Sweet Flash Marriage with the Restrained Tycoon (Isabelle and Damien) novel Chapter 16

Isabelle stood frozen in place, and her hands twisted together nervously.

"You little punk, did you piss her off?" Theodore sat in the passenger seat, muttering curses under his breath.

"You finally find yourself a gorgeous girl like that, and you can't even open your damn mouth?"

Damian stayed silent the entire time and kept his expression dark while his grandfather ripped into him.

"Look at yourself. How old are you now? You're still holding out for that ex-girlfriend who's never coming back, and for what? You think she's even looking back at you?

"When are you gonna drop this stubborn streak of yours?"

"Grandpa, I don't like her," Damian said suddenly, and his eyes looked distant.

Theodore shot back, "Don't like her? You think I'm blind? If you don't like her, why'd you talk to her for so long? Why are you sewing buttons on damaged clothes if you don't like her?

"Don't you have that whole cleanliness thing going on? That jacket costs over a hundred grand, and you just threw it over her shoulders. But you wouldn't do that for me, would you?"

The car pulled into the parking lot next to the estate, and Damian figured that stubborn woman would turn around and leave. But she followed them inside instead.

Their eyes met, but neither of them said a word. Theodore saw what was happening and made himself scarce.

That heavy gaze landed on Isabelle again, and a flash of light sparked behind his rimless glasses before disappearing just as quickly.

Who would've guessed that underneath all that polish and those fancy suits, he was this cold?

"Do you know what it means if you come inside?" Damian didn't walk toward her, but Isabelle could already feel the pressure bearing down on her from where he stood by the car.

She shook her head and took two steps back until her back hit the car door.

"If you come in with me, you're not leaving. Tonight it's just the two of us, one bed, and tomorrow, we're getting a marriage certificate."

Isabelle tried to keep her composure. "Heh, well... I'm already here..."

The words died in her throat.

Damian stared at her for several long seconds, and his expression grew even darker.

He swallowed hard and gave a slight nod.

"Does that mean you've made up your mind about becoming my wife?"

"I can pretend for today at least, so you won't be so embarrassed." Isabelle couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.

"Should I thank you, then?" Damian looked like he was about to lose it, like she was driving him absolutely insane.

He felt like she was stringing him along, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

"Isabelle, if you haven't thought this through, I'm telling you to go back. I don't force things, and I don't do these messy, unclear situations." His tone was casual, but every word cut sharp.

Wait, what? He told his family we were together?

She couldn't believe it. He'd blocked her.

This is unbelievable. Stubborn, old-fashioned jerk.

Her fingers tapped the screen, and she deleted his contact.

Isabelle locked her phone. Whatever. At least this weird undefined thing between them was finally over.

She bit her lip, drove the car downtown, grabbed food at some random place, and headed back to her rental.

The living room was packed with luggage she'd already boxed up, but she hadn't found the right place yet. Everything just sat there, making the space feel even more chaotic.

*****

Early the next morning, she carried a simple gift bag and kept her head down, scrolling through her phone as she followed the crowd into the elevator.

The second she stepped inside, that familiar scent hit her. She knew exactly who it belonged to, and sure enough, Brian was standing right next to him.

She didn't dare look up and moved to the opposite corner, putting as much distance between them as possible. But she could feel someone's sharp gaze boring into her from across the elevator.

More people piled in from outside, and the elevator filled up fast. All kinds of strange smells started mixing together in the cramped space.

Isabelle covered her mouth and turned to face the wall, dry heaving quietly. The nausea hit her in waves, and she gagged a few more times against the elevator wall. The feeling didn't ease up until the elevator climbed higher and the doors opened, finally giving the crowd some room to spread out.