"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
"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
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
When Bella came downstairs the next morning, Vaughn had already left for the Company. In her heart, she felt relieved. After what had happened the other night, she was almost certain he would pester her."Good morning, Madam."As she entered the dining room, she noticed a man dressed in formal clothing, rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He glanced at her briefly before fixing his gaze back on the newspaper in his hands.Bella paused mid-step. She studied the man closely, realizing she didn’t recognize him at all. "Um… who are you?""I am Edwin Miller, your assigned therapist.""Excuse me?!"The moment she laid eyes on the man, her instincts told her something was up, and of course, she had been right."I didn’t hire a therapist! I’m not mentally ill!""Pardon me, but no mentally ill patient ever admits they need help. Besides, your husband hired me. He wants me to help treat your amnesia.""But I don’t—" Bella cut herself off before revealing something she shouldn’t.
Damien wasn't surprised by her outburst. Honestly, from the moment he saw the video, he knew his cousin had done this to infuriate Bella. "I'm guessing he already knows about your recovery.""It's one thing knowing about my recovery, but why the hell would he make everyone think I've gone crazy?!""Because he knows it's only a matter of time before you file for a divorce. If he manages to convince the world that you're losing your mind, no one will take you seriously.""But why? Why is he so reluctant to let me go?"Damien had no answer to that. To him, Vaughn was a madman. Aside from being ruthless, he was also extremely unpredictable. People like him were the most dangerous. "Calm down. Don’t do anything hasty. We'll talk in school tomorrow."Bella doubted Vaughn would let her go back. She kept her dark thoughts at bay, not wanting to make Damien worry. Staying home alone was suffocating. Even the maids treated her like she didn’t exist. She glanced through the window from time to t
Vaughn was apologizing?Never in a million years would Bella have thought that her egotistical husband would one day apologize to her—and so sincerely, too. She looked at him intently, studying his face to gauge for any mockery or amusement. There was none. He wasn’t playing a prank on her.Okay, but what did he think an apology was going to accomplish at this point? Bella doubted she’d ever forgive him. Even if, by some miracle, she did, she’d never stop hating him, loathing him.“Can I go back now?” she asked, feeling rather impatient. She had waited all day for his return, just so she could go far away from here.Vaughn hummed. “Go pack your stuff. I’ll drive you to the airport.” He watched his wife hurry upstairs to bring her things. So eager to get away from him. He laughed with some bitterness. “As expected. Even if I change, it won’t make a difference. You’re so eager to leave.”Fine then, I’ll just have to monopolize you, own you, tie you up if I have to. I won’t let you leave
Bella, under the intense gaze of everyone else in the class, went to sit in the front row. She didn't expect, however, that Ethan Walker would ignore the rest of the class and pursue a conversation with her. He asked her questions like how her day was going, where she lived (which was a bit weird), her favorite food, and her marital status.Bella couldn't answer most of the questions due to how stunned she was. She was almost tempted to ask the man what he was trying to accomplish by asking her these odd questions. They didn't know each other at all; even in the business world, he and her husband weren't close partners. So why the sudden attention?She wasn't the only one stunned by Ethan's behavior. People whispered to themselves, "Who is she?" "How does she know Mr. Walker?" "Now that I think about it, she looks a bit familiar, doesn't she..."Bella lowered her face to hide her dark expression. She'd done a good job of blending into the background and not getting recognized by her
"The Number You Have Dialed Is Currently Switched Off..."Bella is greeted by the mechanical voice for the hundredth time that day—at least it feels like the hundredth to her. She thinks to herself that her mother was just like the Avatar: when you needed her the most, she vanished.It was ironic that the person she wanted to talk to the most at the moment wasn't even her biological parent. Still, years of maternal love couldn't simply be washed away so easily. Even though she felt that the woman had betrayed her by turning her back on her in Bella's time of need, Mirabel Page hadn't always been this selfish. She had cared about Bella sincerely in the past. Bella would give almost anything to turn back the hands of time, to return to her childhood when her parents had been loving, and everything had been so easy.To be the missing daughter of the Walker family—the most powerful individuals in Asia—would seem like a dream come true to most people. But Bella wasn't most people. She had
There was no one else in the house when Bella arrived. She had checked the living room, the library, the private lounge, and even the study, where her father and older brother usually spent most of their time at home. They must have been off working somewhere. Well, too bad. She had actually brought them something—just a few snacks she’d picked up from Japan.It was mostly guilt that compelled her to do something nice for them. After all, she was only able to travel and live comfortably because of their support. And she’d been giving them the cold shoulder ever since she moved back in after the divorce. Sure, she’d been going through a lot, but she could have at least tried to show some gratitude. She only realized how rude she had been now that she was clear-headed (and had almost gotten killed, thanks to Eric).Bella placed the bag of chips, sweets, and chocolates in the kitchen and grabbed a drink for herself. She went upstairs to her room, humming a tune under her breath. She froz
The drive back to the villa is silent. While Kyouka is probably thinking of more ways to convince his sister to come back home, Bella is preoccupied with how she would face Vaughn. If she’d known that calling him at that time wouldn’t have helped her, she would have just relied on Eric—despite how useless the billionaire had been as well.She wonders how the scene would play out: Eric and Vaughn in the same room, breathing the same air. How entertaining that would be. When the car finally pulls up in front of Kyouka’s residence, Bella hesitates for a moment before stepping out and following the Yakuza leader inside.Eric and Vaughn are settled in the living room. Vaughn sits with his legs crossed, taking slow drags from a cigarette, while Eric signs a few papers under Ayato’s watchful eye. Bella is more surprised to see the two coexisting peacefully than by her ex-husband’s smoking. Vaughn didn’t smoke; he couldn’t stand the smell and was always quick to lecture about how harmful it w
Even though no one had made a move to hurt her or force her into anything, Bella was still uneasy. The further Kyouka led her through the house, the more she became aware of just how many people lived there. All were strong men clad in Japanese-style outfits; some even carried katanas. It was the kind of scene one only saw in movies—too unreal. Bella might have been fascinated by the entire setup if her life weren’t hanging by a thread. One wrong move, and she might just cease to exist.Kyouka was clearly the youngest, yet he commanded the most respect. The men bowed to him, offering a chorused greeting. The young man, already accustomed to this, hardly reacted. He led Bella through a set of double doors into a bare room. A futon was laid on the ground, and a table and stool sat in one corner.“This is my sister's room,” Kyouka said. How that had anything to do with Bella, she didn’t know.“It’s... pretty.”“There used to be more here—a dresser, photos on the wall. My sister loved art
Bella was thrown roughly into the backseat of a Jeep. A piece of cloth had been stuffed into her mouth while in the elevator. Strangely enough, nobody made a move to rescue her as she was taken out of the hotel.They drove for two hours straight, and Bella counted down every agonizing minute. The Jeep pulled up in front of a Japanese-style villa. She was brought to her feet and led forward. The house had few furnishings, mostly carved from expensive wood. Instead of chairs, they had stools and low tables. Bella hardly had time to admire the decor before she was shoved in front of a door.Akira whispered to her in a low tone, "If you want to get through this with your limbs intact, you better behave. Speak only when spoken to."This guy clearly wasn't joking. Feeling afraid for her limbs, Bella obediently kept quiet even as the gag was taken out of her mouth.Three men dressed in black kimonos with dragon patterns approached. Akira bowed to one of them and whispered something in Japane
"So, what you're telling me is, your life is currently in grave danger, and Eric is responsible?"Bella was certain she hadn't explicitly blamed Eric for what happened, though it was indeed his fault. Vaughn had always been hateful toward the other billionaire. They shared a mutual dislike and found any reason to go at each other's throats. She couldn’t be bothered with it. "Tell Silas about it. He’ll come get me.""I can come get you. I’ll have the jet ready—it’ll only be a few hours.""Vaughn, for the last time, I don’t want you here! Stay away!""Then why did you call me if you—""Are you stupid?! I already said I don’t know any other number except yours. I left my phone back at my place, so I have no means of reaching out to Silas by myself. Do me one favor: tell Silas about it. I’ll repay you."Bella was almost certain Vaughn was rolling his eyes at her words. He was always dismissive of her like this, and it pissed her off to no end. Honestly, she’d planned to never have anythin
Bella woke up in a boat—a goddamn boat! She stared at the water below in astonishment. Eric, who was propelling the boat toward the island already coming into view, took notice of her."Finally awake?""What the fuck?!""Wow, very classy.""You!... Where the hell are you taking me?! What's going on?!""See that island over there? It's mine. We'll be spending a few days there, at least until my men take care of this whole mess."By "mess," he probably meant the men who had been trying to kill him—a deadly situation Eric had successfully managed to drag her into. The whole thing was unbelievable. To think she had come to Tokyo to enjoy some peace and quiet, an escape from her once dramatic life. The last thing she'd expected was to encounter Eric here, let alone have him drag her along to some stupid island without her permission."Who told you to do this?! Why didn't you drop me off at a police station?"Eric scoffed, thinking to himself that this woman was not as smart as he had given
Bella was uncertain at first, but by the second day, she was actually excited about being in Tokyo. The people were friendly, already used to seeing tourists around, so she didn’t get any stares or rude comments. The language barrier was the only hitch, but Bella wasn’t that social anyway. She was just here for the fun of it.For the first time in weeks, she actually felt relaxed. Knowing she was far away from her past, even if only for a few weeks, made her feel at ease. She had rented an apartment in a nice neighborhood. She’d had to deposit rent for three months, but with some consideration, she might just settle here for a longer period than she’d initially thought. She was certain Ethan Walker wouldn’t mind, and even if he did, it wasn’t like Bella owed him much. She was now a free woman and could do whatever she wanted.Freedom came with eating whatever she wanted to her heart’s content. She no longer had the nagging fear of what Vaughn might think of her figure if she started g
The big day finally came. The whole city was shaken by it. All TV channels and media outlets were lined up outside the courtroom, all eager to be the first to broadcast the biggest breakup of the year. If only they could interview the couple and get some juicy inside details—it would be even better. But, funny enough, Vaughn didn't even show up in court. He had his lawyers handle the case, and they were willing to give Bella whatever assets she might ask for. Millions of dollars were set out in the open for her taking. And Bella thought it was just Vaughn's last means of mocking her. Even at a time like this, he was showing his good side for the world to see. Clearly, she was the one who filed for the divorce, and Vaughn, being the kind and benevolent husband he was, seemed willing to give her whatever she desired. Truly, she appeared like a true gold digger in court. This was one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. The case was finalized within an hour, and their marri
Jessica's life had never been more challenging than it was at this moment. Don’t get her wrong; she’d always wanted her sister to get divorced, but what’s the point of that anymore when Vaughn didn’t even give her a second look? She’d never seen the man so obsessed before.The news of the divorce had taken the world by storm. Many people were in disbelief as Vaughn and Bella were viewed as the perfect couple. They’d been seen together acting all loved-up, and now they were separating?While Bella seemed to have disappeared completely from the public eye, Vaughn, unfortunately, was left to deal with the aftermath of the divorce. The paparazzi followed him like a second shadow. The blinding flash of their cameras and the inappropriate questions they threw at him pissed him off to no end. At this point, he might just work directly from home.But even while at home, there were still some people who came to bother him from time to time. Damien blamed him for his split with Bella, like Vaug