Isabella stood there, unable to move.
Her mind was a mess. This was not what she had expected. She didn't know if this was meant to punish her or punish his adopted brother. She didn't even know if the man would agree to such a marriage.
She was still lost in her thoughts when Adrian's voice snapped her back to reality.
"Well?" he demanded.
She swallowed hard. "Can you… can you give me some days to think about it?"
"You don't have days," Adrian said coldly. "You have seconds."
He looked at her without mercy. "Ten seconds. Choose. Or go to prison."
He started counting.
Her heart pounded louder with every second. Prison flashed through her mind. Cold walls. Forgotten days. A family that wouldn't even come looking for her. She knew she would rot there.
When he reached the end, desperation tore out of her.
"I'll do it!" she shouted. "I'll marry him!"
Silence filled the room.
Adrian's lips curved slightly. "Very good. I thought so."
He straightened. "Get ready. You're getting married tomorrow."
Her breath caught. Tomorrow?
"Now leave," he continued. "And don't come back here until I ask you to."
Isabella didn't wait to hear another word. She turned and ran out of the room without looking back.
When she finally made it out of the mansion, her legs gave way. She paused for a moment, steadying herself, then got into a taxi and rushed straight home, her body shaking with fear.
As soon as Isabella stepped out of the taxi, her legs almost gave way beneath her. She clutched her bag tightly and staggered toward the front door.
By the time she unlocked it and stepped into the mansion, her head was spinning. Everything felt unreal. Her body felt cold, weak, as if she wasn't thinking straight.
Then it hit her.
Anger surged through her veins. Her fingers curled into fists.
The very reason she had risked everything… the very person she had tried so hard not to lose… was the one she had lost in the end.
What now?
What was she supposed to tell Sebastian Hale? That she was getting married to a man she didn't even know?
Regret washed over her. She blamed herself for everything. She had walked straight into a hornet's nest from the very beginning.
If only she hadn't lied.
If only she hadn't told Sebastian she was the third sister of the Verne family.
But she had been afraid. Afraid that if anyone knew she was the unacknowledged daughter of a maid, no one would accept her.
That was the secret.
Camilla and Elena had discovered that she had lied to Sebastian, and they used it to blackmail her.
Anger burned hotter in her chest.
"Elena! Camilla!" Isabella shouted.
Her voice echoed through the mansion.
Moments later, the two sisters appeared, walking toward her calmly. Gracefully. Smiling.
"Why are you shouting?" Elena asked coldly. "Don't you know how to behave? You should show some respect."
"You promised me," Isabella snapped. "You promised me he wouldn't be around. You promised me!"
Camilla laughed softly. "Oh, you really are foolish."
She tilted her head. "We didn't need the invitation. We already had one."
Elena folded her arms. "We only needed a way to get rid of you."
Camilla's smile widened. "We don't need you in this mansion."
Isabella stared at them, her chest tight. "So you lied to me," she said. "You made me risk everything just to steal that invitation."
Realization hit her hard.
"Oh," she whispered bitterly. "I see."
"I can't believe you're getting married to that lowlife's adopted brother," Camilla said, her lips curling in mockery. "That man is disgusting."
She laughed.
Isabella's head snapped up. "You know?"
"Of course we did," Camilla replied casually. "We put a recorder in your bag. We heard everything."
Isabella's breath caught.
"I honestly didn't think Adrian would go that far," Camilla continued. "But this?" She smiled. "This is even better than our original plan."
Elena burst into laughter. "Now you're stuck with a nobody. A man Adrian himself treats like trash."
Isabella stared at them in disbelief. Her chest tightened.
"So why?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Why didn't you just let me be with Sebastian? If you wanted me gone, why make me go through all this?"
Elena's smile faded slightly. She stepped closer.
"Because letting you live happily wasn't enough," she said coldly.
Camilla folded her arms. "We wanted you broken."
The words hit harder than any slap.
"Oh, and one more thing," Camilla added lightly, smiling. "Elena has always had her eyes on Sebastian. I mean, he's far too good for someone like you."
She shrugged. "This is how far we're willing to go to get what we want."
Something inside Isabella snapped.
"You will pay for this," she said, her voice shaking with rage. "You will pay. I promise you."
Before either of them could react, Isabella lunged forward and slammed her fist into Camilla's face.
Camilla screamed.
Elena rushed forward to pull them apart, but Isabella turned on her too. She pushed, slapped, and struck blindly, years of anger pouring out all at once.
The room erupted into chaos.
A moment later, security guards rushed in and dragged them apart. All three were breathing hard, bruised, shaken.
Camilla wiped her mouth and laughed bitterly. "You'll regret this," she said.
Isabella said nothing. She turned away from them and walked toward her room, her hands still shaking.
"Go on," the sisters called after her, laughing. "Enjoy your little life. It's ruined forever."
Isabella ran into her room and slammed the door shut behind her.
***
Julian Verity was in his room when he heard the door click open.
He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Hi, brother," Adrian Verity said casually as he walked in.
Julian finally looked up. "What do you want?"
Adrian's smile was slow and cold. "You're not in a position to question my authority."
Julian said nothing.
He already knew better than to push.
"So," Adrian said calmly, "you'll be getting married tomorrow at noon."
Julian's head snapped up.
"Get ready. Go to the market and buy a ring," Adrian continued. "I don't care what kind of ring it is. You are getting married tomorrow. That's final."
He didn't wait for a response.
Adrian turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Julian stood there, frozen.
For the first time in his life, he was completely dumbfounded.
This was far worse than any punishment Adrian had ever given him.