Xavier~"Ouch.."My head struck the floor, causing me to open my eyes. How did I end up here? I found myself in my hotel room and glanced around bewilderedly. I scratched my head, trying to recall how I got here. As I struggled to recall what had happened the night before, all the unpleasant recollections rushed before my eyes. Oh no, what did I do in my intoxicated state? I regretted my last night's outburst. A dull, hollow ache settled in my chest. My actions, once impulsive and thoughtless, now weighed on me like a lead weight, as if every misstep had been building up to this inevitable fracture.How could I coerce her? I revealed all my deepest emotions to her. That's all because of Derrick Merchant; if he hadn't provoked me, I would not have reacted in such a manner. I attempted to rise from the cold floor of the room, but my feet ached and made it impossible. I realized my error again when I gazed at my swollen face in the mirror. It's difficult to reach out to Bella once agai
Isabella~"Victor, please return my phone to me." I pleaded with him as he disconnected Xavier’s call on my phone. "Bella, don't request anything that I can't fulfill. You already broke your promise two times, first kissing him and second accompanying him to his hotel in his drunken state." Anger burns in Victor's eyes. "Please let me talk to him once; maybe he has to discuss something urgent with me." I know my request had no impact on him, but still, I tried to take my phone back. My heart yearned to speak with Xavier after the events of yesterday night. Victor forbade me from speaking to Xavier again after he discovered that I had helped him get to his hotel the previous evening, even though I had already forgiven him for his actions and understood that the events between us were a result of his intoxication. I didn't deliberately offend Victor, but after seeing Xavier’s vulnerable state, I can't hold myself from accompanying him to his hotel. He needed my help at that time, an
Bella, thank God you came here. I was trying to contact you last night. Upon opening my door, I was shocked to discover her standing outside my hotel room."Xavier, is it true that James William was your best friend in college?" Her question filled my gaze as she kept her eyes fixed on my face. Seeing doubt in her expression, my heart ached, but I suppressed my pain and invited her to the room."What would you like to have: tea or coffee?" I gathered my clothes from the couch to create space for her to sit comfortably, as memories of our happier times, fleeting and painful, flashed in my mind. Those days felt close yet irretrievably distant."Xavier, I am not here to see your hospitality; I want an answer to my question," she said, her tone filled with irritation. I felt a wave of regret and frustration. What had happened to make her so guarded? Why was she speaking to me like a stranger? I knew she still had feelings for me—her actions last night proved that. Otherwise, why would she
Isabella~"Are you certain you want to be a part of this case, Bella?" Victor questioned me once again as he stopped the car in front of the court."Hmm," I nodded, collecting my documents from the back seat. I focused on steadying my breathing. Despite Victor's insistence, I felt a heavy mix of dread and determination. I couldn’t waver now."You don't have to hurt yourself; you still have the option to withdraw from this case." He grasped my hand and studied my face with a worried expression."No, Victor. I've already made up my mind, and I won't back down in this situation." My voice remained firm, though inside I wavered. "I'm determined not to betray dad's trust at any cost." I opened the car door to get out."Don’t worry about Dad; I will talk to him. He won’t want you to fight this case at the cost of hurting yourself." His eyes were searching my face for signs of the deep-seated agony within me. I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting him to see the struggle I tried so hard to
Xavier~"Mr. William, the documents you sent are based on Chinese legislation, which is not found in the United States." The judge reviewed the document that James had presented to him and shared his thoughts on it."My lord, because my client was born in China and holds both Chinese and American citizenship, he has the full right to follow Chinese government regulations in the United States."We were all amazed by James' statement. Although I am aware of his talent as a lawyer, I never would have thought that he would go to such lengths to save Jordan Lucas from exacting revenge on me by defeating Bella in this case. I tried to caution Bella against pursuing this case, but she constructed such a strong defense that my warnings were ineffective."My Lord, no legislation says we should obey the laws of other countries just because the offender is a citizen of another nation. The fact that Mr. Lucas holds dual citizenship despite having a serious criminal record, which also constitutes
Isabella~"Let's go, Bella." I considered talking to Xavier immediately, but when I saw him with James, I decided against it. I wanted to ask him why he was treating me this way, but before I could ask him any questions, Victor asked me to leave the courtroom. I still stood at my place, frozen, and looked at Xavier with a question-filled gaze, but Victor’s firm grip on my hand indicated that he didn't want me to waste my time on Xavier anymore."Bella, please listen to me. You misunderstood me." His pleading tone forced my steps to halt, and I turned to look at his face. James was smiling mischievously, and Xavier's eyes looked at me with sadness. My heart briefly begged me to listen to Xavier, but as soon as I saw James' unceasing smile, I realized that this was all part of his shady scheme. "Once a cheater, always a cheater; now I have nothing to listen to." I tried to control my resentment, but James' smile only made me feel worse about the judge's decision."Let's go, darling." I
Xavier~"Bella, stop; you can't leave without answering my question." I blocked her path by spreading my arms in her way."Xavier, what are you doing? Let us go; it's already so late." She avoided my gaze and attempted to move my arm out of the way."No, first tell me how your son got this birthmark." I bowed my head and pointed toward Alan's right leg, dreadand a fierce curiosity boiling under my calm exterior."What birthmark are you referring to? There is no birthmark on his leg." Bella’s face paled after hearing me, her expression betraying shock."Bella, I am talking about this birthmark." I embraced Alan, showing Bella the spot on his leg, the same one that held me in agonizing suspicion."No, this is not a birthmark; it's a burning mark on his leg." She made an effort to seem calm in front of me, but her trembling voice and perspiration on her forehead told me otherwise. Her denial, paired with her reaction, only confirmed my worst fears."What are you trying to hide from me?"
Isabella~"What happened? Why did you apply the car brakes so abruptly?" I gave him a furious glare. Due to his sudden application of the brake, Alan and I narrowly avoided falling onto the car's floor. However, I managed to balance my body weight and prevent Alan's head from colliding with the driver's seat."What did you just say, Alan is five years old?" He gave me a suspicious glance, his expression quickly sharpening as realization seemed to dawn. I immediately realized my mistake, and fear washed over me. Why did I keep giving him reason to doubt me? Now, he would undoubtedly learn the truth. Oh no, I must do something—anything—to keep his suspicions at bay."Xavier, why did you insist on driving the car when your entire attention is constantly focused on me? Do you wish for us to be killed in an accident?" I shot back quickly, trying to cover up my slip-up. I immediately opened the door and got out of the car, hoping to shift his focus."What are you doing, Bella?" He sounded
Isabella~"Thank God, we finally returned to the USA." When I heard Xavier's voice, I opened my eyes. The journey had been perilous and exhausting. Undoubtedly, Uncle Jorawar will be pleased to learn that we have taken Jonathan into custody.I took Xavier's hand and ran my thumb over it. "Do you truly believe it's that simple, Bella?" He raised his brow and questioned me, his expression dark."What's the issue now? Xavier, everything is in order now. We've filed a case against Jonathan and asked the Italian police to transfer him to the US police." I didn't understand why he still looked so worried about Jonathan when everything seemed sorted."Given that we assisted Italian authorities in apprehending Jonathan, do you believe Jordan will remain silent?" Xavier's forehead creased with tension.His words made my chest tighten. "What will Jordan Lucas do in this case? He has no authority over the Italian police." I tried to sound confident, though a flicker of doubt crept in."He mig
Xavier~"Are you ready, Jacqueline?" I teased James, unable to resist the opportunity since he was dressed like a woman."Don't play with me, Xavier; otherwise, I will punch your handsome face, turning it blue." He angrily gritted his teeth, his voice unusually high-pitched to match his disguise."Don't be too harsh on your delicate hands, Jacqueline." I smirked, taking his hand and running my thumb over it."Bella, ask this bastard to stop teasing me; otherwise, I will kick him in his main part, and he will not be able to fulfill Alan's desire!" James shot Bella an irritated look."Stop it, Xavier. How can you make fun of him in such a risky situation? You know that what James is going to do is not a simple task," Bella scolded, her expression deadly serious."I know, my sweetheart, but he looks so gorgeous in this attire that I can't hold myself back from flirting with him. Trust me, Bella, if he were a woman, I'd propose to him right now." I burst into laughter as I glanced at Jame
Isabella~"Why did you flee from that building, Xavier? You know we have a chance to apprehend him." I looked at him angrily as he was running from Jonathan."Use your common sense, Bella; you have no idea how dangerous Jonathan is. He's not like Jordan. If we don't flee from him, he will kill us." He looked behind to check whether Jonathan was still following us or not, his sharp eyes scanning the streets for any sign of pursuit."But now, how will we bring justice to Laila?" As we paused near the police station, I questioned him again, my voice trembling with frustration."For now, let's put Laila out of our minds; we need to get back to the United States," he said, his tone curt. He asked me not to overthink this, but the words felt like a dismissal, and my chest tightened.James made me sit on the bench. His heavy breathing and sweat dripping down his forehead gave me an idea of how exhausting carrying me must have been. Despite his weariness, he cast me a reassuring smile, as if
Xavier~What are we going to do now? Her questioning gaze fixed on my face. Since I was also unsure of what we should do at this point, I looked at James' face to get a hint about our next course of action. Jonathan and his shooters were staring at us with excitement, so I wanted to let him know that we were lawyers, not artists, and that I had no idea what I should perform when confronting themJames came up with the plan to alter our look to trick the gunmen, but Bella's obstinacy has caused us to follow Jonathan here instead. Jonathan's menacing grey eyes gleamed in the room's darkness, giving us the impression that we were standing in front of a ravenous lion within his den."What are you waiting for? My gunmen will shoot you if you don't perform soon."Two large shadows caught my attention behind his chair. They loomed like silent sentinels, their sharp eyes never leaving us."Without music, I can't dance." I adjusted the tone of my voice and explained my incapacity to perform,
Isabella~"What are you doing here?"I heard noises and a dangerous voice around me, and I opened my eyes. The dim glow of the museum flickered across the room. My heart sank."We were new to this place and had lost our way," James said, his voice trembling with forced politeness.What’s going on here? Where are we? I looked around to see what was happening in my immediate environment. Three gunmen stood in front of us, pointing their weapons at us. Xavier stood like a mountain, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, his presence grounding me in the face of fear."Where do you want to go?" I heard the piercing voice of one of the gunmen, his tone sharp enough to cut through the tense silence."We want to go to this drama theater." James reached into his coat and pulled out one card, his hands slightly tremblingbut his expressioncalm.Drama-theater? What is he talking about? I looked at him in confusion. Why did he dress in pirate clothes?"Have you seen any of them? We are actively
Xavier~"Bella, how did this happen?" I worriedly glanced at her broken leg. It's only been two days without her, but it feels like an eternity. When I learned she had checked out from the hotel, fear consumed me. I repeatedly dialed her number, but it was unreachable. My mind spiraled as I imagined the worst.Seeing her like this now, vulnerable and hurt, my jealousy and anger resurfaced. Her ignorant behavior toward me before leaving for Italy had already stung, but now I couldn’t hold back the flood of questions."Xavier, promise me first that you will not be angry with me after hearing the truth," she said, releasing me from our embrace and meeting my gaze."Please tell me everything first, and then I’ll decide." My fingers grazed her chin as I spoke, but my eyes shifted to James, narrowing in suspicion.My heart warred with itself, pleading with me to trust James, the friend I’d known since childhood. Yet my jealousy silenced those pleas. I couldn’t ignore the thought that he mig
Isabella~"James, are you sure we’ll find Jonathan here?" I questioned him in a doubt-filled tone, my unease growing with every passing second."Yes, Bella. I got this address from my informant." He motioned for me to exit the taxi.The chilly Italian air stung my skin as I stepped onto the deserted street. My life had completely transformed in just two days. Two days ago, my family and I were in the United States, and now I found myself in this unknown, freezing city, chasing someone I’d never even met.When James told me that Jonathan had moved to Italy after Laila’s passing, I knew I had no choice but to come. Jordan Lucas had already tricked Uncle Jorawar and dragged us into this chaos, and now Jonathan was my only lead. I wanted to share the truth about this trip with Xavier, but his erratic behavior and mistrust made it impossible. If I’d told him I was coming to find Jonathan, he would’ve stopped me no matter what.Despite the guilt of keeping secrets, I had to take this chanc
Xavier~"Bella, what happened suddenly? You love him, right?" Dad looked at her in disbelief."Yes, Dad, but I want to take my time and not rush things. I want to understand him better before marrying him." She fidgeted with her fingers and then looked at my face."Well, it's your choice, Bella. I don't want to impose anything on you." After letting out a long sigh, Dad accepted her choice."Thank you, Dad." After hugging him, she went to the kitchen.I don’t understand why she suddenly changed her mind. Is she no longer in love with me? I followed her to the kitchen, hoping to talk with her, but she didn’t show any interest. Her coldness was unbearable. I replayed every interaction in my mind, searching for what I had done wrong.I’ve always trusted her words, but seeing her with James stirred my insecurities. My desire to win her back always overtook my reason whenever I saw them together. Bella is the kind of woman every man dreams of having, and I can’t help but fear losing her. B
Isabella~"Hey Xavier, congratulations, buddy." I turned around after hearing James' voice. He was standing at the kitchen's entrance. His tightened jaw and white knuckles indicated that he was not pleased to see James here."Why are you congratulating me? I should be the one to congratulate you on your achievement, James." He approached us, his every move deliberate and slow, as if he were trying to control his anger."What are you saying?" James looked at him with confusion."You understand clearly what I mean, am I right, Bella?" Xavier’s doubt-filled eyes made me his target.In an attempt to gain his trust, I gazed intently into his lovely blue eyes, but all I could see were anger and jealousy."Xavier, listen, you misunderstood our relationship; we are just friends." James attempted to clarify his misunderstanding after noticing the tension between us."Do you think I'm a fool, James? Do you think I am not aware of your late-night conversations and the fact that you two spent the