The moment she heard the news that her father had regained consciousness, Isabelle didn't waste a second. She immediately rushed to the VIP treatment room on the second floor, her steps quick, her face tense as she struggled to contain the surge of emotions erupting in her chest.
The door flew open. "Dad!" she cried out, almost in disbelief, then dashed inside without paying attention to anyone else in the room.
Her father was sitting upright in bed, the upper part of the bed propped up. His face looked healthy, though still a bit pale. But to Isabelle, just seeing him with his eyes open was enough to make her tears fall again.
Without hesitation, she threw her arms around him tightly.
Isabelle sobbed uncontrollably in his chest, as if pouring out all the fear, trauma, and regret that had been suffocating her all this time. Her body trembled in his embrace, like a little girl who had finally found her way home after being lost for so long.
Her father, Montgomery Aldric, was briefly taken aback. He hadn't expected his daughter to react this way, especially since, according to the doctor, his condition was very good. The CT scan had shown no serious injuries to the head or internal organs, just a minor injury to his right shoulder from the impact. But even that wasn't anything life-threatening.
Still, he didn't ask any questions. He simply let his daughter cry in silence, gently stroking her long hair.
"From now on, if it's raining, Daddy's not allowed to go anywhere. Got it?" Isabelle said between sobs. Her voice trembled, but there was also a sweet, threatening tone in it.
Montgomery held back a smile. He hadn't heard his daughter speak like this since she was a teenager.
"If Daddy still goes out during a storm, Belle will be mad. Really mad. Belle won't talk to Daddy for a whole month!" she continued, her voice rising slightly like a sulking child.
Montgomery chuckled. He gently pulled his daughter to sit beside him on the bed, then took both her hands in his and patted them lightly.
"Alright, Belle. Daddy promises. Daddy won't go out during a storm again. Especially not like last night. I'll be more careful," he said softly, full of affection.
Isabelle nodded quickly, then added with a serious face, "And Daddy's not allowed to go anywhere with a new driver. If your driver's sick, you stay home. I'll take you myself."
Montgomery chuckled again and shook his head gently. "Since when did Daddy's spoiled little girl become this possessive, hm?"
A soft but biting voice from behind made them both turn their heads at once.
"Tch, usually she just whines for a vacation or an extra credit card. Now suddenly she's turned into her father's personal bodyguard," said Eleanor Montgomery, her tone teasing but playful.
Isabelle quickly got off the bed and ran to hug her mother. "Aaa, is Mommy jealous? Jealous because Belle loves Daddy more than Mommy?" she said in a spoiled tone, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist.
Eleanor simply crossed her arms and gave her daughter a bored glance. "I'm just not used to seeing my daughter suddenly act like this. You're like a child."
"In that case, from now on, Mommy and Daddy are Belle's kids, okay?" Isabelle teased, hugging her mother tighter. "If Mommy's driver suddenly gets sick or doesn't show up to work, Belle will drive you too. From now on, no going out with new people. Period."
Eleanor Montgomery hid a small smile beneath her calm expression. Though her face remained composed, her eyes closely watched her daughter's every move. As a mother, she could sense something had changed. Not something trivial, not just a burst of emotion or childish whining like usual. This was deeper, quieter, and heavier.
Isabelle was never an indifferent child. She had always cared, always been thoughtful, even if she often showed it through whining or childish jokes. But this time, it was different.
The tears she had seen earlier were not ordinary tears. They weren't from shock, let alone childish sulking. They were the tears of loss, of fear. As if her daughter had just returned from the edge of a deep abyss, barely able to climb her way back out.
Eleanor recalled her conversation with Emma, her daughter's personal assistant. The girl had looked worried when she informed her that ever since Isabelle woke up the morning before the company's anniversary event, her demeanor had changed drastically. More serious, more alert, and more withdrawn. Even last night, Emma mentioned that Isabelle had a panic attack inside the car, for no clear reason.
As far as Eleanor knew, Isabelle had never had any traumatic memories involving heavy rain. At least, not that she was aware of. But her motherly instinct told her otherwise.
Her daughter was hiding something. Something big. Something far too heavy to talk about, even with her own mother.
Eleanor took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, as if trying to release the anxiety beginning to cloud her heart. She knew, no matter how much she pushed, if Isabelle wasn't ready, she wouldn't open up. But as a mother, she believed the time would come. When her daughter was ready, she would talk. And when that moment arrived, she would be the first to hear it all.
Meanwhile, Montgomery Aldric was silently watching his daughter. There was something different about Isabelle. She was still his spoiled girl, still prone to pouting, to clinging to his neck in that adorably insistent way. But there was something else behind her eyes.
That gaze was full of determination, full of pain, and full of secrets. He didn't know what she was hiding, but he recognized the feeling, the burden of carrying something too heavy to share, even with one's own family. And a father's instinct told him his daughter was facing something far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.
But for now, Montgomery chose not to ask. He simply reached out and gently placed an arm around his daughter's shoulder. He knew, some wounds don't need questions. Some only need to be held, until they settle.
"Oh, by the way," Montgomery Aldric said lightly, trying to shift the atmosphere, "Daddy wants to introduce someone to you. A personal bodyguard. He'll be protecting Belle starting tomorrow."
Isabelle frowned. "A personal bodyguard? For me?"
Her voice rose instantly. She looked at her father sharply, anger bubbling up uncontrollably. "Dad, you just had an accident. That driver, someone who had only been working for one day, tried to kill you! You're the one who should be under tight protection, not me! I can take care of myself!"
Isabelle's voice echoed through the room. Her gaze was filled with anger, but the look in her eyes revealed something deeper, fear and wounds that had yet to heal.
Montgomery didn't answer right away. He looked at his daughter in silence for a moment, before finally speaking, calm, but firm.
"Belle, precisely because Daddy can get hurt, you need to be protected even more. You are the heir of the Montgomery family. You are the center of attention, a vulnerable target for anyone who wants to destroy this family. Daddy has lived long in this world, and - "
"Dad!" Isabelle suddenly shouted, cutting him off with a high, trembling voice. "Don't say things like that!"
Her eyes were red, her lips quivering. "Daddy will live a long life! Daddy and Mommy will always be with Belle. You'll see Belle get married, watch Belle's children grow up, see Belle's grandchildren playing in our yard!"
Her cries broke loose along with the tears that fell without permission.Montgomery froze, stunned by his daughter's emotional outburst. He had never seen Belle react like this before. His usually composed, calm little girl was now crying like someone who had just lost everything.
Isabelle wiped her tears quickly, as if refusing to appear weak any longer. But she couldn't hide the anxiety that gripped her soul.
She knew exactly where all of this could lead. She knew too well how the worst-case scenario could unfold. She had already lived through it once.And this time, she would not let misfortune take her family away. Not again.
Her mother would not be allowed to fall into a deep sorrow that would eventually strip her of her sanity. Her father would no longer become a victim of the carelessness of those meant to protect him. There would be no more houses left empty by loss, no more lives hollowed by betrayal.
Her resolve was firm now, this story would not repeat itself. She would not only save herself, she would save her family.
"If Daddy truly wants to protect me," Isabelle said softly but sharply, "then let me do the same for you. For Daddy. For Mommy. This time, Belle won't stay silent."
Montgomery stared at his daughter intently. He didn't fully understand what was happening, but one thing was clear, his daughter was no longer the spoiled girl who only knew how to whine and cling to his neck when afraid. Standing before him now was a young woman, still young, but her eyes carried the shadows of a long past.
"But," Aldric said, his voice once again calm and firm, "allow Daddy to protect you too, Belle. No matter how strong you feel, you still need guarding. You are precious."
Isabelle was about to argue again, but Aldric quickly continued. "So, accept him as your personal bodyguard."
Without warning, Aldric lifted his hand and pointed to someone standing not far from the doorway. That man had been standing there the entire time, silent, unmoving, watching observing all of Isabelle's anger, tears, and emotional outbursts without showing the slightest reaction.
Isabelle turned in the direction her father was pointing, and immediately froze. Her body tensed. Her eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the man her father was pointing at.