Chapter Colin Adams
COLIN ADAMS
I held myself back from taking Isabelle the way I’d been fantasizing about for days.
I couldn’t do that tonight—not after everything she’d been through.
For a few brief moments, she managed to quiet the storm I carried inside my chest, something no one had ever done before. I didn’t understand why. Was it because she kept trying to figure me out, or because, somehow, I let her? I didn’t know—and honestly, I didn’t want to think about it.
She’d said we’d talk calmly tomorrow, that she had an idea of what might’ve happened to her house. But despite her words, I went to bed uneasy, haunted by a worry I couldn’t yet name.
Today, once things had calmed down, Isabelle told me why she thought her house had been vandalized.
I don’t even need to say how pissed I was, but I did my best not to show it.
Lately, I can’t make sense of the emotions taking over me—especially when it comes to Isabelle and Hanna—since I’ve never been the overprotective type.
Apparently, Hanna’s father is directly responsible for all this, and now I’m worried about her. It was a clear warning—they didn’t believe her when she said she didn’t know where that guy Rudolph was.
“You’re staying locked in for a while,” I said, already bracing myself for her complaints.
“Locked in?!” She raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah. You’re spending a few days here at the mansion without going anywhere.”
“Not a chance.” She let out a mocking laugh.
“Oh, yes, you are,” I shot back. “After everything you told me, do you really think the guys who trashed your house are just gonna leave you alone now?”
“I can’t go around accusing people. Maybe… it wasn’t them.”
I ran a hand through my hair. Isabelle still managed to get under my skin—always looking for the good in everything—but the world doesn’t work like that. Bad people are everywhere.
“I’m not even gonna answer that. From what you said, they gave you fifteen days to respond, and on the morning of the sixteenth day, your house was destroyed. You’d have to be pretty na?ve to think it wasn’t them.”
Isabelle stopped and took a deep breath. She knew I was right, even if she hated admitting it. There was no way around the facts this time.
“You’re right. Pretending it didn’t happen would be worse.”
“Think about Hanna, your mom, and yourself. This place isn’t as bad as it looks.” I tried to sound funny—not exactly my specialty—but if I wanted to convince her to stay here twenty-four hours a day, I’d have to reinvent myself. Isabelle wasn’t easy.
“Working for you twenty-four hours a day, every single day, sounds awful.”
“Knowing you’re in my mansion twenty-four hours a day, every single day, sounds awful,” I countered, and she burst out laughing.
Women are strange in general—or maybe I’m just not used to this.
“You’ve been funny lately. I can’t decide if I should be happy or worried about your mood swings.”
“Doesn’t matter. I have moments like this,” I lied. I didn’t even know what “funny moments” were before I met a certain someone.
“Sure you do…”
“One more thing: your mom’s gonna help Helen around the house. I hired her.”
That one left Isabelle speechless.
“Why are you joking about that?”
“I’m not joking—far from it,” I said firmly. “Your mother doesn’t need to keep running from job to job, working for random people and risking being left with nothing. Especially after everything that’s happened.”
“She won’t accept,” she whispered, embarrassed.
“Which part of ‘I hired her’ did you not understand? I already talked to her.”
“Colin…”
“Before you start bombarding me with questions, I’m heading out to take care of a few things. Necessary things, after what happened yesterday. Just a reminder—you’re not leaving this house unless I’m with you. When I get back, we’ll go buy clothes and whatever else you three need.”
I turned away. I couldn’t look at Isabelle—especially when her eyes filled with tears, right before she was about to thank me for something… or get mad at me.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but… thank you. I owe you more than I can say.”
“Keep busy. Work. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself until we sort this out.”
My talk with Isabelle’s mother wasn’t just about hiring her to work here. There were other things we needed to discuss—and I did. But Isabelle can’t know about it yet, and I trust Elisa not to say a word. If she did, it would ruin everything for me.
After taking care of what I needed to, I headed back to the mansion. I had some news to tell Isabelle.
“Your house has been condemned for a month. I talked to a police officer friend of mine.”
“Condemned?”
“Yeah. I pulled a few strings and went to the station myself to check if there were any updates—and to find out when you might be able to go back. I’ll do everything I can to help you get your house back soon.”
And there she went again…
She had this habit of rushing up and hugging people for no reason at all—and every single time, it caught me off guard.
“…and there you go doing that again. What’s the reason this time?”
“For helping me.” She looked at me closely. “You’re a good man,” she added, finally letting go.
“Whatever. I just hope the police find whoever’s responsible for that vandalism.”
I’m not stupid, and I made sure to plan ahead before bringing Isabelle, Hanna, and Elisa to one of the city’s malls. Besides being a busy place—which helps in situations like this—I had three of my security guards nearby in plain clothes, and I asked Helen to come along with them.
And yes, I also called Henry after explaining everything that had happened.
“I’m enjoying this little outing. You’ve got a real knack for being a babysitter.”
He’d started getting on my nerves early today.
“I already told you why I’m doing this.”
“I know. I just think there are a few extra reasons.”
“Oh, really?” I raised an eyebrow.
“You want Isabelle, that’s what. I know you better than you think, my dear friend.”
“Uh-huh. If you say so…”
Henry stayed by my side for maybe five minutes before heading off to walk with Helen and Hanna.
I’ll admit, with every step I took, my eyes kept scanning the area for anything suspicious. I didn’t believe whoever trashed Isabelle’s house was done, so being extra careful was nonnegotiable.
“Don’t walk next to Hanna!” Isabelle’s sudden voice startled me, though I tried to play it cool.
“And why not?”
“She’ll start asking you for everything she sees. It’s what happens when she’s with me—or my mom—and you don’t have to buy her anything.”
“Oh, that’s what this is about…”
As time went by, I started agreeing with Henry’s “babysitter” comment. My feet were killing me, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent this long in a mall.
After a quick stop at a home décor store, I turned my attention back to the three women—only to realize Isabelle wasn’t in sight. A wave of alarm hit me, and I scanned the crowd in every direction.
Relief washed over me when she finally appeared, arms crossed, her face flushed with frustration.
“What did I tell you about not giving Hanna stuff?!” she snapped, wasting no time. I had no idea what she was talking about.
“If you didn’t notice, I’ve been right next to you almost the entire time—and I haven’t bought a thing.”
“Then what’s all that?”
I looked where she pointed—and there they were: two of my undercover guards, each holding a ridiculous amount of shopping bags. So much for keeping a low profile.
Helen was carrying even more, while Hanna stood grinning from ear to ear. What the hell was going on? I glanced again and—of course.
“What are you laughing at?” Isabelle asked, exasperated.
“Hey, I had nothing to do with that pile of gifts Hanna’s got. I might’ve planned to spoil her, but someone else beat me to it—and judging by the look of it, she’s already made a new friend.”
Henry had Hanna sitting on his shoulders, both of them laughing like maniacs. My friend had plenty of flaws—including being too damn cheerful—but I couldn’t deny his kindness or generosity.
“Someone was too busy worrying about me and forgot about someone else,” I said.
Isabelle covered her face with both hands.
“Sweetheart… relax.” Elisa joined us, smiling. “Let Hanna have her fun. We’ll figure out a way to pay the man later.”
“Good luck with that,” I chimed in. “Henry’s nothing like me—you won’t be able to pay him back a single cent.”
“Oh, perfect. I don’t even know what to do with my life anymore…”
I allowed myself a small smile. Would it be wrong to admit Isabelle looked even prettier when she was flustered—or irritated?
Yeah… I can’t get her out of my head.
The outing was finally over.
Thank God for that.
Three hours at the mall felt like running a marathon—I was completely wiped out.
“Notice any strange activity?”
“No, boss,” Norton, my head of security, replied.
“Good.”
“And… sorry about that.”
He tilted his head toward the other two guards, both loaded with shopping bags.
“The kid’s persistent, and I guess they couldn’t say no to her.”
I smiled—because he wasn’t wrong.
“Yeah, I know how it goes. Hanna always gets what she wants.”
“True, boss.”
That little girl had a temper and a charm strong enough to win over anyone—even my guards, who usually walked around with faces like stone.
After a few more minutes, we left the mall, and for the first time that day, I felt like I’d actually accomplished something.