The Runaway Groom

Chapter 11

The sudden bellow startled Irene, and as she spun around, she inadvertently knocked the box, sending it crashing to the floor with a loud bang!

Isaac was glaring at her, and he appeared at once incensed and murderous!

Flustered, she quickly explained, “I–It was an accident...”

She dropped to a crouch and tried to pick it up, but she felt something catching her wrist before she could reach the box, and the weight behind the grip threatened to crush her bones.

It was agony–her hand could have fallen off just then, and she was sweating from the pain.

“Keep your dirty hands away from it!” Isaac yelled in rage, his eyes red as he promptly flung Irene away.

Caught off guard, she stumbled backward and hit her head against the corner of a wardrobe nearby. The ensuing pain seemed to cut into her heart and numbed her. There was a dull ring in her head, and she could feel something warm flowing out–she reached out and felt around the back of her head, and felt a stickiness.

Unsurprisingly, it was blood, but it was not much.

She looked up, and saw between her disheveled locks of

hair that Isaac was carefully picking up the box, and his reaction alone made it obvious how important the box was to him.

He opened it, fearful that the contents were destroyed, and carefully studied it. Still, it appeared that the box had protected the contents.

He felt a sense of relief, but the thought that Irene almost broke it left his temper flaring–so much so that he could kill her!

Turning to glare at her with red, murderous eyes, he roared, “You really want me to kill you, don‘t you?!”

On the other hand, Irene got to her feet with much difficulty. Her numbness had dissipated, but now it was sheer pain gnawing at her nerves, and she stopped herself from shaking as she said, “Sorry...”

She could see that the box was a treasure to Isaac.

“Sorry? You think sorry would cut it?”

To him, she was as shameless as she was conceited!

Even as he closed in on her, the crushing pressure that his mere presence projected left Irene panicking and retreating fearfully.

Thud,

was cornered against the wall,

pincerlike grip, and Irene thought she heard the sounds of bones dislocating. It hurt so much that she could not make a sound,

a reaper straight from hell–his presence making

closed in, his terrible presence seemed to enfold Irene. She tried to struggle but could not, even as he breathed into her ears, “I will destroy everything you‘ve

word ‘destroy‘ left her shuddering, and that

have fallen

nothing else keeping her standing

glanced toward it without meaning to, and her eyes

just as she found the contents of the box a little familiar, Isaac roared

her curiosity–there

visage eased as he looked at the contents of the box, a rare tenderness

after his parents‘ passing, and the owner of these objects were the last bastion that retained any Warmth

years had passed, he remembered the little figure and the determination as she dragged

purest eyes she had

allowed his ice–cold

room, Irene was holding a hand over her forehead when Henry rushed to the scene. Seeing her pale face, he asked,

little bruise,” she

he should not go so far as to hit a woman, should

touched a

beside a family photo?” Henry quickly

“Yes.” Irene nodded.

LLLLLL

right then, Henry sighed. “I don‘t think I can help you on this one... That box matters so

was to Isaac, especially when he kept it beside a photo of

used to have something precious as well — the first birthday present she received from her late grandfather but she

had brought her here to Jefferson Manor. She was too young to understand what

as any other, she ran off for a stroll

was climbing a boulder when she saw

he was barely ten years old,

had seen the wickedness of human

as she watched the boy struggle to survive , she waited for the woman to

L1