Chapter 32

Ethan Roscente glanced at his wristwatch. The silver dial gleamed coldly under the lights.

"I have a dinner meeting." His tone was indifferent. "My assistant will take you home."

Isabella Valentine bit her lip, suppressing her frustration before nodding obediently.

"Ethan."

Just as she turned to leave, his voice stopped her.

Her eyes brightened as she spun around.

Ethan lit a cigarette, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke.

"Be careful on your way."

Her hope deflated. Clutching her bag strap, she strode toward the elevator without looking back.

Before the doors closed, she caught sight of him making a call—his attention never once drifting her way.

"Take me to Nightshade," she snapped at the assistant.

The assistant froze. Nightshade was the most exclusive nightclub in the city—where Isabella kept a few male escorts on retainer.

Sophia Lowell arrived at the office early.

She ignored the faint red marks peeking from beneath Isabella's silk scarf, focusing instead on organizing the handover files.

"See something interesting, Sophia?" Isabella suddenly tugged the scarf aside, revealing more marks.

Sophia didn’t look up. "Focus on your work, Ms. Valentine."

"Shouldn’t that be your line?" Isabella smirked. "You’re the one staring at my neck."

A file snapped shut with force.

"Every minute you waste is another minute I have to stay." Sophia met her gaze. "Shall we wrap this up?"

Isabella’s smile faltered before she finally fell silent.

As the workday neared its end, Sophia’s phone buzzed.

"Babe, plans tonight?" Vivian Ashcroft’s voice was bright with excitement.

Sophia glanced at Isabella, still dawdling, and stepped toward the window.

"Send me the address."

"Promise you won’t bail this time!" Vivian chirped. "Just landed a huge deal—dinner’s on me."

Sophia chuckled. "Guess I’ll cling to my sugar mama, then."

When the address came through, she nearly dropped her phone.

"Nightshade?" she hissed. "Are you insane?"

"The escorts there are top-tier!" Vivian scoffed. "Pregnant women deserve fun too, you know!"

Sophia deleted the message immediately.

"Watch your wording!" she typed furiously. "I’m at the office!"

"Fine, fine~ I’ll use code names next time~" Vivian replied with a devil emoji.

Sophia erased the chat history and looked up—straight into Isabella’s probing stare.