Fake Date, Real Fate-Chapter 65: The Cousin, the Coward, and the Calm Before the Storm II

Chapter 65: The Cousin, the Coward, and the Calm Before the Storm II

Adrien’s POV

She was laughing again.

Not that polite kind of laugh she gave when she was trying to impress someone. No, this was the real one—the one that caught the edge of her breath and curved her lips like she’d completely forgotten the world was watching.

And I hated it.

Not the laugh.The fact that it wasn’t who was getting this laugh, but my mother.

I didn’t say anything. Just stood next to her, my hand loosely tangled in hers while my mother’s car drove off, playing the role of the good boyfriend and son.

And she didn’t pull away.

Not until he showed up.

"Isabell?"

I felt it at the exact moment she heard his voice.

She froze.

Then she pulled her hand out of mine like it had burned her and I wasn’t prepared for the stupid little sting it left behind.

What the hell was that???

I turned my head at the same time she did. Some guy was standing a few feet away—average height, expensive coat and the kind of proudness people wear when they think they still have a chance.

I had no idea who he was.

Didn’t care.

Except now she wasn’t holding my hand anymore. And her whole body had gone still. Rigid. Like she was bracing for impact.

The guy said something. I barely even heard it—her name maybe, a question—but I was watching her.

Not him.

Her eyes had gone distant. Her voice had turned sharp.

She was in some kind of stance like she was preparing for battle.

I should’ve let them talk it out.

Let her deal with her past.

This wasn’t my business.

We weren’t even real.

This weird thing between us was just paperwork and performance.

But I didn’t like the way he looked at her. Like she still belonged to him. Like I wasn’t even standing there.

And I really didn’t like how she looked... hurt.

Not angry. Not annoyed. Just—wounded.

She tried to hold it together, but her voice cracked when she told him to stop.

And then, what could only be described as a nuclear bomb dropped.

"Pookie Bear! I found the purse that was missing! It was in the trunk, all along!"

The voice made me blink.

From around the corner came a woman, like a walking neon sign—leggins, tank top, loud clutch in hand, and the kind of smile that made your teeth itch. She waved the purse like a prize and all but skipped toward the guy.

So that was the other woman.

I saw it all click in Isabella’s expression.

The twitch in her cheek.The disbelief turning into bitter amusement.

I didn’t need to know the full story to know it was a mess. The kind that left scars.

The kind that made you stop believing in people.

Isabella let loose. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic. It was just raw.

Every word landed like a heavyweight punch. Controlled, calm, and lethal.

The dude—Max, apparently—tried to keep up. Tried to save face for himself. Still, his eyes kept flicking over to me. Measuring. Comparing.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. My fingers just moved, opening Cameron’s chat: " Cameron. Tell the manager a customer is disturbing the peace — mine, and my girlfriend’s. Handle it.

I hesitated over the ’send’ button for a half second. It was just long enough for the part of my brain that wants to be practical, to remind me this is not my fight. This is Isabella dealing with whatever ancient history had left her looking like she wanted to disappear.

This has nothing to do with me, Adrien Walton, her boss and temporary, contractual boyfriend.

I didn’t look up from my phone screen at first. Just waited for the read receipt, for the confirmation that Cameron was already on it. It was second nature, handling things this way. Remove the problem. Don’t waste energy on the details.

I dropped the phone back into my pocket. Not much had changed in my posture. I was still pretty loose, still leaning against the wall of the building, but the relaxness was a lie.

Every muscle in my body was coiled. I shifted my attention from Max to Isabella and back again to Max. I let my face fall into something cool and entirely unimpressed.

Despite the silence stretching out. Isabella had shattered the tranquil air with shattered glass, and not having her voice was a weight.

When I finally did lift my head, I saw Max’s face. freewebnoveℓ.com

It was no longer the confident smile. It was the surprise, anger, and something else?... recognition? It was like he was finally seeing me standing there and not just some guy who was holding her hand. His eyes narrowed. I returned his gaze in a flat manner. There was no warmth. No aggression. Just a barrier.

Beside him, the ’Pookie Bear’ woman seemed less like a neon sign and more like a deflated balloon. Her grin was gone, replaced by a bewildered frown. She was looking from Max, to Isabella, to me, clearly trying to piece together the wreckage Isabella had just laid out.

And when Madison—the human migraine in leggings—started pretending to be sweet, I watched Isabella’s mouth curl into that sharp, weaponized smile.

God, she was vicious when she was angry.

And gorgeous...cute.

I mean uh.. she looks amazing as my employee. Standing for herself even though that’s what manipul─ I mean good people do.

She’s not a manipulator or a gold-digger. I kept repeating my mantra.

She was vicious. The smile didn’t reach her eyes, which were still cool and assessing, but twisted her lips into something sharp and completely alluring. Alarming alluding more to the incapacitating feelings it promised. Not a weapon you would want to mess with if you weren’t careful.

I did not want to be a part of this and didn’t care, but I still stepped closer. Just enough to rest a hand at the small of her back. Not possessive. Just steady.

I didn’t look at the ex I didn’t need to. My eyes were fixed on her.

"Isabell? Are you alright?" I asked quietly, letting my voice cut through the noise without force.

She didn’t answer right away, but her spine relaxed slightly. Not much. But enough.

And then Max spoke again.

Something bitter. Something jealous.

"Three months and you’ve already moved on?"

I raised my head.

Finally.

My eyes found his.

I didn’t care who he was, though I knew what kind of thing he had done with her.

I only cared that he thought it was okay to speak to her like that, and right in front of me. As if I were invisible. As if she was still for him to insult.

"Speak to her like that again," I said, my voice so calm it nearly shocked even me, "and I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life remembering what it felt like to have a jaw that worked."

His mouth opened—then snapped shut again.

The blonde’s hand locked around his arm like she was physically holding him back.

Smart girl.

I didn’t say anything else. I didn’t even have to.

Isabella was quiet beside me, still burning from the inside out. But she didn’t say another word either.

She didn’t try to grab my hand which I was expecting her to.And I didn’t offer it.

But for some reason... I still missed the way hers had felt in mine.

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