CHAPTER 11: The Distance Between Two Masks

Victor Blackwood never second-guessed his decisions.

Until now.

He sat alone in the back of his black Maybach, the city lights flickering across the tinted glass as they drove away from the Lin estate.

"She's not what I expected," he said aloud.

Markus, seated across from him, raised an eyebrow. "You've met your fair share of heiresses. What's different about her?"

Victor stared at his phone.

The unanswered message from SkyeEcho glowed faintly.

"She doesn't act like a rich girl," he said. "She doesn't act like anyone."

"She's quiet," Markus said.

"She's calculated," Victor corrected. "She speaks in layered sentences, analyzes every word said to her, and walks like she's preparing for an ambush."

Markus exhaled. "And yet you're not cancelling the engagement."

Victor looked out the window.

"No," he murmured. "She's interesting."

Back at the Lin estate, Isabella sat alone in her balcony room, the city lights twinkling in the distance, her fingers hovering over her phone screen.

[AshenWolf]: "I think I saw someone today who reminded me of you."

Her pulse fluttered.

It couldn't be him. Could it?

Victor Blackwood—her mysterious fiancé and the richest man in the world—felt like AshenWolf.

But it didn't make sense.

Victor was colder in person. Bolder. More possessive. AshenWolf was… softer. Witty. Strangely comforting. They had spoken for years, confiding secrets they'd never told anyone else.

But that look in his eyes today…

Like he knew her.

Like he owned her.

And not just because of an engagement agreement.

She typed a reply and erased it three times.

Finally, she sent:

[SkyeEcho]: "Was it someone worth remembering?"

The reply came instantly.

[AshenWolf]: "I haven't stopped thinking about her."

Isabella exhaled sharply.

If he was Victor… did he know she was SkyeEcho?

Or was this just a dangerous coincidence?

The next morning, Victor showed up unannounced at the Lin estate.

Clarissa blinked as the butler opened the door to find the billionaire on their steps, dressed casually in a black turtleneck and slacks—hands in his pockets like he had nowhere better to be.

"I thought you had board meetings all week," Clarissa asked politely.

"I postponed them," Victor said smoothly. "I want to get to know my fiancée."

Edward walked in from the hallway, startled but composed. "Of course, of course. I'll send for her—"

"No need," Victor said. "I already know where she is."

In the greenhouse behind the west gardens, Isabella knelt between rows of white orchids, trimming petals with quiet precision. Her long hair was tied in a low knot, a linen apron tied neatly at her waist.

She didn't turn around when she sensed someone approach.

"You really are hard to follow," Victor said from behind her.

"Not if you look properly," she said.

He smirked. "Is that an invitation?"

She stood slowly, facing him. "That depends on whether you're following with a purpose or just pretending to care."

Victor's expression didn't change. But his eyes flashed.

"Why are you so guarded?" he asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because you intrigue me."

Isabella stepped closer. "That's dangerous."

He smiled. "I like danger."

Their eyes locked.

For the first time, the air between them felt… electric.

Not from obligation.

Not even from curiosity.

But from something more primal.

Something inevitable.

Next Chapter Teaser: Victor begins to insert himself into Isabella's routine—driving her, buying her favorite snacks, arranging quiet 'coincidences.' But Isabella's heart isn't so easily won… especially when her mind begins to suspect the man across from her is the same one she's trusted online for years…