Page 44 of Until You (Forgive Me)

“Get your stuff. I came in one of our staff member’s cars, so it won’t be recognisable. We’ll endeavour to get you out, and then May can announce you’ve left the building.”

Isabella knew Annelise was trying to lighten the mood, and she appreciated it. The problem was she’d been down this road before. The press were relentless, and she had no desire to go there again. She was mentally stronger than she had been at twenty, but having her private life on a plate for everyone to pick at... still hurt. She was a private person. The photos of her and Christian... They’d been private, treasured moments... not a sideshow for the entire world to debate. It dirtied the memory of their beautiful weekend.

She left the office and made her way to her room, grabbing as many of her things as she could fit in her oversized rucksack. She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath and exhaling, repeating it over and over again until her racing heart and mind calmed. Giving her cabin a final once over, she closed the door. Unsure how long it would be before she could return. The press could become bored within a week or make the whole thing drag on. Whatever happened, Isabella knew in her heart that her life would never be the same.

Making her way back to the office, Annelise and May were deep in discussion. They paused as she reentered the room. Her face must have spoken of her devastation as both women pulled her into a group hug, squeezing her tight. “Everything will be okay,” May said, muffled against their bodies. “We will get through this.”

Isabella nodded, not feeling the same level of confidence her friend had.

“Let’s go before someone gets wind of who I am.”

Annelise donned a hat and dark glasses. Isabella bit her tongue to prevent herself from laughing. May, however, was not so successful.

“If this wasn’t so serious,” May said, choking on air, before her giggles turned into hiccupped sobs.

Isabella pulled her best friend for the past six years into a hug. “I will see you soon,” she said before turning and following Annelise out of the door.

Chapter Nineteen

Christian

“Christian... How long have you known the whereabouts of Lady Isabella King? Are you in a relationship? This is the first woman you’ve been photographed with since your divorce. Is it serious? Is Lady King going to return to the UK?”

Christian pushed his way through the crowd of journalists, his security team stepping in to clear the way.

What the hell had happened? His heart sank. Isabella must hate him. She’d done everything in her power to prevent this kind of circus. What had he done? He’d delivered it right to her door.

Sebastian was in his office when he entered.

“How bad is it?” Christian asked, swiping a hand through his hair in frustration.

“There are pictures of you together... They really captured the mood and the moment,” Sebastian said, his grin fading as he took in Christian’s scowl.

“Sorry.” He held his hand up in apology. He never truly knew when to curb the jokes. “There are pictures of you and Isabella together. Pictures from the weekend, you walking hand-in-hand, kissing. Then there are pictures from the night before you left. You and she are in the gardens of the hotel, and then her in a hotel robe the morning you left. Someone was obviously hiding on the grounds of the hotel.”

Sebastian dropped a pile of newspapers in front of him. Their private moments splashed across every front page.

Christian slammed his hand down on the desk before hitting the intercom. “Lucy, get me Richard on the phone.”

“Straight away,” came the reply.

Christian turned towards the window and stared out across The City, only spinning around when the phone buzzed. “I have Richard for you on line two, Christian,” Lucy said.

“Thank you, Lucy,” he said before hitting a button to connect Richard.

“Richard.”

“Christian,” Richard said, seeming unsurprised by his call.

“I take it you have seen the news? I need a security team organised for Isabella.” he said, trying hard to hold a lid on his rising temper.

“It’s already done. Annelise collected her from The Retreat while you were in the air. She’s staying at our house. We thought it was the safest place for her.” Richard paused. “The press overran The Retreat. The police and security intervened and removed them. They’d booked into rooms to gain access.” It surprised Christian how angry Richard sounded. But then Isabella had that effect on people. Those who met her fell under her spell. “Our house was the only safe place we could think of. Isabella refused to risk taking the press to her business partner’s door, especially with her father being a Thai Minister. “

Christian sank into his chair, his head in his hands. “Thank you, Richard. I appreciate your help. I’m sure Isabella does too.”

“Annelise would not have it any other way. Isabella’s been a great friend to her since we arrived. We would not turn our backs on her for any reason.”

“How bad is it?” Christian whispered.

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