Chapter 3
Thinking back on her past with Caelen, Iselle felt as if her heart were being ripped apart.
The first time Iselle met Caelen, they were both at their lowest points.
When she’d first been brought back to the Branor family, life had actually been smooth for a little while.
Her parents, guilty over the fact that she’d been kidnapped by a nanny and left to grow up in an orphanage, tried to make it up to her in their own awkward way, even if they never really formed a bond.
But Iselle could always sense it–her entire family preferred Delphine, the girl they’d raised as their own. Delphine’s room was the biggest, the brightest in the house. She had a mild case of hay fever, so Iselle wasn’t allowed to have a bedroom on the same floor. Delphine claimed Iselle carried some strange scent that made her sneeze.
Iselle had never wanted to compete with her for anything–until Delphine challenged her to a bet.
Delphine said she could steal away whatever mattered most to Iselle. Not just once, but nine times.
If she succeeded, Iselle would have to leave the Branor family on her own. If not, she’d just be humiliating herself by staying.
Iselle agreed. She wanted to know if her blood relatives truly didn’t care about her at all.
She lost the first eight rounds, just as expected. Iselle had already given up, she packed her bags, ready to leave the Branor family as soon as the
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bet was over.
That was when she found Caelen, lying in a back alley.
288 Vouchers.
He’d collapsed in the rain, his abdomen riddled with bullet wounds. Blood was pooling around him, staining the soles of Iselle’s shoes bright red.
He reached out and grabbed her ankle, but she couldn’t risk bringing someone like him to a hospital.
Still, she couldn’t just leave him there. Her conscience wouldn’t allow it. In the end, she dragged him to a tiny, out–of–the–way clinic.
There was no real doctor, just an elderly woman with silver hair.
It was as if she’d been expecting Iselle to show up with the wounded man -she asked no questions. What shocked Iselle most was how quickly the man’s wounds healed, how even his broken leg mended as if by magic.
Just before they left, the elder woman finally spoke. “This man is no good for you. The Durrell family’s heir is your true destiny. I’ll help you.”
Back then, Iselle didn’t even know who the Durrell heir was, nor did she
understand what the elder woman meant.
After returning to the Branor family, Caelen became someone Iselle couldn’t let go of.
So Caelen became her fiancé, and Delphine set her sights on him as her next target.
It became the ninth–round of their bet. When Iselle and Delphine faced
off, Nolan stood behind Delphine, giving Iselle a look that told her to give
- up.
But in the heavy silence, Caelen reached for Iselle’s hand.
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“The only one I love is Iselle.
“The only woman worth marrying into her family for is Iselle.”
In that moment, Iselle was in tears–she’d finally won, just once.
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But after Delphine agreed to marry into the Durrell family as a substitute bride, that last beautiful dream shattered. Iselle overheard Caelen giving his men cold instructions. “When the Durrell family comes to pick up the bride, tie Iselle up and put her in the car.
“And keep my identity a secret.
“When Delphine finally gives in, I’ll tell her myself.”
myself.”
His men agreed, then asked, “What about Ms. Iselle? You went through all this trouble for her–are you just going to leave her with the Durrell family?”
Caelen paused, considering.
“She’s obedient and sensible. I promised to be good to her.”
“Once the Durrell family stops caring about her, grab her and take her to my place in the North District. If you let her get away, I’ll break your legs.”
So, the man she’d saved was none other than the underworld’s most mysterious Don Morven–the one man the Branor family could never afford to cross. He was the nightmare she would never escape, even after marrying into the Durrell family.
At that moment, Iselle remembered the elder woman’s words. Instead of being a pawn, maybe it was time to play her own game.
From Nolan, she learned that the Durrell family’s heir, Asher Durrell, had nearly died on a mission at the border and was now brain–dead.
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Iselle’s heart whispered, “Maybe saving him would be more valuable than saving Caelen. Maybe, just maybe, he really is my destiny–just as the elder woman said.”
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