4 It's Magic!

For a while, Brycen could only stare at Isabel's challenging smile, but he soon took back the divorce documents he was holding out, tucking them under his arm and put on a placid expression.

"Fine."

If she wanted to get divorced, then he would go along with her little game and get divorced, he wouldn't lose anything from it.

To begin with, Brycen had only married Isabel because of a sense of responsibility and he believed it was what he owed her. Regardless of whether he liked it or not, the fact was that she had stayed with him for years, supported and aided him through his most difficult time. However, that debt he owed her had nothing to do with affection.

He gave the woman what she wanted and made her his wife, yet she still had the audacity to seduce him into bed. Whenever he thought back to that night, Brycen would feel his head burn with indignation

His eyes flashed maliciously.

He couldn't wait to see the look on Isabel's face when she finally realizes that her little scheme fell through and she was left with nothing. He, Brycen Jaeger, wasn't a man that any woman could twist around their finger.

"Then, I'll trouble you to show yourself out, I'm tired."

The instant she said the words, the atmosphere around Isabel instantly went from challenging and playful to lazy and she directly rolled over on the bed with her back facing Brycen and her dress rolled up to show the soft curve of her lower butt.

Glimpsing at the view, Brycen's Adam's apple bobbed then he snorted scornfully before leaving, not forgetting to slam the door on his way.

With her head nestled in the curve of her elbow, Isabel smiled dejectedly at the wall then shook her head.

She had known Brycen since she was sixteen years old; she knew what he was like: arrogant, narcissistic and self-absorbed. It was precisely that aristocratic-like, noble feeling that drew her young and naïve self to him.

He was the kind who would overlook the most basic details because he believed those things were obvious. Why should he bother to study things that others had definitely already done for him? He thought like that, like a noble with his many servants ready to run their selves to the bone for him; Isabel was an example of one such 'servant' and- if she were to say- was probably one of the most selfless ones. She was definitely the most obsessed.

But, if there was one thing that Isabel learned from being obsessed with Brycen for a lifetime, it was that once a person spent enough time with him, (in his good graces) that person would become very much like Brycen; just as conceited, arrogant and short sighted.

Isabel suddenly felt her head ache and she laughed self-depreciatingly.

Even if she made the dicision to let him go, she had still loved the man for twenty-two years, including her past life. t still hurt to think of him with someone else. However, she knew that time was the best healer.

"Now that I'm waking up I feel the blow, but at least now I know it wasn't love. It was just a perfect illusion."

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Two days later, Isabel was discharged from the hospital. She didn't have any major injuries or health complications and although she would have loved to continue staying at the hospital where there were nurses to wait on her hand and foot, she had work.

In the middle of packing her stuff, for the second time since she had been staying in the room, the door was thrown open violently and two little figures came rushing in.

"Mommy!"

"Mum!"

Turning around just in time, Isabel was knocked over onto the bed as she hugged the two little bundles in her arms and laughed before she flipped over and startled tickling them mercilessly.

"No, no! Mommy, stop!"

"No tickles, no!"

"This is punishment for scaring me. Rawr!"

""Ahhhhh!""

"Oooh! I'm going to eat you up. Nom, nom, nom! Oh, I love you so much. Nom, nom..."

The room was filled with happy squeals and peals of laughter, but as Isabel buried her face in her children's necks, pretending to eat them, her eyes overflowed with warm tears.

How long had it been for her, since she last hugged and played with her kids like this? Since she heard them laugh? She couldn't remember.

Somewhere along the line she had lost sight of absolutely everything, only mindlessly pursuing Brycen. She had neglected her children.

"Mommy?"

Isabel couldn't hold it in and hugged the two children close to her and cried.

"Mum, what's wrong? Does it hurt? I'll call a doctor."

Feeling Kelvin's small hand on her forehead as if he was checking her temperature, Isabel sniggled then took his hand in hers.

"No, no. Don't call the doctor, I'm fine. I'm just really happy to see you two."

"Tears of joy?" Phoenix asked while using her little Hello Kitty handkerchief to wipe Isabel's face.

"Yep. Lots of joy." Holding the hands of her two children to her face, Isabel looked at their little faces and felt endless affection and warmth.

"Oh! I love my little Kelly and Nixy! I love you, love you, love you!"

She couldn't stop herself from glomping onto them and holding them tightly in her arms as she rolled all over the queen sized bed.

"Mommy, cut it out!" Phoenix giggled.

"Don't call me Kelly, it's a girl's name!" Kelvin complained, but he didn't put up a struggle against Isabel's tousling, in fact, he held tightly onto her waist so he wouldn't get thrown off as they rolled around.

"You know, I could've sworn I brought two kids to the hospital to pick up their mother, but all I see here are three brats messing around."

"Oh, Davi, stop it." A woman with almond shaped brown eyes and short blonde hair stepped around Davina in the doorway while laughing. "Hey, Isabel, how do you feel?"

"I'm good Kim. Thank you for always taking care of the twins for me."

"It's my job and my pleasure. No thanks needed."

"Well, technically, that's not your job." Davina quipped while leaning against the door post.

"Well, at least this way I actually have a job to do without a certain someone stealing all my tasks." Kim replied to Davina with a smile on her lips, but her tone was snarky.

"You are the first person I have ever met to complain about someone else doing your work for you." Davin folded her arms while making her eyes wide with a look of incredulity. "Normally, people would be thankful."

"Alright, alright. You two, that's enough." Isabel shook her head while coming forward to settle this old dispute.

Kimberly Russell worked at Sunshine Entertainment as an Assistant Manager, the second artist she was assigned to was Isabel Jaeger whose manager was Davina Small.

Kim had always prided herself on her work efficiency and management skills and after being assigned to Sunshine's top model and promising young actress, she was excited to display her capabilities, but sadly, what she found was a situation where she was not needed.

No matter what it was that was required, when it was required, Kim would always be two steps behind Davina who seemed able to read every situation before it happened and catered to Isabel's every need perfectly. And sadly, she was unable to be transferred to another artist because she was signed to a three year contract under Isabel's name.

But, it was in the last year of that contract that Isabel had found herself pregnant and after giving birth, was in a position where she wasn't sure if to quit her job or not.

She didn't like the idea of leaving her children in the care of some hired help she didn't even know, but Sunshine had taken her in at her most desperate hour and given her so much and at that time, she was their biggest earner, holding down several modeling contracts and endorsements plus a few minor movie roles.

To cut them off just like that even for the sake of her own children made Isabel feel very guilty and uncomfortable. It was then that Kim, who was being paid without actually working, suggested that she be the one to take care of the twins while Isabel continued working since Davina was a one man support team with ridiculous efficiency anyway and that arrangement had continued for the past six years.

"Look, I have two bags, one for each of you. Isn't that perfect? Help me bring them downstairs, okay."

With an easy smile, Isabel took Phoenix's and Kelvin's hands in each of hers and led them out of the room, down the hall towards the elevator, leaving the two women behind to tow her luggage.

"Mommy, are you going back to work? Aunty Kim said that we could stay with you today."

Swinging Isabel's arm, Phoenix looked up at her mother, her darker than dark blue eyes that both she and her brother got from their father glowing with anticipation and on the other side, although he didn't look up or say anything, Kelvin had perked his ears up to hear Isabel's answer.

"Well..." Isabel rolled her eyes around, pretending to think and only when Kelvin finally turned his head to look at her with pitiful puppy dog eyes, did she laugh and bend down to kiss them both on the cheek. "How about we go to the Moon Kingdom?"

"Yay! The Moon Kingdom!" Phoenix shrieked in joy and swung on Isabel's arm and Kelvin only showed a little smile while he clung closer to Isabel's side, showing his happiness in a more subdued but intimate manner.

"You runts, I took you to the Moon Kingdom last weekend." Kim smiled helplessly as she and Davina came up behind them.

"But mommy wasn't there. Me and Kelly want to go with mommy."

"Don't call me that, idiot."

Despite his ears turning red, Kelvin pouted in dissatisfaction as Phoenix called him by his nickname and although she found it cute how shy her son could be at times, Isabel didn't neglect to flick Kelvin hard in the middle of his forehead before scolding, "Don't call your sister an idiot."

Once the doors opened, they took the lift down to the ground floor and after Davina handled several other formalities on Isabel's behalf because the other woman was too lazy to do it herself, they were just about to leave the building when someone called out loudly for Isabel to wait.

When she turned around, Isabel noticed that it was the young nurse that had been frequently assigned to her room these past few days.

"I'm sorry for waiting until the last minute to ask this but, can I please have your autograph?"

Looking at the young nurse who was out of breath as she earnestly held out a picture of Isabel's character from 'My Lord, My Lady', the young Lady Clarisse, along with a pen, Isabel found the girl to be very cute and with a smile that could melt hearts of steel, accepted the pen to sign the photograph.

"Thank you so much!"

Looking at the picture of a cute, gothic young lady in skimpy, disheveled lingerie that now had the addition of the cursive word 'Izzy' on the lower left, the young nurse felt her heart bubble with excitement. She couldn't wait to show this off to her sister who was also a huge fan of the show. But, in the next moment, she found that treasured photo missing from her grasp.

Looking up, the young nurse felt her face heat up as she watched Isabel seal a kiss against the picture's surface, her lowered eyelashes trembling as they caught the sunlight coming through the glass doors.

"Count it as a special service." Isabel giggled as she raised her eyes and smiled playfully before handing back the photo with the additional kiss stain to the stunned little nurse. "Thank you for taking care of me."

Standing in place and looking after Isabel's retreating figure under the sun, the nurse felt her body go weak as her heart hammered away in her chest.

"It's no use, I can't deny it anymore. I'm in love."

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"It's the Moon Kingdom!"

Phoenix screamed while looking around the amusement park with sparkling eyes.

"You've been here like, a hundred times before. Why are you still so excited?"

Isabel who had a pair of black cat ears on her head and a matching tail tied to her waist with a gold, crescent moon sticker in the middle of her forehead, laughed as she watched Phoenix in a pink, mini sailor scout outfit prancing around.

"It's magic, mama. Magic!"

"Mmm. So I see." Raising her head to look around the theme park jam packed with families with the occasional sailor scout, star warrior, evil guardian, prince in mask and long haired princess in the mix, Isabel couldn't even remember how many times she had been to the place in the past, and now, she had to repeat this segment of her life again. Should she laugh or cry about the situation?

"What about you Kelvin, are you feeling the magic?"

"Mum, let's go see the Three Lights' show."

Looking down at her usually fickle and taciturn son who was now watching her with a face full of smiles while wearing a little black tuxedo and looking absolutely dashing, Isabel felt her heart melt.

"Oh my gosh, my kids are so cute." She stooped down and pulled them both into a hug. "You guys are adorable, freaking adorable! Muah, muah! I love you, I love you. I love you to bits!"

"Mommy, stop!" Phoenix giggled while attempting to push Isabel away, but contrariwise, Kelvin who was in a good mood clung to her while returning her kisses, making Isabel's heart ecstatic and she almost passed out from the sheer joy.

Really, she must have definitely had some kind of brain deficiency in the past to pass up these darling little treasures for Brycen.

Well, regardless of what happened before, she knew now that Kelvin and Phoenix were the best and most important part of her life. She was never going to let them go.