Chapter 191
Isla couldn’t hear his words, but she didn’t need to. The anger
radiating from Graham Lancaster was palpable, like heat rolling off a
wildfire. She felt it in the sharpness of his movements, in the storm
brewing in his dark eyes, and in the way his lips moved with quick,
deliberate precision. Even without sound, the weight of his
frustration struck her like a physical blow.
“I–I just needed some time,” she stammered, her voice trembling. Her
gaze flicked to his lips, catching the sharp line of his frown as he
registered her feeble explanation.
Instead of easing his anger, her words seemed to ignite it further.
Graham stepped down from the stairs, closing the distance between
them in long, purposeful strides until he stood right in front of her.
His 6’2 frame loomed over her, making her feel impossibly small, his
presence commanding and almost suffocating.
“Edwin and I have been searching for you since the funeral ended,” he
said, each word sharp and deliberate as she read them from his lips.
“You just ran out of the grounds and disappeared. Do you have any
idea how worried everyone was?” He paused, his brows furrowing, the
intensity of his gaze boring into her. “How worried I was?”
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Chapter 191
The last words hit harder than the rest. Isla wished she could away, escape the intensity of his anger, but she was trapped. 1 to keep watching his lips, forced to meet his penetrating zaze fol
words. And in doing so, she couldn’t help but notice
his face–the strong jawline now shadowed with stut crease of frustration between his brows, and the ruzz omeness that had always made he
ou don’t need to worry about m erself. Her hands clenched into her palms. “I’m fine.” And she
oftly, trying to st
des, nails digging least, she wanted t
Graham’s jaw tightened, spoke again. “How can
carrying over even
into a hard line before h inded, the tension in his voi t words came like a thunderc
“You’re my respe
The phra
tigh
ing. Her breath caught, her chest
art slammed against her ribs. His choed in her mind, a mix of shock and gh her.
cess the full weight of what he’d said, Graham nd glanced toward the door. His tone shifted, softer m. “Come on in and change your clothes,” he esturing toward the manor. Then, turning to Edwin, he Maggie know her beloved pet is back so she can stop
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Chapter 191
fretting and get dinner ready.”
Edwin nodded instantly, hurrying inside without another word. The
moment they were alone, Graham reached out, his large hand closing
gently but firmly around Isla’s arm. The gesture startled her–his
touch was warm, commanding, and entirely unexpected.
Isla stiffened, her body locking in place as he began to guide her up
the steps of the manor. Her mind reeled, her senses overwhelmed.
She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t focus on anything
except the faint scent of his cologne–a rich, woodsy aroma that
seemed to cling to him effortlessly. The surrealness of it all left her
dazed. Graham Lancaster, the man she’d idolized from a distance for
so long, was touching her as though it were the most natural thing in
the world.
Her pulse thundered in her ears, and she tried to focus, but her
thoughts refused to settle. She was so lost in the sensation of his
hand on her arm and the steady rhythm of his steps beside her that
she didn’t even notice when he said something.
