Chapter 50: Chapter 44: A Cautionary Tale

Shane Sterling’s deep, magnetic voice, paired with the words “I love you,” was simply a lethal temptation.

Isla Prescott felt as if she had suddenly missed a step on a staircase. Her heart leaped into her throat, and a subtle sense of losing control pulsed through her veins.

“You…”

“I was just explaining what the sign means,” he repeated. “’I love you’ is what it means.”

’This man is unbelievable,’ Isla Prescott thought. ’I just wanted to learn a simple sign, but what kind of decent person teaches one with such a special meaning right off the bat?’

She ignored him and headed for the door, using the excuse of going to the restroom.

When she reached the door of the private room, it dawned on her that she’d been played. She spun around resentfully. Shane Sterling was sitting there calmly, a smile playing on his lips as he sipped his soup, his eyes following her every move.

His gaze was teasing, yet held a hint of affection.

For some reason, Isla Prescott felt he was flirting with her again.

’Just as I thought. When it comes to this game of romantic push-and-pull, I’m no match for the playboy, Young Mr. Shaw.’

Isla Prescott quickly left the private room.

In the courtyard, a lush bamboo grove stood beside a murmuring stream.

From behind the rockery, Annabelle Leighton’s questioning voice could be heard.

“Morgan Hayes, you’re not afraid of armed thugs, are you? So why are you afraid of me? Am I scarier than a murderer?”

Morgan Hayes said something Isla Prescott couldn’t quite make out. Then she saw him emerge from behind the rockery and stride toward the main gate, apparently ready to leave.

“Coward! Wimp!”

Annabelle Leighton ran out after him, cursing under her breath. In her frustration, she kicked the rockery.

“OW…”

It wasn’t a light kick. The pain made Annabelle Leighton collapse right where she stood.

“Ow, that hurts like hell!”

It was hard to say if she was faking it to get his sympathy, but Morgan Hayes was already too far away to hear her.

“Annie!” Isla Prescott hurried over. “Are you okay?”

“My foot… What kind of rock is this? It’s as stubborn and unyielding as that Hayes guy! Isn’t this supposed to be a fake mountain? Even a stupid rockery is working against me… It hurts so much…”

Annabelle Leighton kept muttering curses. Isla Prescott knelt and rubbed her foot for a while before she finally quieted down.

“How is it? Any better?” Isla Prescott asked.

“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt as much now.”

“Did you and Officer Hayes get into a fight?”

“Not really a fight. He just won’t let me pursue him.” Annabelle Leighton’s red lips formed a pout. “He’s such a coward. He doesn’t even have the guts to date me.”

Isla Prescott took a few seconds to process that. “You’re not dating? Then what about last time…?”

’Last time, at Shane Sterling’s house, I clearly saw Annabelle and Morgan Hayes kissing.’

“What about last time?”

“At Sean’s house. That time Officer Hayes came to take my statement. You two were by the car…”

Annabelle Leighton thought back for a moment. “Oh, you mean that time I forced a kiss on him?”

“Forced a kiss?”

“Yep, I was the one who forced it. You have no idea how hard he was to pin down. He was like a slippery eel, trying to wriggle away. It took me forever to finally land that kiss!” Annabelle Leighton sighed. “But it was no use. Afterwards, he said he’d just pretend he got bit by a dog and that he still didn’t want to date me.”

“Why doesn’t Officer Hayes want to?”

“He said we’re from different worlds.”

At first, Isla Prescott thought Morgan Hayes was just being ungrateful, but hearing that sentence made her see things differently. Morgan Hayes was actually very clear-headed.

’Annabelle is beautiful and comes from a wealthy family. Any other man being pursued by a girl like her would be over the moon with pride. But Morgan wasn’t blinded by vanity. He’s very rational. He knows that for two people from different social classes to truly be together, a momentary hormonal rush is nowhere near enough. What awaits them are the obvious conflicts of a wealth gap and the hidden chasm of differing worldviews and social circles.’

’Love can be pure, but life is never simple.’

’His avoidance is actually a form of protection for both of them.’

“Anyway, forget him.” Annabelle Leighton looked at Isla Prescott. “Isabelle, you’d better tell me what’s going on with you and Shane Sterling!”

People always seem to find something to do when they’re embarrassed.

Isla Prescott tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze dropping as she licked her lips. “What do you mean, ’what’s going on’?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I saw everything. You two were so close at the dinner table just now, making eyes at each other the whole time. You like him, don’t you—”

“I do not.” Isla Prescott quickly covered Annabelle Leighton’s mouth. “Hey, keep your voice down! Don’t say such ridiculous things.”

Annabelle Leighton grabbed Isla Prescott’s hand and laughed. “Look how flustered you are. There’s no one else here.”

“You can’t just say things like that, even if no one’s around.”

“Am I?” Annabelle Leighton leaned in close to Isla Prescott and pinched her crimson cheek. “If you don’t like him, why are you blushing?”

Isla Prescott was speechless. “I…”

“Honestly, Shane Sterling is a pretty good guy. He talks tough, but deep down, he’s a total marshmallow. You can tell by how he is with his little brother. He’s such a proud man, but when he needed my help with his brother’s situation, he let me boss him around without a single complaint.”

’Of course, Isla Prescott knew Shane Sterling was a good person. But… she wasn’t from his world, either.’

’Besides, she had learned her lesson the hard way.’

’Silas Lockwood was that lesson.’

—

After smoothing out the teaching schedule at their dance studio, Isla Prescott and Annabelle Leighton began to test the waters of social media.

They spent a day completing a market analysis, researched numerous dance influencers, and deconstructed their most viral content. After several rounds of discussion, they decided to start by filming traditional-style dance duets. Their priority was to polish a signature piece rather than blindly posting daily updates.

Annabelle Leighton and Isla Prescott bought a ton of costumes and props. They did everything together, from the initial stages of choosing a theme, choreographing, and rehearsing, to the final stages of makeup, filming, and editing.

Isla Prescott was incredibly diligent, always the first to arrive at the studio and the last to leave. And although Annabelle was the esteemed young lady of the Leighton family, she was also able to buckle down and focus. She cut out nearly all of her social activities, holing up in the studio with Isla Prescott from morning till night and pouring one hundred percent of her energy into their work.

They were able to release a new dance piece about once a week.

A month went by, and they had posted four dance pieces on their social media platform.

In Isla Prescott and Annabelle Leighton’s eyes, all four of these dance pieces were of a high standard, both technically and artistically.

But when they posted these pieces online, the number of clicks and views was pitifully low.

They knew making a living through social media wouldn’t be easy and had anticipated that the results might not be ideal, but the dismal numbers were still a slight blow to their confidence.

Fortunately, the two of them were quick to adjust their mindset.

After moping for about half a day, Isla Prescott began digging in to figure out what was going wrong, while Annabelle Leighton used her connections to find a major influencer to share some advice.

“Isabelle, after lunch, you’re coming with me to the equestrian center.”

“What are we going to the equestrian center for?”

“You know ’KittyLovesFish,’ right? The really popular food blogger? She’s one of my riding instructor’s students. I had my instructor pull some strings, so we’re going to meet her this afternoon. She’s going to share some secrets with us on how to go viral.”

“Okay.”

After lunch, Isla Prescott grabbed her notebook and followed Annabelle Leighton to Meritopia’s largest equestrian facility, Lancaster Equestrian Center.

Just as they got out of the car, Isla Prescott’s phone rang.

It was a parent from one of her dance classes who wanted to withdraw their child due to some emotional issues. Isla Prescott gestured for Annabelle Leighton to go on ahead, then walked over to a tree to patiently discuss a solution with the parent.

The call lasted for over twenty minutes. By the time she hung up, Annabelle Leighton was nowhere in sight.

They had agreed to meet at the riding instructor’s office, but the equestrian center was so huge that Isla Prescott got lost after walking around in a circle.

She was just about to call Annabelle Leighton when she suddenly spotted Shane Sterling riding a horse on a distant lawn.

Shane Sterling was dressed in professional riding attire, lightly gripping the reins. He sat tall and imposing, his posture full of grace. Today, he was riding a dapple-gray steed. The horse was large and sturdy, with powerful muscles, its hooves landing on the grass with steady, forceful steps.

Under the sun, both the horse and its rider were a striking sight.

’Perfect,’ Isla Prescott thought, ’I can ask Shane Sterling where the instructor’s office is.’ But before she could raise her hand to wave, she saw a woman in a miniskirt and a baseball cap run toward him.

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