Isabella stood frozen, staring at Lucas's harsh gaze. Her heart was still racing from the sudden change in his demeanor.
"What... what do you mean by war zone?" She managed to ask him.
"Whatever you think I mean is exactly what I mean." Lucas maintained sharply, his voice as cold as ice.
Then he was gone, leaving Isabella alone in the doorway of her new room.
She let out a bitter laugh.
"Oh, no, this isn't happening!" She grumbled and couldn't bring herself to enter the room as she wondered how her life would be in the house.
"I'm such a fool." She muttered to herself after a moment and finally walked into the room, closing the door behind her.
"Of course that smile was fake. Everything in this place is fake." She stated, shaking her head, feeling overwhelmed.
She paced back and forth across the expensive carpet, her mind racing with thoughts of what she had gotten herself into.
"The room feels really suffocating despite its large size..." She commented and exhaled deeply.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Isabella was in her room when she heard a knock on her door.
"My lady, are you up? Breakfast is ready and everyone is waiting for you in the dining hall." Mila's voice came from outside the door.
Isabella's stomach churned at the thought of facing the boys again.
"Should I make up an excuse not to go? But for how long will I try to avoid them?" She contemplated. She had actually managed to avoid them as she locked up herself in her room throughout the previous day with the excuse that she was tired.
"I didn't even eat anything because I was busy avoiding them." At that realization, she finally made up her mind to go.
When she reached the dining hall, she hesitated at the entrance. Her grandfather was seated at the head of the table, with the three boys around him.
"Good morning, Isabella. How was your first night at home? Did you sleep well?" Lucas's voice rang out cheerfully. He was the first person to notice her presence.
"Is that the same person who has threatened me yesterday?" Isabella wondered inwardly as she stared at him in disbelief.
"Of course she slept well. Must be her first time sleeping on silk sheets in a proper mansion. Quite different from whatever dump she came from, isn't it?" Damien chimed in with a sneer.
"What exactly does this boy thinks he is doing to me?" Isabella thought, gritting her teeth at his comment.
Before her grandfather could say anything, Lucas spoke up.
"Damien, that is enough. Isabella is family now. We should make her feel welcome."
Isabella couldn't help but scoff at his words.
"The hypocrisy is really laughable." She thought and scrunched up her nose in disgust.
"Isabella, dear, come sit down and have breakfast." Her grandfather said warmly, gesturing to an empty chair.
"I'm... I'm not hungry." She replied, even as her stomach growled traitorously. She hadn't eaten anything since she stepped into the house since the previous day.
"I would rather starve! How can I eat at a table where some openly despised me while others put on a fake show of kindness?" As she reflected on that, her mind wandered to her old home, to breakfast times filled with genuine laughter and love.
"Well, you need to eat something. Besides, we need to discuss your schooling. You've been enrolled at the Academy where the boys also attend. Lucas will show you around and help you settle in." Her grandfather informed her.
"Of course, Grandfather. I will make sure Isabella is well taken care of. She won't have to worry about anything." Lucas replied eagerly, with that perfect smile of his.
Isabella's jaw dropped at his act.
"How can he switch personalities so easily?" She scoffed in disbelief.
"You should go get ready then, since you aren't hungry. We shouldn't be late on your first day." Lucas said to her, the perfect smile still plastered on his face.
"Yeah, right." Isabella mumbled back, with a flat expression and quickly turned to leave the dining hall.
She had barely been in her room for ten minutes when there was another knock on her door. It was Mila, holding a tray of fresh fruits.
"I thought you might be hungry since you skipped breakfast." The cook said kindly.
"Thank you, Mila." Isabella replied, genuinely touched by the woman's thoughtfulness.
Mila smiled then turned to leave but stopped at the door as an afterthought.
"Is everything okay?" Isabella questioned as she sensed Mila's hesitation to leave the room.
Mila looked back at her, her previously warm eyes now filled with worry. She quickly stepped back into the room and closed the door behind her.
"Isabella..." Mila's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Has anyone told you what really happened to your parents?" She asked her.
Isabella felt her heart skip a beat and her eyebrows furrowed.
"No... no one has told me anything." She muttered.
Mila glanced nervously at the door before moving closer.
"Listen to me carefully. Your parents... they didn't just..." Mila was saying but stopped abruptly.
"What happened to them?" Isabella asked curiously, sounding scared already. Mila's reaction was telling her that she wouldn't like what she was about to hear.
"They were murdered... By rogue wolves!" Mila blurted out.
"What?" Isabella half yelled, her eyes widening in shock.
"And whoever that is behind it, did it for power struggle. And they are still out there. I have worked in this house long enough to know that nothing is what it seems here. Trust no one or anything, Isabella." Mila said, by then her eyes were shaking.
"Actually, history has a way of repeating itself in this house." Mila added, making Isabella's heart skipped another beat.
"What exactly do you mean by that, please?" Isabella inquired cluelessly, her innocent eyes darting between the woman and the door.
Mila swallowed hard before she could reply.
"What I mean is, the perpetrators..." Mila began but a sudden loud crack at the window interrupted her, making Isabella jumped in fright.