She opened her mouth to respond, but Dylan sealed her lips with his. The kiss was surprisingly soft. Just a simple brush of lips, but the sensation of a wet tongue sliding across her bottom lip was enough to make her shiver. Bella pushed Dylan away fiercely.The man was a wall of muscles—not the sort of overpowering build that could be overwhelming, but he had a good build, a sign of constant workouts. Just now, when her hand brushed his chest, she felt the warm skin beneath. Though her strength wasn't nearly enough to push Dylan, he was kind enough to stumble back, more to give her some space than due to the shoving."I am not that kind of person!" She found herself clarifying this fact over and over again. Just earlier, Eric had propositioned her, and now Dylan was doing the same. What they had in common was that they were both using her to get back at Vaughn. This was just a game to them.But this was Bella's goddamn life they were playing with! Yes, she was married to possibly the
"I want to see him! I'm not leaving unless I do!"The secretary felt her irritation soar higher with this woman's behavior. She'd worked in the company for only a few weeks after the boss's last secretary had quit her job all of a sudden. She couldn't understand, for the life of her, why someone would want to give up a job working for America's most generous billionaire. The pay was good, and the boss was kind and easy to deal with.But there were some days when the middle-aged woman was tempted to bang her head on her desk. And it was all because of this blonde bitch. She knew who Jessica Page was—a famous model and sister-in-law to Mr. McCoy. Though Martha had never met the boss's wife in person, she'd heard from her coworkers that the woman was kind and down-to-earth. Her sister, on the other hand, was a bitch! She thought being related to Mr. McCoy meant she could treat his staff disrespectfully."Ms. Page, please understand that the boss is currently busy with work. If you have a
Damien has been acting weird lately. On the days they are together, he clings to Bella like a second shadow, and on other days, he seems to disappear off the surface of the Earth, not even leaving her a text to ease her anxiety. Bella worries, but she knows better than to push things at this point. He is a busy man as well; it's understandable.She attends her horrible classes and spends her leisure time dreaming of freedom—of a divorce. Vaughn doesn’t contact her either, thank God for that. She saw on the news that he was cooperating with Eric's company on a project. How totally bizarre was that? Two businessmen who hated each other’s guts working together? It sounded too unreal.At this point, Dylan Snow seemed to be the only normal aspect of her life. They hung out once in a while, and their friendship was proving to be a wall she could lean on.“Hey, how are you?”Bella cringed, not even needing to look back to know who it was. Silas Walker, the latest thorn in her flesh. She didn
And damn, that revelation made him anxious. Vaughn prided himself on his ability to manipulate others; he was a businessman, after all. With money, he could get whatever and whoever he wanted. But now... even with half his fortune on the line, billions of dollars laid on the table, just begging to be taken, his woman didn't even glance at it a second time.Was I that much of a monster?Vaughn wasn't the kind of asshole who lied to himself—he knew he wasn't a good person. And honestly, he'd never cared before. Good people didn't get what they wanted. Just look at Bella—kind, gentle, and good—yet she was stuck with a monster like him. Goodness made people stupid; it made them ignore all other signs and signals. It was what made her marry him, despite the fact that he hadn't exactly hidden his flaws back then. She must have noticed how he got around her sister—the inappropriate touches must have been obvious. But she believed he was good enough not to break her heart. That was her mistak
'What am I doing? 'Bella thought to herself as Vaughn's kisses trailed to her neck, his fingers slowly working the loose ends of her dress. He had never kissed her like this before—slow and loving, almost as if he thought she would slip out of his grasp at any moment."Vaughn..." Her words were cut off when his lips pressed against hers once more. He backed her against the sofa, his fingers slipping through her dress to caress soft skin. Things were escalating so quickly that Bella feared if she didn’t do something now, she might not get the chance in a few more minutes."Vaughn!" Her trembling hands came up to push her husband's chest.The billionaire pulled back with a small frown, but he didn’t give her the distance she so desperately needed."What’s the matter?""I don’t want to do this!""Come on, it’s just sex. We’ve had sex before, remember...?""It’s not just sex! It’s sex with a man who literally betrayed and destroyed my life! I’d be crazy to let this happen!""Your body...
Bella blinked, startled. "Your... sister is Jess?" It was hard to imagine that the stubborn girl Dylan talked so fondly about was none other than Jessica—the woman who clung annoyingly to Bella's lover. "That's a surprise. I don't see any resemblance.""Yeah, she takes after our mom. Lucky her. By the way, are you familiar with Jess?""Well, not that much. She hangs out with Damien a lot, so we've met a couple of times." Bella tried not to let the bitter jealousy seep into her voice. She wasn’t sure if she pulled it off because Dylan was looking at her with those attentive eyes that seemed to see right through her very soul. She turned her gaze away, afraid that if she kept looking at him any longer, he might see how much bitterness she was masking."Didn't think they were back together."Back together? What the hell did that even mean? Her eyes darted back to him so quickly she went dizzy for a moment. "What?""You know, the guy I was telling you my sister's been dating—the rich boy.
Bella's mouth fell open. She wanted to curse but couldn’t find it in her to utter even a single word. She felt completely drained. Jess took her silence as submission, and with one last hateful glare, she stormed out of the house, slamming the door hard behind her.Bella slowly rose to her feet and walked to her bedroom to strip off her clothes. Mindlessly, she walked into the bathroom to shower. Even the hot water didn’t manage to calm her down. Today was turning out to be one of the worst days of her life, and that was saying a lot, considering she had had a lot of bad luck in the past few years.She didn’t sleep a wink that night. Whenever she closed her eyes, even for a moment, her mind quickly flashed back to Damien and the conversation they’d had earlier. Bella wasn’t frightened by Jessica’s threat. At this point, she didn’t think her life could get any worse. But the fact that the woman was pregnant couldn’t be ignored. And Damien had so ruthlessly lied to her face for weeks. T
Her words didn't garner the reaction she had been expecting. Her father and brother looked like they had anticipated her saying this."I have a lawyer ready. In two days, all arrangements to go to court will be concluded," Ethan said, assuring his daughter with a soft smile.He was usually a detached person who rarely showed such emotions. Ever since the tragedy years ago, he’d felt as though he had lost his reason to wake up every day with a smile. But now, with his daughter back, he vowed to honor his deceased wife by being a good and supportive father.Bella was surprised. She hadn’t expected Ethan to have already found a lawyer for her. She wondered if Damien had told him about the divorce earlier. Either way, she still felt uneasy about having to ask for their help.“I… thank you. You didn’t have to do this for me, but I’m grateful.”“This is what we must do. You are the daughter of the Walker family, and nobody is allowed to get away with bullying you.”“We’ll easily amass half
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