble breathing when we eventually separated.
"Wow," Kieran muttered.
"Yeah," I replied in a whisper.
We gazed at one another for a considerable amount of time. Then reality struck again.
I said, "We can't do this," and withdrew.
"Why not?"
"Because... because..." I was at a loss for an appropriate explanation. "Because we collaborate."
"So?"
"So it's complicated."
"Everything valuable is difficult to obtain."
My office door flew open before I could continue to argue.
Maya rushed in with a newspaper and exclaimed, "Isabella, you have to see this!" "The front page features Sophie's story!"
When she noticed how close Kieran and I were seated, she abruptly stopped.
"Oh," she smiled knowingly. "Am I disturbing you?"
"No," I said hastily as I moved my chair away from Kieran.
"Yes," he said simultaneously.
Maya smiled. "Anyway, you'll want to see this."
She gave the newspaper to me. My blood froze at the headline:
The twin sister's secret romance with her family enemy is revealed by a business heiress.
A photo of Kieran and I at the hospital was below it. I sobbed into his shoulder as his arms were wrapped around me.
I said, "Who took this picture?"
"Continue reading," Maya said somberly.
I skimmed the article. There were many falsehoods and partial truths about Kieran and me in it. about Sophie's fictitious demise. Regarding the Morrison Project.
The final quote, however, was the worst:
* Sophie Chen remarks, "My sister has always been naive about men." * "I just hope she understands what she's getting into before it's too late."
I glanced up at Kieran and Maya and asked, "Sophie said this?" "This interview was given by my own sister?"
"It gets worse," Maya stated. "Morrison Industries called this morning, expressing reluctance to collaborate with two businesses that have a lot of 'personal drama.'"
My phone rang. I noticed Sophie's name on the screen.
"Answer it," Kieran said. "We must ascertain the reason behind her actions."
I picked up the phone with trembling hands.
Sophie's voice sounded odd, "Isabella?" I'm afraid.
"Why did you do that interview, Sophie? You're destroying everything!"
"He forced me to do it, so I had to."
"Who forced you to do it?"
"Marcus, he's out of jail. He threatened to hurt you if I didn't give the interview."
My blood froze. "But last night, the police took him into custody."
Sophie was now crying as she said, "He had a good lawyer. He's free on bail." "He's not finished with us, Isabella. He wants the Morrison Project for himself and will stop at nothing to get it."
"Where are you now?"
"You must listen to me, Isabella. Avoid Kieran Hawthorne." "I can't tell you. It's not safe."
"What? Why?"
"Because Marcus possesses evidence that Kieran has been deceiving you about everything, including the Morrison Project, your father, and the reasons behind his genuine kindness toward you."
The phone clattered to the floor after dropping out of my hands.
Kieran reached for me and said, "Isabella?" but I retreated.
I muttered, "Is it true?" "Have you been deceiving me?"
"Let me explain, Isabella."
"Is it true?"
Kieran's face turned white. "Not the way she made it sound, but some of it."
"Some of it?" I said loudly. "Some of it is true?"
My office door opened again before he could respond.
A tall, short-haired woman with brown hair entered. She looked familiar to me from photos in Kieran's office.
Lena. His closest companion.
"Kieran," she said, her expression worried. "We must speak now."
"This isn't a good time, Lena..."
She cut you off with, "I saw you at the hospital yesterday." "I noticed the way you gazed at her."
Her eyes were filled with pity as she turned to face me.
"I apologize, Isabella, but you must understand the true reason Kieran is here."