Page 8 of Inheritance

"Yes. And you are?"

She blinked slowly letting the moment hang for a heartbeat too long

"I’m Isabelle. What are you doing out here?"

“Oh, of course. Its good to meet you”

I swallowed nervously. "Just... thinking. Gabriel was busy, thought fresh air would be good for me."

"You picked a great place for it. I come out here to think too," she said, her voice lighter than her expression.

She was as beautiful as Gabriel was handsome.

"I’m sorry about your sister. Gabriel told me everything."

She let out a soft, disbelieving laugh, her frown deepening. "I doubt he told you everything."

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated, the feeling was becoming too familiar. I’d hoped that Gabriel would trust me enough to be fully open.

Silence sat between us, not uncomfortable but weighted. I searched for something to say or ask, but she spoke first.

"So, tell me about yourself," she said, leaning forward slightly, studying me. "I want to see what Gabriel sees in you."

"Well… Where should I even begin, before I came here, I was working three jobs just to survive."

A shadow flickered through my thoughts, Henry’s wide eyes, his reaching hands, the little camera in the wall watching everything. I pushed the memory away.

"I worked in a café, a marine biology lab, and.. and an art gallery," I said, keeping my voice steady.

Isabelle pursed her lips, nodding thoughtfully. "So how did you meet Gabriel?"

I felt myself smile a little at the memory. "He came into the café I worked at. I hated him at first, he was rude and arrogant. But then I found out he was my new boss at the lab."

I paused, laughing softly. "It’s strange to think someone like him would’ve gone to college for marine biology."

Her expression shifted, just slightly at first, then her brows knitted together in brief, unmistakable confusion before she smoothed it away.

"Gabriel’s full of surprises," she said, her voice measured. But there was something about the way she said it, like she was trying to make sense of it herself. But before I could dwell on it, she was already moving the conversation forward.

"So… working together, is that when things started?"

"Sort of," I said carefully. "It wasn’t easy at first. He doesn’t like to let people in."

"No, he doesn’t," Isabelle agreed, her tone dropping. Her eyes flicked to mine, holding my gaze. "But he lets you in now, doesn’t he?"

"I don’t know," I admitted finally.

I looked past her at the sound of footsteps on the path. Gabriel emerged from the trees—silent, steady, unreadable.

Her smile was small but knowing. "You’ll figure it out. Just remember he has his reasons for keeping secrets. Don’t take it personally."

I looked back into her bright blue eyes, they were softer now.

"It was nice to finally meet you." I said.

She stayed where she was, leaning back a little. "You too."

Gabriel stopped at the edge of the bench, his attention settling on me like it had been there the whole time. He reached out his hand.