Chapter 241
The return trip from Skyrim to Elmsworth was unusually subdued. The normally vivacious Isabella Sinclair sat in silence, her striking features shadowed by an uncharacteristic melancholy.
Back at The Regal Palace, she dismissed her loyal assistant Sebastian Lockwood with a curt wave, retreating immediately to her private office. There, she immersed herself in old case files about the infamous scandal involving Victoria Sterling.
"That media gala was Victoria's lowest point," Isabella mused aloud, "yet it became the foundation of her bond with Alexander Kingsley."
"In those days before social media dominated, scandals spread through print. Alexander reportedly bought and destroyed every national publication that covered the incident. He even blacklisted journalists who dared write about it. Rumor has it some foreign press captured footage that leaked online. Despite Alexander's efforts to erase it, fragments survived."
Isabella exhaled sharply, her piercing gaze fixed on the monitor as her fingers flew across the keyboard. Soon, the long-buried video materialized - grainy with age but unmistakable.
The footage showed Victoria trembling under harsh spotlights, her face ghostly pale. The crowd's gasps and cruel laughter echoed as she stood frozen, visibly crumbling. Then, a commanding figure strode onto the stage - Alexander Kingsley in his prime.
Without hesitation, Alexander removed his jacket, knelt before Victoria, and wrapped it around her waist. The room fell silent. The video ended abruptly.
Isabella leaned back, shoulders slumping as she stared at the blank screen.
"So this was the moment that won her heart?" she whispered bitterly. "Alexander, you truly mastered the game."
Her phone's sudden ring startled her. "What is it, Sebastian?" she answered tersely.
"Miss Sinclair, Nathaniel Whitmore is here with his sister."
Still irritated about Victoria, Isabella initially considered refusing them. But hearing Nathaniel came to apologize piqued her interest. Watching the spoiled girl squirm might lift her spirits.
Approaching the meeting room, Sebastian intercepted her with concern. "Miss Sinclair, my apologies - I didn't realize earlier. Dominic Blackwood is also present."
Isabella's glacial stare could have frozen lava. "Why didn't you throw him out?"
Sebastian bowed deeply. "My oversight, Miss Sinclair." Dominic had been absent when Sebastian escorted Nathaniel and Amelia in, yet somehow materialized on the sofa sipping coffee when he returned.
"Never mind," Isabella waved dismissively. "You couldn't have handled him anyway."
With a sharp nod, she signaled Sebastian to open the door.
She entered like a storm - tailored suit, lethal heels, radiating authority that commanded the room.
"Isabella." Nathaniel rose nervously. She remained as mesmerizing and dangerous as ever - the ruthless queen of their world.
Dominic's entire body tensed as he watched her.
Amelia cowered behind Nathaniel, small fists clenched in terror at the formidable woman before them.
"What a gathering," Isabella remarked dryly, shrugging off her jacket which Sebastian caught deftly. She turned to Dominic, lips curling in a mocking smile. "Dominic, here to defend little Amelia's honor?"
Dominic's blood boiled at her taunt. He choked on the retort stuck in his throat.
Isabella's verbal daggers always found their mark with him. Yet this sharp-edged version of her was precisely what captivated him.
Amelia, misunderstanding the tension, hid a smirk and stepped forward with practiced meekness.
"Isabella, I admit my mistakes, but are you going blind?" Dominic countered, gaze locked on hers with hidden intensity. "There's no Dominic here. Only your ex-husband."
Amelia froze as if struck by lightning.
"But I did come to support someone," Dominic continued, his handsome face flushing. He grabbed his coffee cup to hide his expression, burning his tongue on the scalding liquid. "Just not Miss Amelia."
Isabella's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
If not Amelia, then who?
Nathaniel?
Still ultimately about Amelia, wasn't it?