The Prince and The Charming

9. Isabella and The Hypocrites

“Charlie! I had been searching for you everywhere.” She pouted feverishly and then looked at Isabella, noticing the girl for the first time.

“Is this your date?” she c****d an eyebrow at Charlie, “Didn’t I tell you yesterday I would set you up with my cousin?”

Isabella c****d an eyebrow at her, judging the girl’s presumptuousness.

“Oh this? No she isn’t my date. She is just an escort.” Charlie shrugged making Isabella looked at him with disbelief.

He’s such a lying hypocrite! He changes his statement like some b***h would change moods on PMS!

She rolled her eyes, sensing the real Charlie was just surging out now.

She looked at Isabella with judgmental eyes, “Oh dear! You could’ve asked me for a date rather to bring a high class prostitute.”

Isabella’s anger rushed through her system as she pushed Charlie away. she had never met such a double faced hypocrite in his entire life. He had just grown up to be the worst version of his younger self.

“Steph! The media is asking…” Isabella’s eyes grew big as she saw Harold approach the young woman, grabbing her waist and pulling her towards him.

It was then the moment when Isabella noticed the big stone over the woman’s ring finger. She was Harold’s fiancé. She gulped absent mindedly as she felt Charlie’s arm wrap around her waist and pulling close.

“You see her?” he whispered in her ear, “That was the reason why you could never be with him.”

She looked at him with wide eyes, standing in disbelief at how petty he can get.

“Oh you.” The two snapped their heads at Harold’s voice. “Are you alright?” he asked looking at Isabella still not recognizing her at all.

She gulped as a wave of chill ran down her spine.

“You’ve met this girl before?” Stephanie asked with bewilderment, already insecure of Isabella. She couldn’t deny that the girl was indeed beautiful.

“Yes! She was stuck in a closet…” he began explaining Stephanie.

It was then the moment when Charlie realized that Harold didn’t recognize Isabella. He smirked holding her even more tightly against him as she tried subtly squirming away.

“Harold? What’s wrong with you, matey? Didn’t you recognize you own best friend?” Charlie said with a sly smirk.

Isabella gulped in fear as Harold stood with a small smile, trying to recognize Isabella. He squinted his eyes a little sharply that Isabella felt piercing through her.

She gulped looking away. as she turned her head sideways, a thick brown mole flashed over the left side of her neck that caught Harold’s eyes. his eyes grew big with realizing.

Deep down he had felt the connection, the touch, the eyes to be familiar enough. But he had mortified his heart to believe it wasn’t it he thought it to be. She wasn’t the familiar woman, he had been friends with ages ago. She wasn’t the girl he burned pages of from his book. But now even he couldn’t deny the inevitable, the truth!

“Isabella?” he asked with a confused tone.

“She is your friend?” Stephanie spoke in a more confused tone.

Charlie smirked sensing the way Isabella’s muscles went stiff.

“Yes! It’s Isabella.” He smirked, pulling Isabella even more closer.

She kept her hand over his chest, trying her best to keep a distance and subtly push him away without creating a scene, but he was in his every mood to embarrass her.

“Your friend’s with a p********e, Rold?” Stephanie asked, calling Harold with the nickname she had given him.

“p********e?” Harold asked with utter confusion.

He looked at her head to toe and her confined and sleek figure did seem provocative for any man to fall at his feet. Harold did come to learn that his father’s advisor’s daughter who was also his former friend had ran away from home, eight years ago, but no one had any idea where she was and now, looking at her in a high class party, next to his brother. He did doubt that she could have been into escort business, or there could not have been any other explanation of her presence at his engagement party.

“I work with Prince Charlie, he brought me here as his company.” Isabella mumbled softly looking anywhere except for Harold. Who stood with stiff expressions, his eyes suddenly glowering with darkness and anger.

He felt quaffed at her behavior. The way she stole glances, he suspected something was burning up and he didn’t find it good. He still felt angered at Isabella, for betraying him with her feelings.

Stephanie stood shocked, “Oh this is an interesting story that I would like to get my hands on! But for now, I have a lot to look after. So Charlie do you mind coming with us? We have a lot of people for you to meet.”

Grabbing both of the brother’s Stephanie stepped away, leaving Isabella alone to take in a warm breath of air, that she felt lacking moments ago. Heat had surfaced all around her face and she didn’t even realize she was burning with redness all over face.

She sat alone near a corner seat at the bar, until a voice called her. she turned to see her brother Aaron with a young socialite woman, who was probably his fiancé. She greeted the two with a warm smile and after a few moments of introduction, his fiancé, Pamela left the two alone.

“So I heard the project stopped again?” Aaron asked Isabella.

She nodded her head, taking a small sip of her second Margarita, “Some paperwork issue.” She decided to dodge the truth from her brother.

Aaron chuckled softly, “It’s the monarch’s issue, trust me they will keep finding reasons to delay the project.”

Isabella looked at him with c****d expressions, confusion running her mind.

“They postpone all the projects under their directory, delaying them for years. You should pull your company out and partner with someone else.” He advised her wisely.

Isabella shrugged, “That’s not my place to do so. Our CEO, Alejandro Santiago had already decided on the project. I am in no place to pull back or partnership with someone else.”

“But the designs are your property.” He smirked at her, cheering his drink, to which Isabella drank with utter silence. “Your designs are very construction friendly and you can pull them back and give to someone else. In fact, I know the exact people who would actually but it.”

He pointed his head in a direction behind Isabella’s back, as she turned her head to see a handsome young suited man, standing at a distance surrounded by a number of other people, “He is Benjamin Edwards.”

Isabella instantly recognized him as Harold’s cousin, who was just his same age, and a tough competition to him in every spot. He even used to mess up with her all the time just to get on Harold’s nerves.

“He is running his own development organization. I can partner you up with him.” Aaron offer making Isabella look at him with disbelief but he was obviously too busy to notice her disliking expressions.

She might be an opportunist and sharp in techniques but she was a person with values and ethics and there was no way she would ever compromise her values.

“That would be wrong.” She said sharply to which Aaron chuckled.

“Think about it. You know how to find me.” He smiled getting from his seat.

Standing up, she decided to leave out just to grab some fresh air as the night became even worst for her.

“Seriously what is her deal?” Stephanie asked Charlie and Harold standing in corner as the three noticed Isabella walk out of the ballroom.

Harold simply shrugged, moving away while Charlie smirked, earning a reaction out of his brother and ruining the night perfectly for Isabella.

“Just another one of my new games.” He smirked drinking over his glass.

As Isabella stood, holding the long stem glass, filled with champagne in her hands, looking down the blue warm pool, that reflected light over her face.

“Head of architect, of the biggest construction company in the world?”

Isabella heard a voice as she turned around to see Harold standing at a distance from her. his tone and expression were stiffened as she felt being mocked by him.

He stepped near her, standing face to face. Her breath felt caught inside her throat as she looked right into his cold blue eyes. his face void of any expressions, his eyes cold as ice.

“Here for the new port project?” he c****d an eyebrow at her.

His tone was drenching her whole body with anxiety, she turned her face sideways, avoiding his still gaze that was burning wholes into her body.

“Do you really think that people buy the fact that you built your career on your own?”

His words confused her as she looked up at him. he took another step towards her, now his warm breath fanning her face, leaving a space of only inches aparting them.

“It doesn’t take much effort to recognize a w***e!” he hissed his words at her as her eyes grey big with bewilderment of his words.

“Pa… pardon me?” she fumbled with her words taking a step back. He took another one towards her. the lights from the pool now waving over his perfect face that Isabella knew held anger and hate for her.

An undefined hate that she would never understand.

“Oh! Of course, I forgot you mask your reality with this hardworking s**t, right?”

She closed her eyes, her face burning red with all the heat creeping from anger of his words. Taking in a sharp breath she moved away but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her close, spilling a little of champagne over her hands. Leaning down his nose rubbed against her neck while his stubble pricked her cheeks as he whispered right into her ears. She didn't any spark inside her only anger and disgust ran through her veins.

“I am not a fool! I know what you really are! In fact, I know you way too well. You slept with your boss to get the promotion, you probably slept with Charlie too to get the project and you would open your legs for anyone, if it would get you what you want.”

She stood still, tears blinding her vision as she couldn’t believe of how low he thought of her. but above all she felt angered for being pulled down for her hard work, something she never compromised with.

“Isabella Rowan! You are a w***e! In fact, you are a high class…”

Before he could’ve completed his words Isabella sprinted on her heels, slapping him right across his cheek, as his face fell sideways. She didn’t feel enough yet! She felt even more angered ta him for even having the audacity to call her words like that. She threw her drink from the glass right over his face.

She stood breathing like a bull.

“I am glad you ended things with me years ago!” she finally spoke back with every nerve inside her mind. she understood the kind of low minded person he was and she didn’t feel the need to hold her anger inside.

“Or else I would’ve ended things with you now. You’re such a cheap trash.”

She brushed past him, pushing his shoulders, as he nudged but stood stiffened.

His face still burning red with Isabella’s marks with shirt soaking wet with the drink she splashed on his face.

The drink was not only an insult but a cold awakening from Isabella that she wasn’t the same naïve girl to fall on her knees for him, she was strong headed and wasn’t going to be pushed down by any man.

As she walked past the corridor towards the ballroom, she pushed past a strong physique that held her arm firmly, pulling her harshly against him.

“Who said you were allowed to leave?”

She heard Charlie whispering. Her brain was already burning with Harold’s indolence behavior and she was in mood to take crap from Charlie as well.

“Let go off my hand!” she gritted teeth at him.

He tightened his grip around her arm and it was her point break.

She pushed him back with a growl, standing straight up and freeing her arm. Charlie felt shocked at her strength and ability to fight back.

“I have had enough of your little show.” She gritted at him with anger, stepping right in front of him, staring right into his eyes. “The project will commence, first thing on Monday morning and if you still stopped anything, my company will be taking legal actions against you! This isn’t a joke! I am not a joke anymore.”

She gave him a warning glare and walked right away from him, leaving him bewildered at his spot.

Isabella had her childhood centered enough around the two prince brothers. She had spent enough of her lifetime worrying about Harry and loving him, being at his disposal. But she wasn’t going to let him walk all over her again.

She was different now and the two Princes, Harrold who stood with red marks over his cheeks and a wet sticking shirt and Charlie who stood in the corridor looking over the now empty space where Isabella just showed him down, were not going to manipulate her present to ruin her future.

As Isabella sat over her balcony, looking down the clear view of the eighteenth street, where she was rented an apartment by her company. Her apartment was on the eighth floor which gave her enough excess to look over the shades of city light at night, but as it was way past midnight, everything had eventually fallen dark.

Isabella rested her head back and thought about the previous mistakes she had made, where she let her heart run her body and ruin her life. But now her mind, body and soul were in better position and there was no way she was ever going to let anyone, destroy what she had earned for herself.

But again! Isabella’s life was never meant to be that easy. If it was, it was never going to be a story, right?