Chapter 16

Isabella stepped into Rosewood Manor, still wearing Nathaniel's shirt. The memory of their encounter replayed relentlessly in her mind. Her cheeks burned with a heat she couldn't suppress.

Nathaniel wasn't the man she had envisioned for herself. Yet she couldn't deny the raw magnetism of his powerful physique. Those defined abs, solid and sculpted...

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the figure closing in on her.

Slap!

The blow came without warning. A stinging pain erupted across her cheek.

Hidden guards immediately tensed, ready to intervene. Their leader, Maxwell, halted them with a sharp gesture. "Stand down. Boss's orders. We observe only."

One guard bristled. "We're just going to let someone assault her? She's our leader! No one touches her without consequences. I'm stepping in."

"Hold your position," Maxwell commanded calmly. "Trust her. She'll handle this. Just watch."

Isabella slowly lifted her gaze. A teenage boy stood before her, his silver-dyed hair stark under the lights. He wore ripped jeans and an oversized shirt, projecting a deliberately rebellious image.

It was Benjamin Kensington. Her eighteen-year-old biological brother. Corrupted by Victoria's influence, he saw Isabella only as a scheming adopted daughter, a gold digger preying on the Montgomery family.

He glared at her with pure venom. "How dare you do that to Victoria? She wouldn't hurt a fly! Why would you fabricate such lies? She cried herself to sleep because of you! She's too kind to even let me confront you! You're a soulless monster! You'd be dead in the gutter if our family hadn't taken you in!"

Isabella wordlessly wiped a trace of blood from her lip. A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes.

Benjamin had been in countless fights. But he had never seen a look so terrifying.

His bravado returned quickly. "Don't you look at me like that! You're just an adopted nobody! The security cameras here are all disabled. I could kill you right now, and no one would ever find your body or even care that you're gone."

Isabella paused. "The cameras are broken?"

"Of course! Why do you think I chose here? Scared now? You should be! Return the final appearance and ambassador role to Victoria. Do it before you regret it."

A cold, cruel smile touched Isabella's lips. "No. But thank you for the information." In one fluid motion, she swung her leg up. Her high-heeled shoe connected hard with his chest.

Thump!

The impact sent him flying across the room. He crashed to the floor, writhing in agony. The crack of breaking ribs was audible.

The hidden guards stared in awe. Their boss was formidable. She had just launched a nearly six-foot-tall young man through the air with a single kick.

Her clothes swayed as she advanced toward him. She moved like a victorious warrior surveying a conquered battlefield.

Terrified, Benjamin tried to shield himself with his arms. "Wh-What are you doing?! Stay back!"

Her skill was terrifyingly precise. One kick had shattered his ribs. He was utterly outmatched.

She loomed over his cowering form. Her gaze was lethal. "You said the cameras are destroyed. How could I waste such a perfect opportunity?"

She raised her leg again. The sharp tip of her shoe pressed down onto his head. She began to apply pressure.