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Kade’s words were strong and promising, and he tilted his head as if to dare her to lie. “Baby, I’m not going to be happy if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
Isla’s heart felt like it was going to burst. She thought she was okay after talking to Kade, but she wasn’t.
This was the first time she had ever felt this way. She never had to think about her worth or confidence because she was a sheltered child and didn’t have anyone to compare herself to. She was all alone.
She didn’t like how these foreign feelings were crashing into her all at once. She wanted it to end.
Isla said in a soft voice that shook with nerves, “I noticed that I ate a lot more than Brynn at the movies.”
She twisted her fingers and looked out the window, finally free of Kade’s tight grip.
“I’ve never felt this way before. I feel bad. Like bad about myself.”
Isla bit her lip and looked down at her legs.
“I think Brynn is prettier than me, and I feel jealous, I think.” She furrowed her eyebrows in thought before quickly saying what she wanted to say next. “I don’t want to be, but—”
“Stop talking.”
Isla’s head turned quickly when she heard Kade’s voice.
“What did I tell you about talking bad about yourself like this?”
Isla looked down again and played with the hem of her skirt.
“Not to…” she mumbled.
“Look at me.”
Isla met Kade’s eyes with some hesitation, and it was hard for her to hold his intense gaze.
“You are so beautiful. Do you know how beautiful you are?”
Isla’s cheeks turned red, but she didn’t want to look away from his blue eyes.
“You’re perfect inside and out. There’s nothing about you that I would change.”
Isla’s face turned redder, and she opened her mouth to protest, but Kade got her in his lap before she could say anything.
Isla was tense in his lap, aware of how heavy she was on top of him. This had never been a problem for her before, and the thought made her eyes well up with tears again.
Kade could tell she was uncomfortable, so he pushed her down more on his lap, with her face towards him.
“Isla, listen to me. Don’t ever compare yourself to anyone. They aren’t worth your time. If this girl is bothering you, I’ll take care of it.”
Isla hit his hands on her waist to protest. “No! Don’t do anything. Just don’t do anything. It’s my problem.”
Kade bit the inside of his cheek because he wasn’t sure, but he gave in.
“I won’t do anything crazy right now, but if I see you like this again, we’re going to have a problem.”
Isla answered quickly. “Okay, I get it.”
Kade hummed and let go of her hips so he could touch her thighs.
“So damn beautiful, baby”
************
The next morning, Kade got up early and was determined to get some work done in the office.
After his shower, he put on a simple black suit and used his ring-covered fingers to fix his hair.
His early morning was also affected by Isla’s absence. He didn’t sleep as well when she wasn’t there.
He sighed and walked to his black Range Rover, which was parked lazily on the curved driveway. He drove to work and texted one of his assistants to have coffee ready for him.
He had a big shipment coming in that needed everyone to help. Everyone was working extra hours to make sure it got there safely after it crossed the border.
Kade, on the other hand, didn’t forget that there was a traitor among them, and he kept an eye out for anything strange.
A knock on Kade’s office door broke his train of thought.
“Come in,” he said.
Mateo and Marco, the two men he had hired to keep an eye on everyone, were at the door.
“Did you read the email, boss?” Marco asked as he stepped farther into the office to close the door.
“I looked it over.”
Marco nodded and went to his desk.
“Well, I think the guy who helped steal our stuff is going to try to stop this shipment.”
Kade sat up in his seat and became interested in what was being said.
“If this guy is only in it for the money, he’ll probably look for another buyer who has the cash he wants. It could be anyone who wants drugs, even another drug lord.”
“So, you think this same guy is going to try to sell our most recent shipment to someone else?”
Kade leaned forward and put his elbows on the table.
“Everything in those crates is worth almost 2 million dollars. No one in their right mind would want that many drugs at once, let alone have the money for them.” He tilted his head and clenched his jaw. “There’s only one other guy I know who could afford that much stuff—”
Kade jumped out of his chair and slammed his hands on the desk.
“Are you f*****g kidding me?!”
Kade was furious at the thought of his biggest rival stealing from him. Rhodes. When he thought that one of his men was stealing from him. Once more.
“We need to get this under control before I do something I’ll regret.” His voice was cold and full of anger.
“Yes, boss, we can take care of it.”
“You better,” Kade said through gritted teeth.
There were two knocks on the door, and before Kade could tell them to go away, a head popped in.
“Kade, I—”
Micah stopped talking when he saw that they weren’t alone. He frowned at the tense mood around them.
“Am I interrupting or…”
Kade gritted his teeth and slowly sat back down in his chair.
“No, they were just leaving.”
Kade’s words followed the two men as they ran out of the room.
When the door closed, Micah looked at Kade and raised his brow.
“What was that all about?”
Kade shook his head.
“Nothing. What do you want?”
Micah walked over to his desk and sat down in one of the leather chairs across from it.
“Who says I need anything? Maybe I just wanted to talk to my friend.”
Kade squinted at his friend, then relaxed his face and let out a funny laugh. It wasn’t long before he took a bottle of whisky out of his drawer.
Micah smiled and jumped up to grab two glasses from the shelf behind his friend.
“That’s what I’m talking about.”
************
Isla had nothing to do all day. Being with Kade all the time made her realise how boring her life was before she met him.
She took a breath, put the last plate in the dishwasher, and closed it with her hip. Then she put her hands on the counter behind her.
In this house, she felt more like a maid than anything else.
Clarice had been distant and a little cold to her since she got back, and she knew it was because of the big, tattooed man she brought to the orphanage. But Kade wasn’t dangerous, and she said what she had to say. He would never do anything to hurt her.
She looked at the clock and sighed; it felt like time was moving slower than usual.
Isla heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen after she had been looking out the window for a while.
She turned her head a little and looked the middle-aged woman in the eye. She would even call her mom.
Isla whispered, “Hi,” and looked out the window again.
“Hi,” Clarice said softly.
The older woman stood by the window and watched the younger girl for a few minutes.
“Why don’t you like Kade?” Isla asked Clarice, turning to face her with a small frown on her lips.
Clarice’s eyes got bigger when she heard the direct question, but then they got smaller when she thought she was being accused.
“Why do you like him?” Isla asked. “He looks like a bad guy, and I don’t want you to get hurt. If he’s controlling you or making you do something you don’t want to do, just tell me, okay? I’ll help you.”
As she spoke, Clarice’s eyes softened, and a caring smile spread across her face.