Chapter 3.17

"You finally showed up!"

Lucas felt goosebumps invade his whole body at the cloying tone of voice of the unknown woman. His level of discomfiture was so high that he almost threw the woman away. Almost. He did push her away with more force than intended. It showed when the woman stumbled and bumped against a shop's counter, pitifully crying out.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a pitiful expression. "Why are you so mean to me? I've been waiting for you for so long." She softly said, taking a step towards Lucas who took a step back. He was completely at a loss.

The other women at the shop were also speechless and unresponsive at the scene unfolding before them. Isabelle more so. She kind of expected that to happen to Joseph or Ethan, but Lucas? Though, more than anything, she was starting to get tired of all the women trying to take her men away. Where were those women when the brothers were poor or desperate?

Just after the brothers earned some confidence and dignity, women started crawling from their dirty holes and clinging to them like a disease.

Isabelle would allow nothing of that! When she saw the shameless woman trying to get close to the dumbfounded Lucas, Isabelle reacted and grabbed the woman's arm, then pushed her away. The woman once again bumped against the counter and let out yet another pitiful cry. However, Isabelle paid no attention to her, as she simply took Lucas' hand and dragged his big frame out.

However, the woman did not give up on the man she had been waiting for and following the past weeks when he sporadically appeared at the market and grabbed his shirt.

"Let go." Isabelle warned the woman. Glaring at the filthy hand that was clawing at Lucas' shirt. A shirt she made and he proudly wore!

"Who are you? What're you doing with him?" The woman asked annoyed. She would not let some flabby woman take away the man she had been eyeing!

"I am his wife. Now, let go." Isabelle warned again. From the corner of her eye, she could see Mrs. Priddy trying to intervene in the argument.

The woman shook her head in disbelief. "No, that's a lie! He's always been alone! I've seen it. He can't be married. You must be some moneygrubber trying to take advantage of him!" She accused Isabelle, who only rose an eyebrow and slapped the woman's hand so she would let Lucas go. She definitely had enough of delusional women.

As the woman cried out in pain yet again, Mrs. Priddy finally stepped up to defend the newcomer. "Isabelle!" She heavily reprimanded while cradling the younger woman's hand, as if it was a precious little treasure.

"If you know her, Mrs. Priddy, you should teach her not to jump at any man she sees on the streets. I can be lenient, but other women might teach her a worse lesson. One day, she will end up in a bad position she will not be able to get herself out." Isabelle told the older woman, who looked back at her with mild shock and indignation.

Isabelle stood her ground before the older woman's heavy gaze. To say she was disappointed of her boss was putting it mildly. She could guess the woman was someone important to Mrs. Priddy; after all, the latter was very willing to offend another person to defend the first. According to Mrs. Priddy's attitude, did she expect Isabelle to just had to stand aside and do nothing while another of the employees flirted with her man?

Dream on!

With no more words to offer, Isabelle turned and exited the shop, still dragging Lucas.

"Wait!" The woman cried out before Isabelle banged the door shut.

The saddest thing was that, if the whole situation happened under different circumstances, Isabelle would have fought with Mrs. Priddy and even quit working at the shop. However, the whole family was in need of money, so she could not throw her job aside so easily. That, though, did not erase her disappointment and disillusion.

As she warred with her feelings, her rushed steps were halted by a pull on her hand. She stopped yet refused to look at the person behind her. She had no idea what she would see, or what she would show on her face.

"I'm sorry." Lucas apologized, squeezing her hand.

Isabelle felt her chest twist uncomfortably. Yes, she was angry. Yes, she was hurt. But she was aware that there was no reason for him to apologize. Back then, he looked so lost and afraid of that woman's actions. "Do you know her?" She still asked. It had been strange. The woman and the whole situation had been strange.

"I don't." Lucas replied, squeezing her hand again, silently asking her to look at him. Isabelle sighed. She would have doubted if it had been Ethan or Joseph, but she could not doubt Lucas.

"It does not matter, anymore. Let us go." Throwing a small smile at him, she purposefully look forward and made to continue walking. However, before she could take one step, she was pulled to his arms in an embrace.

"Isabelle." Lucas tenderly called his stubborn lover. He knew she was upset, but she did not want to express it. Truthfully, he was angry at himself, for letting the woman hug him in the presence of his future Wife. How to express his regret, his apology, his true feelings? The words naturally came to him, and he said them as heartfelt as he could. "I love you."

The woman in his arms slackened, all the previous tension in her body dissipating. His eager eyes caught the moment she looked up at him with an amazed expression. His heart soared when her face reddened as her mind caught up with his words. All his bad mood vanished at her reactions; not only she blushed, her eyes acquired a watery sheen and her lips were captured by her white teeth to stop a smile from forming.

"You what?" She inquired, trying to remain composed.

Lucas grinned behind his thick beard. "I love you." He easily repeated, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "You. Not anyone else." What else could he say to the most perfect woman he had ever seen and met? And even if he met other women in the future, he was sure that Isabelle would still remain the most perfect in his eyes.

Overwhelmed by his sincere words and eyes, Isabelle could only hug him back, burying herself in his arms as best as she could. The words were so unexpected that she could not find the correct words to respond to his confession. She, sadly, could not reciprocate his feelings yet, but his declaration still assured her that she could always trust him. Trust his feelings. No matter what.

Their tender and intimate moment was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Isabelle reluctantly separated from Lucas and looked back. Jean awkwardly stood a few steps away, looking at everything but the couple who nonchalantly displayed their love to all passersby. Luckily, they were in a rarely busy alleyway.

"I, well, it's not that I intended to witness your love declaration. I just… I was looking for you." Jean haltingly explained the reason why she was there.

"Were you?" Isabelle prompted her to talk.

"Um, should we look for another place to talk?" Jean returned, looking around at the few pedestrians walking by that curiously glanced at the couple and at her.

Isabelle also, finally, noticed the other people around them and gestured at Jean to lead the way to a more private place. It was not a surprise the three ended up at Dodds & Doddette. Though, because it was an unplanned visit, they stayed on the ground floor.

Still reeling from Lucas' earlier confession, Isabelle somehow forgot Ethan served on the ground floor. It was until the man himself stood in front of her, looking dashing with his new clothes, carrying a small pad of paper in one hand and a pencil in the other and asking them what they would eat that she reacted.

"Are you ready to order, my beautiful lady?" Ethan plastered an amiable smile on his face, though his amorous eyes gazed down at Isabelle.

"What time do you come out? I might dine you, instead." Isabelle boldly dragged her gaze from the top of his head to his feet and up again. By the side, Lucas snorted and kept reading the menu in front of him while Jean was trying very hard to suppress her laugh.

Ethan smirked, leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Tonight, we can eat each other if you so like." He darkly tempted her. Isabelle felt her breath stagnate, as her heart started racing, and her face heat up.

Her poor heart could not stand too much excitement! Not only Lucas told her he loved her; she was also going to get an extra service from Ethan on their private time.

"Edris!" Someone suddenly hissed, startling the amorous couple.

Ethan immediately straightened, his face returning to his easy-going yet somewhat distant smile he used while serving customers. "Iniko, hi! May I present my wife to you?" He said, placing his hand on Isabelle's shoulder.

Iniko paused, his eyes taking on the famed Isabelle that had Mr. Dodds high regards and Ethan's complete devotion. He nodded at her, then gestured at Ethan to follow him. Isabelle worriedly looked at them leave. "Have I troubled him?" She asked Jean, having noticed the older man's serious countenance.

"Well, the restaurant does have strict rules about waiters flirting with the customers. I'm not sure how the rules apply if the customer is the actual wife or husband of the waiter though." Jean explained. "I really admire how you can easily go from hugging one of your husbands, to stare and drool over the other one." Jean lightly commented, her eyes full with mirth remembering the recent exchange between Ethan and Isabelle.

Isabelle huffed and looked back at where the two men had disappeared at. "As if you do not melt down when you are with yours." She rolled her eyes.

After a couple of minutes waiting for her oldest lover to return, she deflated when the one who appeared was the other man. Her gut also ominously clenched.