For the ten years she was the adopted daughter of the Lockwood Family, Isla Prescott had always been well-behaved.
The only time she stepped out of line was to have a secret relationship with Silas Lockwood, whom she'd had a crush on for years.
Because of their vast difference in status, the relationship came to a messy end.

After Isla Prescott and Silas Lockwood broke up, she was pursued by Silas Lockwood's good friend, Shane Sterling.
"He doesn't know how to cherish you. Why not consider me instead?"

In Isla Prescott's eyes, Shane Sterling
was mischievous, cunning, and full of nonsense, yet he was an even more unattainable figure than Silas Lockwood.
Isla Prescott was sure she had never provoked him, but he cornered her by the bedside when he was drunk,
caressing her red lips again and again, pleading with her over and over, "Isla Prescott, won't you give me a kiss?"

What she didn't know was that, in places she couldn't see, he had been waiting with deep affection for a very, very long time.

"Yes, thank you, Sean." The space he'd provided had given her a temporary reprieve from her exhaustion. Even though she'd only slept for a little over an hour, it was better than nothing.


Isla Prescott turned to leave, but he suddenly called out to her again. "Are you staying at the Lockwood's tonight?"


"No. After I go back and help with Uncle Lockwood's affairs, I'll head back to school."


Shane Sterling hummed in response, seeming quite satisfied with her answer.


Isla Prescott returned to the lounge to find Silas Lockwood helping Yvette Shaw out, followed by a few other relatives from the Lockwood Family.


They were still lost in their grief, and no one asked where she had been.


The Mercedes business van drove slowly toward Arcadia Heights. The ride was silent until they were almost home, when Yvette Shaw suddenly burst into tears again.


Chapter 33 - Chapter 30: Damp Poem (Part 2)