The Selfless Gene

Chapter 17

Six months ago...

"God, I've felt like I've known you for years." Isabella says, resting her head against The Intern's arm. They're walking through the city, arms linked, after some late afternoon cocktails.

"I feel the same. We're pretty good together." The Intern kisses the top of her head.

"Do you have any secrets that I should be worried about?"

"You know me, what you see is what you get. Quite boring, I suppose." The Intern replies.

"Not at all." Isabella feels warm and safe within the crook of his arm, and always had done since she'd started dated him.

The happy couple keep walking as twilight grips the city, the sun dipping. They reach the top of the park and look back on the sunset and the city skyline.

"Wow. I never knew the view from up here was this good. And so quiet!"

"It's perfect. My favourite place." The Intern replies, omitting to mention that he'd organised the park to shut only for them. To her he was a successful tech entrepreneur and had made a lot of money in the start-up scene. He always made sure he quickly slipped into impenetrably technical language to stop Isabella questioning too deep. A man full of secrets and a woman so earnest; he couldn't have planned it better.

"And you, any secrets?" He asks.

Isabella pauses. She's fallen deeply in love with this man but when it had happened before, she'd never shared her upbringing. But with him, she felt that sharing the experience would mean he could wrap himself around the hurt and protect her from it. Before she'd analysed what she was feeling, the words were spilling out.

"You know when you met my Auntie, I said my parents died in a car crash?"

"Yeah," The Intern perks up and listens.

"Well, I lied." Isabella takes a deep breath. "They were murdered and I was there. I don't know really why and by whom. I was a kid and one day my parents told me to hide and then people came in and that was it. My life exploded."

"Fuck." The Intern exhales. He genuinely didn't have this information. His heart pangs and stomach tightens. He wants to avenge her, to truly love her. Alarmed, The Intern realises that somehow he's actually fallen in love with her. Quickly, he refocuses to suppress the guilt and shame of how he's manipulated his way to this point, pushing that bastard Thame front of his mind.

Isabella grabs him and hugs him as she continues.

"My secret is that my real surname is Merchant. My Auntie and I changed our names and moved after the incident. Everyone thought it safer, although if anyone did any digging the scars on my hand would give it away."

The Intern takes her hands and examines the scars created from the wood floor. He's outraged, his jaw tightening. He's suddenly overcome with the revenge he wants to take on her behalf. "Do you remember any of it? Obviously not asking for detail. Would kinda ruin the sunset."

She laughs, at ease after releasing this part of her life. "Actually it's okay. I don't remember much but names of people and the odd glance." She keeps some detail back, not yet ready to confront it.

"I remember the name Mirna, and that they spoke as if they were spies in a bigger organisation. I never really knew or found out but I suppose it doesn't matter all this time later."

Thame knew a Mirna, he thought. The Cult. Secret organisation also sounded suspicious, but if they did do this, then her parents were on his side. All this time and they were on his team. He was excited, pleased and relieved. But Thame and everything around Ormr must be destroyed.

"And that's it, my secret. You're dating a Merchant."

"I'm engaged to a Merchant." The Intern quickly replies, locking her gaze to his. As Isabella looks quizzically back at him, he goes down onto one knee. She gasps, utterly shocked.

"Oh my god."

"Isabella, I know how much that would have taken to tell me that and how brave it was of you to share it with someone. Every minute we spend together I'm blown away at how amazing you are. How smart, passionate, caring, and how spending just thirty seconds with you makes me a better person. I'm so lucky that you choose to spend your time with me and I'd kinda love to lock that in, and book you up until death do us part."

The Intern is shaking from the nerves and adrenaline, while Isabella allows the tears to roll down her cheeks.

"You make me feel good again. So, Isabella Merchant," Without breaking her gaze, The Intern grabs a very expensive ring from his pocket. Isabella is completely bowled over by each new surprise, but puts out her ring hand without a second thought.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes I will."

The Intern leaps up with joy. He'd pulled off all the planning to get her to this point and score points against his enemy, but in this moment he forgot all about that and was genuinely delighted, in love. The Intern puts the ring on her finger and they kiss. Both chuckling, he wipes away both their tears. He was winning his war, and what was most precious to him was his. Standing behind her, he hugs her from behind as the last of the sunset fades away to black.