As soon as it clocked one hour before Isla’s school would dismiss, Bella turned off her computer, picked up her bag and went straight to Richard’s office.As soon as she walked into his office, he lifted his head with a smile. “Are you ready to leave for Isla’s birthday party?” he inquired.“Yes,” Bella replied with a smile. “I have to freshen up and get dressed in a proper dress, and I hope I won’t be late.”One hour seemed like a long time, but by the time she calculated her travel time to her place and straight to Isla’s school, plus her dress-up time, it might not be enough.“Where is your dress for the party?” Richard inquired. “It’s in my car,” she replied.“What about your makeup? Do you have any with you in the car?” he asked.“While I don’t intend to have a full-blown makeup on, I came with a few items that will help me look like a mum,” Bella chuckled.After picking out the challenge in the situation, Richard knew what to do. “Let me book a hotel room for you near our
“He really came for the photos!” Venita bellowed as she stared into her phone.It hasn’t been up to two hours since Isla’s birthday party ended and so many blogs have already carried Gerald’s latest post with different opinions.Though everyone was making different statements, they were all saying the same thing.Citizen A: ‘If I were his ex-wife. I would never allow him near my daughter until death does us part.’Citizen B: ‘Honestly, Bella is too kind. Why did she invite him to the party?’Citizen C: ‘If you ask me, I think Bella didn’t have much of a choice. See the smile on that little girl’s face. It’s obvious she wanted her father to be present on her birthday.’Citizen D: ‘I wonder what that lousy mistress must be thinking right now. I bet she must be mad with jealousy.’The internet doesn’t forget bastards like Gerald. He was sure to receive bashing and backlash from concerned netizens who on Bella’s behalf, do not want to have anything to do with him.Sworn_Enemy: ‘Ge
“How could you do this to us in less than three weeks to our wedding?” Kareen fumed as tears welled in her eyes.She was so ashamed of Gerald’s actions which brought the public wrath upon them. She couldn’t even lift her face in public anymore and their wedding was around the corner.How could she tolerate being bashed at the same time frame as her half-dream wedding?“I didn’t mean to harm us,” Gerald said to her as his feet remained rooted at a spot. “I planned to improve my image so I could get new deals through that post.”“Now, look where that has brought us,” Kareen cried as she pounded her fists on the pillow. Tears streamed down her face as anger fuelled in her heart.The level of deep antagonizing emotions she was feeling at the moment was powerful enough to stop the flow of oxygen to her heart.It could end her.“Just calm down already.” Gerald tried calming her down by speaking softly, but none of that was working. “I promise, I will make it up to you,” he tried.Ka
“What do you think you are doing?” Bella’s voice thundered. She knew that she could not overpower him and that made her scared.Although Gerald had never gone physical on her before, she doubted what must have become of him currently.Bella was at a loss for what to do. Her phone was in the living so she could not call to ask for help even if she wanted to and screaming was never an option because he can get triggered and become aggressive. Also, Isla was inside, she didn’t want to frighten her so every move she made was weighed.“You dare to ask me that question?” Gerald glared at her without letting go of the door. “I want to see my daughter.”“You can’t barge into my house to see my daughter without prior notice no matter how good your intentions might be,” Bella reminded him while making an effort to fight him off, but he was too strong for her, and she could barely hold on any longer.Gerald’s anger was fuelled and the next moment, he forced the door open and took two step
"I didn't go there to cause trouble." Gerald tried to defend himself but his mother countered it. "If you didn't go there to cause any trouble, what happened to the outcome of you being locked up by the police?"Gerald murmured something before saying out loud, "That was Isabella infuriating me. She rallied her friends up to fight against me."His mother glared hard at him. "It seems like you have forgotten about protecting your image and your reputation. Why wouldn't they bully you when you are giving them the chance to play cheap tricks."Mrs. Cooper made him to understand that she was disappointed in the kind of gift he gave to his own daughter."It is your ex-wife you have issues with. Don't mistreat that child otherwise that woman who is ready to swallow you up will take her far away from you."Mrs. Copper knew the full story about the whole birthday saga and the kind of present he gifted her granddaughter and couldn't help scolding him."I will never mistreat Isla." Gerald defen
As promised, Richard sent over a catalogue of some apartments to Bella and asked her to make her choice.The five apartments were all located in high-rise buildings and when Bella found out that about them, she was conflicted."The apartments are beautiful, but I don't think I can afford any of them in the long run. They are expensive," she reported back to him in a text and the next second, he requested a video call.In her mind, Bella was praying that Richard wouldn't offer to pay her rent just for her to get any of those apartments. Fortunately, that wasn't the case after she accepted the call.From the background, Richard seemed to be in bed."Babe, those are my apartments that are currently available. They are not for you to rent," he revealed, giving a toothish grin.Bella's brows creased in confusion as she thought carefully about what his aim was. Luckily, he didn't keep her hanging or wait till she asked."Since these apartments are all in my name, the people you are afraid o
Bella made her way straight to Richard in light steps. She was going to greet him normally but then to her surprise, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brought her in for a hug.While Isla was still distracted, he leaned in to steal a soft kiss from her lips. Bella was shy and immediately pulled away.It didn't matter that the kiss only lasted for three seconds, she could still feel the lingering sensation and that wet feeling on her lips.A grin appeared on Richard's face just before Isla turned her head to the other side."I prepared dinner for you," Richard revealed. "And be rest assured that you two are not going back this night.""Well, I'm glad that this is the weekend," Bella replied like she had come prepared for anything. After all, this was the man she had missed so much, so she was willing to do anything in other to spend some quality time with him.Richard has been looking after them even from a distance and there was no way she wouldn't feel touched enough to be wi
After walking for a while and soaking in each other’s presence, Richard reached out to take her left hand, forcing her to meet his smiling gaze.“I bought some gifts for you as well. I don’t know if you would like them. I left them in my bedroom, do you want to see them?” he asked.There were only two words that registered in Bella’s mind; gifts and bedroom. And when she heard that, she narrowed her gaze as a small smile slowly crept up to her face.“Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?” Richard probed with curiosity etched in his brows,Bella has been in a serious relationship before, so she was not a shy ignorant woman who didn’t know anything. Although she didn’t know if she was thinking too much, there was only one way to find out.“Nothing.” She shook her head. “Let’s go,” she urged.Richard tightened his hold on her and led her back into the house. As soon as they entered from the backdoor, Richard inquired about Isla and was told that she was watc
Bella didn’t know what to say or how to feel when she saw the news. While her friends were talking about it, she stood up and walked away.Instantly, the chatter died down as the three women exchanged glances before quickly following after her.“Bella, what is wrong? Can you speak to us?” Rosie asked as she soon matched her steps.“I just want to be left alone for an hour. Is that not okay?” She said without stopping in her steps.Venita and Caro glanced at each other before moving their gazes back to her.“Actually, that is not a bad request. A little bit of privacy is not much to ask for but you see, the fetus in your womb is still unstable and the doctor wants us to make sure you are never left by yourself.”To avoid her slipping into depression, her doctor had given them an instruction to follow.Even though Bella might seem to be in a better mental state now than when Miriam died, the child she was carrying was still in danger.Bella’s friends were worried that she woul
Seeing her true colours, Mr. Rowland was grateful to his children for beating the hell out of her some months back otherwise, he would never have thought about monitoring her movements.It was all thanks to them that the thought dropped in his head.He had indeed married himself a gold digger who spent his money on men younger than he was.It was only recently that he found out and when he planned to file for a divorce and chase her away, Richard came to him to ask for help, as his good business partner, he decided to return the favour.He pushed back his plans a bit to help him gather enough pieces of evidence.Richard literally had no idea that Mr. Rowland had already done the basics on how to catch Debby otherwise he wouldn’t be worried right now wherever he was that the investigation on Debby might take too long.“Go ahead and start eating,” Mr. Rowland instructed as he quickly averted his gaze.His eyes burned at the fact that he had been living with a criminal for almost
Richard was not the only one carrying out the investigation. He had the help of his best friend, Matteo.“How is it possible for someone who has been hiding from the police for four months to suddenly jump out to drive into Bella’s car?” Matteo asked. Even he didn’t believe that was an accident.“I’m glad this matter is under both government and private investigations,” Richard said to him.A thought came to Matteo as he complained about what intentions Kareen might have had.“The police are still trying to investigate where that woman has been hiding.”The question was, how did Kareen survive for four months without being caught on any CCTV camera or stepping out to buy anything?The answer was right in front of both men. It was very obvious that she had help.“That woman had help,” Matteo suddenly said. “I think I know who it might be,” he added with a straight gaze on Richard.There was only one known person from their side Matteo thought would want to get rid of Bella.It
“Why did you take me back home?” Bella inquired as their car pulled up in the driveway.Richard threw her a glance before climbing out of the car. He managed to get her out and sighed in relief when Isla appeared.He let the little girl distract her until they got into the master bedroom before sending her away.“Bella, I’ve got some bad news to share,” He revealed as every fake emotion disappeared from his eyes.He looked a little sad and that scared the shit out of Bella. Plus he called her by her name.“Did anyone die?” She managed to ask as she felt her heart racing in her chest. She almost couldn’t breathe properly.Richard didn’t answer that question. He let out a deep sigh, confirming her fears.Bella quickly rose from the bed as her eyes turned red. Tears formed in her eyes as she stared down at him.“Who died?” She asked as a tremor wrecked her lower lips.A deeper sigh escaped from Richard’s lips as he rubbed his hands together. “Miriam got into an accident with you
It’s been two weeks since Bella and Richard found out they were pregnant.Richard’s excitement knew no bounds as he did everything beyond his power to ensure that Bella was comfortable getting over the horrible morning sickness.To think that thing was powerful enough to drive him out of their master bedroom for a week simply because Bella couldn’t stand the smell of his bathing soap.The man was forced to change it seeing that things were serious.How could he forgo cuddling his wife every night just because of his bathing soap?Richard literally employed a live-in nurse but was forced to sack her the very next day after Bella threatened his entire being.He was really scared of his wife this time around since her hormones were on the high side. Fortunately, he learnt to adjust quickly to the new situation. He wanted a baby with her, so this was the other side of it which he was very much willing to experience.Bella soon returned to work. On the first day, she slept all t
How was Bella supposed to answer the question she hasn’t confirmed yet?Mrs. Cooper couldn’t understand the thoughts running in her head as they continued to stare at each other, but she could see the signs, so she raised her brows, prompting Bella to answer.“I think so, but I haven’t confirmed it yet.”She and Richard started trying for a child in December and if she was pregnant, the signs and changes to her body would have started by now, especially depending on the date it happened.“That’s good news then! I shall help you get some pregnancy test kits,” Mrs. Cooper announced and sat down next to her, taking her hand gently with her eyes filled with gratefulness.“Please don’t mention any of this to Richard. I only want to break the news to him when it’s been confirmed. I don’t want to raise his hopes high and then flop it if the result turns out to be negative.”Even though Bella was still mad at him for no reason, she cared about his mental health and wouldn’t like for him
Caro made a V-log at the end of their Switzerland Christmas trip and posted it on her page for all eyes to see.The majority of Bella’s fans knew she was her friend hence, some of them were already following her Instagram page since they got to see the fun side of Bella all thanks to her.So, while everyone was wondering what was up with Bella since the last time she posted on her page, they got notified about Caro’s latest V-Log and went to watch it.Two hours later, the video went viral as blogs reposted it. Everyone interested got to see how cute and interesting Bella and Richard’s marriage was. The side death glares from Bella and the grin on Richard’s face as he tried to pacify her after annoying the hell out of her.Richard’s playful side also got exposed to everyone, especially with the stunt he pulled after the group lost their way and ate ice cream before he called his bodyguards to come show them out.No one knew that millionaires could have this sense of humour.Of
Bella stared at him wide-eyed. “You...”“Shhhh.” He shushed her. “If you don’t want us to get caught, don’t scream,” he said and continued to use his fingers to tease her down there.Bella whimpered. How was she expected to keep her mouth shut when he was doing those things to her?She wasn’t a tree but a real woman whose hormones and neurons were functioning properly.Unless she covered her mouth, she wouldn’t be able to hold back her moans, so she covered her mouth to stifle the sounds.She would have suggested for them to draw the curtains, but that would even attract more attention as everyone would know what they were up to.Fortunately, Richard didn’t torture her for a long time before letting her go. Also, no one left their seat during the event.Several hours later, they touched down in Switzerland and two luxurious Mercedes vans came to pick them up from the airport along with four security cars that accompanied them.Everyone settled in the big mansion that Richard h
Venita and Caro giggled as they climbed the stairs to the private jet. They couldn’t believe they were going on such an expensive and interesting trip to celebrate Christmas.The flight attendants treated them like Royalties and showed them to their seats.Bella figured that the two friends would need to keep each other company during the flights, so she arranged for them to be given a space where she could join them for a chat as well.Richard finally managed to bring his father on the trip along with his doctor. The old man’s time was almost up and according to the doctor, he had only a few years left.Richard figured that he might actually help his father travel out to enjoy Christmas once even if he wasn’t in his best healthy state.Bella’s parents got onto the plane and were assigned seats before they were helped to secure their seatbelts.They were happy to enter their son-in-law’s private jet once again as their wedding had been the first time they ever got to experience