Chapter 607

Isabella gasped, her eyes brimming with unshed tears as she glared at Vanessa.

"You think you're special because you married Alexander? The Whitmore family is still controlled by Harold, and in the Hayes family, you're nothing but an illegitimate child who can't even show your face in public! What right do you have to act so high and mighty? You just seduced your way into his bed and forced him to marry you."

"You..." Vanessa trembled violently, one hand instinctively cradling her stomach, terrified for her unborn baby.

Vanessa quickly steadied herself; she hadn't come here to engage in petty arguments.

"Ms. Morgan, did you invite me here just to quarrel? Since our plan failed, we should focus on damage control!" Hearing this, Isabella visibly calmed down.

"Alexander must despise me now; he probably never wants to see me again. What else can I possibly do?"

Vanessa smirked. "That's simple. I can create the opportunity, but it's up to you to take advantage of it."

Isabella clenched her fists. "Drugging him again? That's despicable."

She secretly loathed such underhanded tactics. What was the point of controlling a man through chemicals?

Besides, Isabella just couldn't bear Alexander ignoring her while showering all his attention on Evelyn.

She simply wanted Alexander to notice her again, to care about her existence.

Her feelings for Alexander were a toxic cocktail of resentment and longing. Andrew, her brother, had died because of Alexander, yet he'd moved on, married and started a family, completely forgetting about her - his savior's sister. The bitterness consumed her.

"I just want Alexander to pay attention to me again!" Isabella blurted out.

Vanessa's lips curled into a knowing smile. "I want to make Evelyn suffer. Once cracks appear in their marriage, Alexander will naturally turn to you."

Isabella looked skeptical.

Just then, her phone buzzed.

Glancing at the caller ID, she immediately declined the call.

After their meeting, Isabella took a cab back to the symphony hall.

Exhausted beyond measure, she grabbed a silk nightgown and headed for the shower.

When she emerged, a man lounged on her bed.

Isabella paled. "You... How did you get in here?"

Sebastian, who had just entered her room, held the bra she'd dropped upon arrival. The gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose gave him an air of cultured menace that set Isabella's nerves on edge.

He moved closer, his large hand encircling her wrist as he pulled her against his chest.

"Isabella, why did you ignore my call?"

His touch made her skin crawl, but Sebastian seemed to revel in it, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Isabella stiffened. "Sebastian, what are you doing here?"

"I live next to the symphony hall, so I just climbed the wall. Your dorm lock is child's play. Did you forget the Powells'... particular skills?" Sebastian chuckled darkly. "I just wanted to surprise you."

Tears welled in Isabella's eyes.

She'd thought that terrible night was the end, never imagining Sebastian would continue harassing her.

Only Alexander could help her now, but she couldn't possibly tell him about this.

"Sebastian, what do you want? You're engaged to Victoria Clarke. If she finds out you're fooling around... what would she think?"

Sebastian tightened his grip. "She won't find out! Isabella, I want you. Ever since that night, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. Every second, I think about you. I need you."

His lips crashed against hers.

Isabella clutched at his shirt, trying to push him away, but her efforts were futile.

This was the symphony dormitory - any noise would alert the neighbors. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Isabella, don't cry," Sebastian murmured, licking the tears from her face. "I'll be gentle."

Suddenly, Isabella asked, "Sebastian, did you kill Vincent White?"

She reasoned: "Sebastian claims to have loved me for years. If true, he must have been watching me. That night, Vincent tried to assault me - Sebastian had motive."

Sebastian looked genuinely confused. "Vincent White? Who's that?"

Isabella froze.

"If Sebastian doesn't know Vincent... then who killed him?"

Before she could probe further, Sebastian's gaze turned predatory. He tore open his shirt and shoved her onto the bed.

A sharp cry escaped Isabella's lips.

Someone passed by her door, the sound unmistakable in the silent hallway. A concerned knock followed. "Isabella? Are you okay? Did you fall?"

Her heart hammered. "N-no, I'm fine. Just bumped into something."

"Alright, be careful."

Isabella swallowed hard, pushing against Sebastian's chest.

But he held her tighter, his hungry gaze devouring her. "Isabella, you're irresistible."

Disgust churned in her stomach.

Suppressing her revulsion, she challenged: "Sebastian, you claim to love me, but you only want to use me. Your 'love' is just empty words."

"How can you say that? Don't you believe how much I care for you?" Sebastian paused in his assault.

Isabella closed her eyes. "Prove it."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Your brother Dominic nearly strangled me that day."

Sebastian smirked. "Consider it done. He'll pay."

"It's late. You should go! Be careful leaving - don't get caught!"

Sebastian frowned, clearly unsatisfied. "Isabella, I'm not finished... Can't we continue?"

Isabella shook her head. "You were too rough last time. I can't take it."

Reluctantly, Sebastian released her.

He cupped her face, kissing her swollen lips possessively before finally leaving.

The moment the door closed, Isabella rushed to lock it.

She ran to the bathroom, scrubbing her mouth under running water until her lips burned. Then she stepped into the shower, scouring her skin raw.

When she finally emerged, dazed and trembling, she tore the contaminated sheets from her bed.

Collapsing to the floor, Isabella buried her face in her hands and wept uncontrollably.