Bella's POV Alone in the hospital room, the weight of the situation bore down on me like an unbearable burden. The tears flowed freely, each drop carrying with it a mix of frustration, despair, and self-blame. The sound of a gentle knock interrupted my internal turmoil. The door creaked open, revealing the comforting presence of Luna Irene, my mother. Her eyes widened in concern as she took in the sight of me, tear-streaked and emotionally shattered. "Bella, sweetheart," she murmured, rushing to my side and enveloping me in a warm embrace. I clung to her, the solace of a mother's love providing a fleeting respite from the storm within. "Mom, it's all my fault. I should have done something. I should have protected Peron," I confessed, my voice choked with emotion. Luna Irene pulled back, cupping my face in her hands. "Oh, Bella, don't blame yourself. Accidents happen, and sometimes things are beyond our control. We'll get through this together," she assured, her words carrying the
Bella's POV My pulse quickened as Elizabeth's eyes met mine, a flicker of something unreadable passing across her expression. Without breaking eye contact, she turned and hurried away. Instinctively, I grabbed my phone, my trembling fingers unlocking it to dial Max's number. "Max, it's Bella. Something's not right. Elizabeth just left, and I got a cryptic message from Essie mentioning your name. Can you come to the hospital? We need to talk," I implored, the urgency in my voice betraying the anxiety that gripped me. Max's voice crackled through the phone. "I'll be right there, Bella. Hold on." In a matter of minutes that felt like an eternity, Max burst into the room. His eyes met mine, searching for answers. I showed him Essie's message and his brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand," Max muttered his expression a mix of concern and bewilderment. "Something's off, Max. Elizabeth just left after overhearing a conversation between me and my mom. I can't shake the feeling
Bella's POV"My son,” I sobbed, carrying Cayden into my arms while the hospital turned into a mess. People were running helter-skelter to find safety from whoever this attacker was. My hands were still stained with Lady Lee's blood but I didn't care. I just wanted to be with my son, skin-to-skin."The second gunshot," I mumbled, racking my brain. "Peron!" I yelled, then dashed out of the room, running with the other hospital workers till I made a turn into Peron's room. Luckily he wasn't shot, causing me to sigh in relief. It took a while for the hospital staff to regulate and calm the area. While they wheeled Lady Lee's dead body past me for identification, the gunshot scenes from earlier flashed in my memory once again, causing me to break down. Who did this? What could she have known for them to murder her so ruthlessly?The nurses ushered me to my room and the first thing I heard was my ringing phone. "Bella!" I heard Max sigh in relief. "Where the fuck were you? I have been try
Bella's POV"An unknown number," I mumbled, staring at the vibrating phone in my hands. First the stalker and now this? "Is it even advisable to pick up?" I thought to myself but eventually decided to after a few seconds of thinking. Maybe I could find out the truth."Hello?" My voice came as a whisper and only when I heard a familiar voice did I sigh in relief."Bella, how are you? Are you feeling better now?" Essie checked up on me and I assured her I was fine but didn't mention anything about the text cause if they had access to my call log, they would be able to trace my calls, right?Before I could even respond, one of their informants showed up at the door, she didn't even knock and if not for my advance hearing, she would have walked in and gathered everything about my call for those who sent her."Why are you here?" I growled at her, immediately hanging up on Essie without any explanation."Came to check up on him," she answered, looking around the hotel room. "Why did you giv
Bella's POV"Uhh, how are you going to get that?" Dessa asked and I didn't answer. I had a plan, the only issue was how to get out of here without alarming Max's men I briskly walked out of the hospital, my mind consumed with the unsettling confrontation with Kira. The accusations, the doubts… it all felt heavy on me and I needed answers, and I needed them fast.Remembering I had Emily's address from her hiring file that I found, I hailed a cab and made my way to Emily's house. When I arrived, the eeriness of an empty house greeted me.The phone rang again, displaying an unknown number. This time, I hesitated before answering. "Who is this?" I demanded, my voice more assertive than before.A distorted voice on the other end replied, "You're meddling in affairs that don't concern you, Isabelle. Leave now if you want to live."My heart pounded in my chest. "Who are you? What do you want?"Before I could get any answers, an ominous noise echoed through the house, and then everything exp
Bella's POV"What on earth are those two doing here?" Max asked me in mindlink and I replied. "I'm trying to figure that out too.""Do you want me to stay?" Max asked, still in mind link."Nah. That'll be suspicious," I replied and with a swift movement, he acted like he came to grab a few things for the doctors then headed out. "I'll be at the corner. Just let me know if they try anything stupid,” Max said as they walked in.The three of us just stared at each other, nobody knowing what to say first and I decided to break the silence. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Silver brothers?" I asked my father and his brother who stood side by side."Isabella," my father gave a soft tone. "We just came to check up on you. Is that a bad thing?""Coming from the silver brothers, yes. Yes, it is. What do you want?" My father exchanged a glance with Uncle Richard before taking a step forward, his eyes lingering on Cayden who was sleeping peacefully in his crib."We heard about th
Bella's POV "Wake up!" I heard someone growl behind me. Even Cayden immediately started crying from the intensity of the voice. "What do you want from us?" The voice yelled again and because I slept late while trying to figure out who was bothering my life, it took me a while to comprehend what was going on. The first thing I did was to carry my son and cradle him while I faced the angry Luna. "Good morning…" I greeted, stifling a yawn."Save your greetings, you prostitute!" She yelled. "What happened?" I asked, trying to understand what caused this early morning anger.She scoffed, her eyes moving up and down my body and I could feel the strong hatred emanating from her. "What happened? After everything you've done to us, you have the effrontery to ask me what happened? What kind of prostitute are you?" She roared. I looked at her for a few seconds then took a deep breath. "Luna, I have so much respect for you but I won't let you insult me. Can you tell me why you're in my room
Bella's POVPanicking, I rushed to my desk and grabbed my laptop, frantically typing in passwords to access the company's system. The evidence was right in front of me. Forty percent of my company shares were indeed transferred.My heart raced as I scanned through the transaction details, desperately trying to find any clue about who could be behind this. The tension in the room was suffocating, and I needed answers. I couldn't let my father and uncle destroy everything Peron and I had worked so hard for.Just as I was engrossed in deciphering the transaction trail, the door swung open, and Max walked in. His presence surprised me, momentarily distracting me from the chaos on my laptop screen."Bella, we need to talk," Max said with a seriousness in his voice that matched the gravity of the situation.Relieved to see a familiar face, yet angry at the timing, I snapped, "Talk? About what? I'm busy!”Max hesitated for a moment, then confessed, "I bought those shares."I stood up, unable