Bella was wandering through the bustling shopping mall, checking the sets of cooking gadgets. Her mother had sent her to buy a new blender. As she turned to the other side of the shopping mall, her eyes beheld a scene that stopped her dead in her tracks. She didn't believe what her eyes were seeing. There, laughing and chatting intimately near an expensive jewelry display, were Daniella and a man Bella didn’t recognize. She just wedded her brother a few days ago, and here she was, flirting with a guy. The guy was tall, well-dressed, and had his arm casually draped around Daniella’s shoulders as if they were lovers. Daniella leaned into him, her hand resting on his chest as she admired a sparkling diamond necklace in the glass case. The two looked far too comfortable, far too intimate, to be mistaken as mere acquaintances. Bella felt her heart boiling in anger. She knew that Daniella would not make a good wife, but it was too early to start. A pregnant wife, who should have bee
"What? That’s not possible. You guys just wed a few days ago. You are lying." "Oh, it’s very possible. I have served him with a divorce paper. Soon, we will meet in court, and he must sign." "Wait... I hope it's not what I'm thinking." "Maybe it's what you are thinking because I will be getting half of your brother's property. Yes, half of everything your dear Desmond owns. Isn’t it exciting?" She smiled at her. "You are lying. This can’t be true." At this moment, Bella's voice was barely above a whisper. Her heart began to race in fear. Daniella folded her arms and smirked. "Oh, it’s true, sweetheart. And you know what makes it even better? You helped me get here. You and your dear mother." She leaned in closer, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial tone. "I couldn’t have done it without you." Bella blinked, completely lost. "What... what are you talking about?" Bella asked, and Daniella let out a mocking laugh. "Oh, sweet Bella. How soon we forget. Do you remember how
Bella stormed into the house with anger written all over her face. She could hardly wait to tell her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth, about her terrible encounter with her so-called daughter-in-law and her strange lover. "Mom! Mom! The worst has happened!" Bella called out as she kicked off her shoes and hurried into the living room.Her mother, who had been knitting in her favorite armchair, looked up in surprise. "Bella, what is it? Why are you yelling? Did you have a fight with someone?" Bella put the blender down on the floor and stood in front of her mother. "Mom, you won’t believe what I just saw today, not up to an hour ago." "What is that?" Her mom curiously asked as she stopped what she was doing. "I was going to buy the blender, and I saw Daniella." Bella answered. "Daniella? What happened? She got into a fight with you?" "No, not that. I saw her laughing and holding each other... it was so disgusting!" "What? What are you saying? Daniella... was with another man?" She asked.
"I forget to tell you. She said that Desmond is not responsible for her pregnancy." "This can't be true! Desmond is the father. She got pregnant while dating him. I'm sure of that." "I'm serious. Her boyfriend is the father of the baby. They planned and put it on Desmond so she could easily get into our family." Bella said, and her mother felt a sharp pain in her chest. The pregnancy was the main reason she made him divorce Anabel to marry her. Now, it looked as if she had lost everything. Anabel was a perfect daughter-in-law. She respects and takes care of her like her mother even when she treats her bad. "I made him divorce Anabel because I thought Daniella was pregnant for him. All this time, she was playing us... playing my son. How could I have been so blind? How could I have let this happen? Desmond must be very mad at me now." "What do we do now, Mom?" Bella leaned back. "How do we fix this? Daniella is going to take half of everything Desmond owns." Bella said, and
Desmond remained on the couch, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone while waiting for the cleaning service agent to arrive. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang, pulling him out of his thoughts. He stood up and walked over to the door to answer it."Who is that?" He asked while holding the door handle."Grace. I'm here for house cleaning." A feminine voice answered. When he opened the door, he was met with the sight of a young lady, who was probably in her mid-twenties. Her long, dark hair was tied back into a neat ponytail. She looked like a university student who was working part-time for the agency.For a moment, Desmond noticed her stare. Her gaze was flicking between his face and his athletic build. She hadn’t expected the client to look like that. Most of the houses she cleaned belonged to older people."Good morning, sir," she greeted. "I’m from Sparkling Solutions Cleaning Agency. My name is Grace.""Alright. You can come in." Desmond replied, stepping aside to let he
"Come with me." Desmond said, and she followed him. When they got to the kitchen, she was surprised to see how beautiful and well furnished it looked. It was the most furnished kitchen she had ever seen. "Use what can find and prepare a delicious meal. Don't burn down my house." He said and left. After checking the kitchen out, she began to rummage through the cabinets and fridge. Though the fridge was a little sparse, she managed to find enough ingredients to whip up a nice meal. She was giving all she had so she may have a chance of getting hired again. She has never cooked in that kind of kitchen. There were some gadgets she couldn't use. There are some she couldn't even tell what they were used for. She went on to use the ones she could use. When the food was ready, she plated it carefully and set it on the dining table. "Here you go. I hope it’s to your liking." Desmond sat down, took a bite and nodded his head. "This is really good. Thank you." "You’re welcome," Grace r
"Uh, who’s this?" Bella asked in surprise. "And what is she doing here with you?" Desmond's mother looked at Grace and then at Desmond, waiting for an explanation. Desmond didn't say anything. He was wondering what they were even doing in his house. Grace stepped aside, clutching her washing equipment. "Nothing, I’m just a cleaner. Mr. Desmond hired me to clean the house. I'm leaving now. Thank you again, Mr. Desmond." She gave a polite nod to Bella and Mrs. Elizabeth before stepping out the door. Mrs. Elizabeth continued to stare at her from the back, as if trying to gauge whether there was more to the story. As soon as the door closed, Desmond spoke up. "And what are you guys doing in my house? I didn't remember inviting two of you. What the hell are both of you doing in my house!" "We....we came to see you. We heard what happened." His mother answered. "Now that you have seen me, can you leave my house now?" "Oh, son. It hadn't gotten to that. I know we have wronged y
"I made the mistake, and if I could go back and undo it all, I would without hesitation. You may not believe me but It hurts me more than you. Please forgive us, son. Let us be here for you now. Let us support you and help you. We are still family." The mom continued to plead. Bella stepped beside her mother as her tears threatened to spill over. "Desmond, we are sorry. We will do whatever it takes to make things right." Desmond closed his eyes, trying to calm the storm raging within him. For a long moment, the room was silent. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at them both. "Fine. You guys are still my family and very precious to me. I forgive you both." He finally said, and the mother stepped forward and hugged him. "Thank you, son. Thank you." Bella joined and hugged him as well. "We will be here for you, no matter what." She said, and just then, his phone began to ring. He checked, and it was an unsaved number. He picked it up and placed it over his left ear. "Who is
Without wasting any time, the dad asked, “Why did you reject Reuben? You can't tell me you are not ready for marriage because that is what you need now. A man that will take good care of you and your child.” Anabel let out a sigh and leaned back against the headboard. “I don’t like him," she said flatly. “I’m not just interested in him.” She answered, and her father crossed his arms as he gazed at her. “That doesn’t matter much. What matters is that he loves you. Reuben is a good man. Ever since I knew him, he never caused trouble. All you need is a man that will love and take good care of you. You can start loving him after marriage. You think all those successful marriages started with love? No—commitment comes first, and love follows.” Anabel shook her head, standing her ground. “That’s not how it works for me, Dad. My heart isn’t in it.” Sir Orton exhaled slowly as he sensed frustration creeping into him. He wasn’t angry—not yet—but he was growing weary of Anabel's choices.
Her father continued. “I’ve told him everything. About your first marriage and your divorce. I also told her about your pregnancy, and he still accepted.” Anabel’s lips parted slightly in surprise, but she quickly composed herself. Reuben was a very cute guy, but looking at him, she doesn't see herself gisting with someone like him. She shifted in her seat before speaking. “I appreciate you looking out for me, Father. And I thank the Johnsons for coming.” Sir Johnson smiled faintly, observing her with an unreadable expression. Reuben remained unmoved as he continued to watch her with silent interest. Anabel took a breath and continued, “Under normal circumstances, I might have asked for time to think it over because we have never talked about it. But there is no need for that.” Her father leaned forward slightly and asked. “And why is that?” "I don't know how this will sound, but I am not interested in marriage now.” She answered, and the room went silent. No one was expecting
Anabel got back home and stepped out of her car. Her mind was still occupied with thoughts about her hospital visit. The conversation with Desmond had stirred something in her—an unease she had tried to push aside but couldn't fully ignore. As she walked toward her father’s grand villa, she noticed two luxurious cars parked neatly in the driveway. She slowed her pace slightly, and her brows knitted together as she took in the unfamiliar, expensive cars. She tried to recall if they were expecting visitors, but nothing came to mind. She tried to recognize the cars, but she couldn't. One was a gold Bugatti, and the other one was a gray Rolls Royce. The latest and the most expensive car in the country. Even though her father was known to have high-profile associates, these cars weren’t ones she recognized. The insignias, the vip plate number. They belonged to people of significant wealth, people who rarely made unexpected visits. Anabel straightened her posture and entered through
Desmond glanced away, knowing that it wasn't even his problem at the moment. His main problem was that someone was about to extort a big amount of money from her. He couldn't stand it. "Yeah, I know, but that’s not my problem right now." He said with a weak voice. Bella raised an eyebrow in curiosity and asked. "What do you mean it’s not your problem? What’s going on? Which other problem do we have here than winning her back?" Desmond hesitated for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "There’s a man. Her so-called new boyfriend." "Does she have a boyfriend?' Bella asked. "Yeah, but the problem is that he's deceiving her. He’s about to extort a huge amount of money from her." Mrs. Elizabeth and Bella both stared at him in shock, but Bella was the first to speak. "A huge amount of money?" "How much money are we talking about?" His mom asked with a voice tinged with disbelief. "I know you guys won't believe this, but this man is about to extort three million dollars from her.
Desmond's mom let out a long sigh and let her shoulders sag slightly. "I don’t blame her, though. She has every right to be angry. After everything we did, after how we treated her... I wouldn’t stop to listen either." Bella, who was standing a few steps away, folded her arms tightly across her chest. "But she should at least hear us out," Bella muttered. "Why would she do that? I mean, we are trying to apologize. We are trying to make amends, aren’t we? It’s not like we are asking for much. She could have rolled down the window for a second. Just a second." Mrs. Elizabeth shook her head gently and glanced at her daughter. "Bella, don't say that. She's angry, and she should be. This is not about what we think she should do. We pushed her away. We hurt her. She doesn’t owe us her time, not after the way we treated her." Bella huffed in response and said,. "Yeah, okay, we were wrong. But if she doesn’t let us talk, how are we supposed to make it right? She should have just let us tal
Desmond turned and walked briskly through the hospital corridors. His thoughts were tangled and heavy.As he got closer to his mother’s doctor’s office to collect her medication, he couldn’t stop replaying his encounter with Anabel. Her coldness, her denial, and the sharpness of her words had left a mark he couldn’t shake. She had insisted the child wasn’t his, calling him impotent. A word that hit like a dagger, even though he refused to believe it. Deep down, he was sure the baby was his, but doubt lingered at the edges of his mind. Could she be right? Could there be truth in her statements? The uncertainty gnawed at him as he tried to focus on what he came to do.Meanwhile, Anabel stepped out of the elevator into the bustling hospital lobby. She hasn't stopped thinking about what Desmond said.Desmond’s words about Vanessa’s surgery played on a loop in her head, rattling her confidence in Sylvester and Vanessa’s story. She hated to admit it, but the seed of doubt he had planted w
Her words stung Desmond, but he took a deep breath, refusing to let them dissuade him. He stepped closer and spoke up. "Anabel, everything that happened... everything that came between us... It was because of my mother and my sister. They drove a wedge between us, and I've already admitted that I'm stupid for allowing them. This time, they will treat you differently. They’ll treat you like the precious treasure you are. They regret what they did. They are longing to have you back, Anabel." Anabel’s lips curled into another bitter smile, and she folded her arms tightly across her chest. "I'm not a kid, Desmond. I know exactly why they want me back," she retorted. "It’s not about treating me like a treasure or making amends for their wicked character against me. They want me back because Daniella disappointed them. They want me back because they didn't get what they wanted from Daniella. They want me back because they heard I’m pregnant. Let's say my tummy is still flat, they won't wan
"Hey! Mind your words. Sylvester is not a scumbag, but you are. You are the scumbag here. And...you don't have any right to tell me where to spend my money or ask me how I will get it. Whether I have the money or not is none of your business. And if I decide to borrow, that’s my choice. Stop acting like I'm going to borrow it from you. Stop pretending like you care." Anabel said, even though she was already seeing some signs. She just wanted to get on Desmond's nerves. "I do care, Anabel. I care about you, and I care about the choices you’re making. And if you borrow that kind of money, you will spend the rest of your life paying it back. Is that what you want?" "You really think you know me, don’t you? You really think you can stand here and judge me? But let me tell you something, Desmond—you don’t know me at all. You never did. If you think I can’t handle this, then you’re sorely mistaken." "I know you are now rich, even though you are trying so hard to hide your real identity f
"Anabel, I know you will not believe me. You may say I'm jealous, which I won't deny, but I can boldly tell you that you are actually single. I mean, very single." He said while looking at her in the eyes. She could see how mean he was. "Sylvester is not who you think he is. You are dating yourself, stressing yourself over someone whose only intention was to gain financial assistance from you. You are single." He finished, and Anabel struck him with a sharp glare, then crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Single?" She echoed with a disdainful voice. "Is that what you think, Desmond? Let me be clear—I am not single. You are the one who is single. Don’t confuse my situation with a pathetic one like yours." Desmond frowned as her words hit him with an unexpected force. He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "At least I didn't lose anything to her. But you… you are about to lose everything you have. I will still warn you. Sylvester isn’t who he says he is. He’s just usin