The first encounter

Isabella was sitting on a bird of paradise leaf, a beautiful metaphor to describe a banana leaf. Pickley had returned to her consciousness to rest after using a huge amount of mana to turn Isabella invisible for the whole fifteen minutes journey. It was a pity she couldn't see how the banana leaf transferred her queen from the depth of the forest to one of the ornamental pears which decorated the grandiose driveway that swept in a wide circle in front of the manor house.

Nonetheless, Isabella exhaled in relief once she arrived at Serenity Valley Manor. Talked about manors, she imagined a castle-like or cathedral-like architecture with oversized windows and ivy that clung to its walls. That was the type of manor she had seen, yet here she was standing in front of a big mansion with the touch of modern and futuristic architecture.

'Impressive!' she thought to herself while walking at the pathway beside the driveway. When she arrived in the hallway that led to the main entrance of the big mansion, she saw a man in black was standing outside. He looked like he had just finished making a phone call to someone. When the man saw her, a surprised look was evident in his face.

"Miss~ Isabella Tan?" he asked to confirm. Isabella nodded once as she thought that this man was assigned to wait for her. The man looked confused as he stretched his neck to see the area behind her.

Isabella followed his action and thought that he must've suspected something. Still, it was of no worry to her because she had been vigilant while choosing the place to land earlier. She had confirmed that no one was within the area when she removed the invisible spell on her body. As for the bird of paradise leaf, it had turned to fertilizer and seeped into the ground the seconds she jumped out of it.

Isabella was frowning while waiting for the man to stop with his useless stares at the scenery behind her. "Could you please show me the way inside? I need to meet Mr. Rafael before the limit of ten minutes is up," she made a request with a layer of severity. The man was startled but he quickly showed her the way.

Bernard was the man Isabella met at the entrance. He was surprised to see a beautiful woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He had just finished a phone call with Serenity Valley Manor's head of security to check the appearance of any unknown vehicle within the spread of land owned by his employer. The result he received was negative.

That would mean that this woman appeared out of nowhere! Bernard was crept out, however, it was replaced by a sudden chill on his spine. He stopped on his track as he looked at the direction they were heading to before he focused on the woman behind him.

"Miss Isabella, I would like to remind you that Mr. Rafael is in a really bad mood right now," he told her. He had noticed the eerie atmosphere which thickened the closer they were to the location of the meeting.

Being Rafael's friend and assistance for many years, he was, what they called the reference book for anything related to him. He recognized the flux following any strong emotion he was experiencing. As of now, he felt anger coming from the distance. Who was it? Was it the woman standing in front of him? But...

Bernard took a peek at Isabella's beautiful face and realized that it wasn't showing a sign of fear. To him, her calm reaction was unusual, unlike other people who probably would feel intimidated at this moment. Moreover, the coldness in her eyes and the no-nonsense vibe he felt coming from her resembled a man he knew well; Rafael.

"Is he in there?" Isabella asked after being stopped by Bernard. When she saw him nodded, she walked ahead of him, leaving the man in dismay of the way she treated him. Isabella didn't understand why he stopped her just because the man she would meet was in a bad mood. Perhaps, he was trying to prep her for what would happen like the way her brain was warning her of an upcoming hassle. Yet, it made her annoyed.

'Humans truly are a complicated creature,' Isabella thought inside her head.

Rafael was sitting on the sofa with a gloomy look on his face. His dark blue eyes were staring at the void in front of him like a predator's eyes, tearing the particles in the air to nothingness. The email he received from Isabella had affected him greatly. He thought that their meeting wouldn't end well because he would make sure to let her sees hell before she left the house.

Now, where was she? She supposed to be here by now if she adhered to the five minutes she promised earlier.

As Rafael was occupied with his own thoughts, an elegant voice greeted him. From his seat, he lifted his gaze to look at the owner of that voice, and there and then, he was stunned.

There, walking towards him was a woman in a white oxford shirt paired with blue jeans. Her entire being was the epitome of a confident lady. Everything that she did to minute detail seemed to be a manifestation of a majestic being. Ludicrous... but that was the image Rafael was seeing.

So, this was her; Isabella Tan.

This was the woman who possessed great intellectual and also the mysterious woman his people couldn't decipher.

Rafael D Ian, for once knew that his resentment towards her was defeated by her appearance alone.

"Miss Isabella, we finally meet," he rose from the sofa and extended his hand to her. The woman looked at his face before reaching out her hand as well.

"Mr. Rafael, sorry for the lateness," once again her voice rang in his ears. It was like a piece of classical music; exquisite and particular. However, the cold gaze of hers didn't skip his eyes.

"Please have a seat, Miss Isabella," Rafael invited as he signaled the butler in duty to prepare some refreshment. He returned to his seat which the opposite of where Isabella was sitting at the moment.

Not far from them was Bernard who was standing still like a statue. He was rendered speechless when he saw the way Rafael was treating Isabella. At the same time, he could no longer detect the deadly aura he had been unleashing earlier.

Who was Rafael D Ian? He was the most dangerous man in the country. In the eyes of the world, he was the owner of the Redustries Company; a giant corporation leading the construction industry. However, unknown to the public, he was the reason why the current president could maintain his presidential seat with ease. He was a low-profile person outside, but behind the closed door, he was the man everyone wished they would never cross path with.

Earlier, Bernard was convinced by his intuition that this man would show his demon personality to Isabella. He was sure of it because his instinct never failed him. Alas, today his well-honed ability finally experienced the feeling of defeat. This made Bernard even more interested in Isabella, the mysterious woman who he believed was odd at the same time.

However, right now he was more concerned about the change of attitude in Rafael. This demon suddenly became a tamed rabbit in front of Isabella. It was true her aura was almost on par with the dormant demon, but for a woman to actually tame the awaken demon, it sounded ridiculous especially noting that this was their first meeting.

"Miss Isabella, let's talk about a serious matter. How did you know about my younger sister's illness?"

Bernard was shocked when he heard about the serious matter Rafael was talking about. He didn't realize that unintentionally, he sent a killing intent toward Isabella, and was only aware of it when Rafael glared at him.

Rafael's calmness made him confused. This was a grave secret of the family, yet here he was, asking her in an easygoing manner. Wasn't this the one that triggered his fury before?

"Mr. Rafael, is this the aftermath of your foul mood earlier? You can take it on me since I pry into something I shouldn't," Isabella said with a knowing smile on her face.

Rafael couldn't help but stare sharply at the woman in front of him. He couldn't understand why he was attracted to the way she indirectly mocked him.

However, there was more to her words. This woman could detect the animosity he emitted earlier. Such a feat, by far was solely Bernard's. To others, he was often a harmless man although a second later, they would die in his hand.

"Tell me, Miss Isabella, how should I deal with a busybody like you? Because this matter is a family secret," he said in a low voice as his eyes aimed to expose her secret with his intimidating gaze.

However, the woman simply rose an eyebrow before laughter slipped out of her lips. "This is no secret Mr. Rafael, even nature knows about it," she smiled.

"You should've asked me how to save her instead," she added as she sipped on the tea that was served to her by the maid on standby.

"But, that is only possible until I see her, and I will only see her if I am appointed as her tutor," she glanced at him before ceremoniously took a sip of her tea again.

Rafael was surprised to hear what she said, but instead of anger, mirth could be seen on his eyes. He felt a thrill inside him when she blatantly blackmailed him.

A burst of laughter escaped his lips. He stared at the woman with pure interest. "Please treat my little sister well," he uttered as he reached out for a handshake. Then, his eyes narrowed when he noticed the smile of glory on her face. He swore that it was the most intriguing smile he had ever seen on a woman.