Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Isabella’s POV
I could have sworn I heard the sound of a pin drop.
The silence in the conference room was so thick it was suffocating.
Every single board member sat frozen, their expressions ranging from shock to outrage to something that looked suspiciously like fear.
A few exchanged glances, clearly trying to gauge whether anyone else was brave enough to speak first.
I was just as stunned as they were.
Edmund appeared at my elbow, his hand gentle but firm on my arm as he steered me toward an empty chair, right beside Dimitri. I moved on autopilot, my mind still trying to process what had just happened.
Fifteen percent. A seat on the board. Voting rights.
Dimitri had just handed me power on a silver platter.
I sank into the leather chair that was right in front of Selene. The look she was giving me could have stripped paint off walls. Her perfectly manicured hands were clenched on the table, knuckles white, and her eyes—God, her eyes were practically shooting daggers at me.
“This is ridiculous!” Of course she would be the first to speak. “You can’t seriously expect us to accept this.”
Dimitri’s jaw tightened. “The decision has been made, Selene.”
“Made without consultation,” she shot back, standing now. Her chair scraped loudly against the floor. “Without proper discussion or a vote. You’re asking this board to welcome someone who,” she threw me a disgusted look, “who has no business being here.”
I met her eyes steadily, refusing to look away.
“Adele is a Ravencrest,” Dimitri said, his voice taking on that Alpha tone that brooked no argument. “She is entitled to her inheritance. Isabella is her mother and legal guardian. This isn’t up for debate.”
“Isn’t it?” Selene’s laugh was brittle, sharp. She looked around the table, appealing to the others. “Does no one else find this suspicious? The timing of it all? She disappears for five years and suddenly reappears with a child, claiming it’s Dimitri’s?”
My hands clenched in my lap, nails digging into my palms.
“You shared an unnatural bond as stepsiblings. She even claimed you were her Fated Mate.” Selene continued, her voice rising.
“Everyone in this room knows how…complicated that situation was. And now we’re supposed to believe that this child is legitimate?
That Isabella didn’t seek other comfort after being rejected? ”
The insinuation hung in the air like poison.
Several board members shifted uncomfortably. One cleared his throat. Another suddenly became very interested in the papers in front of him.
“Are you suggesting,” I said quietly, speaking for the first time since I’d burst into the room, “that I’m lying about my daughter’s parentage?”
“I’m suggesting that we have only your word to go on. And your word doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Your mother was a homewrecker who destroyed Alpha Asher. Like mother, like daughter, as they say.”
The fury that shot through me was white hot and blinding.
“Watch your tongue, Selene.” Dimitri’s voice cracked through the room like a whip.
“Adele is my daughter. She is my heir. She is a Ravencrest. And she will be afforded every privilege and protection that comes with that name.” His eyes swept the room, lingering on each board member. “Including representation on this board through her mother until she comes of age.”
“Can’t you see what she’s doing?” Selene hissed. She’s controlling you, manipulating you, just like her mother did to your father. This is exactly how it started before—a conniving woman worming her way into the Ravencrest family, destroying everything from the inside out.”
“That’s enough, Selene,” Edmund spoke up, his weathered face stern. “You’re out of line.”
“Am I?” She whirled on him. “Or am I the only one brave enough to say what everyone else is thinking? That we’re watching history repeat itself? That Dimitri is letting himself be led around by—”
“I said enough!” Dimitri’s fist slammed down on the table with such force that several people jumped.
My wolf stirred inside me. No—she purred. Purred in satisfaction that Dimitri, our Mate, was standing for me and our daughter.
A slow smirk curled at the corners of my lips, but I pressed it away immediately, forcing my expression into calm neutrality.
When he spoke again, his voice was deadly calm.
“This meeting is adjourned. The paperwork will be finalized by the end of the week. Isabella will be formally welcomed to the board at our next quarterly meeting.” He stood, his presence commanding the room.
“If anyone has objections, you’re welcome to voice them.
Through proper channels. But this decision is final. ”
One by one, the board members stood. They began gathering their things, most of them avoiding eye contact with anyone. A few shot hostile glances my way.
I noticed one board member in particular with pale skin, brown hair, and a sharp, angular face. He hadn’t said a word during the entire meeting, but the way he was looking at me—it wasn’t just disapproval or skepticism. It was pure, undiluted hatred.
His eyes bore into mine for a long moment before he turned and walked out, his movements deliberate and unhurried.
Then there was Selene. She stood. I thought she was going to say more, but then she just walked out.
“Who is that?” I asked Edmund.
“Who?”
“The man who just left.”
“Oh. Ethan Thorpe. He’s…a new board member.”
There was a vagueness in his description, but I didn’t press.
“Don’t worry about him, Isabella,” Dimitri said, though his tone suggested I should probably worry about him. “He’s all bark, no bite.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. The look Ethan had given me wasn’t the look of someone who just barked.
Edmund gathered his papers and headed for the door. “I’ll leave you two to talk.” He closed it behind him with a firm click.
Leaving me alone with Dimitri.
The moment the door shut, I whirled on him.
“How could you let her talk about Adele like that?” The words burst out before I could stop them. “Like she’s some kind of—some kind of mistake. A bastard. How could you just sit there and let Selene spread that venom about our daughter?”
Dimitri moved toward me, his expression pained. “Isabella—”
“She called my mother a homewrecker. Called me a liar. Insinuated that Adele might not even be yours.” My voice shook with fury and hurt. “And you waited. You let her keep talking before you finally—”
“I had to let her speak,” he interrupted, his voice firm but gentle.
“I had to let everyone see exactly who she is. What she’s capable of.
If I’d cut her off immediately, some of these board members would have thought I was trying to silence legitimate concerns.
” He took another step closer. “But now they’ve all heard her.
They’ve seen her cruelty. Her jealousy. And they know exactly where I stand. ”
Some of the anger deflated from my chest, leaving behind a hollow ache.
“I won’t let it happen again,” Dimitri continued, his voice dropping lower. “I promise you, Isabella. No one—not Selene, not the board, not anyone—will be allowed to speak about you or Adele that way again. I will protect you both. With everything I have.”
The sincerity in his voice made my throat tight.
“I just…” I swallowed hard. “She has no right to talk about Adele like that. Adele is innocent. She’s a child. She doesn’t deserve any of this.”
“I know.” Dimitri’s hand came up slowly, giving me time to pull away if I wanted. When I didn’t, his fingers brushed my cheek. “And I swear to you, I will spend every day proving that I choose you. Both of you. Over everything else.”
I should pull away. Should maintain the distance I’d been so carefully keeping between us.
But standing here, looking into his eyes, seeing the raw honesty there…
my thoughts circled back to the daydreams that have been haunting me since that night on the veranda.
And suddenly, I found myself wanting to kiss him.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For defending us. For giving Adele a place here. For…” I gestured vaguely at the boardroom. “For all of this.”
“You don’t need to thank me for doing what I should have done five years ago.” His thumb traced the line of my jaw.
The air between us shifted. Charged.
“Isabella,” his voice was almost a whisper now. “I know I don’t deserve another chance. I know I destroyed everything we had. But God help me, I can’t stop wanting you. Can’t stop loving you.”
I shook my head, trying to let logic trump the need rising inside of me. But he continued.
“I see you with Adele, and I see everything I should have had, everything I threw away because I was too much of a coward to fight for what I wanted.” He leaned closer, his forehead almost touching mine. “Let me fight for you now. Let me prove I’ve changed.”
My wolf whined, pressing against my control, urging me closer.
I didn’t move.
But Dimitri did.
He closed the distance, his lips capturing mine in a kiss that was both desperate and reverent. His hand slid to the back of my neck, holding me gently but firmly. And God help me, I kissed him back.
Five years of longing poured into that kiss. Five years of denial and anger and love that had never really died. My hands came up to grip his suit jacket, pulling him closer even as my rational mind screamed that this was wrong.
My hand brushed against his, and I felt it. Cool metal against my fingers. His wedding ring.
Reality crashed over me like ice water.
I jerked back, stumbling away from him, my hand flying to my lips.
“Isabella—”
“You’re married, Dimitri.” The words came out harsher than I intended. “You have a wife. And I’ve already been the other woman once. I won’t—” My voice cracked. “I won’t let you break me twice.”
Pain flashed across his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get any words out, Edmund walked back into the conference room.
That was my cue to exit.
I whirled around, and without another word, or another glance at Dimitri, I walked out.