Bartered (The Encounter #1)(52)

Hugo made an effort to clear his throat, biding his time to finish the contents of his glass before he slammed it hard against the black granite counterpane. “Would it matter if I did or didn’t?” The lack of emotion in his voice gave me a clue of what kind of mood he was in, and I certainly didn’t have to guess. He wasn’t at all happy about my interference.

I gave him a hard look, seriously displeased by his lack of caring about the subject. “Are you?” I pressed on, incredulous. “You are, aren’t you? It’s because I’ve been less engaging lately, and you just couldn’t help yourself.”

He made a dry laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re one to talk. You’re the one who broke one of the rules. The first rule, in fact.”

Horror, shame, and embarrassment at my naiveté for being so stupid all along washed over me.

“You read the letter,” I gasped in shock, wondering why he’d never said anything to me. “You’ve known all along.”

Hugo looked away, but before he did so, I caught a glimpse of him wincing. After all the shame and humiliation, another emotion sprouted…

Fear.

My actions had repercussions, and since I was already caught in my own web of lies, Hugo had every right to revoke everything.

“Hugo…” I pleaded as I slowly moved towards him, but he stepped back, not wanting me to come near him. His blatant rejection heightened the fear in me. “If you’re thinking of voiding the contract—”

“I’m not,” he interrupted, giving a halt to my doubts and worries.

“God, thank you so much,” I rushed out as I thoughtlessly ran up to him, wrapping my arms around his neck for a hug before something possessed me to try to kiss him.

Hugo immediately stilled, getting ahold of my arms to stop me from doing anything with a death grip on my limbs. “Please, don’t insult me, Isobel,” he grunted out the words laced with hate.

Ever since I had come back from Athens, I had truly avoided seeing anything that pertained to him. However, at this moment, the blinds were down, the cast was off, and for the first time since I’d betrayed his loyalty, I saw the anger he had hidden away from me.

Seeing it with my own eyes merely heightened the fear and fright inside me, even though he’d given me his word that he wouldn’t void the contract because of my indiscretion.

He couldn’t even look at me, really look at me like he used to.

“Hugo, you should’ve said something…” I made a choking sound, feeling wretched all over again. “All this time—every night you held me—yet you never uttered a word about it.”

“What was there to say, Isobel?” There was bleakness in his voice, as if he was shutting me off already. “You made your decision, and I just had to regard that.”

“I’m sorry,” I uttered with sincerity. “You’ve been so kind to me, even though you have every right to do as you pleased, but you were generous enough to give me freedom to choose and make decisions.”

I gazed at him, waiting for him to say something. Instead of speaking, he moved towards his large, luxurious desk. Reaching it, he then decided to open a drawer, pulling out something from it. The manila envelope looked daunting as he held it before him. He seemed deep in thought as he pressed his lips together.

“I meant to give this to you at a later time, but now that you’re here, I think this is as good as any.”

A sheen of perspiration coated my skin as I froze in momentary dread of what that envelope contained. My heart galloped at an alarming rate when I saw him move towards me, stopping before me with a great amount of space still between us before handing me the damning thing.

“This is for you.”

“What’s in it?” I asked in a small, frightened voice.

He gestured towards the envelope that was now in my possession. “Open it and you’ll see.”

Licking my chafed lips, the whisper of doubts in my head ceased to exist the moment I found what was inside the ominous envelope. It had a bank account under my name with the same amount that my father owed, with a seal from The Royal Bank of Scotland. In it, I also located a bill that stated that the rest of my school tuition was already paid for.

Gripping the paper in my hand, aghast at his generosity, even after all I had done or not done to him, made me feel like a bloody heel. “You paid my tuition? What’s with this bank account with all this money in it?” I shook my head in confusion. “I’m confused.” But that was before I found the last item, a piece of heavy weight paper on the very bottom of the pile, a deed to a flat in London, fully paid and with my name attached to it. “What the bloody Hell is all this, Hugo?” My eyes watered as I stared at him in horror. His kindness was killing me inside.

“You’ve fulfilled the contract, Isobel.”

“But it’s only been about two months… I don’t understand, Hugo.” How had I fulfilled it when we hadn’t done anything? Besides, he was handing me all these things in the envelope that were so much more than what my father owed him.

He strode over to the glass wall that overlooked the scenic Monaco and its heart-warming beauty, biding time until he finally said, “You’re free to leave.” He let the words hang in the air as I fought for my brain to comprehend what he’d just said. “Let’s put this behind us. It’s time to stop the games and get on with our lives. If you have any problems, contact my secretary for anything you need—food, money, school. There should be a card in the envelope with her contact number. You can reach her anytime for whatever you need.”