Page 232 of Mine Again
His words cut with surgical precision. “Your father used you. Sebastian lied to you. And Luca? He’s no different from them. He cages you. He tells you only what he wants you to hear. Everyone treats you as a chess piece to be moved where they decide. At least I’m honestwith you.”
I nearly choke on his bluntness… and his lie. Honest, my ass. Fury surges through me like a volcano about to blow. Hale’s smile says he’s savoring every reaction.
Luca is nothing like Sebastian or my father. If he built a cage, it was forged from love, meant to shield me from cruelty and greed, from men like Hale, my father, and Sebastian. That makes all the difference.
Still, the words scrape at raw wounds. Hale has read me like a book since I arrived, and now he’s pouncing on it. He’s playing on my insecurities, twisting them for sport.
“You, Isabella, cannot trust anyone either. Truly, you’re better off alone, running your own race.”
“Is that why you’re a loner?” I quip. “No woman… or man by your side?”
He flinches at the insinuation.
“I bed supermodels and famous actresses,” he says, incredulous.
I shrug, unimpressed. “They wouldn’t touch you without your billions. They sure as hell don’t like you for your charm.”
And that’s the truth of it, isn’t it?
“You can buy bodies, Hale, but you’ll never buy love. Not real love.” I pause, letting the words sink in. “That’s why you’ll die alone. And deep down, you know nobody could truly love someone like you.” I lace my voice with pity, and it isn’t hard. Hale does live a lone existence.
He thrives on control, on fear, on admiration twisted into obedience. But pity? That cuts deeper. Men like him can’t bear to be seen as small, unloved, forgettable.
For a fraction of a second, his grin falters, his eyes hardening before the mask slides back into place. His chuckle is more brittle than before. I cling to that tiny fracture, the proof that even monsters bleed.
Still, he carries on as if unaffected.
“I do like a challenge. My charm might yet work on you, Isabella. Especially when you realize Luca isn’t the man you used to know. Five years is a long time. Many things change.”
Perhaps they do. Luca may be different, harder, but he’s not Hale.
I force my voice steady, even as my insides quake with anger.
“You’re wrong. He’s not you. He’ll never be you. I trust Luca, and nothing you say will change that.”
Hale tilts his head, his lips curving like he’s humoring a child.
“Are you sure about that?”
He switches the television off and rises. Halfway to the door, he spins like Fred Astaire in a ballroom, facing me with theatrical flair.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” he says, though his cheerful tone makes it clear he didn’t. He was waiting for this. “I left a little something on the coffee table for you.”
My eyes snap to the cream manila folder I hadn’t noticed before.
“Proof your precious Luca isn’t as innocent as you want to believe. He’s a murderer who lied to you. And if he lied about what’s in there, what else has he hidden?”
My pulse stutters. My jaw locks tight, but I refuse to speak. I won’t give him the satisfaction.
He turns again, hand on the door. “Find me if you want actual answers. Otherwise, I’ll see you at dinner.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Oh, come on, Isabella.” His tone is smooth, coaxing. “That would be a shame. We have such stimulating conversations. And you really are a beautiful girl. I’d like to spend more time with you.”
With a wink, he leaves, the door closing behind him with a soft click.
“Perverted creep,” I mutter.
