Victor rarely showed admiration in his eyes.
What she said was simple, almost naïve by today's standards. In this world, how many women calculated every smile, every tear, every retreat, just to bind a man tighter? Compared to them, Isabella was practically an endangered species.
The more time he spent with her, the more he understood why rumors could bury her so thoroughly.
She had never explained.
She believed truth and falsehood would eventually settle like dust. So she walked her own path, head high, untouched by the noise around her.
He did not know whether to call her strong… or foolishly stubborn.
"It's said," he began slowly, "that a woman is willing to disguise herself for a lifetime to tie a man's heart. Have you never thought that with just a little pretense, you could control men easily? Revenge on the Cruz family would become effortless. Wouldn't that be convenient?"
He wasn't mocking her.
He was genuinely curious.
