14 Vanya...

Ivan... was confused.

Davina... was confused.

Mason... was just glad that everything earlier had turned out to be only an act.

"What?" Isabel tilted her head to one side and her golden eyes squinted as she chuckled naughtily. "You guys couldn't have possibly taken me seriously, right?"

Glancing over at Davina's stiff expression, she rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on. I expected this from Ivan, but shame on you Davi! Did you really take me to be someone so petty?"

Davina snapped out of her stupor. She stuttered.

"Uh, n- no? N- no. It's just you... you looked really angry just now."

"Pfft!" Isabel laughed as she stood up and walked over to her friend, linking their elbows and bringing her back to sit at the table.

"Davina, I'm an actress, your actress. Can you please not look down on me."

"...you seemed really, like, really, really angry just now Izzy." Davina still couldn't get over it.

Isabel shrugged her shoulders. "Then I guess I'm just that good."

Of course she was good.

To everyone right now, she had only been an actress for a short period of seven years in the 'My Lord, My Lady' TV series with a few minor roles in some other shows and movies without any prior training in the field, but in her own mind, Isabel already had more than fifteen years of acting experience under her belt from her last life-- good, bad and terrible experiences.

Going against Susan Walker was probably the dumbest and worst yet also the best decision Isabel could have made in her life and career.

Yes, Susan broke the very fragile balance of her relationship with Brycen, but by doing so, the woman also set her free, she had just been too dumb to notice it.

Going against Susan also caused her a lot of problems at work; everyone and anyone who wanted to get on the good side of the gold broker and Lady Boss of Jaeger Corp would do their absolute best to make her life hell.

On set she would be subjected to mistreatment and neglect from the staff members, she was bullied and pushed around by the other actors and even photographers would rudely criticize her and the directors would be especially harsh on her scenes and takes.

But thanks to that, she had to stiffen her lip and learn to do her own makeup professionally and sew and fix her costumes whenever they were sabotaged. She learned to tolerate people and her juvenile, explosive temper cooled down and she became more level headed-- though that never seemed to apply to when she faced Susan Walker or anything pertaining to Brycen-- it took losing Kelvin and Phoenix for that change.

The directors were also very strict and demanding of her acting, so she had to practice and practice and perfect every role that she acted, even if she was only the most minor background character, so they wouldn't have anything to say and she learned to strike a winning pose in every single shot.

To say that Susan Walker caused her life to be ruined, it wouldn't be wrong, but she had also allowed Isabel to improve as a person and an entertainer and it was mainly because of that that she would not be going off to 'counter attack' for all that Susan had caused her to suffer.

As long as she could have her kids and get along to starting up that business venture with Davina, then she would be just peachy.

"Mason, Ivan." Isabel reached over the table and took the interwoven hands of the two men between her own and she gave the most warm, tender and sincerely happy smile possible. "I'm glad that you two were able to find each other and I'm happy that can face me and say that you love each other without any shame.

"The world will always have a bad thing or two to say, but I really hope that your relationship works out; I'll support you guys."

Mason smiled. His mouth corners curved up and his lips parted to reveal two pairs of sexy, pointed incisors and a pair of cute dimples that were always hidden in his rigid expression showed on his cheeks.

"Thank you, Izzy."

Isabel stuck her tongue out at Mason and laughed then glanced over at Ivan who seemed to still be shocked and her eyes became soft.

"Hey, you." Ivan looked up at her. "Before this, you probably thought I was a brat, right?"

Ivan didn't show much change in expression and replied blandly. "Still do."

Isabel felt her mouth corner twitch. "Fair enough, I suppose I can be childish. But, I hope we can be friends from now on, even if only for Mason's sake."

Ivan was stunned as he looked at Isabel's out stretched hand. He was still confused; that look of contempt he had seen in her eyes earlier had seemed so real and the anger she showed at his provocation was so thick he could feel the negativity rolling off of her. Had that all just been an act? It was too real.

But looking at those clear golden orbs in front of him now and seeing the deep sincerity and hope to get along that was reflected there, for the first time in his life, Ivan was hesitating on whether he should trust someone or not.

Isabel didn't know that her earlier acting had caused Ivan's heart to be in turmoil, but she could see that the other person was hesitant in taking her hand so she smiled wryly and took her hand back.

"We'll take it a little at a time."

Seeing disappointment flash in Isabel's eyes, Ivan suddenly felt guilty for his earlier hesitation and didn't respond, lowering his head to look at his hand that was still holding Mason's.

"Well, lets hurry up and eat; the food's almost cold. Davi, what time does the promotion start?"

Isabel dug into her breakfast once more as she asked the question.

"Ten o'clock."

"Washa time now?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Davina grumbled and dusted breadcrumbs from Isabel's mouth with a napkin then checked her watch. "It's after eight."

"We have time! How about you Ivan, are you out bound today?"

"No. I was planning to go home after this."

"Where do you live?"

"East Side, Marino."

"That's great!" Isabel's eyes lit up. "We're heading to East Side for the promotion and we should be passing by Marino, right?"

Davina nodded when Isabel glanced at her making the sausage hanging out of her mouth bounce up and down and jiggle comically. Isabel giggled as she turned back to Ivan.

"We can drop you off."

Ivan was startled. "N- no. That's really not necessary. I usually take the train--"

"But we can take you today, so you won't need to take the train." Isabel butted in while tapping the table with her fork. "We're taking this friendship thing a little at a time Vanya, but we have to try for it to work."

There was no way that she was giving up on having a good relationship with Ivan in this life. Call her opportunistic or shallow, but being close with Ivan would bring her a lot of benefits, not just making Mason happy.

"V- Vanya?"

Isabel smiled at Ivan's confused tone, her eyes curving into thin crescents. "It's the Russian diminutive for the name 'Ivan', a nickname of sorts I suppose. If it bothers you I'll stop."

"A nickname..."

Ivan's ears turned red as he tasted the words in his mouth.

From small to big, Ivan's parents were always focused more on his younger brother. He never had many friends and the friends he did have were all practical ones, people who could help him, so the relationships he had with them were never too close. This was the first time anyone had given him a nickname, it made him feel a little warm and fuzzy inside.

Feeling a cool sensation land on his heated ears, Ivan looked up and saw Mason smiling down a him, his fingers were stroking his ear.

Ivan's cheeks flushed red and he swatted Mason's hands away as though he was irritated.

"Call me whatever you want. As a brat, even if I tell you 'no', you'd still do what you want anyway."

"Eh?"

Isabel paused and she looked at Ivan sideways then she couldn't help but feel like her whole life had been a lie.

That shy expression, that forced indifference and those wandering eyes. This... wasn't this a tsundere?!

It couldn't possibly be that the 'Ice God' of her past life was actually a tsundere at heart right? Right?

It had to be a lie!!