Under His Protection

Vincent, trying to avoid her gaze, blurted out, “How was your outing?”, hoping to steer the conversation in a safe direction.

He was lost for words, feeling caught off guard by Isabella’s sudden awakening. Her penetrating stare made him feel even more uneasy, unable to think straight.

Her conversation with Audrey had been both enjoyable and stimulating, but after a while, fatigue began to set in and she decided to retire to her room for a bit of rest.

To her surprise, she found Vincent sitting by her side, his gaze fixed on her with passionate intensity. This unexpected presence startled her, and she struggled to comprehend the reason for it.

As Vincent entered the room, his gaze immediately fell upon Isabella’s alluring form.

For a moment, he stood there, completely transfixed, as if he had just beheld a goddess. His eyes lingered over her body, taking in every detail with a scrutiny reminiscent of an X-ray machine, even the covered contours of her legs were not spared from his unyielding appraisal. He remained still, seemingly lost in the wonder of her beauty, not daring to break the spell of his mesmerized state..

Vincent cautiously approached Isabella, drawn by the irresistible allure of her beauty, even in slumber. He inched closer, eager to witness more closely her exquisite features, which seemed to be bathed in a soft, otherworldly radiance.

As he stared at her, he was filled with awe and enchantment, and his heart was filled with wonder at how swiftly he was succumbing to the charm of this woman.

“It was fine,” Isabella responded, her thoughts still wrestling with the thought of Vincent’s presence beside her and the unwavering gaze he directed at her.

She puzzled over the reason for his behavior, attempting to rationalize it as concern for her wellbeing and that of their unborn child. Yet, deep down, she knew there was more to his behavior than mere worry.

“You look tired! Hungry?” Vincent asked as he stood up finally getting himself, he walked toward the bathroom taking his shirt off and turned towards Isabella. “What would you like for dinner?” he asked in a husky voice.

As Isabella raised her head to respond to Vincent, her eyes caught on his bare chest well definded with muscles and six pack abs, she suddenly became hot as a glimpse of their first night flashed through her mind.

Isabella: “…..”

Seeing her blank expression he quickly interpreted she was having nostalgia, “I won’t be cooking,” he annouced trying to convince her, he remembered the last ordeal and wouldn’t want to make something Isabella couldn’t eat.

“Anything is fine,” Isabella hesitated, reluctant to be convinced by his magnetic charm. She was aware that if Vincent truly wished for her to comply, she would find it nearly impossible to resist, particularly in her current state of weariness and hunger. The thought of savoring a delicious meal after an exhausting day was enticing, and she found herself wavering.

After some time, Isabella made her way downstairs to see if the meal was ready, as her hunger pangs had intensified. To her astonishment, she encountered an unexpected sight, Vincent’s mother, seated comfortably on the sofa with her legs crossed, her presence both surprising and disconcerting to Isabella.

Isabella instantly recognized Vincent’s mother from the photographs decorating the living room walls. Alarm bells sounded in her mind, confirming the dark cloud of trouble hovering over her.

Mustering her courage, Isabella offered a polite “hello”, but was met with a sharp rebuke from Vincent’s mother. It was clear that this unexpected meeting was not destined to be a pleasant one.

Vincent’s mother’s icy glare fell upon Isabella, her disdain evident in her tone as she demanded, “And who is this?”

Her contemptuous gaze then turned to her son. “Son, you’d better start talking!” she snapped, her voice laced with irritation.

From Apperance, Bella could tell Vincent’s mom was a rich and strong-willed lady in her 50s. She wore fancy and expensive clothes and jewelry. She looked and acted like she was in charge of everything, like the world was hers. She could tell she was used to getting her way and was used to controlling things.

Despite the unexpected intrusion and the tension in the air, Vincent managed to maintain his composure and extend an invitation to his mother.

“Mother, we were about to have dinner. Please, join us,” he said, his tone even and controlled.Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

Isabella remained silent and unmoving, fear gripping her as the drama unfolded. She had been dreading this very encounter, knowing full well the ruthlessness of Vincent’s mother from all she had heard. Despite her attempts to steer clear of this woman, fate had not been on her side.

“Come to the table Isabella,” Vincent called finally freeing her from the ice-age she was trapped in, As she walked slowly towards the dining table she wondered how that evening was going to play out.

The silence that pervaded the dining table was as thick and oppressive as a thundercloud. Isabella ate her food slowly, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Vincent’s mother.

She felt like a mouse in the presence of a hawk, knowing full well that any false move could provoke a swift and devastating response from her.

Vincent on the other hand was calm as usual acting like everything was under control.

Vincent’s mother suddenly lost her patience and dropped her cutlery with a loud clatter. She turned to Vincent with a look of fury and demanded to know, “Who the heck is this poor-looking urchin of a girl, and why is she in your house?” She was angry and wanted answers immediately.

In a bold and rebellious tone, Vincent declared to his mother, “She’s my wife, mother!” He was unafraid to stand up to his mother’s questioning and proudly asserted his relationship with Isabella.

Angered by the news, Vincent’s mother yelled, her eyes burning with rage, like they could break down walls if she wanted them to.

“You got married without telling your mother?” she shrieked, unable to contain her fury. “How could you do that? How could you disrespect me like this?” Her anger was so intense, you could practically see the steam coming out of her ears.

Vincent replied in a more humble tone, “Mom, I’m really sorry. It wasn’t intentional. We’ve been dating for a while and things just… happened.” He knew that his actions had deeply hurt his mother and he was trying to smooth things over with his explanation. However, the apology only seemed to fan the flames of her rage even more.

Vincent’s mother could hardly believe what he was saying. In all the years she had been trying to set him up with other women, he had never shown any real interest. So the fact that he had secretly married someone without telling her was a real slap in the face. She couldn’t understand how he could have hidden a girlfriend from her all this time. She felt totally disrespected and lied to..

Vincent’s mother was livid. “I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend!” she thundered, her anger still raging. “And you couldn’t find someone better than this?” she demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Isabella. She couldn’t believe her son had chosen someone she considered below his class to be his wife. She felt insulted and disrespected by his choice.

“Mom, I’m really sorry for not telling you beforehand,” Vincent started, holding Isabella’s hand tightly for support. “I should have been more open with you. But choosing my wife is my decision,” he said, his voice rising with resolve. “And Isabella is my choice!” He stared into Isabella’s eyes, standing firm and refusing to back down. He wanted his mother to feel that he was serious about Isabella and that she wasn’t going anywhere.

Vincent’s mother shot up from her seat as if she were about to explode. “What?!” she roared, completely offended by what he had just said. “You turned down all those beautiful, rich, and successful women I introduced you to, and this is the girl you choose?” she asked, letting out a sneering laugh. She was not pleased that her son had chosen someone she deemed unworthy.

“You must be joking” she retorted taking back her seat and holding her cutlery she moved to continue her food.

“I am not Mother,” Vincent said abruptly trying to hold his grounds. “I understand you are angry but it’s already done,” he continued.

“I’m not sure you do son, having a marriage without my consent is just barbaric!” she fumed.

“Mother I know I got married without your consent and you have every right to be angry, and for that I have decided to have a public wedding with Isabella!” he announced looking at his mother who was taken by surprised.

“Now you would be involved in it, isn’t that better?” Vincent asked looking at his mother with a mischievous smile.

Still swamped by surprise she couldn’t object to the wedding but she wasn’t convinced enough, she knew Vincent would go any lenght just to get her to stop bringing numerous ladies his way.

Vincent’s mother turned toward Isabella who was in shock by the sudden news Vincent as announced, she knew it was not in line with their agreement but she thought he had said that just to keep his mother from further interrogation.

“And you do you want this?, she asked Isabella. “Do you even love my son?”

Isabella was reluctant as she couldn’t find the right answer, this was not what she had wanted when she agreed to marry Vincent, she thought about the contract with Mr white and the Casey family, the last thing she wanted was another public drama.

“Yes she does,” Vincent said in Isabella’s defence, he had noticed her blank expression and knew she was already worried.

“The young lady should speak for herself!” Vincent’s mother ordered turning to Isabella who was now focus on what was happening.

“Yes I do.” she replied with a smile as she tried to hide her anxiousness.

“Very well.” she replied sounding displeased.

After Vincent had seen his mother off she waited for him to come into the room before lashing at him.

“And why would you do that?” Isabella asked immediately he opened the door.

“Do what?” he replied looking puzzled, ” Do you mean having a public wedding?” he asked her.

“Yes of course, why are we having a wedding again, you said this was only temporary and because of the child,” she said suddenly raising her voice.

“I am doing this for the child, you said you didn’t want it to be treated bad remember!” he said trying to cajoled her.

“And moreover I am also trying to protect you,” Vincent said as he tried to calm her down.

“If my mother could react to us getting secretly married like this imagine how the society would react when they later finds out you are pregnant!” he continued.

Isabella suddenly became weak as she thought about how her mother and sister would react to her getting pregnant just few days after her engagement was called off, she could imagine the mockery on their faces.

And she knew Mary and Angelie wouldn’t believe her marriage to Vincent as he was out of her league but Mr White finding out about the wedding would also be a huge problem.

A public wedding with a billionaire like Vincent would be a big come back for her and her career and also would serve as a sweet payback to Timothy and above all it would serve as a solid foundation for child to have a good life.

“I know this isn’t what I said to you when I asked you to marry me but I promise not to hurt you in any way,” Vincent Assured her.

Looking at Vincent she could see sincerity radiating all over his eyes, she couldn’t help but trust him, moreover since they met all had done was to make her life better even though he seemed a little over protective sometimes.

“Ok, let’s do it.” She said as she gave him a mischievous smile.