Chapter 12
“Where is she?” Monica asked the moment she arrived home. She handed her bag to her mother, who had opened the door. “Where’s Izzy?” Without waiting for her mother’s answer, she stormed toward Izzy’s room, trying to open it, only to realize that it was locked. “Izzy Open the door?”
“Monica, what are you talking about? I thought she was with you Isn’t it your friend’s birthday?” Amalia asked, quickly following her daughter, still holding the glass of wine she’d been sipping after dinner.
“She’s not here yet?” Monica pursed her lips. She took out her phone and immediately tried calling Izzy’s number. “She’s unreachable! Where the hell is she?”
“Monica, will you calm down and tell me what happened?”
“My credit cards aren’t working. All of them.” Monica said. “Andzzy didn’t pay for Arriana’s birthday dinner. It was supposed to be Izzy’s treat. She just left without saying a word. That damn…” Monica tried calling Izzy again. “I was forced to tap into my savings. Mom, did you know that I had to pay eight thousand just for dinner alone? Where the hell did she run
off to
Amalia placed Monica’s bag on the table and looked at her daughter with concern. “Monica, you need to take a breath. This is getting ridiculous. Izzy has always covered these things. She’ll handle it. And what kind of dinner was it?) Eight thousand is
a lot
Monica scoffed, running her fingers through her hair in frustration. “I’ve been saving every dollar from my salary: Do you know how long it took me to build up those savings? And now I had to pay eight thousand dollars for a meal I couldn’t even pronounce” She checked her phone again, her expression tightening as Izzy’s number remained unreachable. “Do you know how embarrassing that was? Every single card got declined How is that even possible? The bank told me the principal cardholder had to call them directly. Mom, do you know anything about this?”
Amalia shook her head. “No, but I’ll have Izzy call the bank tomorrow.”
“I thought you already told her to open accounts in your name. Why is she still the principal cardholder?” Monica asked, genuinely confused. She’d assumed this issue had been resolved when Izzy let Amalia handle all their finances.
Just as she expected, Amalia’s face turned ugly. “That damn lawyer of hers had been a thorn. You need to convince Izzy to kick that lawyer to the curb,” Amalia took a sip from the glass of wine in her hand. Besides, why didn’t Arianna or Samantha cover it? You’re all friends, right?”
“Mom, you know Arianna’s husband is cheap. She couldn’t cover that if she wanted to.” Monica sighed. She grabbed her mother’s wine glass and downed it in one go. “And Samantha? She’s been spending everything trying to become an influencer. She barely has enough for herself, let alone to cover a dinner like that. They all depend on Izzy, and so do I. She’s always been the one with money to throw around.”
“Well, I’m sure she’ll handle it. She always does,” Amalia said, dismissively waving her hand.
Monica took a deep breath, trying to keep her anger in check. “That’s exactly what I thought, I figured Izzy had already paid. the bill like she always does. But instead, she left without saying word, and I was stuck with the entire tab. Eight thousand. dollars, gone,” She turned on her heel and headed toward her bedroom, muttering under her breath.
She slammed her bedroom door and threw her phone onto the bed, breathing hard. After a moment, she picked it up again. and dialed Calen’s number. It rang, but there was no answer. Her grip tightened around the phone, her fingers pressing hard against the edges.
“She’s probably with him,” she muttered, feeling the familiar pang of jealousy. The thought of Izzy and Calen together only made her angrier.
Meanwhile, Izzy’s eyes darted between Liam and the doctor as he attached an IV to Liam’s arm. She kept pacing, glancing every few seconds at Liam’s unconscious form.
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Chapter 12
“Is he going to be all right she finally asked, pausing as the doctor adjusted the IV flow.
The doctor nodded, giving her a briel look of reassurance. “We‘ flushing out the stimulant from his system. He’ll be monitored through the night, and this should help stabilize hir It’s a powerful aphrodisiae, and he’s lucky you knockerl him out when you did. This will help prevent any complications from the effects.”
Izzy frowned, her gaze fixed on the bruise forming on Liam’s jaw, a mark left by her own punch. Who would have thought she’d one day be able to leave a bruise on him? Back when theyed to spar as kids, the idea of actually landing a hit on him had seemed impossible. Not in a million years had she believed he’d be capable of hitting Liam Horvath
For a moment, she was tempted to take a picture of his face, to freeze this memory forever. Was that too much? She shook her head, pushing the thought away. Instead, she decided to wait until he woke up. A photo with his eyes open would be better, she thought.
She looked over at Mondo, who stood calmly in the corner, watching the scene with an unreadable expression. His composure seemed odd to her.
“Shouldn’t we let someone in his family know?” she asked, hesitating. She knew that Liam’s father had remarried when Liam was in elementary school. “His father, maybe? Or his grandfather?”
Mondo shook his head, looking unfazed. “No need for that, Young Madam. The Young Master has handled similar situations on his own in the past. He’s very private about these things” He paused, then gestured toward the hallway. “You’ve had a long night. Would you like something to eat or drink while you wait? Or should I prepare the guest bedroom for you now?”
Izzy shook her head, ignoring the fact that he’d just addressed her as Madam. She wanted to stay alert, even though the tension from the evening was wearing her down. “I should go home and grab a few things for work tomorrow,” she said. glancing back at Liam. “I’ll come back after that.”
Mondo nodded, signaling to a waiting attendant. “The driver is outside. He’ll take you wherever you need to go and bring you back here when you’re ready.”
Izzy took a last look at Liam, lying motionless on the bed. Part of her knew she could leave and not return. Mondo had assured her he’d be fine, and he would be well taken care of. But something in her hesitated, a nagging feeling that she should be here to see this through.
“Thank you, Mondo,” she said, giving him a slight nod before turning away. She instructed the driver, Reno, to go directly to her mansion. The car slipped through the quiet streets, and within minutes, she arrived, stepping out into the stillness of the night. Izzy used her keys to unlock the door, slipping inside where the silence was heavy, the darkness undisturbed. It was nearly midnight, and she knew both Amalia and Monica prioritized their beauty sleep above all else.
Just as she began to relax, a voice sliced through the silence, making her jump. “Are you planning to tell me where you’ve been?” Amalia’s voice was cold and unmistakable.
Izzy spun around, her heart racing as she found her aunt seated in the dimly lit corner of the living room, shadows casting a harsh edge across her familiar face. “Monica told me you left the dinner early, Amalia continued. “Did something happen?”
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