Conflict of Heart

Chapter 38

[A/N] Why do I always make the second last chapter so long? Definitely, something I need to work on. But anyway, enjoy!

Isabella's heart felt like a drum of war in her chest as she made her way to work the next day. Her fingers trembled as they gripped the steering wheel, and it was as though a brick had lodged itself painfully in her throat.

Ryker hadn't wanted her to go to work, saying that it was too dangerous with Damien on the loose. No one was certain how he had managed to escape such an established prison, but Ryker knew, without a doubt, that there was some underhand work involved.

How else was it possible that there was zero CCTV footage of him escaping?

But that wasn't the worst of it. It was as though something had snapped in Ryker's mind yesterday. He had become overly protective of her, which was saying something because Isabella had been brought up by one of the most protective women in the world. For her to call someone overprotective, then they were being extreme.

He didn't want her to go to work. But when she had told him that she was far behind since being in the hospital the previous day, he conceded to her going. That is, only after he had thoroughly checked the vehicle that she was going to take.

She couldn't blame him on that one. It wouldn't have been the first time someone in her family was targeted through a vehicle.

Somehow he had even managed to convince her father for him to stay the night. He had spent most of his time in the security room, and she had a feeling that one of the reasons why her father had let him was because Damien had the unfortunate knowledge of the layout of the premises.

He wasn't going to take any more chances either.

Isabella sighed when the familiar building of her company came into view. When she finally parked her car and looked in the mirror, she noticed that her skin was pale with darkness looming beneath her eyes.

She had hardly slept the night before, and it was apparent in her features since she didn't have the strength to deal with makeup. But, despite the tumult of her personal life, she straightened her shoulders and schooled her expression as she stepped out of the car and made her way to her office, ignoring the tightness in her back as best she could.

As the elevator carried her up to the executive floor, an ominous feeling settled in her stomach. While it could have been the fact that she had gone without breakfast that morning, Isabella knew that it was not. She was quite intuitive with some things, and she couldn't help but feel that something was lurking beneath the surface.

She found herself glancing over her shoulder frequently as she walked to her office.

As the morning rolled by, that feeling did not disappear, and Isabella felt herself beginning to perspire as anxiety roiled her stomach until it was a tight ball. With most of her meetings out of the way, she planned on leaving when her assistant paged her.

"What is it, Mandy?" she asked as she placed her laptop in its travel bag.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Miss Walker, but there is a lady here who would like to speak to you. She says that it is of the utmost importance."

Isabella frowned at the phone on her desk. "I don't have any more meetings planned, Mandy. Did she give a name?"

Something

Isabella accidentally knocked her hip against the armrest of her chair, shocked by the name that came through the phone. "Did . . . she state a reason for wanting to see me?"

There was a brief pause on the other side of the line, and Isabella had a feeling that Mandy was frowning at the hesitance apparent in her voice.

"No, she just stated that it was a personal matter."