Bella sprinted toward the exit, her heart pounding in her chest as she heard footsteps closing in behind her. Fear gripped her, but she didn’t dare look back. All she wanted was to escape the bar and find a cab to take her home.
But the men chasing her were too quick. Within moments, they caught up to her, grabbing her by the arms on either side and dragging her toward a black Range Rover parked on the side of the road.
"Let me go!" Bella screamed, struggling desperately to free herself. But their grips were unyielding, their hands like iron clamps on her arms.
Despite her frantic resistance, they continued to haul her toward the vehicle. Her cries for help echoed into the night, but no one heard her.
As they neared the car, O’Neil appeared in front of her, a sinister smirk spreading across his face.
Bella’s heart raced faster, terror flooding her veins as she sniveled in a frenzy, "What are you doing? You’ll be dead if Theodore finds out about this."
O’Neil threw his head back and laughed which made her blood run cold. "Dead? Why would he care about his secretary? Unless... are you sleeping with him?" His laughter grew louder, and his men joined in.
Bella’s fear reached a fever pitch as she took in their leering faces. "Let me go!" she shrieked, thrashing against the men holding her, but her efforts were futile.
O’Neil’s face twisted in anger, and he slapped her hard across the face, the force of the blow snapping her head to the side. Bella gasped in shock. The sting of the slap brought tears to her eyes.
"You cost me everything and threw my life into chaos," O’Neil growled. "Now, you’re going to pay me back with your body." His eyes roamed over her, a leer on his lips as he took in her trembling form.
He moved closer, his hand roughly gripping her jaw, forcing her to look up at him. "You’ve got a pretty face and a body that men would pay a fortune for," he sneered. "But before I sell you off, I’m going to have my share."
He leaned in, inhaling the scent of her hair, making Bella’s stomach churn with revulsion. "I want to see how Theodore Reid’s secretary tastes."
With a cruel smile, he signaled his men to shove her into the car, the darkness closing in around her as she realized the nightmare she was about to endure.
"No!" Bella screamed as the men began dragging her toward the car. "Let me go, you bastards!" But her cries were met with cold indifference. They roughly shoved her into the backseat, her body hitting the seat with a painful thud.
Just as Bella was trying to gather herself, a glaring headlight suddenly illuminated the scene, nearly blinding everyone around her.
O’Neil and his men froze, shielding their eyes from the harsh light as they turned to face the approaching car. The brightness obscured their vision, forcing them to squint at the figure stepping out of the car and advancing toward them.
Bella’s stomach hurt from the fall, but she raised her head to see who had arrived. Her heart raced with a mix of fear and hope as she peered through the windshield, straining to make out the figure against the blinding light.
"Let her go." The familiar voice rang out, clear and authoritative. Bella’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized it. "Theodore!" she cried out and got out of the car, struggling with the pain in her stomach.
O’Neil reacted swiftly, yanking Bella close to him and signaling his men to confront Theodore. But Theodore moved like a whirlwind, his movements precise and powerful as he took down each man with a series of brutal kicks and punches. Within moments, the three thugs were on the ground, groaning in pain.
Seeing the tide turn against him, O’Neil’s desperation flared. He pulled out a knife and pressed it against Bella’s throat, shouting, "Stop right now, or she dies!"
Theodore froze, his blood running cold as he saw the blade at Bella’s neck. Terror clawed at him as he realized how close she was to danger.
"Don’t hurt her," Theodore exclaimed, his voice strained with fear. "Let her go."
"Humph!" O’Neil snorted, his grip on the knife tightening. "You want her? Then get on your knees and apologize."
"No, Theodore...don’t do it!" Bella cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, trembling with fear and anguish.
"Are you going to apologize, or shall I slit her throat?" O’Neil taunted with malice.
O’Neil’s demand left Theodore with no choice. He couldn’t Bella’s life. His gaze flicked between her tear-streaked face and the knife at her throat. "I’ll do whatever you say. Just don’t hurt her," he said as he surrendered to O’Neil’s demand and dropped to his knees, his heart heavy.
The three men lunged at Theodore, their fists raining down on him with brutal force. He instinctively curled into a ball, shielding his head with his arms as the relentless blows continued to land.
"Stop!" Bella screamed with desperation. Her heart ached as she watched Theodore being beaten. "Tell them to stop..."
Bella’s cries pierced the night air, but no one came to help them. The thugs showed no mercy, continuing to beat Theodore. O’Neil watched, his laughter ringing out cruelly as he reveled in Theodore’s helpless state.
Bella understood Theodore wouldn’t fight back while she was still held at knifepoint. She realized she had to free herself if there was any hope of saving him.
Noticing O’Neil was too distracted by his sadistic enjoyment to pay close attention to her, she stomped her heel down hard on his foot, grinding it into the ground with all the force she could muster.
"Ah..." O’Neil let out a pained wail, his grip on her weakening as he recoiled in shock.
Bella shoved him away and bolted toward Theodore.
Seeing Bella break free, a surge of adrenaline rushed through Theodore. With a newfound resolve, he forced the men off him, his body fueled by a fierce protective instinct. His punches came fast and hard, each one landing with more power than the last. Soon the thugs were sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain, their strength and will to fight completely drained.
But Theodore’s anger hadn’t subsided. It had only intensified. The sight of Bella in danger had pushed him past the point of no return. He grabbed one of the men by the collar, pulling him close as rage flared in his eyes.
"How dare you touch her?" he snarled menacingly. He drove his fist into the man’s chest with brutal force, feeling the crack of ribs beneath his knuckles.
The man coughed up blood, his body convulsing in pain before he slipped into unconsciousness.
The other two men, now terrified, tried to scramble away. But Theodore wasn’t about to let them escape. He kicked one of them down, sending him sprawling to the ground. He then grabbed the other by the arm, twisting it violently until a sharp cry of pain tore from the man’s throat.
"You touched her with this hand, didn’t you?" Theodore roared and hit his elbow from down, the sickening crack of bone reverberating through the air.
Bella’s eyes widened in horror, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle a gasp.
Theodore charged at the other man, his fists raining down with relentless force. O’Neil, his fear escalating, realized the situation was spiraling out of control. Desperation took over. If he wanted to live, he had to kill him. With adrenalin surging in his veins, he rushed over to him with an intention to stab him.
Bella’s heart raced as she saw O’Neil charging at Theodore. The urge to protect her husband overwhelmed her. Without a moment’s hesitation, she hurled herself towards Theodore. As O’Neil lunged to stab him, Bella intercepted the attack, the knife sinking deep into her back.
Her breathing stopped and her eyes widened, tears falling down effortlessly. The air seemed to stop blowing at that moment. O’Neil gasped, his hand immediately releasing the knife. Fearing, Theodore wouldn’t leave him, he turned around and sprinted away.
Theodore’s heart shattered as he saw Bella was stabbed. He leaped towards her, his arms catching her before she hit the ground. His fingers trembled as he saw the blood on them. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"Bella! Why did you do this?" Theodore’s voice cracked with anguish. His heart was filled with a mix of fear and anger, struggling to comprehend the scene before him.
Bella, struggling to breathe, reached up with trembling fingers to touch Theodore’s face. "You’re safe," she managed to say, her strength waning. "That’s all that matters."
As her eyes fluttered shut, her consciousness slipping away, Theodore’s heartache deepened. He held her close, his own tears mingling with hers as he desperately tried to keep her with him.
"Hey, stay with me, Bella!" Theodore called out hurriedly. "Keep your eyes open, okay? I’ll take you to the hospital." He lifted her in his arms and rushed to his car. Putting her on the backseat, he hopped onto the driver’s seat and drove off.
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