BELLATRIX.... I turn to Victor; he is busy on his laptop, working. His brows are furrowed deeply, immersed in his own mind. Is it because he has to work harder now, after such a huge expense for this trip? My heart sinks for my husband. If I tell him about Neil's threat now, he’ll be angry, and perhaps it wouldn’t be for the best. I should not... "What's on your mind?" "Neil..." My hand flies to my mouth, my eyes widening as I look at him. I just blurted out something I shouldn't have! God! His fingers pause, and his green eyes snap at me. The softness in them is replaced with coldness. Suddenly, a dark aura envelops his expression, and I swallow hard. God, what have I done? "What about him?" His voice is icy, his words laced with disappointment. Oh God, is he thinking that I still have a soft spot for Neil? "No! I-it's not what you're thinking!" I blurt out. His brow raised with a questioning glance. "Then what is it, Bellatrix?" he asks, his tone hard; it seems he's trying
Mansion of Ryders, Neil Ryder's Study Room.... NEIL.... I smoked cigarettes one after another; I was embarrassed and angry. In the Mount Valkyro Villa, I went to finalize a deal with Valcro Corporation Ltd. It was their biggest project, and I perhaps had a chance to meet Chairman Abram. He was one of the mysterious men in the corporate industry; not many people had seen him. And I had a once-in-a-lifetime chance that night. But because of that bloody Victor, everything was fucked up! I clenched my fist, only to be burned by the cigarette. "Fuck!" I threw it away and kicked the desk. "It's all because of that fucking bastard!" I've been going through sleepless nights because of that bloody orphan! That night, I saw Bellatrix in the Villa. Though at first I was surprised, I was happy to see her. For the first time in my life, my heart throbbed; she was so beautiful that night. Our marriage was fixed in our childhood. Since I was eight years old, I had grown up learning that
BELLATRIX.... Life has turned out to be a blessing since we returned from our trip. For others, it's a trip to paradise, but for me, it was a love paradise. Our love evolved there, and we became each other's for the rest of our lives. Victor has turned out to be an even more outstanding husband and keeps spoiling me. The moment I chose to marry him turned out to be one of the very best decisions of my life... "Bellatrix!" I feel an earthquake in my body as I blink, looking around, only to find Logan and Amber's suspicious gazes on me. "What's wrong with you, girl?" Amber frowned. "You keep zoning out; is everything alright with you?" "I—yeah, I'm just fine," I said, and I didn't lie! I'm actually more than fine and keep thinking about my husband and our love. The taste of true happiness is new to me, and I'm eager to savor all of it. They both narrowed their eyes at me, not believing my words. Sigh... However, it feels good to have more than one caring friend! After our
BELLATRIX.... I couldn't work for the rest of the day; it was as if a bone was stuck in my throat. I couldn't muster the courage to explain to Victor either, nor am I sure why I'm feeling so guilty. It was just an accident, and Logan only helped me. But the disappointment in Victor's eyes... Ugh! What am I gonna do! I feel so frustrated! After office hours, I, with a throbbing heart, approached our usual spot where Victor was waiting for me to pick up. And there he is, in the expensive Maybach we had been using since the last day of our trip. I didn't ask him about it, though; I feel it's a gift from Grandpa. Or did he buy it? Just as I moved forward, I froze when a hand touched my shoulder. "Bella?" I paused, turning around. I gasped, "Logan! Wh-what are you doing here?" He raised a brow. "I thought I saw you entering the garage, so I followed. What are you doing here?" "Uh, I... um, I was doing nothing! I thought I’d seen a known figure; it turned out I was wrong," I said imm
BELLATRIX.... Victor dropped me in front of Stella's new apartment. He had an important meeting to attend in an hour, so he didn't accompany me and said he'd pick me up once I was done. Upon returning from abroad, she was finally permitted to live alone and decorated her apartment. I'm thrilled to see her new home! After completing the procedure to enter the apartment, I went through our texts where she had given me her apartment number. It was on the 13th floor. I took the elevator and reached the 13th floor. There were two more apartments, and her apartment number was 103-A. With a grin, I rang the doorbell... However, no response came. I rang the bell again, but there was no answer. I frowned and dialed her number. Suddenly, I heard a muffled ringtone of her phone ringing inside the apartment. For some strange reason, I felt my heart clenching tightly. Is she alright? Why is she not opening the door? Anxious, I knocked on the door only to gasp when it moved. Why is the door op
BELLATRIX.... I'm afraid of this Neil, or perhaps he was always like this, and I never realized it... I take a step back, trying to get away from him as much as possible, only to hear his chuckle, which was nothing but a call of the devil to my ears. "I don't want you, Neil. I am married now. Please, let us leave. What you're doing is not right in any way. What will Grandpa think of you? You're his heir, his blood?" I spoke calmly, trying to coax the situation. He frowned. "Don't take that old man's name! He has always been biased toward that orphan! Even after his daughter married a penniless man, he kept them in society, loved her more than my father! When they died, they left Victor, and now he is taking away what's mine! Grandpa always preferred him because he thinks that bastard is better in every aspect! He always compared me with him!" His fists clenched tightly, making my heartbeat rise. Dear God, did I just worsen the situation? "That son of a bitch thinks he can defeat
BELLATRIX.... I stared at Neil, unable to understand what's happening. Chairman Abram is a mysterious person from Valcro Corporation; hardly anyone has seen him. But why does he want me? What is this new confusion in my life? "Bella, you've never met him?" Neil raised his brow. I shook my head. "No." "But he must have seen you. After all, he bought Litech. Now he wants you, Bella." My heart trembled with anxiety. But I let him speak; I need to understand what's going on here. "I have two options now, Bella: either I give you to him and he turns to us in business, or I keep you to myself and watch our business drain..." He paused, his lips twitching into a smirk. "I think, after this offer, I'll choose my business." I don't know what will happen to me, but at the moment, I can't help but laugh out loud, coldly. "Of course, you will, Neil. I do not expect anything else from you," I say. Does he even have a backbone? This guy kidnapped me and claimed to love me; he even went to t
VICTOR.... Once she's in my arms, I feel the world come to me... My worries wash away as I sniff her sweet scent. Dropping her off at her best friend's apartment, I commanded Mathew to stay outside the apartment building and protect her. At that time, I didn't realize that our enemy was waiting inside the building. I returned to my real office and attended a meeting. However, in the middle of it, Luis came in and informed me about Mathew's suspicions. Something had happened to my little bird. Her voice was recorded on his phone, and the way she screamed... My heart almost stopped. But Mathew said not a single soul came out of the apartment after she entered. I was dubious and checked the building's security cameras using my power. I saw Neil's car entering the apartment fifteen minutes before I dropped Bella off there. In the investigation, it came out that he owned one of the apartments there. It did not take me a second to understand what happened. I wanted to rush there and b