Huff... huff... huff...
Isaac finally slowed to a stop, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand, surprised by his own reaction.
"I didn't expect working out would be this exhausting, even with my upgraded stamina," he muttered to himself, hands on his knees. "Running doesn't seem easy, but I can see a lot of differences. I didn't expect to last this long, and my speed has definitely increased. Guess having my Agility boosted helps with that."
He had woken before dawn with a specific purpose, slipping into workout clothes that had once hung loose on his scrawny frame. Now they fit like they were tailored for him. The fabric hugged lean muscle that had developed seemingly overnight, accentuating the athletic build he had gained through the Book's transformations. Where once there had been awkward gaps and baggy material, now every line spoke of controlled power.
The early morning jog wasn't just about exercise. It was performance. Emily would likely be watching, and he needed tangible evidence to support yesterday's lie about his transformation being the result of a workout routine and diet plan. If she didn't see some proof of his supposed fitness regimen, her suspicions would only deepen.
As he jogged through the winding streets of Trousdale Estates, his mind churned through the complexities of his situation. Victoria's desperate attempt to dismiss their encounter as a mistake. The Book's warning about diminishing returns from repeated sins. Jade's successful blackmail from last night. All of it pointed to the need for a new strategy. He couldn't rely on the same patterns. He had to come up with something else in case things went wrong.
His enhanced stats made every stride feel different than before. His movements flowed with a fluid precision he had never experienced. His breathing was more controlled despite pushing himself harder than his old body could have managed. For the first time in years, Isaac felt truly alive in his own skin. The body that had once been a source of shame now responded to his will with perfect coordination.
But beneath the physical satisfaction, worry gnawed at him. He still didn't know how his father would react if he saw him like this. He had to figure something out for that.
He had circled the estate twice, testing his limits, observing how his improved Agility affected his gait and speed. The transformation was complete. He wasn't bulky or overly muscled, but built like a model, every line perfectly proportioned. It was exactly the kind of change that would be impossible to hide for long.
Now, as he approached the front entrance of the Wilson estate, Isaac felt a mix of satisfaction and apprehension. The workout clothes that had once made him look like a child playing dress-up now showcased a physique that would make his story believable. But as he reached for the door handle, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking into something he wasn't prepared for.
The moment he stepped through the front door, Emily's voice cut through the morning quiet like a blade.
"ISAAC!"
She stood in the living room like a predator ready to strike, her hands planted firmly on her hips in that universal posture of feminine fury. Her pajamas were wrinkled, her black hair a chaotic mess that spoke of someone who had been jolted awake and rushed downstairs without a second thought. But it was her expression that made Isaac frown. She looked like she wanted to devour him alive.
He was genuinely confused about what could have triggered such rage. On a normal Saturday, Emily rarely surfaced before 10 AM, preferring to sleep off whatever social activities had occupied her Friday night. The fact that she was not only awake but furious at this early hour set off alarm bells in his head.
"Good morning," Isaac offered cautiously as he approached, still catching his breath from his run.
Jade lounged on the couch behind Emily, her posture one of studied indifference. She wasn't even looking at him, acting as though he didn't exist. The performance immediately put Isaac on high alert.
"Don't 'good morning' me!" Emily snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "What is the meaning of this?"
She thrust her phone toward him like a weapon.
Isaac's confusion deepened until she pressed play. The familiar audio filled the room. Moans. Gasps. The unmistakable sounds of passion emanating from his bedroom. His blood turned to ice as recognition hit him like a physical blow.
The video. The one Jade had supposedly deleted.
His eyes snapped to Jade, who finally looked at him with that same predatory smile she had worn last night.
"I never said I wasn't going to send it to her," she said with mock sweetness. "I said I wouldn't show it to her and that I'd delete it. Which I did. After I sent it."
Isaac's mouth fell open. The elegant simplicity of her deception was breathtaking in its cruelty. She had taken his money while ensuring Emily would see the evidence anyway, playing him like a master manipulator. He wasn't mad at the way she had done it. Instead, he was fascinated by the idea that she would do something like this.
"What, you think she wouldn't tell me?" Emily continued, her voice rising with each word. "After you threatened her not to say anything?"
"What?" Isaac shouted, whipping his head toward Jade. So there was even more.
But Jade had her head down now, the perfect picture of wounded innocence. She had twisted everything, turned the entire situation inside out. In Emily's eyes, he was now the aggressor who had threatened poor, defenseless Jade. He didn't even know any other word to describe this than simply marvelous.
"So this is why you asked Andrew for allowance money," Emily pressed on, her tone dripping with disgust. "To bring some prostitute into our house while everyone was sleeping? Because there's no way any decent girl would come near you unless you paid her. Are you really that desperate?"
Isaac stood there, speechless, his mouth opening and closing without sound. He was genuinely amazed by how perfectly Jade had crafted this scenario. Every detail had been considered. Every angle covered. With Emily in this state of righteous fury, he knew there was no way she would listen to anything he had to say. The trap was perfect, and he was caught dead center.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs made everyone turn toward it. Emma appeared at the top of the staircase, a curious expression on her face as she took in the tense scene unfolding in the living room. But before anyone could say anything to address her, another door opened with a soft creak.
Victoria emerged from her bedroom, stifling a yawn behind her hand. Isaac noticed immediately that she wore a different nightgown than the one from last night. A small detail that he found somehow pleasing, considering he had been able to see her without clothes. What more, go beyond just seeing. Her blonde hair was tousled from sleep, and she moved with the slow, disoriented gait of someone who had been awakened by unexpected noise.
"Why is there so much commotion this morning?" Victoria asked, her voice thick with sleep.
Emily spun toward her mother with renewed energy, as if she had been waiting for exactly this audience.
"Mom, you won't believe this. Isaac brought a woman into the house last night!"
The words hit Victoria like a physical blow, snapping her fully awake. She had heard the commotion downstairs and come to investigate, never expecting to be confronted with this nightmare scenario. She looked at Isaac, who appeared genuinely confused and overwhelmed. An expression that only reinforced her growing understanding of how catastrophically this case might be.
"What do you mean?" Victoria asked, though Isaac could see the knowledge already dawning in her eyes.
"Mom, look at this!" Emily thrust the phone toward Victoria, pressing play with the enthusiasm of someone revealing a smoking gun.
The audio filled the room. Passionate moans. Breathless gasps. The unmistakable rhythm of bodies moving together. Victoria's face went from pale to crimson in seconds as she listened to her own voice echoing from the phone's speaker. The sound was so much louder than she had remembered. So much more explicit and undeniable.
I never knew I was this loud, she thought in horror. How did no one else hear us? How could I have been so careless?
But as the recording played, a wave of relief washed over her terror. The moans were clearly feminine and passionate, but they were also completely anonymous. Her daughter couldn't possibly identify the voice as hers. It was too distorted by pleasure, too altered by the intensity of the moment. She barely recognized herself in those sounds.
Emma stood frozen on the stairs, her face carefully neutral. The truth was, she had heard sounds coming from Isaac's room last night. Her bedroom was closest to his, and she had initially thought he was watching a porn video. But then she had remembered. Isaac didn't have a computer or even a phone in his room. The possibility that he was actually with someone had crossed her mind, but she had dismissed it as impossible. Now, confronted with undeniable evidence, she found herself completely at a loss for words.
The silence stretched like a taut wire, broken only by the fading echoes of the recording.
Victoria's mind raced. The sound of her own voice, broadcast in her living room, was a nightmare made real. Still reeling from the shock, she turned toward the others, forcing her features into the perfect mask of parental outrage.
She stepped forward and plucked the phone from Emily's hands.
"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. Sharp. Measured. Authoritative. "When did all this nonsense start?"
Even knowing the truth, Isaac almost believed her act. Her performance was flawless. The slight tremor in her hands. The way she avoided meeting anyone's eyes for too long. The balance between concern and disappointment. She wasn't panicking. She was controlling the narrative.
Looking at how things had escalated, he knew there was no avoiding the confrontation now. He really hadn't expected things to reach this point. He'd had a nagging feeling something like this might happen, but not quite what he expected. He glanced at Jade for a brief moment, noting her satisfied expression, before turning back to Victoria.
He let out a slow breath.
"If I'm being honest, ma'am, it wasn't what Emily is making it sound like. It was someone I'd been talking to recently. We met near school, had a few conversations, and things escalated way faster than they should have."
Listening to him, Victoria couldn't help but be impressed by how smoothly the lie rolled off his tongue. But she forced her expression to stay neutral. Any slip could ruin everything. She fixed him with a colder stare.
"And you thought that made it acceptable to bring her here? Into this house?" she asked, her voice low but sharp.
Isaac kept his head bowed, saying nothing.
"It seems," she continued, her tone icing over, "I've been far too lenient with you. Give someone an inch, and they'll take a mile. You're grounded, Isaac. Twice the household chores. Before and after school. No outings until your father returns. And when Andrew gets home, he'll hear about every bit of this."
She paused.
"Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Emily nodded like she didn't expect anything less from her mother, but Victoria wasn't finished. She turned to Jade.
"And as for you, I'd like you to explain why a guest in my house was sneaking around with her phone pointed at one of the bedroom doors. Because I'm trying to understand if you weren't taught what privacy is."
"MOM!" Emily snapped, outraged.
Victoria didn't even look at her daughter.
In her mind, she knew she had to address this now. She couldn't overlook the fact that one wrong sound on that recording could have potentially exposed everything. And seeing how smug and careless Emily's friend was, Victoria could tell the girl had only done it for fun. From what Isaac said yesterday, Jade had made some kind of deal with him to delete the video, yet clearly never intended to keep her word.
And those were the kind of people she despised the most.
Victoria finally lifted her gaze to Jade, the temperature in the room dropping several degrees.
"Now," she said quietly. Too quietly. "Answer the question."
Jade stiffened. Her earlier smugness faltered for the first time, the edges of her confidence cracking under Victoria's direct attention. She knew how Emily was when she was mad. And if Victoria was anything like that, it would be even scarier.
"I... I heard noises," Jade said, her voice shaky but defensive.
"...and instead of doing anything remotely appropriate, you chose to film it?" Victoria's tone was soft. Dangerously soft.
Jade opened her mouth, then closed it again. There was no explanation that sounded reasonable under the stare Victoria was giving her.
Emily jumped in immediately, trying to shield her friend.
"Mom, she was just trying to help! You're overreacting– "
"I'm addressing the person who made the recording," Victoria cut in, ice-calm. "Not you."
Emily fell silent, unsettled. She couldn't remember the last time her mother had lost her composure like this. Something was off.
Jade swallowed hard, forcing her voice steady.
"I didn't mean anything by it. I just... wanted proof. In case something was wrong."
Victoria's eyes narrowed, the kind of look that stripped excuses down to their bones.
"Proof of what, exactly?" she asked quietly. "Because nothing about your actions suggests concern. It suggests curiosity. Intrusive curiosity."
Jade's face drained of color. "I–I didn't mean–"
"I didn't ask what you meant," Victoria said, voice cool as glass. "I'm asking what you thought you were doing."
For a moment, silence smothered the room.
Victoria held Jade's gaze a second longer. Long enough to warn. Long enough to crush whatever flimsy excuses Jade was trying to gather.
She finally exhaled, letting the confrontation die where it stood.
Victoria turned away and placed the phone into Emily's hand.
"Delete that filth. Now."
Her voice was final. The kind that closed arguments, ended discussions, and silenced rooms.
"Everyone upstairs," she added. "It's too early for this chaos. We'll revisit this when Andrew comes home."
She headed upstairs without waiting for anyone's reply. She felt she needed time to think. She didn't understand why she had even let herself be talked into doing it again with him. If they had been caught, it would be a whole different story now.
Emily watched her mother disappear up the stairs, now certain something was off. She had noticed it yesterday but hadn't paid heed to it. But it was becoming more apparent. It was almost like her mother was trying to take Isaac's side on this, even if it didn't look like it.