Page 99 of Isabela

“Dean Hopkins asked for Isa’s presence this morning,” Gael begins. The dean begins to pale as he hears my nickname. He and Aria are the only ones who use it. “He called her a whore today, and other things I haven’t yet been privy to as I’ve just arrived. The dean also says that Laurene, your granddaughter, brought this to his attention. There are photos of us that should have remained private, Sir.”

I can’t help the sob that escapes, lifting my hand to attempt to stifle it.

“Isabela,” Theodore says slowly. “It’s just you and me. Gael, give her the phone. Make sure the dean doesn’t go anywhere, as he won’t be continuing his tenure at Hoyt University for much longer.”

Gael hands the phone to me, and I see Theo’s worried blue eyes in front of me.

“I don’t want to hear a single apology from your lips, is that understood?” he asks. I nod wildly, forcing myself to breathe as I cry. “Take a breath and tell me everything.”

Forcing myself to calm down as much as possible, I explain what happened. Theo’s nostrils flare in anger before he nods.

“Gael and I will deal with my granddaughter, Isabela. Don't you worry. She's not going to be a problem anymore,” he says gently. I want to ask what he means by this, but genuinely doubt that he would kill his own granddaughter over something like this. “Give Gael the photos so he can get rid of them. Fredrick, are you there?”

I turn the phone so the dean can step forward. I can see him looking longingly at the now broken door, but Gael is standing in front of it as if blocking it.

“Of course, Sir,” the dean mumbles.

“This young lady is part of the Eagna Society,” Theodore says slowly. If I cared, I’d offer the dean a seat because he looks as if he’s about to pass out. “You just harassed and disrespected Isabela, and that is inexcusable. Clearly you’ve overstayed your welcome as a dean at Hoyt University?—”

“No, Sir, please,” Dean Hopkins whispers.

“You’re fired,” Theodore says. It may as well be a roar for how quiet the room becomes. “Pack up your things and leave. I never want to hear you call any young woman at this school the things you called Isabela Cohen. You should think about your sources before you follow up on them, because my granddaughter suffers from severe daddy issues.”

Gael hides his smirk behind his hand as I look around the room in shock. I didn’t foresee any of this happening when I woke up this morning.

“Thank you, Theodore,” Gael says, all remaining pretenses dropping. “I’m going to take Isabela home now. Do you have any classes today?”

“No,” I murmur. I can work from home as easily today as I can from the library.

Wow. Home.

I definitely think of the gorgeous home that I share with Aria and Gael as home, and I think it’s time I start to act like it. I need to call the landlord to give up my apartment.

“Let’s go, Isa,” Gael prompts, pulling me out of my thoughts. Theodore has hung up in the time that I was thinking, making me sigh as I realize how spacy I am right now. Grabbing my backpack, I lift it to my shoulder. Gael rips the photos up in his hands, keeping the ruined pieces in his fist.

It’s better if no one ever sees that photo.

Walking as if in a dream, I let Gael wrap his arm around my shoulder as we leave.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks. We’re almost to the parking garage where my car is parked. I’ve been in a haze, not realizing that he’s walking me to my vehicle, since we drove separately this morning. I wish we hadn’t, I don’t really want to drive.

“A lot,” I rasp. The tears are drying on my cheeks, and I drag my palms across my face to dash them away. “For one, I’m going to call my landlord as soon as I can to give up my apartment. I’m happy living with you and Aria, I don’t need a back up plan.”

“That’s… wow,” he murmurs. “I like the sound of that. You said ‘one’, which leads me to believe there’s more?”

“I feel kind of responsible for how the Cohen Literacy Foundation devolved into a sex ring,” I confess. “No really. If I had been more involved in the company and the foundation, this may not have happened.”

“Isabela,” Gael barks, pulling me to a stop. His fingers move to my chin, pushing my gaze up to meet his. “You are not responsible for the things you had to do in survival mode. Is that clear? You were fighting to protect yourself in the only way you knew how. Little One, your uncle was a terrible man.”

Tears slowly slide down my face again. God, I’m so sick of crying. Taking a hiccuping breath, I shake my head.

“All of those people,” I keen. “I want to see if I can find some of them. There has to be records somewhere. It’s just so awful. This could have been me, Gael.”

“So find them,” he growls. “I’m making it one of your tasks for the Society. I think Theodore will approve it as well. Just don’t pile all of this guilt on yourself, okay?”

“How can I not?” I ask with a huff. I’m a mess, but Gael just smiles at me.

“Did you physically run an auction to traffick people, baby?” he asks patiently, nodding when I shake my head. “Exactly. Help fix the situation, but don’t take on a dead man’s sins.”

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