"Is there anything else you want to say?" Andrew's voice was quiet but sharp.

Isabella drew in a shaky breath, her eyes searching for a glimmer of hope. "Will you help me or not?"

Andrew barely reacted, just a single deep breath betraying any emotion. His answer was blunt. "No."

A bitter laugh slipped from Isabella before she ended the call.

Benjamin stepped over, grabbed the phone from her hand, and tossed it onto the sofa. He wrapped his arms around her. "Come here, it's alright, don't cry."

Isabella clung to his shirt, her sobs breaking through her words. "He won't help me. He said he loves Emily Blair. Can you believe that? It's ridiculous. What was I to him all these years? What did all that kindness mean? I hate him, I really hate him.”

Benjamin held her close, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Hey, you have me. I'll help you, I promise. Don't cry anymore."

Exhausted, Isabella finally cried herself out in his arms. Benjamin helped her to the guest room to rest. When she was fast asleep, he made a call, his face cold and hard.

After the call, Andrew tossed his phone aside and rubbed his brow. From where he stood, the story looked different.

Emily Blair had been so shy the first time she walked into the Lane house. She wore cheap, awkward clothes, her hair pulled into a plain high ponytail. She stood in front of everyone with her head down, her insecurity written all over her face.

He didn't think much of her at first. She was like a stray cat someone brought home, easy to ignore. The rest of the Lane family, especially Amelia and Ethan, made it clear they didn't want her around. Under their scorn, Emily looked even smaller, like a drenched puppy with nowhere to go.

He said a few kind words to her, nothing special, but to Emily, it was everything. She looked at him with this raw, grateful gaze, almost like he'd saved her life. After that, she followed him everywhere.

At first, he found it kind of funny, watching her try so hard to please him, clumsy as she was. He let her tag along. It made things a bit easier for her in the house. At least the servants stopped being so cold.

But Emily really was awkward. She made mistakes all the time, and after a while, he started to get annoyed. He tried to keep things polite but distant, hoping she'd take the hint and back off. She didn't. If anything, she just tried harder, still just as awkward, still thinking she needed to do more.

Even his friends, the ones with the most patience, noticed and told him to just be honest and tell her to stop wasting time. He said he would, but he never did.

The one time he tried, Emily's eyes went red and she just stared at him, totally lost and hurt, like she didn't even know what she'd done wrong. She looked so sad, so defenseless, he couldn't bring himself to be harsh. He just patted her on the head and told her she could stick around.

Emily must have thought he wanted more from her, because after that, she only tried harder.