Chapter 53: Chapter 53

Isabella's pov;

"We're going to a restaurant today so be ready at 7 pm." Mr Martinez said to me.

"I'm not going."

"Why?"

"You're asking me why?" I let out a sigh and said, "Take a look at this!" Showed him my neck and continued, "You grip my neck last night and ask me out on the next day. And you want to come with you even without asking me whether I'm interested or not. I'm not in the mood to go out with you." And left for my room.

What does he think of himself? Does he think I will go wherever he asks me even after what happened? What am I to him?

Someone knocked on the door.

I shouted, "The door is open. Come in."

I saw Mr Martinez walking in. Why is he so persistent? I laid on the bed and covered the sheets up to my head when I saw him.

"I know you're not sleeping."

"Then why are you still here, if you already know that I'm faking it to ignore you."

"I should have apologised yesterday but I was so mad that's why I left. I don't want you to see me like that."

I sat straight and looked at him, he was so close to me. I moved back and saw him. He was sitting on the bed. When did he sit on the bed?

"If you get mad at me for talking about your father then I'll talk about your father for a whole day. Are you going to grip my neck for a whole day?"

"Can I apologise now?"

"If you really wanted to apologise, just go ahead and do it. Why are you asking me? What if I said 'no?' Do you want me to say 'no?'

He held my hand and said, "I'm sorry. I wanted to take you out because I wanted to compensate for what happened yesterday. But I didn't know it'd end up like this."

"Mr Martinez?"

He gave a nod and waited for my answer.

"I know what I'm going to say next will make you mad but you gotta listen anyway. I know you hate your father but don't you want to know how he died? Aren't you interested even in a small amount?"

He shook his head and sat still.

I continued, "I know you hate him because he cheated on your mother. I can understand how you felt seeing your father being with another woman and bearing a child. But he's still your father. Wasn't he?"

He held my hand and said, "Can you please stop talking about him? I don't feel good about it."

"Can you tell me about this then?" Said while pointing at his cut in his left wrist.

He let out a fake smile and said, "It was during my middle school. I felt lonely which made me think a lot about my existence. I couldn't come out of my mother's death, i hated to be in the house where my mother wasn't there anymore. I loved my mother more than my father so when he cheated on her, I hated him. So I ran away from this house many times but since I'm the heir, they brought me back. So I hated my existence more and more. I hated to be alive. I wanted to die so badly. I took the knife and placed it on my wrist and…"

Before he finished, I closed his mouth to stop him from saying further and said, "We can stop it right here."

"Don't you want to hear it further?"

"It sounds painful."

He lifted my chin up and asked, "Then why are you asking me to tell you if you don't want to hear it fully?"

"You said your mother died in the accident? Do you think it was really an accident? Because after knowing your father's death i doubt that your mother's death is natural or not. What if someone caused this?"

"The accident wasn't natural. It was a planned one."

"What!? So you're mother was murdered?"

He gave a nod and said, "Yes."

"Then it must be the person who killed your father too. If we find who caused the accident then we'll know who's behind your father's death too. I bet you didn't stop halfway. You found who did it, right? Who's it? Who caused the accident?"

"It's a different person."

"Okay. Who's it?"

He flicked my forehead and asked, "Why are you so curious about my past?"

"I just wanted to know about you. Is that wrong?"

He patted my head and smiled at me while saying, "Okay. Only if you come with me for dinner."

"Are you bribing you?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. But you have to. Don't forget it."

We went to a restaurant.

"What are you waiting for? Why aren't you ordering anything?"

I whispered to him, "Why did you take me here?"

"What's wrong with this place? Don't you like this place?"

"This place looks so expensive and rich. People around me look like… it feels like I don't belong here."

He touched my hands and said, "Get up."

"Huh?"

He stood from his place and said, "Stand up."

"What are you doing?"

He wrapped his hands over my shoulder and said, "If you don't like it here, we can go to another restaurant."

"The table has a reservation board. Seeing this place, you would have booked a table with a lot of money…"

"Shhh…" he took the board from the table and said, "This doesn't matter if you don't like it. Come, let's go." And walked with me out of the restaurant.

While we're driving, I said, "I feel so guilty. I'm sorry for that. Since I worked in restaurants, I feel awkward to be a customer."

"You don't have to explain. Tell me where you want to go for dinner. We can go there."

"Really? Ok wait, um… What about outdoor restaurants?"

"Sounds fine to me. I'll check the outdoor restaurants near us."

After some time, he found an outdoor restaurant, and we sat outside. We had the vibe of the night sky where we were seated.

"I took you here not only for the compensation of last night but there is a thing i wanted to ask you. Can I?"

"What is it?"

He took a paper and placed it on the table.

"Was it another contract?"

He let out a chuckle and said, "No. It's an application."

I took the paper and saw what it was. It is the application for a school.

"What is it?"

"Two years ago, you left before writing your exams so you couldn't complete your school. we'll apply to the school again and you can complete it now."

"How can I go like this?"

"Like what?"

"Those students will look younger than me. I don't want to go there."

"Well, you can learn by homeschooling and go to school only on exam days. What about that?"

"That sounds fine."

By that time, the food we ordered was served.

"What are you going to do after school?"

"Like what?"

"Where are you going to study or work?"

"Actually, I never gave a thought about that so I don't know."

"What was your dream when you were little. I know everyone has a dream to become like this or that."

"I saw my mom suffering to bring me up so I only thought about how I should work hard and take care of my mom so when you mean a dream. That was my dream. To take care of my mother. But I failed. So I don't have a dream anymore."

"Then how will you pay my compensation back?"

"I don't know what I should do."

"You worked in a lot of restaurants. What about opening a restaurant for yourself?"

"Opening a restaurant? Do you know how much money is needed for it?"

He cleared his throat and said, "I'm the CEO of Skyland corporation. I can invest in your restaurant business. After seeing the profit, you can settle my ten million dollars back. You know I won't let you free until you give me my money back."

"Okay, we can open a restaurant business as you said. But I don't know how to run a restaurant. All I knew was taking the orders, serving the customers, being a garbage girl, being a dishwasher, being an assistant to the commis chef (a person who is in charge of food preparation by chopping, mixing and measuring ingredients in the kitchen)."

"You can study cutlery arts to become a chef and study about business to maintain the hotel that you're going to run. Problem solved."

"Do you think I can do that?"

He gave a nod and said, "Yes."

"It feels different."

"What feels different?"

"Talking about the future. I never did it before with anyone so… I don't know… feels a bit weird. And the way you talk too… you won't even talk a full phrase sentence before but you're the one who's talking a lot now. Did you change in these two years?"

"I didn't change. I'm picking up your speed otherwise you're the only person who talks."

"Are you saying that I'm a talkative person?"

"Yes."

I continued eating my dinner.

After we finished dinner, we came back to the house. While we're entering the house, Mr Martinez said, "There will be a tutor coming to the house to tutor you so study hard and try to graduate."

"Are you thinking me low? How many marks did I get in my school?"

"I know. I asked around."

I remained silent after hearing it straight from his mouth.

He said, "It's fine. Don't worry about those old marks. Study hard this time. Remember that you have to pay me back ten million dollars while you're studying. It'll cheer you up to study."

Really???