Page 60 of Isabelle and the Beast

She laughs out loud. “Maybe the word is brooding. Mysterious. Brusque. But when you let your guard down…” She focuses on me. “Generous. Considerate. Protective.”

Each word tightens my chest, knowing that she’s seen past my stony exterior. Of all the words she could use, she chose the ones that hit at my core desires, especially when it comes to Lily.

“I wish that were true,” I finally say.

“It is true,” she insists. “I’ve seen it… It’s the way you act with me.”

Her brown eyes blink with innocence, but there’s so much more to that sentence than she understands. Because I don’t let just anyone see this side of me. I don’t let my guard down with just anyone. I would blame it on our forced proximity here in the castle…but if I’m being honest, it’s Isabelle. The pull between us is undeniable, and it would be even if we were somewhere else. But maybe I wouldn’t have the opportunity to feel this tether between us if we weren’t stuck together. I thank the snowstorm for the opportunity to get to know her and connect with her.

The movie continues in the background, but neither of us pays attention to it. Our eyes are locked on each other, and I feel a desire to tell her everything about the last eight months. Everything that has been weighing on my heart, a burden I’ve had to bear for nearly a year.

The way I’ve disappointed my sister and let her down, and my determination to never let her go through anything like that again.

I pick up the remote and pause the movie. “What I’m about to tell you is private,” I say. “I can trust you, right?”

She nods slowly. “You can.”

I let out a breath. “Then I’m going to tell you exactly what happened last fall with Tristan Jackson and my sister, Lily.”

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

ISABELLE

I’m aware how monumental this moment is. Warmth wells in my chest, knowing that Adam has found enough of a reason to trust me now, and I resolve to do nothing to break his trust in me.

“Tristan and I were close friends,” he begins. “When I started acting, he took me under his wing and taught me all about the industry. I’m sure you’re aware he was a child star.”

I nod. I watched him on the Disney Channel as a kid.

“It worked well for a while. He introduced me to producers and directors, helped me make friends, and took me to the cool parties. But it all fell apart. A year in, he encouraged me to make some awful financial decisions—decisions that benefited him and his friend James Hook. There was some stupid app his friend created that he wanted me to invest in, and like an idiot, I listened without doing my own research.” He rubs his forehead. “I lost everything. And when I confronted Tristan about it, he literally laughed in my face. That was the end of our friendship.”

“But Tristan seems so…” I hesitate.

Adam narrows his eyes. “Kind-hearted? Hollywood’s golden boy? Yeah, he’s great at deceiving everyone. It’s why he’s such a good actor.”

Adam’s words make me pause. Isheacting with me, too? Is this all practice for the movie we’re supposed to do together?

But it can’t be. He’s sitting here, telling me about his personal financial issues, and we haven’t even gotten to the part about his sister yet.

“How does no one know about Tristan’s behavior?” I ask.

“Because I’m the one who made the bad decision,” he says. “Technically, he’s not at fault. He’s sneaky like that.”

My sense of justice flares like fire. There are few things I hate more than bad people who get away with terrible things. And I have a feeling we’re not done.

“That was a few years ago. I’ve done my best to stay away from Tristan and not make any new friends in the business. I do my job—and I do it well—but I don’t make relationships with anyone and stick to myself. It worked out well. Until…”

“Until the Goldies,” I fill in.

He nods. “I was taking pictures on the red carpet, and Tristan sidles up to me, throwing his arm over my shoulder like we’re best friends again. He’s smiling for the cameras, and I’m…not.”

I snort a laugh. He’s being honest; he rarely smiles for pictures on the red carpets. It’s not in his personality to fake a smile, and I kind of love it.

“But under his breath, he starts telling me that he’s been getting close to my sister Lily, who was barely eighteen at the time. And he tells me details about her that no one would know unless they had really talked to her. I knew he had her in his clutches.”

A sick feeling twists in my stomach. Lily, the baby sister he always wants to keep safe, was in love with his worst enemy.

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