Hammer & Anvil (Steel Rebels MC #2) [Ongoing]

PROLOGUE - The devil in person

***10 years ago***

Isabella

"Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom lived a little princess with her parents -"

A loud shout somewhere close by interrupted Isabella's reading and a small pout appeared on her lips. She had just started the book. It was one of her favorites.

"Isabella!"

Her mother was calling her and she didn't sound happy. She never sounded happy.

Well, she had her happy moments but usually they were when she was speaking to the women that she called her friends. Then her voice got all soft and high and she would laugh a lot. She would call the women darling and sweetheart and it was a little strange in Isabella's opinion. Her mother never acted like that with her. Sometimes she said nice things to Isabella's siblings though.

But Isabella also didn't think that the women were really her mother's friends, because she often said mean things about them after they had left and then told Isabella and her sisters that they couldn't repeat the words out loud. Isabella didn't know much about friendship but she thought that you didn't say mean things about people that you liked. And a friend was a person that you liked and they liked you as well.

Right?

Isabella never said mean things about others because she didn't want to make other people to feel bad. She always felt bad when others said mean words about her. While she wouldn't cry anymore like she used to do when smaller, it still hurt deep inside of her.

"Isabella, where are you?" 

Her mother shouted even louder, probably because neither Isabella's father nor brother were home. She wouldn't dare to be this loud when the men were around. Nobody dared to be loud when father was home.

"Come out before I need to make you."

A shiver ran down Isabella's back upon the threat. Quickly she got up and went over to the door to open it.

"Finally, there you are!"

Her mother's beautiful face was pulled into a scowl that showed her disapproval. Isabella automatically ducked her head a bit.

"What are you doing in Roman's room? You know you're not allowed in there."

Isabella shrunk even more.

"But Roro had said it's alright," she replied in a small voice.

She loved spending time in her brother's room. She liked the green and grey colors of his room. Her own had almost everything in pink. While she didn't mind some pink, she usually got a headache when she spent too much time in her room. Also she liked sitting on Roman's bed because it smelled like him. It made her feel safe and calm. And usually she could focus better on her homework here.

Her older brother Roman was probably Isabella's favorite person in the whole wide world and he often told her that she was his as well. Isabella knew that most likely it wasn't exactly like that because Roman had a lot of friends. But maybe she was somewhere in his top ten. That was already good enough for her. She knew she wasn't that special.

"Don't call him that silly baby name. You are too old to talk like that," her mother scolded her.

Isabella's face fell even more. Roman never minded when she called him Roro. He would call her Baby Bells in return. It was their thing. Of course, he never called her Baby Bells when others were around. She had forgotten that it was a secret.