I Escaped My Toxic Ex‑Lover, Only To Be Sold Into A Devil’s Marriage Deal

A thirty-year-old man's desire was a raw, unrestrained thing. Isabel Jones had lost all track of time, swept up in his whirlwind. Her body felt wrecked, overwhelmed by a longing so intense it left her breathless.

Maximilian Riley knew every inch of her. His touch was precise, practiced—never too much, always expertly drawing out her reactions.

"Cancel my appointments for the week. I'm taking a vacation. Book two tickets to the Bahamas." Maximilian finally spoke, standing by the bed and dressing with careless ease.

A flicker of joy lit Isabel's eyes as she carefully stretched her sore back. "Maximilian, are you taking me on vacation?"

Maximilian paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he glanced at her. "I'm going with Kayleigh."

The smile slipped from Isabel's face. She lowered her head, cheeks burning. "Alright, Mr. Riley..."

Seeing her expression, Maximilian added, "Isabel, you're just an orphan, and you're young. I can never marry you."

Isabel looked up, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "I never expected you to marry me... Now that Miss Fernandez is back, maybe it's time we ended this arrangement?"

Maximilian's expression darkened. Still, he gently ruffled Isabel's hair and set a credit card on the nightstand. "Go on," he said, voice soft, soothing. "Buy whatever you want."

"Mr. Riley, I refuse to be the other woman," Isabel said, stubbornly meeting his gaze. She knew his marriage to Kayleigh was inevitable.

"It's too early for that talk. We'll discuss it when the wedding's actually happening. Don't overreact—whether this ends isn't up to you." Clearly frustrated, Maximilian gave Isabel one last look, then walked out.

Even after the door clicked shut, the ringing in her ears drowned out everything else.

Isabel had grown up an orphan. When she first started college, her beauty drew the wrath of a wealthy heiress, and the girl made her life hell. The attack left Isabel deaf in one ear and nearly blinded by a burning cigarette.

The whole incident was caught on camera and went viral online.

The school had to call in the parents, and the one who came on behalf of the heiress was none other than Maximilian Riley.

Maximilian—the heiress's older brother—might have acted out of family duty, or maybe pity. He reached out to a bruised, broken Isabel, and his first words to her were, "Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you again."

It was humiliating, and yet Isabel fell for him. Maximilian fit the image of the protector she'd desperately craved in a time when she was starving for love.

She'd once believed he was her knight in shining armor. Now it seemed... Maximilian didn't love her—and had no intention of letting her go.

...

At Riley Corporation, Maximilian was tied up in meetings, handing off his responsibilities, while Kayleigh waited in his office.

Soon they'd jet off to the Bahamas together, ready to enjoy a dreamy seven days.

Isabel brought coffee to Kayleigh, her heart aching like it was being sliced open. "Miss Fernandez, your coffee."

Kayleigh glanced up at Isabel, her smile warm and gentle.

With her impressive background, Kayleigh was considered Maximilian's perfect match. She'd known him since childhood—the epitome of sophistication, a distinguished heiress whose mere presence blinded Isabel with its radiant confidence.

Isabel knew she'd lost. She'd never really stood a chance.

The fairy tale was never going to come true for her. She was just a distraction.

She set down the coffee and all but fled the office, cheeks burning.

Her insecurities, her background, the reality of her disabilities—it all made her feel small. Insignificant.

"Mr. Riley and Miss Fernandez are going on their honeymoon? Word is they've made it official. They'll announce it when they get back. Their families have already agreed to the wedding."

In the break room, coworkers gossiped about Maximilian and Kayleigh's upcoming nuptials.

As Isabel refilled her cup, boiling water scalded her hand.

The cup shattered on the floor. She reacted a beat too late, rushing to rinse her hand under cold water.

Maximilian and Kayleigh were getting married.

Which meant whatever she had with Maximilian was over. So was her internship at Riley Corporation.

"Isabel, Mr. Riley wants you to drive him and Miss Fernandez to the airport at eleven."

A colleague relayed the order: Isabel was to take Maximilian and Kayleigh to the airport.

Isabel managed a bitter smile, aware of how cruel Maximilian could be.

She knew he was doing this on purpose—using her instead of a driver to put her in her place, to make sure she didn't harbor any unrealistic dreams.

Maximilian and his sister were both tormentors, just in different ways. One had broken her body. The other was breaking what was left of her heart.

Isabel pulled out her phone, hesitated, then dialed a number she'd once blocked.

"Hello, Mr. Alexander. You mentioned before... if I agreed to marry you, you'd sponsor my studies in France. Is that offer still on the table?" Her voice trembled slightly.

Marriage might be her only ticket out of Newport—her only real escape from Maximilian Riley.

"Think it over carefully," came the deep voice on the other end. "Meet me at Riverview Villa at seven p.m. on the thirteenth, and we'll discuss the details."

The thirteenth was only eight days away.