YSABELLE My heart pounded frantically as I stared at the person hiding in the dark while sitting on the couch. But I don't feel the sense of danger… I felt the longing through his eyes.“Ronan? I-Is that you?” I repeated.He let out a groan as he stood up and opened the lights.A gasp escaped from me to see the disheveled face of Ronan.“Yes, my Belle.”Tears formed in my eyes as I was too stunned to move and wrapped my arms around him.“H-How–” My eyes widened as I realized something. “Did you escape?!”Instead of answering me, he ran to me and pressed his lips against mine. My lips moved to match his beat as soon as my arms wrapped tightly around his neck. His hands moved along my body before finally resting on my lower back.Following his lead, he secured my legs around his toned waist. His arms hold on to me, keeping me locked into him while supporting my weight. He turned, pivoting us in the direction of the bedroom. A squeal slipped through my lips at the sudden movement, brea
YSABELLE I looked anxiously around the twins' room for Ashley’s dress that I bought the other day. Today is the twin's seventh birthday, and she needs to get ready before the visitors swarm in the pool area.But I stopped as I remembered how she hated the dress when I showed it to her as soon as I bought it home.I look at her, squinting my eyes, suspicious that she might have done gruesome to that poor pink dress.She immediately avoided my eyes as she closed her arms on her chest, wearing only her underwear.“Did you hide it?”“Nope.”“No lying, Ashley.”“Fine! I don't like the dress.” She bluntly muttered.With a sigh, I crossed my arms in front of her, meeting her eyes as we both raised our brows.“Will you stop wearing clothes and looking like a rockstar?”“I love Avril Lavigne.” Her casual tone made me silently laugh.“So do I, baby. But you're still young wearing those black coded clothes, sticking colorful highlights on your hair, and do you think I didn't see you hiding my e
YSABELLE Ronan and I decided to have a private wedding that only our family and friends could attend. The civil wedding will only give us peace, and doing this privately will give us peace for the rest of our lives.After the issue broke out in the past, I didn't want the media to delve into our private lives again. We've had enough, and for the sake of our children, we want to live privately as a family.But I don't think we can, since Ronan’s name is still famous all over the world.So, after our civil wedding, we headed straight to Hawaii for our honeymoon but with the twins.As soon as we arrived on the island of Oahu, we headed straight to Ko Olina Resort for our two nights and three days stay. The kids start with their normal bickering while unpacking our things.“Mommy, we forgot my goggles!” Ashley whines as I only firmly shut my eyes.“We can buy a new one–”“You forgot it, not us.” Ashton bombarded. “What's with this swimsuit? It sucks.”I glanced at them and saw Ashton t
YSABELLE I woke when I felt something in my throat, knocking and wanting to come out. Before I could think about what it was, I immediately sprinted to the bathroom and vomited everything I had eaten in the toilet.My head spins as I lean my head against the wall, gasping for air, but I flush the toilet first before standing up to the basin and rinsing my mouth.What did I eat yesterday that made my stomach react like this?The door of the bathroom opened, and Ronan came in with worries in his eyes. His hair was disheveled, and he was only wearing his underwear. “Are you okay?”I held my face as he looked down the toilet.“Maybe I ate too much yesterday.”“I told you don't eat anything you see.” He scolded, but my ears perked up at his remarks.“What's your point?”That I'm a pig?Ronan paused, and he scratched his head with a smirk on his face. “Don't worry, you're still gorgeous even if you become a whale.” I gasp at his words. “The hottest whale on the earth.” he even shamelessly
YSABELLE *TEN YEARS LATER* I was in tears seeing Ashley and Ashton dancing together in the middle of the living room. They looked cute together, no arguing, no fighting, no physical assault happened and I hope it will continue for the rest of the night– “Don't step on my feet?” “Your feet were just big. Make it smaller.” “Mommy!” “Okay, stop and go back to your chairs,” I said on the mic Everyone laughed at the scenario. There's no day that they won’t stop spewing nonsense at each other. I'm glad that the third child didn't have trouble tagging along when she came out from me. I looked around for Amara and saw her sitting on Ronan's lap. My little girl just turned nine last week and I felt like she was growing so fast. Just like the twins. It's their 18th birthday today and Ashley is simply celebrating her eighteenth year. Just us, family, relatives, and friends. We let Ashley decide on how she will celebrate her debut day and this is what she wanted. Just a
YSABELLE I was very nervous when I opened the door of the room but it vanished as soon as I saw the person we hadn't seen for ten years behind Ashley.“J-Jacob?”Ronan muttered silently behind me. “Ashton and I invited him, and finally, he agreed!” Ashley said without leaving a smile on her face.I gasp in disbelief. “I did, too! But he kept saying he's busy with his studies.”“I-I lied, Auntie.”My heart warmed, and finally, I could hear his deep and manly voice.“Wow… you're a grown-up now.”We only communicated through emails and messaging each other, but no video chatting. He never came whenever we invited him to visit us or visit him in Australia, but he refused to meet. He didn't want to video chat with us, and we respected his decision. The same goes for Ronan. I gaze at Ronan, who is silent and starstruck seeing his son– I mean, his son in the eyes of people around us. “Let's give them privacy,” I whispered to Ashley and pulled her downstairs.To prevent the public's and m
YSABELLE My fingers fidgeted at the handle of my handbag, patiently waiting for someone inside the visiting area. I glanced at my hand and saw sweat all over my palms.I'm not nervous or scared, but rather, I feel anxious every time I'm here in a correctional facility.Connor called me last night, wanting to see me. I was about to ignore him, but he begged. I'm not here because I pity him. I just want to see his condition in a bad way after ten years of not hearing anything about him.As far as I remember, the final verdict was thirty or forty years behind bars. And there is Paul, who received the worst sentence. The jury gave Paul a sentence of life in prison. Candice? She has the same verdict as Connor, but it was lessened five years ago because of her mental health.How ironic. The door opens and I meet Connor's lazy eyes. His hair grew long and messy, the same with his beard that I don't usually see. His white skin was now tanned and he looked skinnier than the last time I saw
YSABELLE Ronan walked up to me with a frown, but I knew he was not directly mad at me. He just knew where I had been and who I met a few hours ago. It's my fault for not informing him beforehand.“He asked my permission to see Jacob,” I said directly before clinging my arm around his and pulling him back inside the mansion.“And you agreed?”My brows furrowed. Seriously? He's asking me that.“Of course not. Why would I?” I said as I let his arm go and sat on the couch, tired from the long flight in Paris just to see Connor struggle with life in prison.I don't know why he thinks I agreed. Maybe he thought Connor still had a soft spot for me.“Why did he call you and not me?” He grumpily said as he looked stressed out about the thoughts.I shrugged nonchalantly. “Beats me.”He anxiously walks back and forth in front of me, which I find odd. Based on his actions, it seems like he doesn't want Connor to see Jacob.Connor has the right to see Jacob because he's the biological father if
YSABELLEI woke up when a hand accidentally hit my face. I groaned in pain and got up only to see Amara sleeping soundly beside me. A chuckle escaped from me while caressing my cheek.It's not that painful, though.I covered Amara with a blanket and got off the bed. I glanced at the clock marked four am. It was early, but I couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to waste some of the hours jogging around the mansion to replenish my mind.I was about to enter my room but the door of Jacob’s room suddenly opened. Jacob came out of the room, dragging his luggage behind him. I approached him with a confused look in my eyes. “Jacob, where are you going?”“I have an early flight to Australia.”My brows furrowed. “Why? I mean, Ronan would–”“Classes are starting next week. I already bid my goodbye to Dad, Ashley, and Amara last night.”He looked down, avoiding my eyes as if he were guilty of something.“That's… earlier than I thought.”I scratched the back of my neck as silence between us
YSABELLEI open the door of the police car because I don't plan to ride Ronan's car. But Ronan closed the door and turned me around to face him."Belle, it's not what you think. Nothing happened between us–” I pushed him in irritation, but he only grabbed my hand and pinned me to the car. "Please believe me." He pleaded.I refused to meet his eyes as I struggled to pull my hand away from his grip and push him out of my way. But he's a man, and I'm only a woman who couldn't even move this guy away from me."Get out of my face." I snarled.His Adam's apple moves before firmly saying, "No."I'm tired. I don't want to argue with him. Also, there are people around us.I avoided his eyes but only to see Jacob's inside the police mobile, silently waiting."Talk to him."Through my peripheral vision, I saw him looking in the direction I was staring. He slowly let go of my wrist while sighing deeply. With furrowed brows, I glared at him and saw him only solemnly staring at Jacob."Don't just s
YSABELLE"Jacob? Are you alright-"Before I could even continue my words, Candice suddenly pushed me, causing me to fall on the floor. She immediately sat on my stomach, wrapping her fingers tightly around my neck."Don't let your guard down, bitch,"I tightly shut my eyes as I struggled under her, trying to push her and take her hands off of me. Damn it! I'm losing my breath and it feels like my veins are about to explode any moment now.With gritted teeth, I also did the same to her neck, burying my nails in her skin and I'm doing my best to escape from this nightmare–"Enough!"Suddenly, the weight in my stomach disappeared, as well as the violent hands of Candice from my neck. I coughed so hard, trying to catch my breath while caressing my neck from the pain she had caused.Shit! I almost became a memory! Sweat trickled down my temple as I hazily looked in front of me, trying to focus my sight on the person who took Candice off of me.But my eyes widened to see an unexpected man
YSABELLEI anxiously swallowed the lump stuck in my throat as I stared at Candice intently, waiting for her response. She inhaled sharply as her eyes didn't leave mine. Suspicion lingered in her eyes and I can't help but curl my toes in nervousness.If she's dumb enough to believe my words–"Okay."My left brow rose abruptly.Uhmm... I didn't expect that, but that's what I want to happen.With a sigh, she reached for my chain around my ankle as she took out the keys from her pocket. The corner of my lips lifted when she finally inserted the key in a lock."If you had just done that before, we wouldn't have led to this kidnapped thingy." She mumbled under her breath. Once she released my ankle, her face lifted on mine. "So-"I strike her face with my knee, causing her to fall on the ground with loud screams in pain."FUCKI"I whimpered in pain as I caressed the knee I used because of the strong impact it created on her face. I bet I broke her nose."Yeah, fuck you bitch." I said under
YSABELLE"Congratulations! You have been fooled for the second time!"My chest twisted in pain as my eyes wavered while staring at the picture on Candice's phone. I hate seeing him on the bed with another woman. It felt like the past resurfaced again and again every time Ronan interacted with them.However, as I kept staring at the photo, Ronan was sleeping in an uncomfortable position, which made me frown. He never sleeps on his stomach because it makes him feel uncomfortable, and his neck the next morning would definitely give him pain.Something is not right.My eyes caught Candice behind the phone, grinning from ear to ear while staring at me as if waiting for something interesting to happen.Did she take the picture? For what? To brag about it to me? If she likes Ronan that much, why does she let that woman sleep with Ronan?I trust Ronan... after all those years we've been together... I know he won't waste it just like before. But I have the right to get mad and feel betrayed.A
RONANI kicked the door in rage as I stormed out of the club where I last saw that woman. I did everything I could to find her information and make sure I could get hold of her. But the owner of the club didn't know the woman. She's not a regular here.I had already sent the little information I'd got to Kevin to do the rest of locating this woman. I should not have left that morning. I only want confirmation if something happened between us or not.As far as I remember, I didn't get drunk that much to the point that I collapsed and blacked out. Did she put anything in my drinks? No, she didn't offer me anything.Damn! My head is aching up now.I slammed the door of my Ferrari, and the first thing I saw when I entered the car was Belle's picture on my dashboard, together with my children.She was so gorgeous with those smiles.My chest twisted in pain as the face of the woman came across my mind."Jesus, what have I done?" I tightly shut my eyes in fury as my fingers tightened around
YSABELLEA door was wide open behind me. With a small light coming from outside the door, a silhouette of a woman at the doorway sent shivers down my spine. Though, I can't clearly see her face due to the darkness inside the room.Who is she?-- Wait... Where's Jacob?“Who's there?” I asked as I was about to try to stand on the ground, getting my balance, but a chuckle echoed inside the room, which made me freeze.That familiar laugh…My pulse anxiously thrummed as I squinted my eyes to focus on the face of this lady wearing a dress with short, wavy hair.A sly grin formed on her lips, which made my legs tremble in fear."Ca-Candice?"It couldn't be right… I abruptly closed my eyes when the lights suddenly switched on."Yes, dear."My soul almost left my body upon hearing her voice. Is it really her? I slowly raised my gaze and met her grinning face. "When have you been out?" She wore blonde artificial hair and put on heavy makeup. Maybe to make sure no one recognizes her."You don'
YSABELLEJacob doesn't have any choice but to follow me inside the building. I know he's scared to face Ronan, but I don't want him to bury a rage deep down in his heart about Ronan.We headed straight to the CEO's office but found his office empty. He's not around, and neither is his secretary.I called the receptionist through Ronan's telephone, and a woman answered immediately."Hi. This is Belle Volkov. Where's Ronan?""Good day, Ms. Volkov. As far as I know, Mr. Volkov is not around."My brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean he's not around?""Mr. Volkov didn't come to work."My ears perked at her words as my jaw clenched.If the people here tell me he's absent from work, it means Ronan has no other outdoor meeting or anything related to the company.Where is he? He's not at home, and if he goes somewhere not related to work, he always tells me so I won't get worried. But why he didn't tell me anything today? Because he's angry?"Where's his secretary?""He's on sick lea
YSABELLE “Why didn't you talk to him?”“He refused to let me visit Mom, so there's no need to ask his permission to go back to Australia.”I can sense his irritation just by mentioning Ronan. I can't blame him. Ronan just does whatever he wants, not even realizing what Jacob might have felt.He's just a child wanting to see his parents and know how they are doing. But Ronan didn't understand his feelings, which added to Jacob's frustration.“He still needs to know. Wait here, I will call him.”I walked to the door, but he stopped me by holding my hand.“He's busy and still angry at me. Also…” He looked away and turned his back on me as he let go of my hand. “I don't want to see or talk to him.”“Jacob, he's only doing this for your own good. You already know the past of your mother and your biological father, right?”“I just want to talk to them. Is that a crime?”I was taken aback at his words.“N-No, it's not.”He stared at me with mixed emotions. His eyes filled with anger, pain,