He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did-Chapter 30 - 28: Passed Away

"How come I didn’t know about this?" Shane Sterling asked.

"You didn’t know?"

"Who told you?"

Joy Jennings had been the one to tell her that Shane Sterling and Annabelle Leighton were dating, but Annabelle had also said it herself.

"Miss Leighton said so."

"When?"

Isla Prescott thought back. It must have been that time Wendy Bell first suggested taking her to a business dinner. Annabelle Leighton had cut them off by crashing her car, and the excuse she’d used then was that Isla was seducing her boyfriend.

’Wait... the excuse she *used*...’

’Could it be that the whole "boyfriend-girlfriend" thing was just an excuse Annabelle made up?’

"Are those big eyes of yours just for decoration?" Shane Sterling jutted his chin toward Annabelle Leighton and Morgan Hayes outside. "Annabelle’s feelings for Morgan are practically written on her forehead. You really can’t see that?"

It finally dawned on Isla. No wonder she’d felt something was off the moment Annabelle walked in. It was the way Annabelle looked at Morgan Hayes.

It was the look of someone gazing at the person they loved.

"Then you and her..."

"Annabelle and I are just friends," he stated clearly.

A certain pressure that had been building in Isla’s heart slowly receded, like an ebbing tide.

Shane Sterling’s gaze was clear, as if trying to peer into her heart. "What? Are you happy that we’re just friends?"

"Of course not!"

"I clearly saw your brow relax just now."

"You saw wrong."

Isla tried to step back, but Shane’s hand shot out and clasped her waist.

His presence enveloped her from all sides. She suddenly felt her joints lock up, her struggle to break free feeling sluggish and delayed.

"But you were worried about me just now, weren’t you?"

He was referring to the way she had frantically covered his eyes.

"I was afraid you’d try to jump off a building again." Isla pushed his hand away, avoiding his gaze. "Who knows if you’ll be lucky enough to have some good Samaritan save you next time."

Shane Sterling looked at her.

She was prettiest when her face, bare of any makeup, was blushing.

"Let’s go. I’ll take you back to school," Shane Sterling said.

He didn’t enjoy this ambiguous push-and-pull, but he knew she still needed time.

They got in the car. As they neared the school, Shane asked her, "So, what are your plans now?"

Isla shook her head. "I don’t know."

She truly didn’t know. Her once-promising future had suddenly gone off the rails, and her hopes felt like a candle flame snuffed out by the wind. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Fortunately, though, she wasn’t one to be easily defeated.

This incident had taught her that perfect traps are never obvious. They just wait quietly for someone to walk right in. There was no such thing as a job that suited her perfectly; behind every "seamless fit" was usually some form of manipulation.

She would be more cautious in her job search from now on.

"Then take some time off to rest and think about what you really want. If you need help with anything, you can call me," Shane said.

"Okay, thank you, Sean."

--

When Isla got back to her dorm, she saw a package for her on the desk. It was a file envelope.

"Mia, did you bring this back for me?"

"Yeah, I was picking up a package and saw you had one, so I grabbed it for you."

"Thanks."

Isla tore open the envelope’s seal. An invitation fell out—it was for Silas Lockwood and Lydia Sinclair’s engagement party.

The invitation was pink with silver foil lettering—unmistakably Lydia’s taste, girly to the core.

"Wow, what a beautiful invitation! Who’s getting married?" Mia asked, leaning in for a closer look.

"My brother is getting engaged."

Isla realized that as she spoke about Silas and Lydia’s engagement, she no longer felt that familiar ache and sense of loss. There was still a lingering regret, though, that this was how things between them would end.

When her mother, Susan Dudley, heard about Silas’s upcoming engagement, she took out the money she’d been saving for a long time and bought a gift for him and Lydia. She had called Isla, asking her to come pick it up when she had a chance and deliver it on the day of the party.

Isla knew Lydia would almost certainly look down on her mother’s gift, but it was a heartfelt gesture, and she had no choice but to follow through.

She made a trip back to North Lane the day before the engagement party.

Her mother, Susan Dudley, had prepared a pair of gold rings.

As Isla opened the brocade box, a wave of complicated emotions washed over her. Her own mother had never owned a single piece of gold jewelry, yet here she was, gifting a pair of gold rings to Silas and Lydia.

"Mom, why did you buy something so expensive?"

This pair of gold rings might not even be worth the cost of one of Silas and Lydia’s outfits, but for her mother, it represented countless servings of fried potatoes she’d had to sell to save up the money.

"The Lockwood family has done so much for you. Young Master Lockwood’s engagement is a once-in-a-lifetime event; we have to show our gratitude." Susan Dudley was someone who never forgot a kindness. The fact that the Lockwood family had adopted Isla was something she would be grateful for her entire life.

Isla put an arm around her mother’s shoulder and leaned against her. "Don’t you feel bad spending so much money?"

"You can always earn more money."

Isla hummed softly in response.

"Keep the rings safe."

"Okay."

Susan Dudley handed the brocade box to Isla. Just as she reached for it, her phone rang.

It was a call from the Lockwood family’s landline.

This was the first time she had ever received a call from that number.

Isla walked to the doorway to answer it.

"Miss Prescott, please come back right away. President Lockwood... he’s gone." It was the voice of the Lockwood family’s butler.

Isla was stunned. "What did you say?"

"President Lockwood has passed away."