CHAPTER 19: Patterns and Provocations

Victor Blackwood was a man obsessed—with patterns, power, and control.

And Isabella Lin didn't fit any of them.

She disrupted his balance. Made him question instincts that had built empires. She didn't flinch when he pushed. She didn't crumble when he probed. She didn't chase his approval, and she never once tried to impress him.

Which, ironically, impressed him more than any woman ever had.

And now, after seeing her command a summit full of global elites, he couldn't stop thinking about what else she was hiding.

Markus dropped the latest report on Victor's desk.

"She's invested in three anonymous tech startups," he said. "All turned into overnight unicorns within a year."

Victor scanned the files.

All off-grid. No linked bank accounts. All tracked to a hidden holding company operated under the alias EchoVail Systems.

Victor's eyes narrowed.

"And this?" he asked, flipping to the final page.

Markus cleared his throat. "It's… a racing record. Underground circuits. Alias: Crimson Reign. Champion two years in a row. No confirmed identity, but height and weight match Isabella's perfectly. And…"

"And?" Victor prompted.

"She disappeared from the circuit six months ago. Right when she returned to her adoptive family's radar."

Victor's fingers drummed against the desk.

The girl he kissed on a rooftop wasn't just a mystery.

She was a storm system in human form.

And it was time to test her limits.

That evening, he waited outside her college again.

This time, Isabella didn't walk out alone.

A male classmate strolled beside her, laughing at something she said. He leaned a little too close. She didn't pull away—but her body language wasn't exactly welcoming either.

Still, it was enough.

Victor stepped out of the shadows, every inch of his 6'4 frame cutting through the crowd like a knife.

"Isabella."

Her steps halted.

She turned slowly, expression unreadable.

"Victor," she said coolly.

The classmate looked between them, paling slightly. "I… I'll text you later?"

"You won't," Victor said flatly.

The boy scurried off.

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Jealousy doesn't suit you."

"I'm not jealous," he said. "I'm territorial."

"Same disease. Different symptoms."

Victor stepped closer. "Why him?"

"I wasn't picking him."

"And if I hadn't shown up?"

Her eyes glittered with challenge. "Then maybe I would've."

Victor's jaw clenched. "Are you trying to push me away?"

"Are you trying to control me?"

Silence.

Then he laughed softly. "No. I'm trying to figure out how someone like you ended up hidden for eighteen years."

Isabella's gaze darkened. "Ask your grandfather. He might know more than you think."

Victor froze.

She turned to leave, her voice cool as ice: "You want to know me, Victor? Learn how to earn what you can't buy."

And just like that, she was gone.

That night, the silence between their messages was heavy.

Until one ping broke it.

[AshenWolf]: "I watched you today. And I still don't know how to touch something that burns."

Isabella stared at the screen for a long time.

Then finally replied:

[SkyeEcho]: "You don't. You either burn with it… or back away."

And Victor?

He had no plans to back away.

Next Chapter Teaser: Victor invites Isabella to a Blackwood family dinner—and her presence stirs more than curiosity in the Blackwood household. Especially when his grandmother sees her… and remembers something from long ago.