YSABELLE As soon as we arrived at the hospital, Ashley excitedly reached for the vase on the center table.“Mommy, I will put this here!” She leaped on the couch while carrying a bouquet of roses that we bought at the shop in front of the condo unit.“Sure, baby. Be careful.”“Yes, I will!”“Tone down, Ashley.”Ashton's scolding made me remember Ronan. A smile painted on my lips when Ashley stuck out her tongue to Ashton.With a deep sigh, I placed the groceries on the table. I plan to cook Ronan’s favorite food for lunch. I prepared everything I needed and started rummaging in the kitchen while thinking of Ronan.I did my best to remain focused on what I was doing, but my tears betrayed my mind.Yes, Ronan was still in the hospital, remaining conscious.It's been a week since that encounter happened. And until now, neither Paul nor Connor has been found.The police did everything to investigate their motive, especially Paul. They are both wanted, and their faces are everywhere, so
YSABELLE As soon as I entered the room, I sprinted just to see Ronan when I heard he was awake. His alluring smile was the first thing I saw when my eyes landed on his. He was not sitting on the bed, with Ashton and Ashley eating fruits in front of him.“Ronan…” I called as my eyes became watery.“Hey… gorgeous.” He faintly said.My heart leaped as he called me, running to him with tears escaping from my eyes. My arms were tightly wrapped around him as I heard his faint and soft chuckle.Thank God, he's awake!“Did I worry you?” I nodded as I buried my face on his neck, careful not to touch the wound on his chest.“I'm sorry for sleeping for so long.” I shook my head because he should not say sorry for getting a rest. “Why are you not saying anything?”“I miss your voice,” I whispered. “Then, talk to me.” He whined.I immediately distanced myself away from him. The frown was now all over my face.“Why did you come there? You should have been looking for Jacob. Look what happened
YSABELLE As I'm preparing my personal belongings inside my bag, ready to leave the hospital, Ronan won't stop pestering me about wanting to go with me.With an irritating sigh, I glared at him. “No, I will go because you're injured.”“I can manage, Belle.” He attempted to get off the bed but blocked his way using my leg across the bed frame.“Ronan, please listen to me.” I hissed in frustration.He wants to come with me to see Jacob, but I already asked his attending doctor if he can move. Obviously, he was forbidden to move around because his wound might trigger again to open up.And now, he's being stubborn.“I need to see Jacob.”I held his face, pulling him closer to me until our lips collided. I kissed him passionately, enough to divert his attention as he slowly ran his hands at my back, drawing me into him.I pulled away and leaned my forehead into his. “I will bring him to you,” I said, giving him another peck on his lips. “I promise.”I stared at him, waiting for his respon
YSABELLE Caressing Jacob's hair as he was sleeping on my lap, I felt relief that Ronan’s mind would be at peace. He's only worried about Jacob's safety, not about Candice lying to him for years. Not blood-related could be a family, too. After he devoured the food I bought, he fell asleep beside me. He looked so innocent while sleeping. I now felt sorry for what happened to his mother. To be honest, a kid needs a mother, whatever it takes. I felt him move a bit as his eyes slowly opened. “Are you awake?” His eyes meet mine. He nodded and went back to stare at the blank space. I then noticed a necklace that had a half-moon pendant, which seemed familiar to me. “What’s that?” He immediately hid the necklace, afraid that I might steal it. “That looks so cool,” I commented. “Who gave it to you? I will buy some for Ashton and Ashley.” “A man gave it to me.” A smile crept into my lips as I realized that whenever I mentioned the twins, he became like a puppy. “That man earlier
YSABELLE Heat rushed through my face at Ronan’s words. With a pounding heart, sweat trickled down my palm as I clasped my hand tightly at the hem of my shirt.I just became mute and lost for words.Hearing him asking for my hand at the altar gives me a second thought. It's what I wanted, I needed but… the timing is not right.“Why are you quiet?” His voice quivered as he intently looked at me in the eyes. I sigh as I see his face. Maybe he was anxious about my silence. “I-I…” I bit my lower lip as I looked away.I don't know how to tell him what I feel and what I want to say. It feels strange that I'm happy that he thought of being with me for the rest of our lives. However, I'm still troubled inside.It feels like something is still not right.“Are you hesitant?” I immediately gaze at his worried eyes. “I understand. I'm not in a hurry, so take your time.”I immediately reached for his hand.“I'm afraid.” His whole being froze and his eyes wavered for some reason. He then looked
YSABELLE With big strides, I entered the hospital where my father was rushed after his driver picked up my call earlier. He said someone rained bullets at his bulletproof car and crashed at the lamp post causing him to have an injury.As soon as I saw his VIP room, I sprinted inside with a pounding heart. I'm hoping he was okay.I saw him frowning on the bed with his secretary and personal assistant. His face cannot be painted by anyone.“What the hell happened? Are you alright?”“Someone tried to kill me.” He growled.With a sigh, I sat on the couch. “That's not new–”“Was it Volkov?”My brows furrowed as I stopped. I immediately stood up and stared at him in disbelief.“Are you out of your mind?”“Only he can do this!” His nostrils flared, indicating he reached his limit.My hand curled into a fist as I held back my anger to erupt.“Seriously? Accusing him after saying you trust him? What's up with you?”I harshly took my bag and was about to leave his room. I only came here becaus
YSABELLE My morning starts with a heavy headache because I didn't sleep well last night. While pulling Ronan’s luggage, it suddenly stuck in the door, causing me to burst into a rage.I exhaled heavily and angrily let go of the suitcase.Ronan was discharged today. I should be glad but I'm not in the mood to throw a party for his release.Steph…That name couldn't get out of my head.“Is there something wrong?”Ronan strides inside my unit with worried eyes on me. He was about to get the suitcase but I carried it immediately.“Nothing… are you hungry?” I didn't wait for his response as I went inside my room to drop off his luggage and walked past him, going to the kitchen.Ela and Ana are now preparing our lunch. I helped them to occupy my mind and avoid looking at Ronan’s face.It makes my blood boil.The inner me wants to ask him about Steph but the other me wants to be angry first and let him open up first.I don't know. I'm just mad that I don't know any of his friends. He has f
YSABELLE I came out from the bathroom, feeling fresh and lightheaded but as soon as I saw Ronan's smiling face, my mood changed in a second.His words last night with the person in another line made me curious and I couldn't sleep properly the whole night.Who could it be? I'm afraid to ask him. He might say I'm invading his privacy which is the truth.He was about to give me a morning kiss, but I walked away from him. I heard him heavily sigh behind me.I put on my clothes in front of him. It didn't matter if his seductive eyes lingered around my naked body.Through the mirror in front of me, I saw him leaning at the door with crossed arms, staring at me intently. I noticed his casual clothes as if he were planning to go somewhere. Is he going to meet the person who called him last night?“Are you going somewhere?” I asked as I put on my shirt.“Yeah… you?My hand tightened at the hem of my shirt. “Nope. I will be at home the whole day.”“I will be having lunch outside.”With an ex
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,