Love Made Me Do It

15. Trust is a form of love...

The entire 38th floor that was designed with modern flexibility and grade technology of matching silver, black and wooden texture was in complete cordination like every other day. The receptionist sitting behind the large silver desk, knew that their boss was coming back today so their little vacation was over. 

While on the other hand the large waiting room was filled with six to seven people waiting for their meetings and interviews with the Mr. Bigshot of Cherwood. 

The elevator doors pinged open and Alex walked out, with his chauffeur Michael carrying his bag behind him. Behind them two large men came in and covered the elevator entrance, as they were Alex's seasonally changed bodyguards. 

"Good morning sir!" the blond on the reception greeted and Alex nodded his head back at her with a smile. She was stunned to see that Alex actually acknowledged her presence in any manner. 

She sat back in complete astonishment, knowing that something had changed here. 

While Alex simply made his way inside his office, his butler Ray immediately came in, passing Alex's assistant, Katherine who was waiting with piles of files that needed Alex's signature and approval and seeing Ray enter inside the room, she rolled her eyes knowing that those contracts would have to wait a little more while.

Michael left Ray and Alex inside their office within minutes and as soon as the two gentlemen were alone in the room, everyone knew, no matter how long Alex is inside the room, he was not to be disturbed in any case or emergency. Once his father showed up during Alex's meeting with Ray and even Brandon Mayhew had to wait for his son outside the office. 

"What have you got for me?" Alex asked, taking his seat, looking right outside the large window.

"Ms. Grace visited her mother in the asylum on Wednesday, late evening." Ray announced his first discovery.

"How late?" Alex asked, his mood was already spoiled given, he didn't like Isabella going to that mental institute where she could meet that psycho Dr. Louisville. 

"At around eleven..."

"Was that psycho there too?" 

"No, actually Dr. Louisville was in Armenia the past entire week." 

"What was he doing in Armenia?" Alex asked with confusion. Armenia was no place for a doctor to visit. 

"I have my men working on that, it was a private visit, he didn't even take his butler with him." Ray informed but jumped back to the previous question in demand, emphasizing it was more important to be addressed at the moment. 

"Ms. Grace however went to visit her mother but not alone..." Ray stepped ahead and held out the iPad from inside his jacket, displaying surveillance images of Isabella, Emerald and Crystal walking inside the mental institute. Alex shuffled through the north angled images and noticed that only Emerald and Isabella went in and came outside from the institute. He further shuffled through the images and saw how Crystal went in from backside, while Isabella and Emerald separated their ways inside the facility, He further shuffled and landed on the video of Emerald messing with the sample cart.

He looked up at Ray and he nodded his head.

"Ms. Grace went to New York twice in three days. The first was the day next to her mother's visit and the other was yesterday. She went to a coffee shop and visited her college friend Cheryl. Apparently they exchanged some paper bags at the restaurant and later Ms. Cheryl who works at another mental institute, had the lab run some tests which apparently matched Ms. Grace's mother's DNA and above all, I had the reports checked from the lab and Ms. Pamela Grace's blood had heavy traces of Benzodiazepines."

Alex c****d his eyebrows, keen to know see where the whole investigation had led to. 

"That drug is an anti-anxiety medicine but it was found in heavy amounts given that Pamela was taking heavy doses of these medicines, exposing her brain to amnesia triggering medicines."

"So, Isabella knows that?" Alex asked, rendered astonished at the new discovery. His brain was never triggered to even think that Pamela's treatment could ever be corrupted in such a heinous manner. 

"My guess is Ms. Grace found this out yesterday, when she re-visited her friend who told her about the drug and it's affects."

"So, did she do anything about it? I mean we can sue the facility?" Somehow Alex was excited to know that this could lead to Dr. Charles's downfall.

"Actually, no nothing yet has been done about it. But if you want, I can do something about it!" Ray offered. 

Alex nodded his head and was about to command but suddenly remembered about Isabella's changed behavior remembering how she had turned in towards him. Was it finally the time when she had started seeing a friend instead of an enemy in him?

But he wasn't sure, so he needed to trust Isabella. 

"I will talk to Isabella, you keep an eye on Jesse for the time being."

Ray nodded and left the room, while Alex sat back, thinking about everything he had just discovered. If Ray was right and Isabella did know about her mother's illness being curved and manipulated by Charles's institute's doctors, she must have done something by now. Either she was playing a facade to forge her real gameplay behind Alex's back or she was just being honest by showing him she trusted him. 

But he highly doubted Isabella to be ever fake, she was never someone to fake anything.

Disoriented in his thoughts, the door on his room knocked and his assistant walked in, occupying the rest of his days with work and meetings. 

-------------------------------------------------------

Isabella on the other hand chimed, walking out the meeting room, where her meeting with the new investors from London went successful. 

Her company was on the verge of breaking new grounds in international market by becoming the biggest stock investing hub and her expenditure in Europe was only going to sky rocket her name in big business forums. 

"Anna, can you please transfer the emails from the Swiss company? I think we can sign that deal." She smiled with excitement, walking inside her room. 

While Anna's eyes shined, seeing Amy smile out heartily. She knew there was something else that had made Isabella, 'Miss Smiley'. There were barely any meetings that made Amy happy or even smile a little but today she was actually proud of her success. 

As Isabella sat down she felt happy, for the first time she was realizing that indeed it was her own hard work that had brought the company to where it was, rather she always venomized Alex and loathed him, thinking that the company was his mercy on her damsel situation but instead he had helped her keep the company on stable grounds with his investment, as no one would ever doubt his name in any business and letting her be the Managing Director, she took the wheel of the company in her own hands and sailed it on the right waves,  which even Alex couldn't had done. This was something he himself had said in hidden words on many occasions. 

Isabella felt proud of herself, looking at her family picture from her seventeenth birthday party, the last she ever had with her family. The thought of her mother captured inside that institute, where she was being given the wrong medicines on purpose, shook Isabella to her core. 

She remembered the events from the day before, when she was visited Cheryl again. Cheryl was already suspicious of her, when Isabella had asked Cheryl to exchange the sample anonymously, so no one would suspect them of anything. 

Sitting inside the small coffee shop, in downtown neighborhood of New York City, Isabella wore a scarf over her head and put on her biggest sunglasses, to show as much anonymity as possible. 

Cheryl slumped down in front of her, rolling her eyes. Her highlight stricken hair from college were long gone and her dark skin glowed more vibrantly, while her blond flattened hair now rested in lose curls, presenting a more elegant style. 

"Seriously? Now what the f**k is this?" Cheryl jumped with her question noticing Isabella's attire. 

Isabella was about to speak but Cheryl held her hand up. 

"You know what, forget it, you just would make another lame excuse rather than trusting me."

Isabella gulped hard, looking outside the window next to her, holding back her tears. Cheryl was the one person she trusted with her own life and now Isabella couldn't even tell Cheryl the truth. Her heart was already drenched in anxiety thinking what could possibly come out of her mother's test results. 

"But Bella, come on? Why the f**k did you lie to me about everything? That sample did not belong to a man like you said unless your friend is a lesbian and her fiance is you!" Cheryl pointed out the obvious. Her body tone showed she was definitely angered with Isabella and her aloof and secured behavior. 

"I know it was a female's blood and when I ran a DNA check, it actually matched with yours. What the f**k is going on Isabella? Was that your mom's blood? Because it matched with yours and your mom is already in a mental asylum."

Isabella took off her glasses, showing the tears stuck inside her eyes that were on the verge to spill out. 

Cheryl suddenly stopped and noticed Isabella's expressions, "What... what happened?"

Isabella gulped hard, swallowing a hard ball of sorrow surrendered in the middle of her throat, removing her tears from the corner of her eyes. 

"I am sorry, you are right. I have been a horrible friend." She sniffed hard, holding back her urge to cry out loud. 

"No, I am sorry, it's just that I see you looking incredibly amazing and healthy but then I know things have been shitty for you as well as for me and I want to tell so much to you but then I feel like you will never understand... and what is your deal with Alexander Mayhew?" Cheryl asked and suddenly Isabella snorted a little laughter, finding it amusing how Alexander would pop in her life in every situation. It was like he was an inevitable part of her life, no matter how hard she tried to keep away from him, he would always find his way back into her life. 

Finding confidence in Cheryl who had just revealed to Isabella about her mother's treatment, Isabella decided to tell her everything, from her mother's mental illness to her taking hold of the family business to Alexander and to her reasons to doubt Dr. Charles which led her to Cheryl. 

"Wow!" Cheryl exclaimed as Isabella explained her how she, Emerald and Crystal stole the blood sample. 

"They can make a movie out of your life." Cheryl retorted, sipping through her beer bottle, sitting inside her Tesla, while Isabella laughed loudly biting on her sandwich that they bought from a drive-in restaurant. 

 "Well, I would suggest you take your mother out of that mental ward as soon as possible, we still don't know why that asshole is giving her those drugs in heavy amount and that also without consulting you." Cheryl suggested. 

Isabella nodded her head, "I know but I can't take a risk. I can't trust Charles anymore and if I go against him on my own, filing to take mom out of that hellhole, God knows what he might do to her to cover his tracks. For now, she has been alive in that place for the past three years and Charles would keep her alive, if he wants me to keep visiting that place, so I know at least my mom is healthy physically." 

"Why do you think Charles would be doing it?" 

Isabella shrugged, "I have no idea but Alexander does call him psycho doctor." 

Cheryl laughed a little, "This Alex guy, you have been together for three years now, why don't you ever think about him in a good way."

Isabella snorted a laughter, "Good and Alex? These two words never get along."

"Is he the same guy from highschool, you were always hung up on?"

Isabella nodded her head in agreement,

"I think you should give him a chance." Cheryl said taking Isabella totally aback. 

"We are way past giving each other chances." She shook her head, rubbing the crumbs of her sandwich off her dress, leaning back on her seat, looking out the window. 

"Isabella, grow the f**k up!" Cheryl said in an exhausted manner, "Hating him would never get you anywhere. You think your 'f**k you, I won't submit to you' attitude is helping you against him?"

Isabella looked at her and was stunned to actually listen to those words, feeling understood after such a long while.

"Your biggest mistake was to think that you were always alone in your life. I get it you were left alone but I was always there, Ansel was always a call away. We would have never judged you even if you told us that you slept with Alex to save your company. We understand you and we understand you had to do things for yourself and your family but Isabella we are your family too."

Isabella's eyes glistened with tears, listening to someone being supportive of her. In these three years she had never heard someone saying anything nice to her accept for derogatory words thrown her way by the grievous billionaire who threw her into their world. 

Cheryl slightly touched Isabella's arms, "I love you, you are like a sister to me."

Listening to those words, Isabella immediately jumped into her arms, crying her heart out, feeling like this was something she needed to do a long while back. 

"I am just... I am so exhausted." Isabella cried, moving back and rubbing her tears with the back of her hand, "everything has been too much, I never knew who to trust and who don't."

Cheryl held her shoulder slightly, "It is okay, life is supposed to be hard. But you really need to see through Alexander here. He is not your enemy. If anything he always tried to warn you to stir clear of Charles and this is exactly what you should do. For once, start listening to that dude. I mean yeah he is lunatic in his own way but Isabella no one takes anyone's bullshit attitude for three years just for fun or for no f*****g reason. That dude actually does like you. I see you guys on tabloids every other day and the entire world always says that the dude is head over heels in love with you, with the way he looks at you and if he wanted to ruin you, he would've grabbed your company, throw you on the roads and bring your mom down with you as well. He is not the enemy Isabella, if anything he believed in you and let you run a major part of his investments, betting millions in your company and let you run that company without any experience. I mean people don't even get f*****g jobs without relative experience of years in his companies and here you are. Don't you think the world would've questioned his investment in your company and a guy who runs a holding group worth billions would take that risk just for the sake of his pleasure? No, Isabella you and I both know that the world doesn't work this way. So get the f**k over how screwed up he is and start knowing why the f**k is he that screwed up."

Isabella sat back, completely bewildered by Cheryl's words. They did make a lot of sense to her, she did grasp how Alexander had actually stood  by her side and she did nothing for him, in fact found ways to ruin his happiness and irritate him even more and one of those things were constantly keeping contact with Charles and keeping her mother in that institute, despite of Alex offering her multiple times to shift her mother to New York because he didn't want her to meet Charles while she stood against him being incessant and stubborn. 

And her adamantly toxic behavior led to her mother's sufferings. 

Isabella stayed quiet, after Cheryl's long lecture. Even after coming home she kept thinking about Cheryl's words. 

What if Alex did need her to trust him?

What if Alexander always just wanted to adore her and her aloof behavior led him to hide his affection?

What if Alexander was just afraid of opening up to her, because he thought loving her was a mistake because of her attitude?

All these questions kept Isabella up, she picked up her phone and searched for images with Alex online and found different tabloids with their pictures. Her eyes finally landed on one picture with the headline.

"THE BILLIONAIRE MAYHEW'S SECRET LOVE STORY"

"How and why Alexander Mayhew Keeps his love life private?"

The article covered how Alex was totally in love with Isabella, with pictures as a proof of how he always looked at Isabella in every event or party, where she was not even looking her best or tired and he would always look at her, with a smile, trying to cheer her up.

Isabella was stunned to see those pictures, she had never noticed how much adoration Alex's eyes carried for her, every time he looked at her. 

She indeed was unfortunate to not to trust him and read through his gestures. All he ever wanted was affection and all she gave him was a cold shoulder. 

The article further went to explore obvious lies they made up to catch readers but Isabella's eyes were stuck at the pictures of Alex looking at her face with adoration, while she was obviously drunk and simply looking over his shoulder into a void. 

Her mind was too occupied with thoughts and she couldn't sleep or bring her mind to rest. She got up, resting against the headboard of the bed and looked at the clock, it will still nine and Alexander was going to come back by midnight. Mindlessly, she decided to look at her calendar to see her next day's meeting and saw the little hyphen that Anna had left on Isabella's calendar on the next day. 

She opened it and saw the title 'Alexander's birthday'. This was the moment she realized that tomorrow was Alex's birthday and yet again she would discard another day from his life, showing him it meant nothing to her. 

She decided to give him one chance, a chance that could change their history forever. 

So, she was at his house preparing him a birthday dinner and cake and the rest of the night was still lingering in her memories as she couldn't take Alex's flexing muscles and Greek-God body out of her mind. 

She was still hung up on their love making when her phone began ringing, driving her out of her thoughts, as she realized she was still in her office. 

She saw the caller ID and it was Alexander. He rarely called her during their office time and usually only texted her. 

She immediately answered the phone, "Hey! I was just thinking about you."

She chimed a little too extra. 

Alexander laughed a little, "Why were you thinking about me?"

His exonerating words put Isabella's excitement to rest, "Umm... just like that... I... I got the London deal." She said diverting the topic.

"Well that's good for you. Anyways, I was calling to let you know that mom is throwing a birthday party for me and Nick, so get ready by eight, I'll send a car."

"Okay..." She said plainly. 

She had hoped that Alex would be more different to her, more open like couples usually do. He would ask her about her day and she would chime with excitement but he showed no interest. She questioned her instincts about her changed behavior, whether it was a reasonable and sensible thing to do, to trust Alex. 

As night dawned and Isabella got ready at her place, her styling team had dolled her up in a perfect lilac golden shimmering golden gown, that had a plunging v-shaped neckline, holding up a perfect view of her cleavage by the thin straps, supported by her shoulders, leading down to the low of her back, leaving it as a backless gown. Her hair were let down perfectly, straightened to cover her back.

The team packed their tools and bags and left her place, while she sat on the lounge couch, looking outside the patio windows, waiting for the Benz to arrive. 

Her phone bleeped with a text and she saw Alex's message.

'The car is here'

She simple got outside the house but stopped her tracks in the middle to see Alex standing right in front of her porch. Leaning back against a black Maserati. 

Her eyes bulged out with excitement, looking at him standing right outside her house. He never bothered to even come with a chauffeur to pick her up and now not only was he here, he was outside his car waiting for her like a gentleman. 

He looked up at Isabella standing at her doorway, looking at him with astonishment. 

She would be lying, if she said she wasn't mesmerized to find him suited up, looking more handsome then ever but she decided to keep her feelings aside and walked up to him, holding back her urge to smile. She noticed how he dressed up in all black, wearing a matte black button down shirt underneath a matte coat jacket. The upper buttons of his shirts were undone giving a view of his hard rock chest. She gulped hard, trying to control her feelings from running her fingers over his naked chest.

He shrugged stepping aside a little and opening up the door for her. 

Her eyebrows rose with bewilderment, looking at him holding the door for her.  

"What?" He tried to shrug her surprising look, acting normal for the moment but Isabella only chuckled slightly, getting inside the car and Alex held the door patiently for her to collect her dress and settle in. Once he noticed that she was settled inside the car, he closed the door and walked towards the other side of the car. 

He got into the driver's seat, while Isabella admired the interior that was highly futuristic and decorated with flashy buttons. She looked up at Alex and saw him already looking at her. 

His eyes were shining against the dark street lights, something about him was changed and different. 

Ever since he saw Isabella walk down the front door of her house, Alex's mind was stunned by her beauty. All he wanted to do was to hold her. 

He saw her green eyes flashing at her, so he immediately leaned in and stole a kiss from her lips. She smiled, kissing him back but he immediately pulled himself back. 

"If we continue this, you won't be able to make it to the party looking that pretty."

With that he drove his car, into the dark of the night. 

Isabella sat back smiling, happy to see that the change was not just one sided, Alex had seen her efforts and he was appreciating it by changing his ways as well.