Isabella~"What happened, Victor? Why are you so silent today?" I found his behavior very strange. Usually, he wouldn't be so quiet after returning from his house, so I'm not sure why he behaved this way today. His silence pricked at me, his face clouded with something between remorse and fear."Nothing, Bella," he finally said, his voice unusually quiet, eyes fixed on his food. "Will you forgive me if I unknowingly committed a mistake?""What mistake did you make?" I asked, confused, yet feeling my stomach tighten with worry."If Xavier comes to know the truth, then what will you do?" He looked up, and a shadow of fear lingered in his gaze. His words hit like a splash of ice water, freezing me mid-motion."What? That's not possible." My voice came out too loud, even to my ears. I stood, almost knocking the chair back. "You can't tell him the truth!" I stared at him, trying to hide my rising panic, but Victor’s expression looked regretful, almost remorseful, and a silent understandin
Xavier~"When did you test his DNA?" Her tongue faltered, and a pool of precipitation formed on her forehead. "How can you keep such a truth from me, Bella? I didn't anticipate this from you." After seeing the DNA report, I was also shocked. During the court session break, I received the DNA report. I read the report following the judge's verdict. Before reading the report, my heart was filled with pity for Bella's condition, as she had been brutally trapped in this case by Jordan Lucas. I know that Jordan has a long history of purchasing judges for personal gain, but after learning that Alan is my son and that Bella concealed this information from me, I became furious with her. How could she conceal such a significant truth, even when I repeatedly questioned it? I never imagined she would go to such extreme lengths to deceive me. She exploited my younger brother as a pawn in her game after first showing me Alan's phony DNA report. She and Victor didn't have a romantic relationship
Isabella~"Bella, what are you doing? How could you get engaged to this bastard?" Xavier came into the party hall just as I was ready to put the ring on James' hand. My eyes gleamed with happiness on seeing him in front of me. Nine months have passed since I last saw his face. He left my life after discovering the truth, but his final words continued to haunt me to this day. I expected him to fight for his rights, but he left Alan with me without question. His action touched my heart deeply. I was always scared that, after hearing the truth, he would fight with me for paternity with Alan, but to my surprise, he disappeared from my life in silence. In his absence, I realized my mistake and regretted my behavior. Victor also felt sorry for lying to him about our relationship."How dare you play your dirty tricks on her despite my warnings to stay away from her?" Xavier struck James in the face. Xavier's unexpected strike caused James to fall to the ground, but he rose fast and straig
Xavier~"Oh my god, it's unbelievable. How can they put such a severe charge on you? If the media leaks this news, it could negatively impact your public image," Bella said, her voice trembling as she read the notice. I grabbed the paper from her hand, my own pulse racing as I tried to process the gravity of what she’d just said."What the hell is this? How can they accuse you of harassing your partner and accusing him of being a home wrecker? I mean, you both told me you were in a relationship willingly!" I looked at Victor, my expression a mix of confusion and shock, waiting for any sign of denial or explanation from him. "What’s this notice even about?"James leaned over, grabbed the court notice from my hand, and read it aloud."Wait… Are you… gay, Victor?" James looked up, startled, his eyes wide with shock as he searched Victor’s face for answers.Victor didn’t respond to James. Instead, he lowered his head, his face shadowed with a mix of shame and fear, his silence speaking v
Isabella~"Please open your eyes, Dad." I shook his body and asked him to open his eyes, but he lay down on the floor, unconscious. "Call the doctor, Xavier." As I saw his lifeless body on the floor, tears welled up in my eyes. Xavier and Victor took his body in the car and drove towards the hospital. With each step we took toward the hospital, my heartbeat accelerated. "Bella, don't cry; nothing will happen to Dad." As the doctor admitted Dad to the intensive care unit, Xavier wiped my tears. "Xavier, if something happened to him, then I will never forgive myself." Despite my promise to Victor that I would convince Dad to marry John, I was uncertain how things escalated before I had the opportunity to speak with him. I sobbed uncontrollably while resting my head on his shoulder. "It's okay, Bella; you are not to blame for anything that occurred." He stroked my hair and gently wiped away my tears. Victor stood in the corner of the hospital coordinator in a way that the culprit st
Xavier~"Dad. Please forgive me; I know I caused you so much pain and insult. You always protected us like a shield, and I was unaware of your value in my life until you cut ties with me." When I saw my father's lifeless body resting on the hospital bed, I started crying. His heartbeat indicator beeped, displaying a slow heartbeat line, and the sight of these lines on the heartbeat meter filled my heart with sadness. I never saw my dad in such a weakened condition. Despite his extensive experience as a criminal lawyer, I never noticed any signs of tension on his forehead. However, his unexpected heart attack deeply affected me. Indeed, we don't realize the true worth of a person in our life until we lose them. At some point, I began to feel responsible for my father's condition. My father never wanted me to interfere with Jordan Lucas, but at that time, I was so passionate and arrogant about my lawyerliness that I overlooked the potential consequences of my actions. Victor's secret
Isabella~"Mr. Thompson, by standing up for your brother in this case, are you attempting to undermine your uncle's authority? Is a familial rivalry unfolding under the cover of this case?" Journalists inundated Xavier with their inquiries. He glanced at my face, his expression full of amazement and bewilderment, without responding to any of their questions."Please pardon us, guys. As you are all aware, our dad is currently in the hospital, and we are right now dealing with many issues." I asked the journalist to leave us alone, and for the first time in my life, the reporter complied, allowing us to enter our car safely.Xavier and Victor looked worn out, so I took the car key from Victor's hand and started the car engine."What was that, Bella?" Xavier questioned me once we left the hospital premises and arrived at the empty road."Xavier, what happened? Dad is fine and will return home soon, so why are you acting so worried now?" I held his hand in an attempt to calm him down."N
Xavier~"What nonsense they were talking about!" Dad's shocked reaction prevented me from finishing my lunch. Bella tried to switch off the TV immediately, but because Dad had already heard the news, there was no point in keeping anything from him. Bella, James, Victor, and I exchanged shocked glances, none ready to answer Dad's questions."Bella, could you please explain what's going on?" Dad demanded an explanation from Bella because he hadn't spoken to any of us except her.Bella raked her saliva down her throat in an attempt to summon the courage to respond to Dad's question, but she refrained from doing so because of her growing fear of his reaction."A...act...actually...da...Dad." Her words faltered as she observed a flicker of anger in Dad's eyes."Bella, please respond to my query immediately if you want me to continue to have faith in you." He demanded an explanation with full authority in his voice.Despite my initial lack of confidence in defending Victor in this case, I a
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