"Mrs. Jaeger, my name is Dale Winters; I'm your husband's attorney. May we have a bit of your time to discuss some things?"
"Discuss? With me?" Isabel pretended to be surprised and making herself more comfortable against the pillows behind her as she began to scratch Kelvin's head, making the little boy purr like a satisfied cat, she tossed a raised eyebrow at Brycen in the corner. "What could be so important to talk about that you would come here yourself?"
Brycen didn't answer and only gave Dale a look.
"Mrs. Jaeger---"
"It's either Ms. Rogers or just Isabel, please Mr. Winters."
Isabel directed a sweet smile at Dale, but the man couldn't help but shudder, because there was an icy coldness that pieced him from within that smiling expression. It was far more terrifying than any outright hostile projection.
"Also, I would like to hear the answer from Mr. Jaeger himself, you're not his mouth piece... or are you?"
Dale was shocked. This was his first time meeting Isabel Rogers, the woman that Brycen had married, in person and being stared at directly by those dazzling golden orbs that carried hints of teasing and amusement and unexpected pressure, Dale honestly felt restless.
He had of course seen the woman before in fashion magazines and on TV, especially with the high popularity of the drama she was acting in, 'My Lord, My Lady' as the love spurned younger sister of the female lead who was desperately in love with her older sister's husband and he couldn't help but wonder if the star beloved by thousands and the scheming fox Brycen often told him and their friends about were the same person.
Born as the second son in a rich household, Dale never had much expectation placed on him and was actually quite neglected within his family, almost invisible.
Growing up, he never believed himself to be an emotional or sentimental person, but even he couldn't stop himself from sympathizing with Lady Clarisse who time and time again found herself in the position of hiding the love affairs of both her sister and brother-in-law, the man she loved just so the only home she ever had wouldn't be ripped apart by the preying royal family.
As the second female lead, Lady Clarisse suffered much for the sake of the two protagonists who were too caught up in their emotional affairs to take a look at what was really happening around them and she had to do it all while shouldering a broken heart; it only made the viewers love her more.
Her tear stained expression whenever she would confess her woes to the 'Magic Mirror' in the manor's basement, was enough to provoke any man's protective instincts; even him, who always believed himself to be heartless.
On his way over here, he had made the decision to not let his judgement of 'Isabel Rogers' be affected because he was a fan of 'Lady Clarisse' because the portrayal of a fictional character was exactly only that and the true character of a person compared to the public image they projected were often miles apart, especially in the entertainment circle. However, even though he knew that, Dale still couldn't help the utter shock he felt in this moment while being faced with this woman who was like a languid predatory feline, toying with her food.
She was completely different from the projected, bubbly and sweet image of 'Izzy' that her fans adored, also different from the pitiful and heartbroken Lady Clarisse and... honestly, he couldn't see a woman like this clinging to Brycen for her life even if his own life depended on it. This woman, she was obviously a queen amongst women; even if she was acting, that aura couldn't be faked.
Dale found himself growing interested in this woman, though it was only a fleeting thought.
But, no matter how fleeting a thought it was, the look that flashed briefly in his eyes did not escape the eagle vision of a certain little bun whose mother was his life. Kelvin was not happy.
After regaining his memories, he had of course noticed that some things were different from the last life. Currently his mother should have already found out about Brycen and Susan's secret relationship and started going crazy with jealousy, taking every possible chance to stab at the other woman, driving her to public humiliation, but instead, Isabel was very calm and seemed to be taking it all in stride, completely unaffected and it seemed that they were even already working towards a divorce settlement... it was very different.
Although he couldn't understand why these changes had happened, Kelvin would definitely not complain, however, one change would always lead to another-- the so called butterfly effect-- and seeing this man who was suddenly gaining interest in his beloved mommy that didn't exist before, Kelvin was of course unwilling.
In the last life, he hardly had any of his mother's love and attention and now that something had changed in this life, allowing him to fully bask in her doting affection, how could he possibly allow her to marry again so soon?
Hmph! If anyone had any hopes of taking his mother over the threshold, they would have to see if he first approved.
Dale had no idea that his short moment of appreciation for a woman's unique character that day would gain him a hell boss for the rest of his life.
"Brycen, if you have nothing to say to me, then I suggest you leave. My son is sick and still needs to rest and I have to take care of him."
It was as though Isabel's words had lit a fuse and Brycen's neutral expression warped as he exploded.
"You damned woman, don't talk as though he's only your son! If it wasn't for you seducing me that night, do you think you would have the right to carry my seed? Kelvin is my son, my own flesh and blood and I demand my legal recognition as his father!"
Brycen was furious just thinking about it. To believe that all these years, his own son had not even been recognized as his child legally, it was absolutely outrageous!
It was this woman, she did this! It had to be her!
Seeing Brycen tremble in anger, Isabel couldn't help a scornful laugh as she pulled close Phoenix who was frightened by Brycen's sudden outburst and had begun to cry. She buried the little girl's head in her bosom and stroked her hair lovingly while lowering her mouth to kiss Phoenix's hair and whisper to her comfortingly. Only after the little girl's sobs turned into faint whimpers did she once again lift her head to face Brycen, her eyes carrying a smiling intent.
"Brycen," her voice when she called his name was mellow and sweet, like a young girl calling to her lover, tender and loving and it made the ears of every person in the room tingle from its allure, Brycen himself was no exception.
"Exactly six years, six months, a day and--" she glanced at the slim silver watch on her wrist before continuing to say, "five hours ago, I asked Davina to call you because I was about to give birth, but she only got through to your secretary.
"Three hours later after she and Kim accompanied me through what was probably the most terrifying time of my life, she called again, exactly twenty times and only got through to your secretary once, he said that you were still busy." Isabel smiled at Kim who came over to rub her shoulders reassuringly then lifted her clear orbs to stare directly at Brycen while she continued to speak, the smile never falling from her lips.
"For sixty days, I waited and called and tried visiting your office, but they never let me in, so what exactly was I supposed to do when the time for registering my kids was drawing to a close? Was I supposed to let them become nameless faces in this world? I didn't want to do it, but I had to go without you."
This was the first time that Isabel had ever talked about those two months after the twins were born and she was honestly handling her emotions a lot better than she had initially expected. The predicted hurt and pain at dredging up those old memories were nowhere to be found and she only found release in shoving the suffering she had endured down Brycen's throat and watching him choke. She decided that she should do it more often in the future.
On the side, Dale rubbed the gooseflesh that had risen on his arms as he watched Isabel talk about all this with a calm smile then looked towards his friend who was looking at the woman with a dumbfounded and pale expression, disappointment flashed in his eyes. He hadn't heard this side of the story from Brycen, it was no wonder he didn't want to go to court.
If the circumstances behind this matter had been better, he would have still had a chance to win over the court, but with this case of complete negligence, he would only make himself a joke.
Dale sighed, because he knew that he had lost this one. Even if legal procedures still had to be followed, there was less than a five percent chance of Brycen getting the twins from Isabel.
"So tell me Brycen, do you still think that it's my fault your name isn't even on your children's birth papers?"
Seeing Brycen's mum look, Isabel couldn't help but feel satisfied. She had a feeling of wanting to pop champagne!
In the last life, because she was too focused on rejecting the divorce and persecuting Susan, Brycen had found this little problem that she had by then long forgotten and with Dale's help had carried out a series of bribes and deals to gloss it over behind the scenes and by the time she got serious and hired a lawyer, the two birth papers she kept in the apartment's safe already had Brycen's name on them so she couldn't use this move, but she definitely didn't forget to mention it to Steven once she was reborn.
Brycen wanted to take her kids? He could keep dreaming, because as far as the law was concerned, he wasn't even their father and she would be damned if she allowed him to sign for paternity just because he threw a tantrum and demanded it.
Did she look like his mother?
In this life, she bent only to the will of one man and his name was Kelvin Jasper Jaeger, no other.
Isabel smiled softly as she stroked Kelvin's hair and the little boy squinted his eyes in enjoyment and snuggled further into her lap, hiding the doubt that surfaced in his boundless blue eyes.
He just had a thought, a very unlikely thought. Was it possible?
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Author's Note~
Argh! I swear I depleted my brain cells on this one, it was really hard to write.
Popping by to say that this will be the last update for a while. Next week, I'll be focusing mainly on my other book 'Fairy in the Devil's Palm'. (But I'll probably still update this once or twice.)
Please guys, don't cry, don't die and don't become criminals, I'll be back soon.
Till next time!
Saphieer~~