Truly Madly Deeply

Chapter Forty Two

"My fingertips, and my lips, they burn
From the cigarettes
Forrest Gump, you run my mind boy
Running on my mind boy
Forrest Gump"

Carlton's head snapped to the young man who stood achingly close to his only daughter.

He suddenly felt both protective and possessive over his daughter as the young man wrapped his arm around Isabella's waist as he proceeded to hold her tightly.

"And who might you be?" Carlton asked, his thick British accent being highlighted by his anger and possessiveness.

"I'm Zayn Malik, Sir. We spoke on the phone before" Zayn said as his eyes flickered over the sharply dressed business man.

Zayn could understand why Isabella was so intimidated by her father.

He carried himself in a certain way that made it nearly impossible not to call him sir.

Isabella shifted beneath Zayn's grip and he slowly loosened it, however still keeping her close to his side.

After hearing about what her father and Aaron had done, his protective and possessive roots were coming out even more than they were before.

He could feel Isabella's heart beating as she stood their nervously.

"Ah, yes. You're the... you're the young man who answered my daughter's phone" he said, disdain laced in his voice.He turned to the painting and cleared his throat.

"I still don't understand why you did though. Answer her phone, I mean. I'm sure Isabella is pefectly capable of answering her own phone. Right, Isabella"

Her father said in a menacingly calm voice that could freeze hell over.

Both Zayn and Carlton were surprised when Isabella opened her mouth to speak, her eyes twinkingly wickedly.

"It doesn't matter why he answered my phone. Besides, it doesn't really concern you. I think you made it perfectly clear that you didn't want anything to do with me when you humiliated me in front of everyone and then shipped me off to a boarding school."

She snapped angrily as she untangled herself from Zayn's side. She had had enough of her dad pushing her away and then acting like nothing had happened.

"Isabella, when are you going to let that go?" her father asked in an exhausted sigh. Her eyes widened as she stepped closer to her father.

In her heels, he wasn't much taller than her and that boosted her confidence a bit.

"I am definitely not ready to forgive you anytime soon. You act as if you've done nothing wrong." She said coldly.

Zayn had never seen this side of her. She was always the fun loving, sweet ever smiling Bella who was always the first one to laugh at a joke even if it wasn't all that funny.

"Isabella, stop it. You're making a scene" Her father said through gritted teeth.

Isabella scoffed as she tossed her light brown hair over her shoulder.

"No, I'll leave that to you. I know how much you love them. You made one hell of a scene at the country club, or have you forgotten already?" She said with narrowed eyes.

Zayn felt out of place as he watched Bella and her father try to discretely confront each other, although Bella was the only one who engaged in the confrontation.

"Maybe if you hadn't given me a reason to make a scene then I wouldn't have done what I did" he snarled, his  eyes were narrowed into slits.

Isabella's mouth fell agape and a few tears threatened to spill over her cheeks.

"I can't belive you" she murmured, too stunned to believe what she had actually heard.

"Right, I think this has been thoroughly uncomfortable. I'll be leaving."

Carlton said curlty as he turned to the painting once more as if he was trying to understand how such beauty and warmth could come from his daughter who seemed so cold and unforgiving.

"Oh and as for you..." Carlton said as he turned to face Zayn.

"You better not do anything to hurt her" He finally said as he turned around to leave.

Zayn couldn't believe what her father had just told him. He was warning him not to hurt her, even though he was the one who had wounded and broken her so badly.

How ironic was that?

Zayn scoffed before he opened his smirked mouth and spoke.

"Oh I won't. Besides, I'm not the one who slapped her in front of everyone" he said, amused that he finally had the chance to voice some of the anger he felt for this man.

Carlton suddenly stopped dead in his tracks before he slowly turned his head.

He then lunged forward so that he was an inch away from Zayn's face.

"What did you just say?" Carlton snarled, he reeked of cigar smoke and after shave.

Zayn was still smirking, his bad boy streak sparked as he watched Isabella's father grow red with anger.

"Wipe that stupid smirk off your face, boy " Carlton snapped as he slowly backed down.

Zayn's smirk grew even wider and Isabella felt the need to intervene.

"I thought you said you were leaving. Please go, dad. Now" she said, her voice a bit softer as she slowly tugged onto Zayn's hand and sent him the look.

Carlton's gaze flickered from his daughter to the young man standing beside her before he finally turned around and left.