Ch. 2041..2045
Chapter 2041
She would inevitably be recognized at the hospital. If that happened, news of her drink being spiked and her having to go to the hospital would spread online like wildfire by the next morning.
Roland pinned her down so she would stop wriggling around, then he turned to his assistant and ordered urgently, "Go to my house, now!"
The assistant promptly got into the driver's seat and took off. They were not far from his place, so it only took a ten- minute drive before they arrived.
But to Isabel, it felt like ten years of torment.
Roland kept her pinned down to the backseat, so all she could do was sit idly like a puppet. She could not even inch closer toward him.
Fortunately, her hands were not bound. And move them she did. She kept fondling Roland and felt around his waist constantly. Roland continued holding her down. He frowned tightly and seemed to have trouble containing himself.
He was stoic and quiet. Isabel could not make out his expression inside the dark backseat, but she could see the fiery glow in the man's eyes.
Ten minutes later, his assistant pulled into his apartment complex and stopped right in front of the entrance. Then, the assistant promptly stepped out of the car and opened the door for him. Roland stepped outside before reaching for Isabel so he could safely carry her out.
As soon as he reached forward, Isabel surrendered herself into his arms and even took the chance to kiss him again, only to get her head shoved to the side again.
"You two can head back now." He dismissed his assistants before carrying Isabel into the elevator.
Isabel kept resisting and trying to push his hands away.
"Don't move," he said sharply, his voice a raspy growl.
Isabel bit her lip seductively and began to plead with him," Roland, just let me kiss you. One quick kiss, please?" Roland ignored her.
The elevator stopped. They had reached his floor at last.
He stepped out of the elevator and opened the door while balancing Isabel in his arms. At last, they stepped into his house. Still carrying her in his arms, he went straight to the bedroom where Isabel had been staying in.
As soon as he walked into the hallway, he heard the creak of a door. It was his mother coming out of her bedroom. Isabel was still trying to pry his hands away from her when she heard him cry out urgently, "Don't come out!" Thump. Martha abruptly closed the door.
Shortly after, Roland finally managed to bring Isabel back into her bedroom.
The first thing he did was close the door and turn the lights on. Then, he put Isabel down at last and tried to get her to settle into the bed.
Isabel was barely in control of her senses at this point. All she wanted was to get him into bed with her.
She nudged at him with her long and slender legs and spoke in an unusually flirty tone, "Roland, don't be scared. | just want a quick little kiss. I'm not going to do anything to you... but anyway, even if | accidentally did something to you, I'll take responsibility!"
There was a seductive glow in her eyes, andher cheeks were flushed with red while she smiled coquettishly at Roland. Roland gulped. "Sit down first."
"| won't unless you let me go."
"If you keep resisting, I'm going to have to tie you up."
The moment he said this, he started to exert more force in pinning Isabel down on the bed. He was so strong that Isabel could barely resist.
As desperate as she was, she managed to take hold of her senses even if just briefly. She nodded like a child and quietly sat on the bed.
Roland slowly pulled his hands away to test her reaction. Isabel bit her lip and continued staring at him flirtatiously but remained seated obediently.
Roland took a few steps back, and when he noted that she was still sitting motionlessly on the bed, he took this to mean that she had settled down at last. He turned around and reached for the curtains to swiftly pull them shut.
It was then that Isabel caught him unaware. She suddenly threw her arms around him from behind and hugged him tightly like a koala bear.
She pressed her body tightly against his back.
She teased him in an irresistibly seductive voice, "Roland, are you scared of someone seeing us? Is that why you closed the curtains?”
Chapter 2042
Isabel told herself that she was going to do it with Roland tonight regardless of whether he was reluctant out of principle or out of sheer unwillingness.
To her surprise, before she could apply the seduction techniques she had learned online to practice, the man vigorously turned around and faced her.
She barely had a glimpse of the look in his eyes before he palmed her face in his hands and drew in abruptly. His face instantly enlarged in her lens just before their lips locked tightly.
He did not seem to be a very adept kisser. He moved around back and forth a few times around her lips before he managed to slip through her teeth and enter her tongue.
She felt his palm seething with heat pressing against the small of her back, and with a quick toss, her feet were thrown into the air.
He hugged her and kissed her hungrily, then he flung her onto the bed. At some point amidst their passion, Isabel seemed to hear him growl, "Isabel, you were the one who started this.”
Then, she was entirely consumed by the fiery passion. There was not a chance that she could have remembered what he said to her at all.
Meanwhile, Decker drove back to Isabel's place after Roland snatched Isabel away from him.
There was a lot of traffic on the way back, so he only managed to tail Roland's car for a while before losing sight of him. Still, he could tell that they were heading back to Isabel's place, which was why he immediately came home to intercept them.
However, it was no use. The door was shut, and the lights inside were not switched on. Isabel's unit was as quiet as it had been over the past few days.
Roland did not take her home! If so, where could he have taken her?
After repeatedly slamming the doorbell and failing to draw a response from inside the unit, he angrily thumped his fist against the door.
Then, he reached for his phone and dialed Isabel’s phone number. He heard it ring through its entirety without anyone picking up.
If she was awake, she would have hung up on him or blocked his number. She would not have let it ring to the end! What if she was sleeping with Roland? His face darkened at the very thought. He reached for his phone and called his most trusted subordinate.
The moment the call was connected, he ordered sharply," Roland is in Westchester. Find out his address and his current occupation immediately!"
The Roland he saw tonight was hardly reminiscent of the same Roland he saw roughly a year ago, the one who had to leave Southboro with his mother in a state of disgrace. It looked like he had shaken off the humiliation and carried himself with a distinct haughtiness.
He must have managed to elevate his position here in Westchester. After hanging up, Decker put down his phone and walked into the elevator.
There was no chance he could find Isabel tonight. It was useless to continue worrying about it, thus he would rather take a break and come up with other solutions.
He got out of the elevator, exited the building, and got into his car. It did not take long before he drove to a nearby five- star hotel, the first hotel he stayed in when he first arrived in Westchester. He had a room in the presidential suite on the top floor.
As soon as he opened the door, a woman dressed in sexy lingerie threw herself into his arms.
He grimaced.
Isabella pressed herself into him and looked at him with puppy eyes. "Where have you been? What took you so long to come back?"
Decker pursed his lips and promptly wiped away the coldness in his eyes, replacing it with an affectionate look. He gently patted her head. "| went out to see some friends.”
“Really? How come | heard about you attending the opening banquet of 'Legend of the Goddess'?" Isabella pouted and looked wounded.
Decker was not in the mood to coax her and make her feel good about herself. He stated curtly, 'Yeah, | invested in the show and had to show up as a formality."
With that, he moved her to the side and sat on the couch.
Isabella followed him and sat next to him on the couch, wrapping herself around his arm while muttering in an aggrieved voice, "Decker, Isabel managed to steal the female lead of 'Legend of the Goddess’ away from me and even made people rally against me online. She even refused to acknowledge me at least just for the media to see, so why are you still investing in that show?’
Decker frowned and was quickly growing impatient.
Having mingled in the entertainment industry for some time, Isabella quickly sensed his subtle changes of emotion and shifting gestures. She quickly averted her tone and clarified, "| don’t mean to blame you. | just have a feeling you care a lot about Isabel. | get jealous when | think about it because | like you and you alone."
This seemed to please Decker. He turned to Isabella, this time with a genuine smile. "| don't care about any other
women. It was nothing but a simple investment because | saw potential in that show."
Chapter 2043
Roland gently brushed his fingers against Isabella's face and spoke in a low, gentle voice, "Isabella, I'm a businessman. That's what it is at the end of the day."
"| understand. | am the one who was too paranoid," Isabella said as she pressed closer into him, her voice quickly growing sultry. “Let me keep you company tonight.”
She drew her lips toward his neck while skillfully unbuttoning his collar with her hands. Decker's mind continued replaying the scene of Roland snatching Isabel away from him.
At the time, Isabel looked irresistible. He could remember how rosy her cheeks were, like the bright red shade of a ripe rose waiting to be plucked.
Only for Roland to swoop in and steal her away!
His face darkened as he suddenly shoved Isabella, who was just about to climb on top of him, away. Thump.
Isabella fell over on the couch and nearly landed on the floor.
She sat up feeling abashed, then she turned to Decker who had risen for the couch. She asked in a completely perplexed voice, unaware of what she had done wrong," What’s wrong? Was it something | said?"
As upset as he was, Isabella was still his woman at least for now. With that in mind, he made up an excuse, "I can't do this right now. | have a lot of work | need to do. Make sure you get some rest."
With that, he entered the study.
The moment he shut the door, Isabella scowled, and her expression darkened significantly. She frowned and thumped at the couch with her fists several times to vent.
They had been together for a while, so why did he refuse to touch her? Was she not pretty enough for him?
Had he taken a liking to Isabel and wanted to sleep with her instead?! She was filled with jealousy and spite at the thought.
"Isabel, who do you think you are?!"
She was the one who entered the scene first. What had Isabel done to deserve such popularity? What was it about her that made someone like Decker prefer her?
Achoo! Isabel sneezed loudly before snapping her eyes open.
The first thing she saw was the ceiling. Her head was muddled and she stared at it for a while before the memories of the last night jogged back into her mind. The first thing she remembered was the passionate, exciting scenes.
Her heart sank, and she quickly sat up and looked to her side.
The bed sheets were ruffled, but she was the only person in the room.
Where was Roland?
Had he never been here the entire time? Were the scenes running through her mind nothing but a dream? She moved her hands and her legs to get a grasp on reality. She was convinced that it was not a dream.
No. It had to be real.
She had done it with Roland last night.
Where was he?
What if he fled out of shame?
Knock knock.
Suddenly, she heard a gentle knock on the door. She hurriedly pulled the quilt up to cover herself.
She heard Martha's gentle voice coming through the door," Isabel, are you awake? | made some soup for you. Drink it while it's hot. It's good for you."
Isabel was about to heave a sigh of relief when she sensed something off. Why was Martha suddenly making soup for her? What did she mean when she said it was good for her? Did she know about what she did with Roland last night?
She was suddenly filled with shame, and she coughed softly before answering, "Hey, Aunt Martha, I’m awake. I'll be there in a minute.”
Martha said with a cheerful pitch in her voice, "Okay, don't worry. Take your time getting ready."
Chapter 2044
Chapter 2044 Isabel certainly took her time.
It was not so much that she wanted to keep Martha waiting, but there were countless marks on her neck left behind from the activity last night. She scrambled for a way to cover them, but all the clothes she had were no good for the task, so she ended up wrapping a scarf around her neck.
Upon seeing Isabel come out of the room at last, Martha quickly brought her a bowl of soup as well as a healthy portion of food. She motioned with a smile. "Isabel, you must be starving. Have a seat and dig in.”
Isabel smiled awkwardly. "Aunt Martha, where's Roland?"
It did not seem like he was inside the house at all Had he stormed off because he was upset with her?
“Roland went to work." Martha glanced at the silk scarf tied around her neck and remarked, "He didn't mean to leave you behind. He's been waiting for you to wake up since this morning. Then, he received several phone calls from work and had no choice but to leave to attend to something important."
Isabel wanted to find a hole in the ground to bury herself in. She was not blaming Roland for leaving her; she was only curious about where he went to.
That aside, what was more important was that Martha seemed to know what the two of them had got up to last night. She had slept with him at his place. How embarrassing!
Her mood shifted dramatically several times before she finally managed to compose herself and act as naturally as possible. She muttered a vague ‘okay’ before sitting down at the dining table and eating.
Martha sat next to her, watching her eat with a kind and affectionate smile. She observed as Isabel wolfed down two bowls of rice and three bowls of soup.
She could not help it as she was starving. When she stepped out of the room, she was practically moving her limbs through sheer force of will. Besides, the food that Martha made was heavenly.
After she had her fill at last, she set the bowls aside and thanked Martha, "I'm full. Thank you for the meal. I'll be leaving for now. | need to get to work."
With that, she grabbed the bag that she had packed when she came out of the room.
Martha seemed alerted by this. She followed her to the door and asked warily, "Isabel, why are you bringing such a large bag? Aren't you just going to work? Are you not planning to stay with us anymore?"
Isabel quickly explained, "It's not like that, Aunt Martha.
We're shooting a new series right now, and the location for the shoot is pretty far away. To make the scheduling easier, | have to stay at a hotel near the place with the rest of the crew for a while.”
Martha nodded with understanding before asking hesitantly, "So, that means you're leaving us already?" Isabel assured her, "I'm not leaving. I'll be back after the shoot."
She was not the type to forget about others’ kindness so easily. Besides, Roland was the acting president at Carter Corporation, and she was the one who hired him, so there was no way she could brush him off anytime soon.
Although she had to admit that a part of her was trying to use work as an excuse to slip away, she knew she would come back. She did not know when, but it would probably be after they complete the shoot.
Martha noted the earnest look in her eyes and seemed convinced. "Alright, take care when you're working out there. By the way, | made some snacks for you as well. Take them with you and snack on them when you're hungry."
She ran into the kitchen and appeared again with a container packed with snacks.
Isabel took the container with gratitude before stuffing it into her bag.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Martha, she walked out of the house at last.
Her two bodyguards, Ben the driver, and her assistant Carla were already waiting for her inside the car parked by the entrance gate.
She quickly trotted to the door and opened the door herself without needing Carla to open it for her.
After settling into the car, she motioned to Ben. "Let's go."
Ben stepped on the gas pedal, and the car smoothly pulled into traffic.
Isabel looked at Roland's apartment through the rearview mirror and watched it slowly shrink in size as they drew farther away. She let out a faint, tired sigh.
"Isabel, it's so hot today. Why are you wearing a scarf?" Carla asked while observing her neck. Isabel suddenly tightened her scarf. "Oh, don't worry about it. My neck feels a little chilly."
Carla squinted suspiciously before asking candidly, "By the way, where did you go after the party last night? | couldn't get in touch with you at all."
Isabel suddenly felt her cheeks burning. She reached over and pinned Carla back into the car seat and practically threatened her, "Keep talking and I'll throw you out of the car!"
Carla snickered and zipped her lips. Ben and the two bodyguards were quiet as usual.
Nobody talked after Isabel silenced Carla.
Chapter 2045
Isabel heaved a sigh of relief. Through sheer will, she made herself forget about the passionate scenes from last night replaying in her mind endlessly.
She was truly unlucky to have met someone as scummy as Decker.
As if his cheating on her five years ago and slapping her was not enough, he tried to do something so vile to her last night! Although his plans were foiled, she was still upset that it happened at all.
More importantly, she did not know how she was ever going to face Roland again!
Ahh, how embarrassing!
Ding!
Suddenly, her phone rang.
She reached for her phone and immediately recognized the name on the display: Roland. The name immediately spurred memories from last night, of scenes of him kissing her hungrily.
Even now, she could recall the heat of his sweat trickling onto her cheeks.
Her hands trembled, and the phone slipped out of her hand and landed on her thigh.
"Isabel, are you okay?" Carla asked worriedly.
The two bodyguards turned around to look as well.
Isabel murmured, "I'm fine."
She picked up the phone and promptly silenced it. She chose to pretend to have missed the phone call. After a while, the ringtone ended at last.
Roland followed up with a text, "My mother told me you went off to work."
Upon not receiving a reply from Isabel after several minutes passed, he followed up with yet another text, "Where are you working? Where's the location of the shoot?”
Isabel continued to ignore his messages. She wanted to play it down as if she did not have her phone with her at all. Roland stopped texting her after that.
After her restless beating heart finally calmed down, she tucked the phone into her pocket.
Inside the president's office at Carter Tower, Roland stood by the window and stared at the phone in his hand. Twenty minutes had passed, and yet there was no word from Isabel.
Did she forget her phone? Did she not want to talk to him?
Knock.
There was a knock on the door.
Roland put his phone away. "Come in."
He sat down on the chair.
His assistant stepped in and handed him a stack of documents that he requested, along with some other work- related reports. Roland nodded solemnly after his assistant finished relaying the report, "I see, thank you. You can get back to it now."
The assistant hesitated for a moment before informing him," Sir, | received some information. Someone has been investigating you."
Roland was startled for a moment before asking suspiciously, "It's Decker, isn’t it?" The assistant seemed taken aback by his speculation." That’s him. How did you know?" Roland lowered his head and started to go through the sheet of documents. He remarked distractedly, "Don't worry about him."
His assistant had been working with him for more than a year and was aware of his personality now. Although he was curious as to why Decker would investigate him and the relationship between the two men, he stifled his curiosity and left the office.
For the first round of filming of "Legend of the Goddess", the crew gathered in a newly built district on the edges of Westchester. The architectural style of this area was modeled after an older period.
Isabel's first scene was scheduled for the evening, so she arrived relatively early. The director and most of the other actors had arrived as well, and the crew members were setting up the set.
Upon noticing her, the director seemed concerned and quickly approached her. He spoke to her in a hushed voice," Isabel, why did you and Decker suddenly disappear last night during the dinner party? Did something happen to you?