Threatened 

ISABELLA’S POV 

I walked towards the window and gazed out at the commotion below, in front of the pack 

house. Then my heartbeat surged as I took in the scene. Beside me, Hailey let out a slow 

exclamation, but her reaction barely registered in my mind. 

My eyes were glued to the familiar figure standing in the distance. I could not be mistaken with that tall and commanding presence. 

It was Xavier. 

I felt like the whole has stopped spinning. I find it hard to breathe, as if the air had already left my lungs. 

Five years. It had been five long years since I last saw him. My heart hammered against my chest as I felt my knees buckling beneath me. In the past, the thought of seeing him once 

again sometimes crossed my mind. I’ve dread about it… but now, I never expected this to come sooner than I expected. I know it was inevitable, but never like this… 

Never with my daughter standing beside him. 

As I took in his figure, I realized he had changed. He looked colder, more aloof, yet he was still devastatingly handsome as ever. His presence seemed much more intimidating and powerful, as if time had only sharpened his edges. But what rattled me the most was the way he was 

looking at Lily now. 

There was something in his eyes… some sort of softness and an unfamiliar warmth as he spoke to her. 

Panic surged through me. I never wanted this to happen. I felt like rushing… I wanted to go down there and hide my baby girl from his eyes, before he could connect the dots together. But before I could do that, Hailey seemed to know what I was planning as she grabbed my 

arm. 

“Don’t!” Her voice was sharp with urgency. 

I shook my head at her with a panic–stricken look on my face. 

“I need to get Lily…” My voice trembled because of the fear and nervousness I was feeling. 

Hailey narrowed her eyes at me, before sighing. “Don’t act rashly, Bella. You know that if you show yourself now, everything you’ve worked hard to keep hidden all these years will all be for 

nothing.” 

1/4 

+50 Point 

Threatened 

Her words felt like a bucket of cold water pouring all over my body. She was right. If Xavier 

saw me… if he saw us together, me and Lily, there would be no going back. 

But I couldn’t bear to just stand here and do nothing. My gaze wandered back towards them 

again. 

“Mom, who is that man in front of Lily and Uncle Raymond?” Liam’s small voice broke through 

the chaos in my mind. 

I felt shaken, realizing he was also now peeking out of the window, his face full of curiosity. 

My heart twisted at his question. And once again, I panicked. 

“He’s just a visitor, sweetheart.” My voice shook. I found it hard to speak as I gently pulled him away from the window. “Come here, stay with Aunt Hailey for a moment, okay?” 

My voice shook as I distanced him away from the window. I couldn’t let him see Xavier. He 

was such a smart boy, and I couldn’t let him piece together what I was desperately trying to 

keep apart. 

Hailey held Liam’s hand as she nodded at him. However, the fear was still gnawing at me – like a predator, digging its teeth deeper into my flesh. I couldn’t stop glancing back down at the scene below. Raymond was now carrying Lily in his arms as he and Xavier exchanged 

some words. 

As if on cue, I saw Alexander arriving at the scene. The sight of him standing in front of Xavier caused my pulse to quicken. The tension between them was very much evident, but then, Alexander finally manage to lead Xavier away from the packhouse, which sent a relief to me. 

I let out a shaky breath, ensuring that Xavier was already nowhere to be seen before I rushed 

out of the room. I had to get Lily now. 

“I’ll get your sister first. You stay here with Aunt Hailey. Mommy will be right back.” 

I gently reminded Liam. Something tugged at my heart as I stared at the curious and innocent look on his face. But I couldn’t let him go out now too. I didn’t want everything to escalate 

further. 

As I got out of the room, I moved down the flight of stairs running. As soon as I went out of the packhouse, the feeling of relief came crashing to me as I finally saw my baby girl up close. 

I hurriedly walked towards her. The moment she saw me too, her eyes lit up with joy. 

“Mommy!” 

I pulled her into my arms, hugging her little body tight to mine. I could still feel myself shaking from all the fear and tension just now that sent me a feeling like she was going to disappear 

2/4 

+50 Point 

Threatened 

at any moment from me. 

But I wouldn’t allow that to happen. 

I carried her back inside the packhouse. My heart was still racing, but I forced myself to stay 

calm. 

“Lily, where did you go?” I asked, trying to keep to keep my voice steady so I won’t scare her. 

Her smile faltered before she looked down, I can clearly see the guilt clouding her innocent 

features. 

“I’m sorry, Mommy… I wandered off and left brother and our friends because I found a path… 

and then, I saw a nice uncle who helped me come back.” 

My heart clenched. A nice uncle. For sure she was talking none other than about Xavier. I felt 

my heart being cold. The very thing I had feared the most had now happened. 

Lily has met her father, and I didn’t even know if Xavier had noticed anything… The two had the 

same eyes… 

“It’s okay, baby.” I whispered, trying to soothe her. My own heart was aching as I can’t bear to 

see the guilty look on her face. But I couldn’t let this incident happen once again. 

“But 

you have to be careful, okay? In the future, you can’t wander out alone. It’s dangerous.” 

She nodded obediently, staying still in my arms. As I carried her back into the room where 

Hailey and Liam were, she slowly gained back her enthusiasm as I saw her eyes sparkling 

with a mix of excitement and innocence. 

“But mommy, the uncle who helped me was really nice. He accompanied me to go back and I also toured him around. He was very gentle and patient…” 

I bit my lip. A storm of emotions swirled inside me. I couldn’t help feeling complicated upon hearing her words. 

The fact that they probably spend more time than I imagined left me shaken. And what more… 

Xavier being “very gentle and patient“… I couldn’t even paint that picture. I couldn’t even 

imagine Xavier acting like that. 

In fact, I hadn’t witnessed him act like that in the past. 

“Did he… did that uncle tell you his name? Or did you tell him yours?” I asked nervously. 

Lily shook her head with a tiny frown on her face. “Oh no! I forgot to ask, mommy! I don’t know 

his name… and I also didn’t tell him mine!” 

A wave of relief washed over me hearing her answer. At least for now, Xavier didn’t know who 

3/4 

+50 Paint 

Threatened 

she was. At least he doesn’t know too much about Lily. But this encounter was much too 

close… and dangerous. 

I need to be more careful if I was going to protect my children from the truth that might end up destroying everything… All my efforts. 

Raymond was walking behind us. And when I finally got back inside the room where Liam was with Hailey. He finally spoke in a serious tone. 

“I’ll get you home now. You need to be careful, or else this encounter…” 

I nodded solemnly, knowing what he exactly meant by that. I didn’t hesitate. With Liam’s hand 

tightly in mine and Lily held close to my chest, Raymond led us back toward home. My heart 

pounded with every step, my mind racing with the what–ifs and the looming threat of Xavier’s 

presence.