As the unexpected voice that uttered those words spoke, a kind of fear Isabella loathed immediately came over her and she gripped Charles's shirt for some kind of assurance of protection.
In turn, Charles held her closer.
Gabriel, with a sinister look on his face, took a few steps closer, his hands pocketed as his shoulders seemed to wear a certain gloat.
"I didn't know you were quite a whore. No wonder you didn't want to sleep with me anymore. How interesting is this?" He scoffed. "Does Mr. Charming here fuck you good? Is he the reason you won't give me a child?"
"Wh-" Isabella's throat had gone dry. She cleared it instantly. She had no desire to stay quiet. "What are you doing here, Gabriel?"
"I came here for my wife. Instead..." His smirk widened. "... instead!" he hollered. "I meet her letting another man touch her."
"I am not your wife, Gabriel. Not anymore."
"Say that to my face, bitch."
Charles moved almost violently toward Gabriel but Isabella pulled him back. Slowly, she got down and faced him squarely. "Gabriel," she folded her arms, "like I said last time, I am leaving you. No, I have left you."
Suddenly, he burst into laughter.
Charles and Isabella shared a look. As they did that, Isabella noticed how unusually thicker Charles' brows were. She didn't miss how that little detail made his eyes wear a certain sparkle.
She had certainly missed looking at that gorgeous face of his.
"Oh. Oh my..." Gabriel struggled to speak as he tried to reduce his laughter or preferably put an end to it so that he could finally assume an angry expression. When that happened, he said, "Isabella, I am afraid it doesn't work that way. In case you have forgotten, your father sold you to me to pay his debts and I don't even think that debt is half paid."
"Really, Mr. Manifold?" Charles finally butted in.
"Excuse me?"
Charles took one more step. "How much is this debt we are talking about? Is it in millions? Or billions?"
"Charles..." Isabella tugged at his arm. Something within her didn't want to see Charles getting mixed with a monster like Gabriel.
But Charles seemed to have plans of his own. His stance looking more determined, he said, "Tell me how much the debt is. I will pay you and you will do me a simple favour." Charles's legs took him a bit forward towards the man. "All you have to do is sign the divorce papers so I can marry my woman."
"I..." Gabriel seemed to ponder. But not for long. "Are you delusional?" He chuckled. "You want to marry my wife? Do you seriously think I want your money? All I want is that wench back in my house where she belongs."
"You bastard!" Charles seemed to lose his sense and he instantly grabbed Gabriel by the collar, squeezing the flesh around the man's neck in the process. Isabella, more worried than seconds ago, ran toward Charles and begged him to release his murderous hold. A deep glare was flashed in her direction as he uttered the words, "Stay out of this."
"Look at us... fighting over a woman." Gabriel managed to laugh in his condition. "Let me tell you a secret. A secret that would make you back away from this fight." That tease in Gabriel's voice... Isabella wore a scowl on hearing it.
That particular teasing voice was one of the many reasons she would never forgive Gabriel. He was a man who used the power of his tongue to kill every sense of confidence she had. He never failed to remind her about her father who had sold and abandoned her.
Hands pulling into a fist, a surge of anger in her veins, Isabella prayed for a chance to hold onto Gabriel's collar like Charles was doing. She wished for a moment to watch her ex-husband gasp for air as she attempts to suck the life out of him.
Of course, she wouldn't kill him, but the fear that will be in his eyes...
Now, that would be the best part.
In reaction to Gabriel's annoying voice, Charles screamed his response. "I don't care what you have to say! All I want is your signature on the damn divorce papers!"
Throwing his head back, Gabriel chuckled lightly. "You should know that I have fucked her so hard that she is nothing now. I have ruined her beyond imagination."
Isabella felt that growing anger envelop her heart and it took her a few seconds to ensure that she didn't take over from Charles and deal with the man called Gabriel.
"Arghh!" Within a second, Charles angrily smashed Gabriel against the floor.
Arching his back as he gritted his teeth, Gabriel managed to ask, "Why are you this angry over such an empty woman?"
"Charles!" Isabella ran towards the man who was about to land a punch on Gabriel's face. She pulled back his arm and begged him to stop. "Don't make a mistake Charles, he is not worth it. If we have to deal with him, we have to make sure we ruin him. A few punches will do nothing, so please..." the pleading in her voice increased "...let go."
Charles listened and got off the floor. But his eyes never peeled away from Gabriel whose eyes were glistening with pride despite being in great pain. Then, with contempt lacing his tongue, Charles said to the man, "You are a disgusting man, Mr. Manifold. I am ashamed to be of the same gender as you."
Gabriel laughed again as he got up. "Ahh!" he cried as stretched almost painfully. Gasping lightly as she struggled to find a stable stance, he said, "I am not going to sign those papers."
"Then you leave me no choice." Charles bore his sight into the eyes of the roughened man. "We will meet in court. Isabella will get the power to divorce you there. No, she will get the power to ruin you in court. "
Isabella's head snapped towards Charles.
She was not aware that her divorce issue would lead to a court session.
At first, she became weakened at the mention of the judicial body, but as she looked toward Gabriel who was wearing a small smirk, she suddenly recalled her urge for freedom.
At that moment, going to the court sounded like the greatest idea ever.
And... as it was in the past, she was once again grateful to have Charles.
"If that's how you want to play this," the smirk on Gabriel's face pissed Isabella off greatly, "I will meet you in court." Isabella didn't look away when his eyes bored into hers. "And I will make sure I get Isabella back."
As he walked away, a huge breath Isabella had no idea she was holding begged for release and she finally knew a kind of relief.
"Are you fine?" Charles asked with great concern. Her eyes which looked so much like a little girl's darted into his. After a single lick of her lower lip, she nodded. He did not seem to believe her, so he pulled her in for a hug. "You are not an empty woman, Isabella."
She did nothing but hug him tighter.
"I will do all I can to make sure Manifold doesn't get to you."
Isabella looked up at the man with the warm, broad chest. "I don't want him to."
Radiating comfort through his entire existence, Charles held her chin. "And, he won't. You have suffered long enough, Isabella. You deserve better in life because you have not offended anyone. All you did was be a good daughter. You shouldn't suffer for that."
His words sank into her heart and she almost cried.
Then, she was taken back to the very moment they first met. His words back then always struck a chord within her and that, amongst so many things, made her love him.
She stared even more into his eyes, unaware she was on tiptoes and leaning toward his lips.
Charles was making her feel that way again. He was making her insides dance with joy as she sank more and more into the cushion of comfort he brought with him.
Isabella didn't want to feel that way because she was slightly afraid.
But, Charles did not fail to remind her that, no matter what happens, she had him.
What more could she want? Why should she run away even farther?
All she needed was right in front of her.
"Isabella?"
This time, she took his lips with hers and sent a message to him with it. An unsaid message.
Charles wasted no time. He drew her closer and delicately replied to her message. Within a second, their needs grew, and the atmosphere changed.
Without breaking the kiss, Charles swept Isabella off the floor and had her straddling him in that position. Isabella who was already craving more smiled.
"I don't think I can wait till we get married," Charles said, his forehead on hers as the kiss broke.
Isabella leaned in and gave him a peck on his right ear lobe. Almost seductively, she said into his ear, "Then, take me right now."