Deceiving Her Ears: Ignoring Your Call-Chapter 19: I Made the First Move

Isaac’s eyes were shadowed, and he repeated once more, in a way Franklin had never seen before: "She’s not my aunt-in-law."

Franklin nearly choked on his drink, fuming with frustration: "Isaac, you’ve really got some nerve! You’re a homewrecker, and you’re still so damn righteous about it!"

Isaac tilted his head back and downed his glass of alcohol.

Franklin looked at his gloomy face, shaking his head and letting out a heartbroken sigh: "Your morals are garbage, your values are a total mess, but hell, you’re my brother. I can’t just break up with you."

Isaac sneered coolly, "Wow, thanks, Mother Teresa."

"Hey, sis-in-law, come here, Jason’s over there."

The rich kid was totally wasted; he staggered up and went to pull Natalie’s hand.

Isaac’s expression turned instantly cold, ready to move, but Franklin darted out beside him.

He was seriously scared of Isaac now!

With Jason here, he was really afraid Isaac might lose his mind and turn this place into a slaughterhouse.

"Hey hey hey! What the hell!"

Franklin rushed forward and blocked the drunk rich kid, stopping him from touching Natalie.

"You’re fucking drunk!"

He turned and called for a waiter. "Take him out, get him some hangover meds—just toss him upstairs to sleep it off."

The waiter led the rich kid away.

Franklin looked at Natalie, his expression a bit awkward, and invited, "You wanna... come sit with us?"

Natalie looked past his shoulder at Isaac, hesitated for a couple seconds, then followed Franklin over.

Jason hadn’t expected she would actually stay.

After all, they were once engaged—it wouldn’t look good to fool around with other women in front of her.

All he could do was pat the influencer’s perky butt longingly and regretfully, "We’ll go upstairs in a bit."

The influencer gave him a grope in return, shot him a flirty look, and sashayed away.

That touch nearly set Jason on fire; he could hardly restrain himself from chasing the influencer straight upstairs to screw her right then and there.

But with Natalie still here, he could only grit his teeth and hold it in.

"So this is the little sis-in-law."

Someone came over to greet Natalie, "First time meeting you. Have a drink?"

Natalie’s face was expressionless; she made no move to pick up the glass.

The guy felt snubbed and mocked her, "What, sis-in-law, too good for us? Think you’re better than me?"

"What’s going on?" Jason heard the commotion and came over.

He looked at Natalie, frowning grimly, "It’s just a drink. He’s being polite, and you’re acting all stuck up?"

Natalie looked at Jason coldly, still unfazed.

Jason got embarrassed in front of everyone and instantly lost his temper.

He personally poured a full glass of alcohol and shoved it toward Natalie.

Because he was a bit rough and the glass was overfilled, some of the booze spilled out onto Natalie’s leg.

"Drink."

The atmosphere immediately tensed up.

The guy who had just tried to toast Natalie suddenly felt awkward and tugged at Jason. "Jason, forget it. Looks like sis-in-law’s pretty young, probably can’t handle alcohol."

But Jason refused to back down.

It had already come to this—if he chickened out now, how would he save face?

"Are you going to drink, or not?" he asked Natalie again.

Natalie’s fingers, resting on her lap, clenched and then loosened. Just as she was about to lift her hand, suddenly another hand reached over and wrapped around hers.

The warm palm was a familiar temperature.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Isaac’s little move was hidden from most by the angle, but Franklin, sitting next to him, saw it crystal clear.

Fuck me!

One of these days, Isaac was going to scare him into a heart attack!

Gritting his teeth, Franklin once again stepped up to act as bodyguard for his bro’s forbidden love affair.

"Hey, I’m thirsty anyway."

He took the overly full glass right out of Jason’s surprised hands.

He braced himself and drank it all down.

Consider it a smooth way out.

And just like that, the situation fizzled out quietly.

But poor Franklin—he downed that drink too fast and blacked out on the spot.

Isaac called someone to drag him upstairs.

Jason, still suspicious, pulled Isaac aside.

"Isaac, what’s up with Sharp today?"

Isaac lit a cigarette, took a drag, and replied offhandedly, "Huh?"

Jason frowned and voiced his guess. "Does he have a thing for Natalie?"

"..."

"I mean, look at the way he was acting. I’d bet anything he’s into her. Isaac, he’s your friend, I can’t say much as your uncle, but you should keep an eye on this."

"You mean...?"

"Natalie’s your aunt-in-law. Your friend has eyes for her—does that make sense?"

Somebody really did have eyes for Natalie.

Just not Franklin.

Isaac narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Uncle, you’re overthinking it. Franklin could never be interested in Natalie."

"Why not?"

Isaac couldn’t exactly say Franklin was covering for him.

He breathed out a smoke ring, and said lightly, "Franklin’s into guys."

"Huh?" Jason was stunned.

Isaac kept making up stories: "So, uncle, just relax."

Upstairs.

The drunken Franklin sneezed, rubbed his nose in his sleep, and rolled over, dead to the world.

——

The entire villa was a complete mess.

Natalie held up her phone and finally found a quiet spot.

Her teacher called, concerned about how her work went today, reminding her to perform well.

After chatting with her teacher for a while, she hung up, turned around, and saw Isaac behind her.

Isaac was staring at her, his gaze heated.

He’d been drinking plenty tonight—not enough to be drunk, but definitely tipsy.

Franklin had been egging him on, too.

Throwing "aunt-in-law" at him again and again.

Calling him the homewrecker.

Now, staring at Natalie, something sparked in him all of a sudden.

One moment thinking: Only the unloved are really the "homewrecker!"

The next: Who fucking cares! I’ll be the homewrecker if I have to!

He took one long stride toward her, radiating an all-or-nothing, destructive energy.

Natalie was startled and automatically stepped back.

That retreat pissed Isaac off. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

His eyes turned suddenly fierce; in one motion he pulled her into his arms, cupped her face, and kissed her hard.

Natalie’s lips were trapped, she couldn’t breathe, her face turning beet red.

"Isaac—mmm—Isaac... stop."

"Can’t stop." Isaac whispered hoarsely against her lips, then kissed her again.

It felt like he wanted to devour her whole.

On her lips was a sweet taste, addictive as hell.

They could get caught any second now.

Had that occurred to him?

Natalie’s eyes filled with panic; she tried hard to push him away.

Isaac didn’t let go until her whole mouth was swollen and red.

He pressed his fingertip to her lips, teasing and rubbing suggestively.

"Scared?"

Natalie’s eyes were watery from his kisses—a thin shimmer covering her gaze, hazy and alluring, making her look heartbreakingly fragile.

"Don’t be scared."

He kissed her ear, right where her hearing aid sat, his passionate voice drilling into her ear canal: "If we get caught, just say I started it."

"I’m the one chasing after you."

"I refused to let you go."

"You’re innocent. You were just seduced by me."

As Isaac spoke, his hands cradled her face, locking eyes with her.

Their gazes met, breaths mingling.

The heat of his alcohol, his longing, washed over her and left her dizzy, possessed.

She stood on tiptoe, unable to resist seeking out his lips.

Isaac’s eyes darkened; he gripped her slim waist and deepened the kiss.

The two were locked together, almost inseparable, kissing deeply and desperately.

Unaware, this entire scene was being witnessed by a pair of eyes not far away.