Chapter 5 Five

ISABELLA'S POV

Shaun had pulled me gently from the crowd and out of the function. I was too stunned to speak or fight him. He just kept walking while I trailed behind him in the back.

"Get in the car," he said.

I raised an eyebrow, ready to lash out.

"Or would you rather go back with them?"

I wanted to fight him, I knew I couldn't go back to them. Tina and Camilla would have my head, and my father would watch them do it.

I had no idea where we were going, and I didn't ask; I was just glad I wasn't with my family anymore. My brain still buzzed; I had been thrown off by the sudden events of the day. The kiss had been unexpected.

I reached for my lip, slowly grazing it with my index finger, when my eyes caught his in the rear mirror, and he smirked. My cheeks burned, he had seen me reliving the moment we had earlier.

I lowered my head to avoid eye contact. Soon enough, we arrived at his abode. It was a penthouse sitting at the top of a glass and steel high-rise in the heart of London.

The inside mirrored his aura perfectly: masculine, dark, and minimalistic. Black marble floors, shadowy panelled walls, a spiral-like staircase that led to God knows where. Everything about the house screamed Shaun Whitmore, the cold ice prince.

My frontal lobe suddenly developed, and I found my voice.

"Why are we here? You brought me to your house?"

I cringed inwardly. I had wanted to sound more authoritative"

"You followed me willingly without resisting"

"That was because I-" He didn't let me finish. I wanted to say that was because I was shocked and overwhelmed, but then he probably doesn't care.

"Besides, we are engaged; no one would question this", he stated.

I swallowed nervously, I don't know what to do or think of being enclosed in his space and being this close with him. I didn't realise how close we were until I felt his breath on me. I moved backwards hurriedly, walking away from him.

He moved with me till my back hit the wall, my heart thumped loudly, and the room grew hot suddenly.

"You finally got what you wanted, huh?"

He growled into my ears.

"What, why are you doing? You are the one who announced the engagement between us without knowing me"

"Still pretending I see, you planned this from the very beginning, didn't you?"

He was closer now, his face a few inches away from mine.

"I do not understand what you are saying." Did he know about the deal I had with his grandfather? I thought that was supposed to be a secret between me and Mr Whitmore.

Shaun probably found out, I guess there's no use pretending.

"Oh, you figured out it wasn't-" he cut me short again

"That's enough, I do not need to hear it. I dislike people like you. You've gotten what you wanted, there's no need to explain.

His voice was cold and sliced through the air

Okay, I get that he was angry. I approached his grandfather, but I'm not the only one benefiting from this marriage; he is, too.

"Okay", I simply replied, not like I cared about how he thought or felt, it was an arranged marriage, and people always do that.

He pulled away from me and ascended the spiral stairs, motioning to me to follow him. The spiral stairs curled in a ribbon and led to a hallway that stretched ahead with dark polished floors and a dark grey-toned wall. On the left was a private indoor garden, which was see-through because of the glass doors.

To the right, the first door seemed to lead to a study or so because there were two doors ahead. He paused at the door near the end, his hand wrapped around the handle.

"This is your room"

Inside the large beige room was a floor-to-ceiling window that allowed the best view of London at night. A bed sat under a magnificent Chandelier Of perfectly curled crystals. The blackout curtains loomed over the floor-to-ceiling window, and everything smelled clean.

I walked closer to the window, wanting to take in the night view, when his voice interrupted me. I had already forgotten he was there with me.

"Don't get too comfortable, don't touch my stuff. There are a few clothes for you in the closet.. You would have your stuff brought to you tomorrow"

With that, he left. No trace of warmth or sign of welcome. I was alone with my thoughts once again. I still cannot believe I will be getting married to Shaun Whitmore. Tired from the day's drama, I stripped my clothes and walked into the bathroom.

It was softer than the rest of the house, which was either black or grey; I stared at myself in the wide mirror above the marble vanity flanked by golden sconces, basking in the bath.

I found pyjamas in the closet as he had promised, I settled into the plush bed, and before I knew it, I was plunged into.

darkness

........

The golden rays of light shone through the glass window, making my eyes twitch; it was morning already. My body ached, and I felt nauseated, probably because of my illness. I dragged myself to the bathroom to have a shower while checking the time on my phone.

At 9:15am, Shaun would have gone to work. After my shower, I head downstairs in an oversized shirt I'd found in the closet to wear.

The house was quiet, just how I liked it. I walked to the kitchen, and the only sound was rustling. I froze suddenly, and Shaun was there only with a shirt low on his waist.

His back muscles twitched as he flipped whatever he was cooking. I tried my best not to gawk at how ripped he was.

I wore only an oversized shirt that was barely covering my upper body, assuming Shaun had already left for work.

I attempted to go back when he made eye contact with me, I started breathing my sigh to gawk at his tanned cheek. I cleaned my throat, I just want to have a glass of water.

I walked towards where he was to the cabinet, I reached for it, severely trying to pull out the cup when I felt his presence at my back, I turned to face him in shock as he reached for the cup. I had the full view of his face and chest as he handed over the cup after checking out for what seemed like a millisecond.

I changed my kind to having a juice after seeing it in a glass jug on the shelf. My hands trembled despite holding the jug with my two hands.

I downed the juice nervously when my phone beeped; I casually reached for it, expecting it to be a threat text from Tina or Camilla. It was a pop-up notification, and it made my blood run cold.

My hands trembled as I read it, my mind trembled, and the only sound that brought me back to reality was the shattering of the glass cup in my hands