Fated Marriage Spoiled by My Ice Billionaire novel Chapter 12

But Nicole had sent something completely different.

It was an invitation to her engagement party next Wednesday.

"Those cheating bastards. Finally making it official."

Isabelle stared at the words on her screen and felt her eyes start to burn.

"Don't cry. Don't you dare cry." She forced the tears back down.

They'd been screwing around behind her back, and now they wanted her there to watch them celebrate? How shameless could they get?

She typed back, "Congrats! Who's the lucky guy? This is so sudden. You never mentioned anyone."

Isabelle wanted to make Nicole squirm a little, but the response was maddeningly vague.

Nicole sent, "You know him too. You'll find out soon enough."

Of course she knew.

But Gary was still playing the coward, refusing to come clean with Isabelle and choosing to keep stringing her along instead.

Some people really had no shame.

After wiping away her tears, she casually opened the car's camera feed on her phone.

Sure enough, those two cheaters were sitting right there in her car.

A harsh laugh escaped her lips. Turning the phone volume all the way up, she set it on the kitchen counter and started making dinner.

They kept arguing. Gary wanted Nicole to get rid of the baby, and Nicole refused point-blank.

Gary admitted that he and Nicole were just friends with benefits, that they used each other for sex, but what he had with Isabelle was real. That's why he wouldn't agree to marriage or show up to any engagement party.

That part actually surprised her. For a second, she almost believed Gary actually loved her.

The thought made her laugh coldly, and suddenly she had no appetite for dinner anymore. Pushing everything aside, she glanced around the apartment she'd only rented a year ago and let out a long sigh.

Time to move.

Gary would definitely agree to the arranged marriage. She knew that much. And he wouldn't let her go easily either.

He loved her, in his own way. It was real love, sure, but it was cheap.

She didn't want to deal with anyone's drama anymore. Fine, then. Let those two have each other.

The next day, Gary brought the car back and came straight to Isabelle's apartment.

The moment he walked through the door, he spotted the men's suit jacket draped over the couch.

"Isabelle, whose jacket is..." Gary set the car keys down on the table.

The jacket was clearly expensive, but Isabelle wasn't the type who cheated.

He'd always admired her beauty, her intelligence, that natural magnetism she had.

"Exactly what it looks like. I'm seeing someone else. We're done." Isabelle cut straight to the point without wasting words. That had always been her style.

Gary froze. "Isabelle..."

He wanted to know if this was because of Nicole, but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

"Is there something else? If not, you can go." She didn't even glance in his direction.

Brian caught the strain in her voice immediately. "Are you okay? Where are you? Can you move?"

The rapid-fire questions were too much to handle. "Just... come get me..." Her voice trailed off into a groan.

Everything started getting hazy, and consciousness was slipping away fast.

Less than ten minutes later, someone was pounding on her door.

The door crashed open with a deafening bang.

"Isabelle!" A familiar voice cut through the fog. "Christ, look at you."

His tone was harsh, but worry bled through the annoyance.

Strong arms scooped her up like she weighed nothing, and that scent hit her again—subtle sandalwood.

When she finally came to, she was lying in a private hospital room.

"You're awake." It was that voice again.

Slowly turning her head, she found herself staring at that ridiculously handsome face—the kind that made girls scream.

He was still wearing his suit—black shirt, black tie—and he stood over her with that same intense look from the other night.

Oh God, why am I thinking about that right now?

"Mr. Cross? What are you doing here?" Heat flooded Isabelle's cheeks.

"Brian's off duty." Damian kept his hands in his pockets and didn't say much else. His eyes just stayed fixed on her.