Page 2 of Isabelle and the Beast

He lifts his mouth in a half-grin. “They say the weather at the castle reflects the disposition of its resident.”

My eyes widen.Say what?!

“But that’s just a myth,” he continues. “We occasionally get snowstorms in May. It’s just the altitude.”

“Oh.” It still seems very unusual, but I’ll take his word for it. I shiver lightly, not expecting the snow and therefore not wearing anything snow-appropriate. My deep purple tank topwith black slacks and stilettos is not the right getup for this climate.

“Let’s get you inside,” he says. “I’m Lionel, Mr. Stone’s butler. I take care of the goings-on in the castle. If you need anything while you’re here, I’ll be at your service.”

“I won’t be here more than a few hours,” I say. “But thank you for your offer.”

He presses his lips together in a small smile. “As you say.” He guides me up the giant stone steps to the front door. “Careful, these can get slippery.”

I guess wearing stilettos was an extra bad idea today. I’m cautious about taking deliberate steps to avoid any major injuries. When we reach the front double doors, Lionel lets go of me and opens the one on the right. “Please come in. I’ll show you to the study. We have a fire waiting for you.”

“We?” I repeat. “You and Mr. Stone?”

“Oh, not just us. There are many other employees who live here. You’ll see.”

I nod, stepping into the castle and wiping my feet off on the giant Oriental rug marking the entrance. I take a moment to look around, trying to understand my surroundings. Unfortunately, a lot of the lights are out and it’s nearly pitch-black in here.

“Why is it so dark?” I ask.

“Mr. Stone prefers the lighting to remain dim,” he replies, shutting the door behind us and grabbing a candle from the wall.

Where the heck am I?I feel like I’ve stepped through a time portal into the fifteen-hundreds. How completely wild.

“This way,” Lionel says, leading me to a room on the right. I catch a glimpse of a grand staircase, wide with ornate railings leading up to the second story. We step inside the room, and justlike he said, there’s a giant fire roaring in the fireplace. I scurry over as quickly as my heels will allow and stand as close as possible without burning myself, rubbing my hands together to get warm.

“I’ll bring you a blanket. Would you like some slippers as well?” Lionel asks.

“Slippers?” I look down at my feet, debating if I want to feel warm and comfortable or if I want to maintain the professional appearance that I think will be more convincing to Adam. Slippers sound incredible, but I’m on a mission. I need to convince Adam to star in this movie with me, then get the heck out of here, and I’m sure having some fuzzy bunnies on my feet won’t be a point in my favor.

“No, thank you,” I finally say. EvenIcan hear the disappointment in my voice.

“Later, perhaps,” Lionel says. “I’ll go find Mr. Stone and be back shortly.”

I nod. “Thank you.”

He leaves, and I keep rubbing my hands in front of the fire, looking around the study for clues about Adam and his family. But it’s too dark to see much beyond the faint outline of a few paintings on the walls and a bookcase, and a pair of wingback chairs behind me by the fireplace.

Adam started acting about four years ago, but his career took off as soon as he began. My best friend and roommate, Jen Park, and I have made a point of seeing every one of his movies because…well, let’s be honest. He’s ridiculously good looking. He’s got a rugged, masculine energy that just makes you believe he’ll carry you to safety while a building explodes behind him. And yes, that was a scene in one of his recent movies. So, while action flicks aren’t typically my thing, they are when Adam Stone is starring in them.

But he’s got a reputation—and not a good one. Demanding, self-centered, and grouchy have all been used to describe himon set. To my dismay, my dad confirmed that yes, he’s kind of a jerk.

Still, I’m willing to look past it all for the sake of my own career. This is finally my chance to make it big, and I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Lionel returns with a blanket, which I accept gratefully and wrap around my shoulders, and then I’m alone again. I rehearse my introduction silently, a big smile on my face to disarm him from the start.Hi, I’m Isabelle. It’s really nice to meet you. Thank you for having me come to your family’s estate; it’s lovely here.No, I won’t mention that I almost died driving up the road.I’m so honored that Fred Armstrong thought of having me act alongside you! I hope we’ll?—

My rehearsal is cut short by the door banging open. I jump in surprise, dropping the blanket to the ground, then look over at the door and let out a yelp.

Because standing in the doorway…

Is a giant beast.

Chapter

Two

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