Chapter 31
Chapter
Thirty-One
ISABELLE
I didn’t sleep a wink. And, no, it’s not because I couldn’t watch any movies.
It’s because I’ve been plotting. Or at least trying to plot.
Adam might think we’re done. He might not want to fight Tristan, but I do. Men like Tristan do not deserve to win, and I’m going to make sure of it. But I can’t come up with any kind of plan, and it’s killing me. I can see why Adam feels so hopeless.
It’s eight in the morning, and I’m all packed and ready to leave. I’m wearing the same outfit I wore my first night here—my black slacks, deep purple tank top, and stilettos. But I feel like a completely different person, like I’ve lived an entire lifetime here at the castle instead of just a couple weeks. After saying goodbye to everyone in the kitchen, I make my way to the front entrance, waiting to see Adam one more time. My stomach is in knots. Just the thought of leaving him makes me sick. But I have to hope I can somehow help fix this mess he’s in.
“Is everything ready?” Lionel asks, picking up my bag. I packed the gold dress and the bunny slippers, knowing that Adam would want me to have them.
“Uh, yes. I just thought Adam would be here.”
“Unfortunately, he’s been detained,” Lionel says.
“Oh.”
My heart sinks. Maybe I don’t mean as much to him as he does to me. But I can’t believe that. Not after the way he held and kissed me last night. It really felt like one of those “if you love them, let them go” kind of moments.
“Isabelle!” Theo’s voice echoes through the hallway, followed by the sound of his little feet pattering toward me. He wraps me in a huge hug around my thighs. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye!”
“Of course not,” I reply, rubbing his head. I kneel down in front of him. “Are you going home soon, too?”
He nods. “Daddy is supposed to come get me tomorrow.”
“That’s great. I bet you’re excited to go home.”
He shrugs. “I wanted to build another Snow Hulk. Maybe in the winter you can come back and we can build one again!”
“That sounds great,” I say.
“Theo!” Brigette rushes over to us. “Becca couldn’t find you again, you silly boy. Don’t frighten her.”
Theo smirks at me, an expression far too old for his age, and I laugh.
Brigette wraps me in one of her cushioned hugs. “Goodbye, Isabelle.” She pulls back and looks me in the eye. I can tell she’s searching my expression and finds something she approves of. A small smile fills her face. “But this isn’t really goodbye, is it?”
I lean in toward her. “Not if I can help it,” I whisper.
Her eyes twinkle. “I hope you’re right.” She squeezes my shoulders, and the pang in my chest intensifies. I’m going to miss Adam more than I would have ever expected. But Brigette, Lionel, Theo, Josephine, Mario…they’ve all become family, too .
I nod at Lionel, who picks up my suitcase, and we head outside to my car. The sun is shining, and it’s warm outside. It’s hard to believe this whole area was covered in snow just a few days ago.
“Oh, Philippe,” I say, running a hand over the hood.
Lionel tries to hide a smile as he opens the trunk and sets my bags inside. “I trust you’ll be able to find your way back down.”
I nod. “There isn’t really any way to go but down from here.”
He closes the trunk and gives me a little bow. “It’s been an honor serving you. I do hope to see you again.”
I take a step toward him and envelop him in a big hug. His hugs aren’t nearly as cushioned as Brigette’s, but there’s still a familiar, homey feel to him. “Thank you, Lionel.” I pull away and smile at him. “I’ll see you again soon. I promise.”
“I look forward to it.” He steps to the driver’s door and opens it, and I climb inside. I glance back up at the castle, and I swear I can see a flutter of the curtain upstairs. Was that Adam? Is he watching me leave?
I start the car, the sensation of the engine rumbling almost foreign after the amount of time I’ve spent in the castle. I can’t believe I’m actually leaving. Half of me feels like this experience has been a dream, and the other half feels like this castle is where I’m meant to be. But there’s no time to dwell on these thoughts. Because if I’m going to help Adam, I need to leave. I shift the car into drive and start heading down the mountain.
As I drive, it begins to rain.
I was sure Lionel and Agatha were joking about the weather reflecting the mood of the resident, but I can’t help wondering if the rain is a sign of Adam’s temperament.
I think about the way he was when I first came here. Just like a snowstorm, quietly furious. Cold and intense, holding everything inside and not letting me see the light. I laugh to myself, remembering the days when he gave me the silent treatment and I kept saying ridiculous things to make him break. Even then, I knew that there had to be deep feelings hidden underneath the surface.
It wasn’t until he saved me in the forest that I really suspected how deep those feelings went. When I realized how much he cared for and loved Lily, and then his mother, it all came together.
Thinking of Lily renews my determination to see this plan through. I won’t break any promises to Adam; I want to deserve his trust. But I don’t know how I’ll be able to manage it.
As I drive down the mountain, tightly gripping the steering wheel, racking my brain for some semblance of a plan, my phone rings. It’s a call from an unknown number, the area code showing it’s someone from LA. A casting director? It’s always worth it to pick up an unknown number, even with the risk of it being a telemarketer.
I press the button to answer the call from my Bluetooth speaker. “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Isabelle Lovett?” A cheerful, male voice rings through my car.
“It is. Who is this?”
A small chuckle sounds through the speaker. “I apologize for calling unannounced. But I figured I should introduce myself, since we’ll be working together.” A pause. “My name is Tristan Jackson.”
I recoil in shock, my arms jerking the steering wheel to the left. I let out a squeal of terror, but thankfully no one is coming the other direction. I tilt the wheel to the right and get back on my side of the road.
“Hello? Are you all right? ”
“Yes, hello. I’m here. I’m just…driving.” I can’t help the coldness that comes through my voice. I’m finally talking to TRISTAN JACKSON, aka the worst human being alive, as far as I’m concerned.
“Ah, I’m sorry for distracting you. Is this a bad time?”
I want to say yes, but I also want to know what exactly he’s trying to pull here. “No, it’s fine. I can talk while I drive.”
“Great. Well, like I said, I wanted to introduce myself to you. I read about your interview, and I was so impressed. I’m so sorry Adam showed you up like that. He tends to steal the spotlight at the most inconvenient moments.”
I stay silent. Is this the way he views things? That Adam stole the spotlight from him when he first started acting? And that he continues to do that in their careers?
He clears his throat. “Anyway, I was so intrigued by you that I asked around and finally got your phone number. I wanted to see if you’d be interested in having dinner together. Maybe some drinks. We could go dancing.” I swear I can hear his smile through the phone. “I haven’t met anyone like you in the industry. I can tell there’s something special about you, and I think we should get to know each other before we start the movie in a few weeks.”
Oh, wow.
This guy is good.
Truth be told, if I didn’t know anything that Adam had told me, I would have been flattered. That little shiver of “he likes me!” would have rushed down my spine, the tingle that tells you that you’re special, and this guy has picked you out of everyone else for his attention.
For a moment, I hesitate. Who do I believe? Is Adam telling the truth about Tristan?
Yes. I trust Adam .
Adam has shared everything with me. At this point, I feel like our souls are connected. And even besides that, I’ve seen Lily and spoken with her.
This pathetic excuse for a man took everything from her, and I won’t let it happen again.
“I’ll have to pass,” I say. “But thank you for the offer.”
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and then he laughs, still light-hearted. “What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. I’ll pass on spending any kind of time with you.”
“May I ask why?” His voice is sharper now, with a bit of an edge.
I pause. I have to be careful what I say to him, to avoid Adam getting into trouble for telling me the truth. I never found out if the contract meant he couldn’t speak about the incident publicly or if he wasn’t supposed to say anything at all.
“I’m doing the movie with Adam,” I finally say. “I’m not sure where you got the idea that you would be in it instead of him.”
“Adam Stone—” His name comes out like a growl, but Tristan stops himself and clears his throat, back to his cheerful tone. “Adam Stone is no longer their choice.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” I reply.
There’s silence for a couple of moments, and then he speaks again, his voice low and menacing. “Listen here. Adam Stone deserves nothing in this industry. Nothing! I’ve worked for everything I have, and no one can take that away from me.” He pauses. “Watch your back, Isabelle. You don’t want to get on my bad side.”
And then he hangs up.
My hands are shaking, my heart is racing, and I have to suppress the urge to shiver. Yeah, that was creepy. And not just the threat. I’m willing to take my chances with him. But the clear switch, the way he acted so sweet and charming and suddenly flipped it on its head—terrifying.
Poor Lily.
I can absolutely see how a woman would fall for his charms. How many women has he already done this to? There’s no way Lily was the first.
And there it is. My plan to save Adam is finally clear.
I take a steadying breath and dial Jen’s number on my phone.
“Isabelle?” Jen’s voice sounds through my speakers. “Where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in days!”
“Hey, girl. Yeah, I’m driving down the mountain now.”
“Everyone is buzzing about Adam and Tristan. You guys unleashed so much drama. Is Adam coming down, too?”
“No. He’s staying up at the castle. He’s…giving up.”
“Seriously? That doesn’t sound like Adam Stone.”
I huff a laugh. “You’d think so. But I think he’s tired of fighting. Tristan has hit him from every angle, and he doesn’t want to try anymore.” I straighten in my seat. “But I’m not giving up. I want to take Tristan down.”
“Seriously? You want to take Tristan Jackson down?” Jen laughs. “And how exactly do you plan to do that?”
“With your help.”
“What…what do you mean?”
I wish I could tell her everything. But I promised Adam I wouldn’t. “I need you to use your super tech skills to find a list of girls that Tristan has had contact with in the last five years. A lot of them might not be public. But if anyone can find out, you can.”
“Do I have your permission to use my illegal skills?”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”
She pauses. “Wait. You’re serious about this?”
“Trust me, Jen. This is bigger than Adam and Tristan. If I have any idea what’s going on, we’re about to uncover a huge scandal with Tristan Jackson at the center. And in the process, we’re going to help a lot of women, too.”
Jen pauses, taking in my words, and I hope beyond hope that she will agree to help.
“Well, in that case, I’m in.”