Strings Attached

CHAPTER TWELVE

I stormed out of that room like I was chased by a horde of angry demons. That devastated broken look that grew in Isabelle's eyes when she touched the swelling on her face remained frozen in my mind and heavy pressure settled on my chest. What was wrong with me? Why the fuck did I hit her? I had always condemned men who resorted to physical violence against women and now I was acting like one of those scumbags. There was no justification for my actions whatsoever and I was beyond ashamed of my behavior. The only decent thing I could do was to man up and return to that room, but I was not in the right state of mind to face her. But you can't just leave her there.

The thought of asking Anne to tend to Isabelle filled me with detest because I had made a promise that I wouldn't hurt my wife only a few hours earlier and I didn't want Anne to see her upset twice in one day.

But I didn't have to dwell on it much longer because a solution to my predicament presented itself before me when I approached the stairway. Theresa was standing in front of a side table in the corner, pretending to be fixing up a flower arrangement with shaking hands. She appeared to be upset like she was doing something wrong and forbidden and I'd caught her red-handed. There was something odd about her being so close to Isabelle's room because her tasks required her to stay on the ground floor, but I wasn't in the mood for another interrogation. Instead, I called her name and waited for her to acknowledge me. She froze when she became aware I wouldn't leave and slowly turned around to face me.

"Sir, I am sorry—"

"No need for that," I said and offered a curt smile. "Miss Isabelle had a small accident in her room. Can you please see to it that she gets some ice as soon as possible?"

"Of course, but...what happened?" she asked in a voice that was filled with worry, but I could tell it was feigned.

This girl would never learn. Perhaps asking her to do this was a mistake, but I had no other choice. My face settled into a more menacing expression and I fought to keep myself in check.

"That is none of your concern," I retorted. "Please, don't bother my wife with unnecessary questions and not a word to anyone about this or else I will make good on my promise and you will be fired. Have I made myself clear?"

She swallowed and nodded. "Yes, Sir. I will take care of it immediately."

"Please make sure that you do," I warned. "The matter is urgent."

As I descended the stairs, still very much shaken by what had happened, I went straight to my office and locked the door behind me. Leaning against the wall and taking in a deep breath, I took out my cell phone to call Helen and saw a few missed phone calls and a message from Jared asking me if I wanted to meet him in Aquarius which was a lounge bar we often frequented.

Having company wasn't something I needed at the moment, but staying in the house—under the same roof as Isabelle—would drive me insane so I chose for the lesser of two evils and replied to Jared that I would be there in an hour. I didn't even bother to tell anyone where I was going. Determined to escape, I just sat in the car and left, feeling like a coward.

On my way to meet Jared, I called Helen and asked her if she could go shopping with Isabelle the next day and make sure my wife got an entire makeover. Money was no object. I wanted Isabelle to wear something that was at-least semi-decent. To my relief, Helen didn't ask any questions and she had simply agreed to come.

It was a short drive to the lounge bar and by the time I got there, Jared was already sitting at the very back, waiting for me. The artificial blue lighting that shone against the white furniture hurt my eyes and it took me a while to adjust my vision to the surroundings. That might have been the initial reason why I thought I was hallucinating when I saw Jared all sobered up and dressed in the latest businessman fashion. I was pleasantly taken aback by the sight and even more impressed when I saw he had ordered us two tonics without a drop of alcohol inside.