MATEOI tried to convince Bella to hand over the paper to me but she insisted that she hold onto it. The note was left here recently and there was no way Moreno could have written it, someone must have been playing a twisted game with me.To avoid raising suspicion, I wrapped up the conversation with Bella and offered to drive her home. As we pulled up to her place, she reassured me she was fine, but I lingered.“You're sure you're okay?” I asked, searching her face.“I'm good, Mateo. Go,” she said firmly, her eyes exhausted.I hesitated, then reluctantly left, my mind still racing with questions. Who could be behind this? And why?I went straight to where Moreno was kept, determined to uncover the truth. It was either him or one of my men."Who's been in contact with Moreno?" I demanded, my eyes locked on the guard."No one, boss," he replied, his expression unwavering.The silence was deafening. If no one entered, and Moreno didn't leave, how then did the note get to Bella's office?
MATEOI had to find a way to convince Bella not to hold a press conference or make her say that Moreno was dead. It didn’t make any difference whatever she said to the public I just didn’t want her to believe Moreno was alive. It was going to make things difficult for me and ruin my plans. The next day I hurriedly went to the mansion to meet Bella and try to change her mind. The press conference was scheduled to hold by noon today and I was at the mansion as early as 6 am. I met her in the study already preparing her speech. “If you’re here to stop me, don’t bother.” She said without looking up at me as I entered the study. “I didn’t come here to stop you, I’m here to support you,” I said shocking her and she looked up and me for a while. “Okay,” “I need to know what you plan to say.” “Exactly what I told you yesterday, I plan to tell them that Moreno is still alive, our stocks are dropping, you know how people in this business do not value and trust women. Inasmuch as I’d love to pr
BELLAAs soon as Mateo left I couldn’t stop thinking, I was convinced that he was hiding something from me and it had to do with Moreno, I couldn’t trust Mateo any longer until I found out what exactly he was hiding and planning behind my back. He had been acting suspiciously and I plan to get to the button of it. I sat on the chair staring blankly at the wall, lost in thoughts. If I remember correctly, Mateo and Moreno went for the ambush together, Mateo came back barely touched and Moreno missing. Before I was informed of anything, the scene had been cleared and that fake body was found. I closed my eyes trying to remember the painful memory of when Mateo informed me of the bad news. I hit him and cursed him for letting Moreno be in the building when it collapsed, he claimed that he took some of the men out and he was lucky to be alive. There was no flaw in the story and it was difficult to doubt, I had no idea where I was going to start and I couldn’t shake off the fact that Mate
BELLAI called my secretary to inform her that I wouldn’t be able to go to work and that I wanted to take the day off to spend time with my son. Mateo didn’t try to reach out to me again, no surprise there though. I met with Sandra again and I made sure to ask for her name. To maintain discretion, I altered my appearance. I stared at Sandra, as tears streamed down my face. The revelation was crippling I had been with the enemy this whole time, and I couldn’t believe it. Sandra gave me some time to sob, she didn’t mind. She must have been through something too, because what she was doing was betrayal, I didn’t care, Mateo betrayed Moreno by selling him out to his enemy. “You have to be careful, Mateo can't know about this, about our meeting, and about what you just learned, is that possible Bella?” She asked and I nodded. She handed me a phone, “You can reach me with that, my number is already saved.” I nodded and thanked her. "Will I be able to speak with...with Moreno?" I asked desp
BELLA’S POVI tried my best to hold in the tears that were threatening to drop from my eyes, while I lay on the bed thinking of everything that had been going on in my life. I was grown and beginning to understand some things. I knew my parents were doing the best they could do for me as their only child, they wanted to give me only the best in everything, I wasn't even allowed to get a job when I insisted that I wanted to help them, they believed they should be the ones providing for me. I’ll be starting college next month and I found out that my dad told Uncle Noah to help him borrow some money from the bank for my college tuition, my uncle was the only sibling my dad had and my dad trusted him with his life. I overheard their discussion in Dad’s study room, but I pretended that I didn’t know anything about it. We were a middle-class family living in the city of San Francisco but my parents made me go to an elite school for the rich. And my dad insisted that I study business educa
Isabella’s POVI couldn't bring myself to accept the fact that my mother was gone. I kept thinking that maybe she had just run away, or maybe she had been kidnapped. I clung to these thoughts, even though they were far-fetched and unlikely. It was easier to believe in these fantasies than to face the truth. The grief and the pain were like a weight on my chest, crushing me from the inside.The funeral was a blur. I watched the proceedings with a numbness that I couldn't shake. It all felt like a terrible dream, and I kept waiting for someone to wake me up. But as I watched my mother's casket being lowered into the ground, I knew that this was real. And it was too much to bear. I felt like I was shattering into a million pieces, and I didn't know how to put myself back together.As I watched the casket disappear into the ground, I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I sank to my knees and the tears came in waves. The sobbing was uncontrollable. The world seemed to be s
Isabella’s POVI opened my eyes, to an unfamiliar ceiling above me. I was in a large, dimly lit room, and I couldn't remember how I got there. The last thing I remembered was a sharp pain in my neck. I wasn't sure where I was or what had happened to me.As my senses returned, I remembered that some men had come to my house and taken me away. I couldn't recall their faces, but I remembered the terror I felt when they grabbed me. And then I remembered the pain in my neck before everything went dark. I sat up, my heart pounding in my chest. I was in a strange house, and I didn't know where I was. I felt a wave of panic wash over me. I had to get out of there, but I didn't know where to go or what to do.I stood up, my legs shaking underneath me. I took a step forward, and my eyes fell on a man sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He was staring at me with a smirk on his face. I froze, my breath catching in my throat. I didn't know who he was or what he wanted from me. But I knew
Trigger warning (This chapter contains sexual abuse)ISABELLA’S POVI was in a state of shock as we got out of the car and walked into the airport towards what looked like a private jet. I had never been on a private jet before, and I couldn't believe that this was happening to me. I felt like I was in a dream like this wasn't real, but it was.I'm trying to stay out of sight, to not draw attention to myself, to not make any sudden movements, but I'm trying to keep my cool. I just want to get through this, to get out of this situation. “Welcome Mr Moreno” some ladies who I assumed were the flight attendants said smiling.He ignored them and dragged me to a room in the private jet, grabbing a fist full of my hair from behind, I flinched in pain it was all too sudden. “You whore!” He shouted and I looked at him confused“Were you trying to get drunk? And what’s with this dress you’re wearing? You couldn’t wait to show your true colors huh” What was he talking about I looked at him whi
BELLAI called my secretary to inform her that I wouldn’t be able to go to work and that I wanted to take the day off to spend time with my son. Mateo didn’t try to reach out to me again, no surprise there though. I met with Sandra again and I made sure to ask for her name. To maintain discretion, I altered my appearance. I stared at Sandra, as tears streamed down my face. The revelation was crippling I had been with the enemy this whole time, and I couldn’t believe it. Sandra gave me some time to sob, she didn’t mind. She must have been through something too, because what she was doing was betrayal, I didn’t care, Mateo betrayed Moreno by selling him out to his enemy. “You have to be careful, Mateo can't know about this, about our meeting, and about what you just learned, is that possible Bella?” She asked and I nodded. She handed me a phone, “You can reach me with that, my number is already saved.” I nodded and thanked her. "Will I be able to speak with...with Moreno?" I asked desp
BELLAAs soon as Mateo left I couldn’t stop thinking, I was convinced that he was hiding something from me and it had to do with Moreno, I couldn’t trust Mateo any longer until I found out what exactly he was hiding and planning behind my back. He had been acting suspiciously and I plan to get to the button of it. I sat on the chair staring blankly at the wall, lost in thoughts. If I remember correctly, Mateo and Moreno went for the ambush together, Mateo came back barely touched and Moreno missing. Before I was informed of anything, the scene had been cleared and that fake body was found. I closed my eyes trying to remember the painful memory of when Mateo informed me of the bad news. I hit him and cursed him for letting Moreno be in the building when it collapsed, he claimed that he took some of the men out and he was lucky to be alive. There was no flaw in the story and it was difficult to doubt, I had no idea where I was going to start and I couldn’t shake off the fact that Mate
MATEOI had to find a way to convince Bella not to hold a press conference or make her say that Moreno was dead. It didn’t make any difference whatever she said to the public I just didn’t want her to believe Moreno was alive. It was going to make things difficult for me and ruin my plans. The next day I hurriedly went to the mansion to meet Bella and try to change her mind. The press conference was scheduled to hold by noon today and I was at the mansion as early as 6 am. I met her in the study already preparing her speech. “If you’re here to stop me, don’t bother.” She said without looking up at me as I entered the study. “I didn’t come here to stop you, I’m here to support you,” I said shocking her and she looked up and me for a while. “Okay,” “I need to know what you plan to say.” “Exactly what I told you yesterday, I plan to tell them that Moreno is still alive, our stocks are dropping, you know how people in this business do not value and trust women. Inasmuch as I’d love to pr
MATEOI tried to convince Bella to hand over the paper to me but she insisted that she hold onto it. The note was left here recently and there was no way Moreno could have written it, someone must have been playing a twisted game with me.To avoid raising suspicion, I wrapped up the conversation with Bella and offered to drive her home. As we pulled up to her place, she reassured me she was fine, but I lingered.“You're sure you're okay?” I asked, searching her face.“I'm good, Mateo. Go,” she said firmly, her eyes exhausted.I hesitated, then reluctantly left, my mind still racing with questions. Who could be behind this? And why?I went straight to where Moreno was kept, determined to uncover the truth. It was either him or one of my men."Who's been in contact with Moreno?" I demanded, my eyes locked on the guard."No one, boss," he replied, his expression unwavering.The silence was deafening. If no one entered, and Moreno didn't leave, how then did the note get to Bella's office?
DUAL POVMORENO“Can you hear me,” I heard Sandra ask. And I was too weak to answer or even shake my head. What was going on with me? Why was I unable to move my body? “Blink if you can hear me.” She said. And I blinked, “Oh! Thank God, you’re fine, you’ll be fine. It’s the drugs, just stop taking them. You have to stop taking them, no matter what.” She said in a hurry and left the room immediately without giving me a moment to process what she had just said. Ever since the day in that room with Mateo, I was injected with a drug every single day, and it drove me crazy every single time like I was going insane. After taking the shots for 5 days, I was given a pill to swallow every day, they said it was going to help alleviate the symptoms I had and I always took it under the scrutinized gaze of a doctor. So it was the drugs all along? Mateo was trying to drive me insane. Fuck! At this rate, I would not be able to get to Bella in time. The next day, the doctor came in with the drug aga
BELLA’S POVI hadn’t seen Mateo since last night after he somehow ended up in my room. I didn’t know what had gotten into Mateo, he had always kept his distance from me before even after Moreno’s disappearance. I tried not to think about it, but it was so difficult not to. I took a deep breath feeling exhausted, my secretary came to inform me that Mateo was here to see me, and I told her to let him in. Mateo never came to my office, I just prayed it wasn’t about last night.I heard a knock on the door, “come in,” I said calmly taking a deep breath.“Hi,” Mateo said giving me a look I tried so hard to ignore. “Hi, you never come to see me. I guess this must be urgent.” I said.“No, not really, and I’m sorry I haven’t been around here much.” He said as he started walking towards me and he sat on my table like it was the most random thing to do. I took a deep breath trying to ignore how close we were.“You don’t have to apologize, we all have a lot on our plates right now,” I said and wa
The takeover was a lot easier than Mateo had expected, everyone naturally followed him because he was Moreno’s right hand man, while some men left because they didn’t want to be under Mateo. Mateo had thought that Bella would be easy to win over but it was taking too long for her to run to him for help and he was getting impatient.He expected her to run to him crying and depending on him for everything, but instead she had become a strong independent woman. He was there for her even when she claimed she didn’t need anyone. He looked after Gustavo like his own son, deep down he loved Gustavo but he hated the fact that he was Moreno’s son and the thought that Moreno was still alive irked him so much. He planned to use Gustavo to get closer to Bella, but she built up a wall around herself making her unreachable, but she loved Gustavo and she wasn’t going be able to get rid of Mateo easily if Gustavo got used to him. Which was already happening.He did everything a father would do for Gu
SANDRAOn the day I turned 18, the door opened and my name was called out. I quietly got out and walked out of the room. I met a lady outside the room and I was ordered to follow her. She took me to another room where I showered and changed into clean clothes.“What have you always wanted to become?” She asked taking me off guard with her question. “A nurse,” I said quietly and she nodded. I followed her outside the building and into a car, I didn’t ask any questions. While I sat in the car, I looked as we passed buildings, people, trees, families. I closed my eyes to stop the tears from running down my cheeks. It’s been three years with these people and I told myself that I wasn’t going to cry anymore. We got to another building and I followed the lady inside, ignoring the men around. It looked like we were in a hospital but from outside, it looked like an abandoned building. No one spared us a glance as they continued working. She took me to an office and handed off a file to me.
SANDRAI kept begging my father as he pulled me out of the house, hatred visible on his face. “Please don’t hurt me, I won’t tell anyone.” I cried. I was just 15 and came home from school to find my mother’s lifeless body in the kitchen. My dad used to always beat us when he was high, he must have beat my mother so much that he killed her. But he sat on a chair with a white substance which he sniffed on the table. I tried to back away slowly but he had already seen me. “Come here!” He ordered and I shock my head, “If you don’t want to join your mother, do as I say now!” I tried my best to hold in my tears so I wouldn’t annoy him further, but I knew that no matter that I did he was still going to do what he had in mind. Immediately I stood next to him, he pounced on me like I was a prey and he was the predator, I tried to get away from his grip but he was too strong. He subdued me on the floor as he tried to rip my clothes off. “Please father,” I begged, but he didn’t listen. Then I