Chapter 284 Chapter 284 ISADORA'S POV 20 vouchers " So , once you're in , you don't need me to follow you ? " Jose asked as we sat in his small rented apartment , the faint hum of the old ceiling fan filling the silence between us . We had been going over today's plan again and again , repeating each step until it felt branded into my mind . Today wasn't like any other day . Today was the day . My pulse raced just thinking about it , the day I was finally going to get everything I needed , the leverage that would give me the power I'd been craving for years . By the time the sun set , Olivia would no longer matter . Her power , her games , her ability to stand between me and what I wanted they would all end . And I would be the one to make sure of it . " Yes , " I said firmly , fixing him with a sharp look . " You said the last time you went there , there was no security , right ? " Jose leaned back in his chair , his hand rubbing the back of his neck as though replaying the memory . " Yeah ," he confirmed after a pause . That detail has been my obsession these past few days . I had gone over it again and again , replaying his words , checking and double - checking every possibility . The last time Jose had gone to Olivia's estate had been on a Thursday . And strangely enough , Thursdays seemed to be the anomaly in her schedule . For some reason , her security team always came in later than usual on that day . Not once , not twice , but consistently . I hadn't taken Jose's word for it alone . No , I couldn't afford mistakes , not today . Since the moment Jose had given me the address of her house , I had shadowed her routines , memorized the patterns of every single person who worked for her . The gardener who came too early on Mondays , the driver who disappeared for an hour every Wednesday afternoon , the cook who slipped out to the market late on Fridays . Every single one of them had become part of my study , because one wrong move , one blind assumption , and the entire plan would collapse . But Thursday , that was the opening . That was the crack in her fortress . And today was Thursday . My chest tightened with something dangerously close to excitement . " This is it , " I whispered to myself more than to Jose . " My way in . " Today had to be perfect . Not good . Not almost . Perfect . There would be no second chance if I failed , no time to patch up mistakes . I had waited too long , suffered too much , lost too many opportunities to let things slip through my fingers again . Today I was going to execute everything flawlessly , and when I was done , Olivia's carefully constructed walls would crumble . " Alright then ," I said aloud , forcing my voice steady , hiding the tremor of anticipation that threatened to spill out . I straightened in my seat , feeling that familiar burn of determination in my chest . " Let's go eat ourselves some leverage and get one step closer to what we both want . " Jose gave a small nod , though his eyes flickered with doubt . I ignored it . I couldn't let his hesitation touch me . Just as I reached for my phone to check the time , it buzzed violently in my hand . Startled , I glanced down at the screen . My breath caught . My heart stumbled in its rhythm before launching into a wild sprint . The name flashing on the caller ID nearly made my knees buckle . 10:57 Wed , Sep 24 d Chapter 284 Adrian . : 4 93 35 vouchers For a moment , I couldn't breathe . My hand shot up to cover my mouth as if I could hold in the gasp that threatened to escape . Adrian . After four long years of silence . Four years of being blocked , ignored , cut off as though I'd never meant anything to him . And now , not only had he unblocked me he was calling me . It was the most amazing , unexpected thing that had happened to me in years . I fumbled with the phone , afraid that if I hesitated for even a second , he would change his mind , hang up , and vanish back into that endless silence . With trembling fingers , I swiped to answer . " Isadora . " Just hearing my name in his voice sent a shiver down my spine . The sound rolled through me , warm and electrifying , dragging up memories I had tried to bury : laughter under the stars , whispered promises when we were too young to understand their weight , the way he used to say my name like it belonged only to him . " Hi , Adrian , " I managed , keeping my tone calm even as my insides quaked . " I'm glad you finally decided to unblock me ." " Yeah ," he said softly . His voice carried a depth I hadn't heard in years , a mixture of weariness and sincerity that made my chest ache . " I did that because we need to talk . About us . Dora ... what you did to me four years ago hurt me , deeply . I thought I could never forgive you . But ... you're my friend . My mom cares about you so much , and so do I. So I'd like you to come to my place . We can talk better in person than over the phone . There's something important I want to tell you ." For a moment , I forgot how to stand . His words melted me , softening every hard edge I had built to survive these past years . It had been over a decade since Adrian had spoken to me with that kind of sweetness , that kind of tenderness . And now , he was inviting me to his home , reaching out , offering me a chance I thought had been gone forever . My heart screamed . Could this be it ? Could this mean he was finally ready to forgive me ? That he was ready to erase the invisible wall he had placed me behind and pull me out of this endless friendzone where I'd been trapped for so long ? My lips parted , the urge to shout yes , to scream into the phone that I was on my way already , nearly overwhelming . But then , like a cold splash of water , reality cut in . I had something important to do today . Something that couldn't wait . Adrian was more important than anything , more important than air , than tomorrow but I couldn't gamble with this . Olivia was still in the picture , still poisoning everything . If I didn't take my chance today , I'd have to wait until next week , and who knew what Olivia would weave in that time ? She was crafty , dangerous , capable of seducing Adrian all over again and snatching him back before I even had the chance to reclaim what was mine . No. I couldn't let that happen . For now , Adrian would have to wait . He had already unblocked me , already called , already invited me . That was enough to hold onto . Tomorrow , when this is done , I will go to him . I would show up at his house , and it wouldn't matter if I came a day later . What mattered was that I came . What mattered was that he had opened the door again , and I was never going to let it close . 10:57 Wed , Sep 24 ... Chapter 284 Tomorrow belonged to Adrian . But today ... Today belonged to me and Olivia . Я 35 v