Isabella~"Miss Luis, what are you doing on this deserted road?" He pulled to a stop in front of me and lowered his car window.I gestured for him to look at my car's tire."Oh, but where are you going so early in the morning?" His voice was filled with confusion.Now, how should I inform him that I am planning to meet Jordan Lucas? No, I can't tell him the truth; if I do, he will again force me to answer his petty questions, and I'm not in the mood to argue with him. "I have some important work to complete in an old prison cell." I only partially told him the truth, as I didn't want to reveal my true motivation for visiting the old prison cell outside the city."Do you have spare tires, Miss Luis? " He gave my face a sincere, worried glance. His eyes were only filled with concern for me. Unlike yesterday, there was no sign of desperation in his eyes, and I'm relieved he's stopped calling me Bella."No, Mr. Thompson, I didn't bring my usual car today because I was in such a rush." I
Xavier~"No, I don't know her." I shook my head after much deliberation. I know Jordan's ruthlessness, so I don't want her to become involved in this case any further. Meeting Jordan Lucas could potentially put her life in danger. "Mr. Thompson, could you please explain why you are misleading him? Officer, please allow me to meet Jordan; I am Xavier's lawyer." She requested that we meet Jordan. "Sorry, Miss, I can't allow you to meet him until Xavier accepts you as his lawyer." My friend Denial supported my decision. If I discover the true reason for her visit to the old jail cell, I will not bring her here with me. It's true that last night I desperately wanted her to accompany me to the old prison, but knowing that she came here after leaving her son alone at her house, who was also in a sick condition, makes me feel guilty about telling her about my visit to Jordan. How could she be so stupid that she left her son to meet Jordan? Does she genuinely believe that this case holds
Isabella~"Alan, please don't cry; Mama is coming home." He kept calling me after sitting in Xavier's car, so I answered his call. "Mama, it's evening now, and you haven't returned home yet." He voiced his dissatisfaction with me. "Alan, please don't cry; you are Mama's strong boy." The sound of his tears pierced my chest again. I love him more than anything in the world, and I can't imagine him facing any kind of difficulty. "Please take care of yourself; I'll be returning home in two hours." It wasn't until Xavier offered me tissue paper to wipe my tears that I realized they had fallen on my cheeks. I refused his offer to drop me off at my house because I only wanted to spend time with him for work-related matters. However, as soon as I saw how much rain was falling, I quickly changed my mind, thinking of my son's health. This time, I decided to sit in the passenger seat to keep him from ogling my face in the car's rearview mirror. Heavy clouds obscured the sun, engulfing our s
Xavier~"Alan..." She ran inside her house with tears in her eyes. After hearing her housemaid’s news, she completely lost control of her senses. She threw her mobile and bag on the street, rushing into the house to check on her son. I couldn’t hold myself back from following her inside, concerned about what had happened. I picked up her mobile and purse from the roadside and entered her house without her permission. I knew she didn’t want me here; she didn’t want me to see where she lived, but I couldn’t just stand by while she was this distraught. Her son’s condition and the fact that she had left him alone because of my case weighed on me heavily.I hesitated before entering her hallway, fully aware that no one would welcome me, but my worry overshadowed everything else. The beautifully decorated house made me feel like a trespasser for a moment. Bella had always been precise in everything she did, and this house was no exception. It was full of memories I didn’t know—reflections
Isabella~"Wh...what type of question is this? He is, of course, my son." My voice faltered upon hearing his query. It unfolded in the manner that frightened me the most. I did everything in my power to keep Xavier from seeing my son, but fate had other plans. Xavier eventually became acquainted with my son. "Bella, I am asking who’s the father of Alan." His eyes are filled with suspicion, and his tone is dominating. "Mr. Thompson, please get out of my house immediately. You have no right to inquire about my personal life." I gestured toward the open hall door. "I'll leave when you respond to my questions." His rage was evident in his voice. I am well aware of his dominating nature. He won't leave until I provide him with a satisfactory response. Even if I'm not prepared to handle the situation right now, I must answer his inquiries. "Alan is my son, and his father is out of town. When he gets back, I'll introduce him. It's too late, so please leave my house now." Even after rec
Xavier~"Mr. Thompson, I would like to meet you tomorrow morning." Her message beeped on my phone. What does she want to discuss so urgently that she texted me at midnight, even after today’s incident? I pondered over her text. I know She wants to withdraw from my case, but why would she want to meet me again? Placing my phone on the side table, I immersed myself again in today's events. The more I try to put my life and my broken heart back together, the more confused I get. My life has become a gigantic mess.Jordan Lucas is not in prison. Jordan Lucas put Alicia in my life to exact retribution on me, but instead of doing so, he murdered his pawn and ensnared me in her murder investigation. I kept getting more and more entangled in this murder case whenever I attempted to gather evidence that would show my innocence. However, my conflicting emotions toward Isabella are exacerbating the situation, not to mention that the murder case itself is the primary cause of my distress. Even
Isabella~"Tell me, what is his weakness?" I peered attentively at his face. "I must go, Miss Luis, but I'll get back to you when I find Jordan." He hurriedly rose from his chair and headed for the office door. "No, you can't leave me in the dark about his weakness. I want to know where you are going." To obstruct his path, I leaped ahead of him. "Before I reveal everything to you, Miss Luis, I would like to clarify my suspicions, as I am uncertain if this path will lead me to Jordan or not." He looked surprised to see me blocking his way. "It's no matter how minor details you find about Jordan; as your lawyer, I have every right to be fully informed." I looked into his eyes and refused to let him go until he shared the details with me. "Miss Luis, you act like a little child." He shook his head in disappointment. "No, I am doing my work only. Either tell me about his weakness or stay in this office." I extended my arms to fully obstruct his path. "I would love to stay with you
Xavier~"Have you reached home?" As she answered the call, I heard a strong, masculine voice on her phone."I am going to find Jordan Lucas," she glanced at me before speaking into the phone. I maintained my focus on the road, feigning not to hear her, but my curiosity was piqued. Who was this man that had her so terrified she broke into a cold sweat when his number flashed on her screen?"Bella, please stop this nonsense. Do you even see the time? You're going to search for a gangster at eleven o'clock in the evening?" The irritation in the man's voice was palpable."Don't worry about me; I'm not alone. I'm with Mr. Thompson," she replied, hesitating to meet my gaze again. But I continued to act as though I couldn't hear the words."The icing on the cake is that you're chasing Jordan Lucas with that murderer! Bella, I told you to stay away from that bastard, but you ignored my warnings. I'm coming back tomorrow, and we will have a conversation." The anger in the man's voice escalated
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