Westbridge Academy of Music and Arts was one of the most well-known universities in the country. It boasted a large number of celebrity graduates each year, including some of the most famous artists in the world. It was the place to be for anyone seeking connections or looking to boost their fame further.It was safe to say that the school's criteria were very high, and it was extremely difficult to gain admission. For someone like Bella, who had no talent in art, it would have been nearly impossible to be accepted. But here she was, a first-year student of music and dance, something she didn't even have an interest in.But it was alright because she wasn't actually here to study. Bella had enrolled at Westbridge because it was the only way she could meet a certain person without raising Vaughn's suspicion. This person would be her key to escaping her abusive marriage and exacting revenge on her husband.Bella had to move out of the mansion due to her new college being a three-hour dr
“Boss?” Vaughn’s attention was diverted back to his bodyguard, who had also noticed Bella’s fleeing figure. “Should we go after her?”“No need. I doubt she’s the one.” If that had indeed been his wife, why would she have run away after seeing him? Just now, it was as if she had seen a monster. No, that couldn’t possibly be his Bella. Vaughn walked forward, ignoring the crowd that was gradually forming.As someone famous, he always caused a stir wherever he went, which was why he had his security team with him at all times. He hated interacting with people he regarded as beneath him.“Mr. McCoy, welcome,” the Vice-Chancellor of the school, Mr. Adams, greeted him. They shook hands, and he led the young billionaire to his office. “I want to state what an honor it is to have you at our institution.”“Sure, but I’m sure you know the real reason I’m here.”“Of course. Your wife…” Mr. Adams shuffled through a stack of papers until he found what he was looking for—Bella’s schedule, which had
"Indeed," Damien said simply. He accepted Vaughn's outstretched hand, but the handshake only lasted a moment. Both of them were too disgusted with each other to continue touching.Their mutual disdain was palpable; no one could ever guess the deep hatred that ran between the two men. Bella had overheard Vaughn complaining about Damien and his family on countless occasions. While Vaughn's father, Stephen McCoy, was a gold merchant with his main company in South Africa, the Beriosova family had a dark history.There had been speculations that Luciano Beriosova was a drug lord who used his legitimate business as a cover-up. It might have been just rumors, but Vaughn had said the same thing, and Bella didn’t believe he was making it up.“While I would love to catch up, I was just about to take Bella home,” Vaughn said.“Wasn’t she supposed to start classes today?” Damien asked.“She’s tired, aren’t you, baby?”That voice... there was no way she could say otherwise. Vaughn's harsh gaze pro
Her shock was evident on her face. Bella pondered over the question carefully; it was the first time someone had asked her about the abuse. Her parents knew about it, but to remain in her husband's favor, they never brought it up.Damien didn't want to repeat himself. "I suspected this." His heartless cousin, who only seemed to care about himself, wouldn't be able to stand living with another human being.Vaughn's marriage had come as a shock to their family. Luciano Beriosova had even joked that whoever was unfortunate enough to marry the little devil wouldn't live past the honeymoon before getting herself killed. Damien hadn't gone to the wedding, but he'd seen it in the media. It was all the internet gushed about for months.His cousin was a very good actor. He played the role of a perfect husband in public to the point of deceiving the whole world. But Damien knew that Vaughn was only putting on an act, and now his suspicions were confirmed.His lips curled into a dismissive smile
Damien was thoughtful enough not to drive all the way to her apartment—Bella feared that Vaughn might still be waiting for her there. He wouldn’t be too happy to know she was spending time with his cousin.If possible, she wouldn’t even want to return to the apartment. She didn’t want to face Vaughn; who knew what kind of torture he’d put her through?But she would need to convince him to let her remain in school. When morning came, she’d be easily swayed because then he’d think she was back to being the stupid girl who loved him and did whatever he said."Thanks for everything."Damien nodded absently. "Come find me tomorrow. We’ll talk about the rest.""Okay."Bella got out of the car and watched Damien drive away. With a sigh, she walked the rest of the way back to her apartment. She paused to collect herself at the front door before going inside. The door gave way easily; she knew Vaughn was still inside—she could smell him.She took off her shoes and tried to make as little noise
His tongue pried her lower lips apart and then thrust into her pussy. His blue eyes darted to her face as he smirked mischievously before sucking hard on her clit. Bella’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her mouth fell open, and a strangled moan escaped her. Her body was slick with sweat, and the sheets beneath her felt damp as well. Bella's gaze was fixed on the ceiling, her fingers buried in the blond mop of hair that stuck out between her legs. Oh God, he used his tongue so well. He had her legs around his shoulders, and when he sank between them and gave her her very first tongue fuck, he didn’t come up for air even once. It seemed he was enjoying himself far more than she was. He sucked, licked, and nibbled at her cunt, making her moan so loudly that if the apartment hadn’t been soundproof, someone would no doubt have heard her. She couldn’t hold back her cries of ecstasy as he sucked at her clit and hungrily lavished her entrance with his skillful tongue. Bella’s hips
Some people were so hypocritical to the point of playing two characters so flawlessly at once. In Vaughn's case, one was the kind and loving husband who would do anything for his wife, while the other was the heartless psychopath who cared about no one else except himself.While having breakfast that morning, Bella found it hard to suppress her emotions. The fear and anger from yesterday would always resurface whenever her husband looked at her with false, gentle eyes or even kissed her. She would always recall the multiple times he had hit her, hurt her badly to the point of being hospitalized.Did this man not have a conscience? Was there no self-guilt? How could he live with himself knowing that he was putting on an act? He clearly didn't love her, so why insist on leading her into thinking he did? Why couldn't he let her go?"Eat some more, you've lost a bit of weight these past few days," Vaughn said softly. He put some more pancakes on her plate and even offered to make her some
Seeing the horrified look on her face, Damien chuckled. "I was just joking."Bella sighed in relief. Knowing how love-struck she had been in the past, she wouldn’t have doubted if she’d actually said something like that. She and Damien used to be good friends before she met Vaughn. He would always tease her like this. At one point, everyone thought they were dating, but then his demon cousin showed up, and the rest was history."Don’t say things like that; I actually believed you just now. Who would commit suicide by choking on a bar of soap?" The idea was ludicrous.Damien looked at her deeply. Seeing her like this, he was almost tempted to bring up the time she’d nearly dyed her hair blonde and gotten tattoos around her belly button just because she’d heard a rumor that Vaughn was into that aesthetic.This woman had done a lot of foolish things in her life for the love of a man. Damien had gone from seeing her as a genuine friend to thinking she was crazy; he had even been disgusted
At the end, Bella couldn't find anything to hit Vaughn with. She shot him a venomous look and shoved past him, hurrying downstairs."Bella," Damien had noticed her enter the Banquet Hall earlier, but when he searched for her, she was nowhere to be found. Seeing her descend with Vaughn trailing closely behind, their clothes disheveled, his gaze darkened.When Bella saw him, she was about to walk toward him when Vaughn held her arm. "It's been a long day, let’s go home first.""I have someone I want to talk to. You can go by yourself."Vaughn glanced at Damien, though his expression didn’t change. Bella could tell he was displeased. "You both go to the same school. I only get you for today before you leave tomorrow. Surely whatever you have to say to him can wait."Bella didn’t bother arguing. She pulled her arm free and walked away. Vaughn watched her retreating form, feeling a sting of jealousy as he noticed how friendly she was with another man. His hand clenched at his side. His eye
"Mr. Winter, please don't be unreasonable. Vaughn and I...are really not that close."Eric smiled at her, his eyes seeming to say, "Really? You've been married for years and you claim you aren't that close? Impressive."Bella just knew this man was taunting her in his heart. He was very gloomy and detached normally, but when he smiled, he became even scarier. The good-looking ones were the most crazy! "We really aren't close!!""I believe you." Such a fucking liar, if you believe me, why am I still here? "But it makes no difference to me. I only want what your husband stole from my company. Surely that doesn't make me a bad person, right?""It does if you kidnap innocent people! If I report to the police, don't think you'll get away with it easily."Eric clearly didn't take her seriously. He gulped down the contents of his glass and stared at her. The longer he looked, the darker his eyes got. At one point, Bella's entire body started trembling in fright. Please tell me, what are you
"Is that?...""The Daughter-in-law of the McCoy family," Isaac Walker said, his voice devoid of any emotion. Though his heart was just as turbulent, he was even better at controlling his emotions than his father. "I've seen photos of her before. I just didn't think she looked this... familiar.""Oh, bro, you also think she looks familiar?" Silas couldn't help but look closely, but the woman had already retreated, and he could only stare at her back. Actually, he had just mentioned it casually to his brother, but he didn't think that his usually stoic brother and father would have such a strong reaction. Isn't it just a bit of resemblance?"Father, it's not possible," Isaac said."I know," the Patriarch of the Walker family lowered his eyes, hiding his complicated emotions. He knew it wasn't possible for his daughter to still be alive. It was just that the woman from the McCoy family looked a lot like her, and it made him remember the bittersweet memories of his little girl before that
The Banquet Hall was decorated lavishly. The heavy scent of expensive perfumes mixed together was very unpleasant, though when Bella saw the table brimming with all kinds of desserts, she felt her mood lighten up a bit.Being married to one of the world's richest men meant that she had a free pass to attend exclusive events like this. It was just a gathering where rich people mingled, compared who had the most assets, and formed partnerships. The rich only favored the rich. It was one of the reasons why she hated attending events like this."Mr. McCoy, it's a pleasure seeing you here," a middle-aged man with a balding head and an obvious potbelly was the first to walk up to them. Bella was ignored as usual; she was treated more like an accessory by her husband's side, only there to make him look good.As Vaughn and the man cheerfully chatted about business, Bella looked around the place. She saw some familiar faces, like her sister, Damien, and her parents. That's right... Bella's par
Bella threw the first punch; unfortunately, the man was able to evade it very easily. Her chest heaved as she faced Vaughn, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Rage burned in her eyes, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface when she saw the amusement on his face. “Stop smirking like that!” she snapped.Vaughn, calm as ever, tilted his head slightly, dodging another punch aimed at his face. “Is that all you’ve got?”“Shut up!” Bella growled, throwing another punch, followed by a clumsy kick. But Vaughn moved like water, effortlessly sidestepping each attack. His movements were fluid, precise, and unhurried—more like a dance than a fight.Bella stumbled but quickly regained her footing, her frustration evident. She lunged again, this time with more desperation than precision. Vaughn caught her wrist mid-swing and released it just as quickly, almost as if he found her attempts amusing.“Why aren’t you fighting back?” she yelled, her voice a mixture of ang
Vaughn's $26 million mansion was nestled in a high-class neighborhood, standing grand and elegant with its stone walls and steep slate roof. Warm lights glowed from its many windows, creating a welcoming aura. A circular driveway led to the main entrance, flanked by neatly trimmed bushes and vibrant flowers. At its center, a fountain stood, surrounded by lush green lawns and softly lit pathways.Bella had only been here a handful of times. She much preferred living in the villa over staying in the mansion. Whenever she stayed here, she felt uncomfortable. The space was simply too vast. Although there were maids and other staff in the house during the day, they all retired to their homes by dusk, leaving the mansion eerily quiet.Vaughn owned many properties—mansions, villas, vacation homes, and even skyscrapers. But Bella had never been the materialistic type. She longed for a modest home where she and her husband could spend quality time together.Unfortunately, the mansion was teemi
"I’ll send the private jet to pick you up tomorrow at noon. Be ready."Bella wanted to scream in frustration. Couldn't he get the hint that she didn't want to go back to the city? Vaughn's behavior was very strange. First, he broke it off with Jessica, and now he wanted her to attend an event with him? Usually, he mostly avoided being seen with her in public.She cut the call, fearing that if she heard his voice again, she might end up saying something she shouldn't—like cursing him. Honestly, she was getting so used to living a remote life that she felt very reluctant to go back. Maybe she would have preferred it if Vaughn and Jessica were still together; that way, her sister would be a distraction for Vaughn.Bella rubbed her cheeks absentmindedly; it still stung a bit from where Jessica had hit her. It was already late, and she had no interest in watching television, so she might as well go to bed. She took a shower, put on her nightwear, and lay on her soft bedding. It didn't take
Bella was speechless. She couldn’t comprehend why Jessica was in her apartment or why she’d insulted her. It had been a while since they’d seen each other, and Bella couldn’t recall doing anything that might have offended her sister. But how could she not feel angry, seeing the person who had once tried to kill her lounging casually on her sofa, still audacious enough to throw insults? "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Why can’t I be here? Isn’t this the apartment Vaughn got you? It’s not yours, so what right do you have to kick me out?" Bella couldn’t believe her nerve. "Vaughn is my husband," she replied firmly. She had every right to anything he owned, whether money or property. The apartment was hers, and even Vaughn hadn’t fussed about ownership. So why was Jessica making an issue out of it? "That's what you think!" Jessica spat, trembling with rage. She looked at Bella with such hatred that Bella almost expected her to strike. Thinking back to the text she’d received
For someone like Silas, who had grown up with an overindulgent brother and a workaholic father who used money to solve problems, he’d never once been verbally disciplined. Now, he’d suddenly received a shoe to the face. He was so stunned that he couldn’t react for a long time.When he did, it seemed he didn’t feel anger in the end. He chuckled and wiped his face. Wow, fierce women were really the best. "Okay, don’t be angry. I didn’t mean it maliciously."Bella didn’t even want to acknowledge the man anymore. His thinking aligned with Vaughn’s. As expected, most men raised in wealthy families seemed to grow up with the mindset that they could get whatever they wanted with money."I still have things to do, so I’ll go first." She said her goodbyes to Damien and left.Silas watched her retreating figure, his eyes falling on her slim waist and voluptuous backside, hugged by the short dress she wore. He said to Damien, "How about you give me her number?""She is a married woman.""Huh?" T