Natalie creased her brows in confusion and screamed, “What are you saying? She was kidnapped!”She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was the man who had once been too scared to threaten his ex-wife, the same man who flared up at her for merely meeting his ex-wife. And now? Now he didn’t care about her safety? It was baffling. Strange, even.“Are you done?” Fred asked nonchalantly, his voice icy as he turned on his heels to leave.“Hey! They’re asking for ten million dollars!” Natalie yelled, grabbing his arm with desperation. “You need to give them the money!”Fred flinched at her touch, yanking his arm away as though her fingers had burned him. He turned and shouted, “How do you know I even have that kind of money? Did you plan this, Natalie? Are you working with them?”Staring at him, her jaw dropping in shock. “For Christ’s sake, I’m your lawyer! It goes against my ethics to do something like that!”Letting out a sarcastic chuckle he rolled his eyes. “Oh, sure. Like you e
AN HOUR EARLIERBethany was still tied up on the cold floor, her hands sore from the tight ropes. No one had come to her aid. She kept hoping Fred would set their differences aside and help her. But hope was fleeting.Suddenly, footsteps echoed against the concrete. The door creaked open, and a man stepped in with a smug grin plastered across his face. He ripped the nylon bag off Bethany’s head.She jerked back, gasping for air, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Squinting against the light, she demanded, “Who are you?”“Shut up and listen,” the man barked. He pulled a tablet from behind his back and held it in front of her.Bethany frowned, still catching her breath. “What’s that?”The man smirked. “It’s a toy, idiot. Now pay attention.”The screen flickered to life. Bethany’s heart stopped when she saw the face staring back at her. Her lips curled in disgust.“You son of a bitch!” she yelled. “How dare you kidnap me?”The person on the screen—someone she knew all too well—tilted
Bethany stood frozen, her chest tightening as she watched Fred slide the ring onto Chantel’s finger. Chantel’s cheeks flushed a rosy pink as she squealed in delight, practically glowing under Fred’s adoring gaze. The scene felt surreal, like a joke meant to humiliate her.“What the hell is going on?” Bethany’s voice broke through the moment, sharp and incredulous. Her suitcase fell to the ground with a loud thud. Her eyes darted around the place searching for Natalie, but her so-called friend had conveniently vanished into thin air. Typical. Bethany’s gut twisted with betrayal.Fred, oblivious to her turmoil, turned back to Chantel and repeated, “Will you marry me?” His voice was smooth, practiced, as if he’d rehearsed it a hundred times.Rage bubbled beneath her skin, barely contained. Her fists clenched at her sides, the veins in her arms prominent as she tried to steady herself. It was so obvious that even Dean, standing quietly beside her, placed a steadying arm on her should
Natalie tossed the bullets up and down in her hand, a sly smirk playing on her lips.She stepped forward, her voice low but taunting. “Do you need this, Avery? Why don’t you come and run for it?”Avery screamed in frustration, lunging for her. But Natalie was faster. With a calculated flick, she threw the bullets out of the building.“No! You bitch!” Avery shrieked, darting toward the edge, desperate to see where they landed. But it was too late. They were gone.That was the last straw. Avery turned on Natalie, her fury palpable. She lunged again, hands outstretched to strangle her.But Natalie stood her ground, unfazed. Just as Avery was inches away, Natalie raised a finger, stopping her in her tracks.“One step closer, one scratch on my body, and I’ll have you dead by tomorrow. I signed a contract with your brother, and guess what? It doesn’t go against family.” Natalie’s smile was cold and cutting.Avery staggered backward, her hands trembling with rage. She screamed and stormed to
NATALIE'S HOMEThe little snowflakes fell onher eyelids, making her squint as she turned over on the chair. Instinctively, she sat up and rubbed her eyes."Ugh... What happened?" Bethany muttered, her voice hoarse. She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to soothe the pounding headache that refused to relent.The pain was sharp, almost debilitating, and for a fleeting moment, she considered staying home. But no—she couldn't afford to sit her ass down. Not now. Not when she had a son to fight for. She shook her head, dismissing the idea.Her gaze swept across the place, landing on the mess of beer bottle that scattered on the floor. She groaned, the memories rushing back in little pieces. Natalie had forced alcohol on her the night before, and she'd stupidly joined, drinking herself into a stupor. No wonder her head felt like it was splitting in two.Carefully stepping over the shards of broken glass, she noticed a note taped to the door. She picked it up and read aloud, her l
As Bethany twisted the doorknob, it didn’t budge. Her eyes landed on a small passcode lock securing the door.She raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Jason, standing behind her, piped up. “You need a passcode. It’s...”Before he could finish, Fred walked in, gently pushing Jason aside.“You talk too much,” Fred said with a crooked smile, turning to Bethany.Jason shook his head and looked at Fred, his tone incredulous. “No, I was just telling her it’s—”Fred cut him off, covering his mouth with one hand and giving him a gentle shove toward the door. “Go meet Chantel. She needs you.”Bethany watched as Jason disappeared down the stairs, her curiosity piqued. What was behind that door that Fred had to send him away?“What’s behind there?” she asked, crossing her arms.Fred walked forward, hands shoved into his pockets. “We’re not married... so I don’t think you should be asking me that.”“Really?” Bethany raised an eyebrow.“Yeah.”She rolled her eyes and stared at the door again. “Inst
NATALIE'S HOMEBethany and Fred rushed to Natalie’s house, fear gripping them—mostly Bethany.“Natalie... I’m coming!” she yelled, breathless.But as they reached the entrance, they saw Natalie sitting on the floor, casually smoking a cigarette.Relief washed over Bethany, but confusion quickly followed. Wasn’t this the same Natalie who had screamed on the phone just moments ago, saying, “I need you now! Get here fast or I might die!”Bethany wore an exhausted frown and slowly walked toward her. “I thought you said you were going to die?”Natalie didn’t respond, her gaze fixed on the cigarette between her fingers.“Nat!” Bethany’s voice was sharp now, frustration creeping in.With a groan, Natalie flicked the cigarette to the ground and threw her hands up. “Okay, okay! I might have overreacted on the phone.” She stood up and moved toward the porch, a sheepish grin on her face.“Might have?” Bethany threw her hands up in disbelief. “You made me scared out of my mind!”Fred followed the
Bethany shot one last look at him before jumping off the counter."You bastard!" she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. He grabbed her arm, pulling her back, but her anger made her stronger than even his firm grip could contain. She yanked her hand free, glaring at him with a smirk of defiance."I'm not angry," she spat. "Live your life. I'm just disappointed in you.""Bethany!" he yelled, running a hand through his hair in frustration. But it was too late; she was already storming out of the kitchen.Just as he moved to follow her, Natalie blocked his way, pushing him back into the room. She leaned closer and whispered sharply, "You better apologize to me for trying so hard to get you two back together. You ruined it."****SWISS HOTEL, 1 PMMinutes after the snowstorm stopped, Bethany didn’t hesitate to leave for the office. Anything to avoid seeing his dirty face again.How stupid had she been? Flirting with him, asking for an answer he’d already made clear years ago. She sig
FLASHBACK5 YEARS AGOBethany stumbled through the hotel hallway, her clothes torn and heels clutched in her hands. Her heart pounded in her chest, a cold sweat gathering on the back of her neck. The sounds of her pursuers echoed behind her, footfalls heavy and urgent."Get her!" a voice yelled from down the corridor.Panic surged through her, but she didn't stop running.She darted left into a side hallway and spotted a door, room 540, just ahead. She didn’t hesitate—she threw her shoulder against it, forcing it open, and locked it behind her.Gasping for breath, Bethany collapsed against the door, sliding down to the floor, her hands trembling. She kicked off her heels, eyes scanning the room. She could still hear the footsteps of the men searching outside. They wouldn’t give up easily.Bethany straightened up, looking around frantically. Her eyes landed on the bathroom door, and she rushed toward it. Before she could even test the lock, she froze.A man stood before her, barely
IT WAS NEGATIVE!Fred let out a relieved sigh before punching the air with happiness. "Yes! Yes! I knew she would never do it!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up with joy.He had been noticing Bethany’s recent blackouts, her frequent headaches, and the condom incident—it all seemed to point to the possibility of pregnancy. Now, the test results confirmed otherwise.From behind him, Bethany’s voice interrupted his moment of triumph. "Hey! The doctor said he gave you my results!"Fred froze, his eyes widening in panic. Quickly, he shoved the test result into his pocket before spinning around with a feigned look of innocence. "Oh yeah! He just handed me this!" He extended a random paper to her, trying to act casual.Bethany took the paper with a confused look, then glanced at him. "Why are you sweating so much?"Fred stammered, "Huh... aren’t you going to check that? That’s the reason I brought you to the hospital!"Bethany smirked slyly and tucked the paper into her bag. "I’ll chec
7:00 AM"Ahh!" She yelled, springing up from her bed.It was all a dream! But why did it have to be about Fred? Sitting up straight, she placed her feet on the ground and let her gaze drift to the golden card on the table."Argh! This card is driving me nuts!" she groaned.Then she remembered—Dean had postponed the trip by five days. But why was she dreaming about it?With a sigh, she walked toward the kitchen to grab a glass of water, only to freeze when she saw Dean and Natalie there. Quickly, she hid behind the wall.Peeking around the corner, she watched as Dean grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge while Natalie continued eating her food.Dean suddenly broke the silence. "Are you going to keep stuffing your mouth with food you didn’t pay for?"What? Did Dean really just say that? It didn’t surprise her, but it disappointed her deeply.Natalie remained unfazed, her gaze fixed on her food.Dean, however, didn’t relent. "One mistake, and I’ll have you thrown out of this house. T
NEXT MORNINGIt had been two days since Stacy's death, and just one since Fred revealed the chilling truth about Dean.Bethany couldn’t get it out of her mind. She had been trying to avoid Dean, using work as a convenient excuse, but he kept pushing—after all, she had agreed to be his girlfriend. And now, there was no escaping him.She pulled on a black gown, layered a coat to ward off the cold, and left for work, her mind swirling with thoughts she couldn’t silence.As she neared the Swiss Hotel, a familiar car pulled up beside her.Dean. He stepped out, a devilish grin already spreading across his face."What’s he doing here?" she muttered, her heart racing in her chest.Suppressing her immediate unease, she wore a smile on her face and opened her arms to greet him. Dean wasted no time in pulling her into a tight embrace, spinning her around before pulling away just enough to caress her cheek.“It’s been way too long since we kissed, babe. Work, work, work! But don’t worry,” he wi
Her mind raced as she tried to free her hands and run away, but he held her back.Before she could make another move, she heard a thud to the ground and saw that Fred had already taken care of the guy."Oh my God!" she gasped, breathing heavily.Fred blew air across his knuckles and smirked. "You're welcome, princess! Or do I see that you’ve already punched him?"Raising her brows, she couldn’t fathom that he was mocking her when she had just fought for her life."You’re insufferable! Crying prince!" she yelled, throwing her bag at him. The contents spilled out onto the floor.IT WAS CONDOMS!Fred’s eyes widened, and he quickly darted his gaze away, raking his hair in embarrassment.Bethany, mortified, wished the ground would swallow her whole. What she had been trying so desperately to hide had just been exposed by Fred.Dean had told her to buy it but not for them. It was strange! "I... I..." She scratched her face and bent down to pick up the condoms.Fred stared away, his foot on
Fred widened his eyes in shock and surprise. Stacy? Dead? That couldn’t be possible."Are you serious? Is Stacy really dead?" Bethany asked, her heart pounding with fear.The staff member caught her breath, gesturing nervously with her hands. “One of the staff found her in a pool of blood behind the building. She was shot in the head!”“Oh my God!” Bethany exclaimed, her voice trembling.“ What the hell is happening in this company? " Fred stood up abruptly, grabbed his coat, and barked, “Don’t let this situation alarm the customers. Get back to work; I’ll handle it!”He marched toward the door but paused, turning back to Bethany. “Are you coming?”She shook her head violently, waving her hands dismissively. “No... no... It might not even be true. You should check it out first.”With a nod, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.Bethany stared at her trembling hands. It was happening again. Every time she heard about a death, her hands shook uncontrollably, and her heart race
The gunshot shattered the air, reverberating like a thunderclap. Bethany flinched, a sharp shriek escaping her lips as she crouched behind the car for cover, her heart pounding against her ribcage.“Oh my God!” she gasped, clutching her chest to steady herself.The minutes ticked by like hours before she finally summoned the courage to straighten up, glancing around cautiously. Just as she was about to slip away, Fred appeared out of nowhere, his face etched with a mixture of worry and urgency.“Hey!” he shouted, his voice startling her.Bethany’s gaze darted to him, her expression a mix of relief and irritation. “Don’t bother calling me, Fred. I need to go check on someone,” she snapped, moving toward her car.But Fred blocked her path. “Natalie? That’s exactly where I’m headed!” he exclaimed, his voice rising. “She hasn’t been picking up, and I swear, if that bastard is there—”“Fred, stop!” Bethany interrupted, her mind racing. Who was this person? How did Fred know about them?
NEXT MORNINGBethany stared at her reflection in the mirror, reflecting on the woman she had become. Emotionless, detached, and heartless—all because of the heat emanating from Fred. His influence had changed her in ways she never thought possible.Natalie had been kind to her at times, but deep down, Bethany knew her so-called friend’s motives were shallow. That realization stung more than she was willing to admit.After their heated argument, Natalie had stormed out of the house without a second glance.Was she too harsh? Did she make the right decision? Or was she genuinely in trouble, spiraling out of control?Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a pair of comforting hands rested on her shoulders. She gasped and turned to see Dean standing behind her, his expression calm and reassuring.“Oh my God! Dean?” she exclaimed, sighing in relief as she reached for his hand.He stepped closer, his fingers working magic as he massaged her tense shoulders. “You look so stressed. I
The long jump made a heavy thud, causing Bethany to lose her balance."Oh my God!" she yelped in pain, clutching her knee as she tried to regain her footing.Her heart raced as the adrenaline kicked in. There was no turning back now. The decision had been made, and she was on this path. Yet, in the fleeting moments of hesitation, doubts began to flood her mind.Am I really doing this? Am I really going to Fred's? The weight of the situation bore down on her, filling her with dread and second-guessing. Fred had seemed so serious, so insistent. What could he possibly have to say that couldn't wait? She needed answers, even if it meant revisiting old wounds.Lost in thought, Bethany was jolted back to reality by a sharp voice."Where do you think you're going?" someone yelled.She looked up, her heart sinking. "Natalie?"A wave of unease washed over her as she took in the sight of Natalie standing there, arms crossed. “How is it possible she's here? “ Bethany thought. She hadn’t expec