A thirty-year-old man's desire was a raw, unrestrained thing. Isabel Jones had lost all track of time, swept up in his whirlwind. Her body felt wrecked, overwhelmed by a longing so intense it left her breathless.

Maximilian Riley knew every inch of her. His touch was precise, practiced—never too much, always expertly drawing out her reactions.

"Cancel my appointments for the week. I'm taking a vacation. Book two tickets to the Bahamas." Maximilian finally spoke, standing by the bed and dressing with careless ease.

A flicker of joy lit Isabel's eyes as she carefully stretched her sore back. "Maximilian, are you taking me on vacation?"

Maximilian paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he glanced at her. "I'm going with Kayleigh."

The smile slipped from Isabel's face. She lowered her head, cheeks burning. "Alright, Mr. Riley..."

Seeing her expression, Maximilian added, "Isabel, you're just an orphan, and you're young. I can never marry you."

Isabel looked up, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "I never expected you to marry me... Now that Miss Fernandez is back, maybe it's time we ended this arrangement?"

Maximilian's expression darkened. Still, he gently ruffled Isabel's hair and set a credit card on the nightstand. "Go on," he said, voice soft, soothing. "Buy whatever you want."

"Mr. Riley, I refuse to be the other woman," Isabel said, stubbornly meeting his gaze. She knew his marriage to Kayleigh was inevitable.

"It's too early for that talk. We'll discuss it when the wedding's actually happening. Don't overreact—whether this ends isn't up to you." Clearly frustrated, Maximilian gave Isabel one last look, then walked out.

Even after the door clicked shut, the ringing in her ears drowned out everything else.

Isabel had grown up an orphan. When she first started college, her beauty drew the wrath of a wealthy heiress, and the girl made her life hell. The attack left Isabel deaf in one ear and nearly blinded by a burning cigarette.

The whole incident was caught on camera and went viral online.

The school had to call in the parents, and the one who came on behalf of the heiress was none other than Maximilian Riley.

Maximilian—the heiress's older brother—might have acted out of family duty, or maybe pity. He reached out to a bruised, broken Isabel, and his first words to her were, "Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you again."

It was humiliating, and yet Isabel fell for him. Maximilian fit the image of the protector she'd desperately craved in a time when she was starving for love.

She'd once believed he was her knight in shining armor. Now it seemed... Maximilian didn't love her—and had no intention of letting her go.

...

At Riley Corporation, Maximilian was tied up in meetings, handing off his responsibilities, while Kayleigh waited in his office.

Soon they'd jet off to the Bahamas together, ready to enjoy a dreamy seven days.

Isabel brought coffee to Kayleigh, her heart aching like it was being sliced open. "Miss Fernandez, your coffee."

Kayleigh glanced up at Isabel, her smile warm and gentle.

With her impressive background, Kayleigh was considered Maximilian's perfect match. She'd known him since childhood—the epitome of sophistication, a distinguished heiress whose mere presence blinded Isabel with its radiant confidence.

Isabel knew she'd lost. She'd never really stood a chance.

The fairy tale was never going to come true for her. She was just a distraction.

She set down the coffee and all but fled the office, cheeks burning.

Her insecurities, her background, the reality of her disabilities—it all made her feel small. Insignificant.

"Mr. Riley and Miss Fernandez are going on their honeymoon? Word is they've made it official. They'll announce it when they get back. Their families have already agreed to the wedding."

In the break room, coworkers gossiped about Maximilian and Kayleigh's upcoming nuptials.

As Isabel refilled her cup, boiling water scalded her hand.

The cup shattered on the floor. She reacted a beat too late, rushing to rinse her hand under cold water.

Maximilian and Kayleigh were getting married.

Which meant whatever she had with Maximilian was over. So was her internship at Riley Corporation.

"Isabel, Mr. Riley wants you to drive him and Miss Fernandez to the airport at eleven."

A colleague relayed the order: Isabel was to take Maximilian and Kayleigh to the airport.

Isabel managed a bitter smile, aware of how cruel Maximilian could be.

She knew he was doing this on purpose—using her instead of a driver to put her in her place, to make sure she didn't harbor any unrealistic dreams.

Maximilian and his sister were both tormentors, just in different ways. One had broken her body. The other was breaking what was left of her heart.

Isabel pulled out her phone, hesitated, then dialed a number she'd once blocked.

"Hello, Mr. Alexander. You mentioned before... if I agreed to marry you, you'd sponsor my studies in France. Is that offer still on the table?" Her voice trembled slightly.

Marriage might be her only ticket out of Newport—her only real escape from Maximilian Riley.

"Think it over carefully," came the deep voice on the other end. "Meet me at Riverview Villa at seven p.m. on the thirteenth, and we'll discuss the details."

The thirteenth was only eight days away.

Isabel had just hung up when Kayleigh called softly from the living room.

Isabel turned, nerves prickling. Kayleigh stood there radiating warmth and grace, and somehow it only made Isabel feel smaller—like she couldn’t breathe.

“Isabel, could you help me with something?” Kayleigh’s voice was soft, matching the elegant handwriting on the list she held out. Isabel glanced down. The word condoms hit her like a slap.

“Please, keep this between us,” Kayleigh added in a whisper, followed by a knowing little wink.

Feeling like she might shatter, Isabel nodded too fast and practically fled the room.

Then the memory hit her—her first time with Maximilian, back when she’d just turned nineteen. He’d brought her flowers and a spiced honey cake, little things she’d never gotten as an orphan. That was all it took to sweep her off her feet. She’d been ready to give him everything.

Isabel let out a bitter laugh. God, she’d been so foolish. Such small things had completely blinded her. Girls should be raised with love and plenty, she thought, so they won’t be fooled by a slice of cake and a bouquet.

In four years with Maximilian, Isabel had never bought condoms—he always insisted on other forms of birth control, never caring what it did to her body. But for Kayleigh? He cared. He’d protect her health no matter what.

On the way to the airport, Isabel stayed silent, lost in her thoughts.

“Time’s tight. Pick up the pace,” Maximilian said, noticing something was off with her.

“Sure, Mr. Riley,” Isabel said, flipping her turn signal as the light turned green.

Just as the car ahead cleared the intersection, a boy darted into the road against the light. Isabel swerved on instinct and slammed into the median’s flowerbed.

“Kayleigh!” The second they hit, Maximilian threw himself over Kayleigh, shielding her with his body.

The car hadn’t been going fast, so only the driver’s side took severe damage. The airbag deployed, pinning Isabel down, her left leg painfully trapped under the crushed dashboard.

“Maximilian...” Isabel’s voice shook with terror. “Help me...”

The fear of being trapped, of not being able to move, swallowed her whole.

Suddenly she was back in college—locked inside a cramped wooden box by that bully, Ian’s sister. No one came when she screamed. She’d nearly suffocated, saved only when a janitor found her the next day.

“Maximilian!” Panic climbed as she saw him getting ready to leave. Swallowing her pride, she pleaded anyway, even with Kayleigh standing there. “Don’t leave me...”

“Emergency services will handle it,” Maximilian said flatly, calling for help while he helped Kayleigh out of the car.

“She’s still inside,” Kayleigh noted, a hint of suspicion in her voice at how familiar Isabel sounded with him.

Maximilian brushed it off, pulling Kayleigh close. “The crash wasn’t serious. If we don’t go now, we’ll miss our flight. Help will come for her.”

Kayleigh nodded, casting one meaningful glance at Isabel trapped inside, but said nothing more as she followed Maximilian away.

Isabel thrashed against the seatbelt, pounding on the window, but Maximilian never looked back.

She understood then. He was more afraid of Kayleigh getting the wrong idea than of Isabel losing her life.

Watching them leave, Isabel couldn’t hold it in anymore. She broke into tears. “Maximilian! Please, save me... you promised you wouldn’t abandon me...”

“You liar, Maximilian! You said you’d protect me!”

Despair and panic crashed together inside her, spiraling fast. She lashed out without thinking, making her injuries worse.

“Let me out... let me out!” she screamed, pounding the window, her own cries echoing in her head.

The old trauma swallowed her mind whole, especially when the acrid smell of smoke began seeping into the car.

“The car’s on fire!” someone shouted from the street.

“Is anyone still inside? I thought they left.”

Trapped, Isabel started counting again, just like she had on that terrible night in college.

“1, 2, 3, 4...”

The night Ian’s sister imprisoned her, Isabel had counted to 6,788 before someone found her.

Now, in quiet despair, she wondered what number she’d reach before the end.

Maybe a hard life just makes you resilient. Isabel Jones had survived—somehow, she'd been saved. When she woke, it was already the next morning.

"Fractured right arm, mild concussion, multiple bruises..." The doctor stood at her bedside, watching as Isabel blinked back to consciousness. "Any other pain? Anything else feel off?"

Isabel shook her head and reached for her phone. One glance. Maximilian Riley hadn't even bothered to call. But then—Maximilian, who never posted on social media—had uploaded a photo. A stunning seaside, breathtaking.

Of course, the real focal point was Kayleigh Fernandez in a Victorian-style dress. She was beautiful. More captivating than the view itself.

Isabel curled in on herself, dragged the blanket over her head, and cried.

After four years with Maximilian, what was she to him, really?

Nothing.

...

The moment she was discharged, Isabel went back to her rented apartment, took some ibuprofen, and slept. She was a survivor; her body knew how to endure. She slept the whole day, and when she woke, she finally felt half alive.

After slapping on a few pain-relief patches, she headed to work. She still had intern pay to collect, after all.

"Did you see Maximilian's post? Wow. He never posts, and he did it just for Miss Fernandez."

"Maximilian is, like, the definition of a gentleman. All these years, he's kept it clean—waiting for Miss Fernandez."

As Isabel stepped into the office, she caught her coworkers gossiping.

She laughed under her breath and took her seat. Sure, Maximilian loved Kayleigh. That part was real. But him being some saint who kept his hands to himself? Yeah, right.

It was almost funny. Maybe all men were the same—love in one box, sex in another. He loved Kayleigh in his heart, but that hadn't stopped him from sleeping with Isabel.

"Miss, this is our work area. Mr. Riley said you shouldn't—"

A commotion broke out by the elevator.

Isabel glanced over, and her blood ran cold.

Francis Wood had arrived.

"Move." Ruby's command cut through the room. She was all high-end suit and high heels, and she was heading straight for Isabel.

Isabel lowered her head, shoulders hunching on instinct. The shadows of freshman-year bullying were still buried deep in her bones.

"Isabel, my brother is coming home today. He and Miss Fernandez are getting married." Ruby whispered it in her ear, every word dripping with malice.

She laughed, soft and cruel. "Four years ago, I told you. The day my brother throws you away will be your last."

Isabel went rigid.

Four years, and Ruby still wouldn't let her breathe.

Then came the slap. Sharp. Loud. Right in front of every employee.

Isabel didn't hit back. Didn't make a sound.

She could admit it: she was too scared to provoke Ruby. God knew how many times she'd imagined fighting back. But as long as she wanted to live, she couldn't.

If she ever truly hit her breaking point, she'd take Ruby down with her. For now, she was a coward. A coward who wanted to survive...

"Remember that slap? My brother hit me because of you back then—sent me overseas! He'd never raised a hand to me before. All for you!" Ruby laughed, fury twisting her face, and poured the coffee from the desk over Isabel's head.

"Isabel, you think sleeping with my brother means you've won? What are you next to him? Nothing but an orphan. You think he'd marry you?"

Ruby shoved Isabel's head again, her voice full of disdain. "Leave Riley Corporation. Or I'll expose your past in the company group chat."

Isabel stayed silent, head bowed.

The dirt Ruby was talking about? Stripping her naked freshman year and taking photos. Or maybe sleeping with her brother.

No one in the office dared stand up for Isabel. Ruby was the heiress of the conglomerate.

"Isabel... what did you do to piss off the Riley family's heiress?" a colleague finally whispered after Ruby left.

Isabel smiled and wiped her face with a tissue. "We were college classmates. Just... old issues..."

...

In the restroom, Isabel hid in a corner, fixing her clothes.

She didn't cry.

As a freshman, she'd been naive enough to cry about how unfair the world was.

Was being an orphan her fault?

Did having no connections and no one in her corner mean she deserved to be bullied?

Now she understood. Being an orphan was the original sin. Having no connections, no support—that was the crime. People who bullied you never needed a reason.

Ding!

Her phone chimed. Maximilian had transferred fifty thousand dollars to her via WhatsApp.

Of course. The office had been a whole scene today. Maximilian had to know Ruby came to confront her.

A slap for fifty thousand dollars.

Quite the transaction.

"I called Ruby and told her off. Buy whatever you want."

Maximilian followed it with a voice message.

Always the same—buy whatever you want.

"Thank you, Mr. Riley."

Isabel accepted the money like it was her earnings. She needed to keep it.

She stared at the chat, not sure what she was hoping for. Maybe that Maximilian would show some concern—at least ask if she'd been hurt in the car accident that day. But he didn't ask anything.

She closed her phone and went to HR to submit her resignation. Since she was still an intern, the process wasn't a hassle.

Tomorrow was the thirteenth. That evening, she'd go to Riverview Villa to meet Mr. Alexander.

As long as she seized this chance, she could get out of the Newport for good.

Escape Maximilian Riley.