Theodore came to the office finally and slumped heavily into his chair. Weariness clung to him, dragging his mood down as he massaged his temples, mind churning through the myriad problems he needed to untangle.
Claudia had grown more dangerous than ever. To tackle her, he had to be cautious. But how was he going to get the video?
He had no clue where she had hidden it. Frustrated, he groaned under his breath and pounded his fist on the table.
Skyler entered quietly, just in time to witness his boss’s display of frustration. He wondered what made him furious this time. Malcolm had woken up finally, and Skyler had expected to see relief in his boss. But instead, his boss looked more burdened than ever.
"What’s wrong?" he asked warily, approaching the worktable. "How is Grandpa’s condition?"
Theodore glanced up at him, a grimace forming on his face. He rubbed his forehead as if trying to ward off the headache that had taken root deep in his skull.
"He is stable now," he mumbled, "but the second heart attack has put him at serious risk for a third. Any kind of stress or anxiety could trigger it, and... he won’t survive it this time. We need to be extremely cautious."
Skyler fell silent, absorbing the gravity of the situation. He could see why Theodore was on edge.
"But this is not the only thing I am worried about," Theodore added after a beat, his tone hardening. His eyes locked on Skyler, filled with the sharpness of unresolved tension. "Claudia... she somehow filmed everything that happened at the abandoned factory. Now, she is blackmailing me with it."
"Video? Blackmail? What are you talking about?" Skyler exclaimed, shocked.
"Lower your voice!" Theodore hissed, glaring at him coldly. "We can’t let anyone know about it."
"Sorry, sorry," Skyler apologized instantly. He took his seat across from him and leaned forward, his voice dropping into a murmur. "How did she even manage to film it? You said no one saw anything. And that night – it was raining heavily."
He remembered the heavy downpour had drowned out the streets that night, causing power outages across the city. It seemed impossible that someone could have followed Theodore, let alone captured the moment he killed O’Neil.
A disturbing thought seeped into his mind, making his skin crawl.
"So she had someone following you?" His words trembled with unease.
"Yes," Theodore confirmed, gritting his teeth. "It’s my mistake. I had not been careful. I underestimated her. Now, she is holding that video over my head, demanding I divorce Bella and marry Gina. If I refuse, she’ll turn the video over to the police."
The muscle in his jaw twitched violently as he added, "But what worries me more than anything is Grandpa. If he finds out or gets stressed, I am afraid he will have another heart attack. I won’t be able to forgive myself if something happens to him."
Skyler sat in stunned silence, absorbing the gravity of the situation. His mind raced as he tried to understand Claudia’s plan.
"Her intention is clear. She wants control—over the properties, the business, everything. This is her power play. Even if you go along with her demands, eventually, she’ll hand over the video to the police anyway and make sure you end up in jail."
Theodore gave a slow, bitter nod. "I know... No matter what I do, she’ll win in the end. And if I try to defy her now, I’m putting Grandpa’s life on the line. I can’t risk that."
Skyler frowned deeply as he regarded him curiously. "What is your plan?"
Theodore turned solemn even more. The storm brewing in his mind was evident in his eyes. "My priority now is to get that video. And to do that, I need to get closer to Gina."
Gina was indeed manipulative, but she was impulsive and emotionally fooled. Theodore knew she would do anything to be with him—her obsession with him made her vulnerable. If he could gain her trust, he could make her reveal where Claudia had hidden the original video.
Skyler cocked his head, his eyebrows knitting tighter. "What about Bella?" he asked cautiously, knowing how much Bella meant to Theodore.
The mention of her name felt like a sharp stab in Theodore’s chest. The love he had for Bella clashed violently with the cold reality of the situation. He had no other choice but to distance himself from her—for her own protection. Claudia was too dangerous, and if Bella remained close, she’d inevitably become a target.
"Right now, we need to stay apart," Theodore said, steeling his heart. "To make Gina believe that I’m serious about her, I have to... divorce Bella."
"But Bella won’t agree to leave you," Skyler reminded him. "She will cry and demand answers."
"She has to agree. There is no way." Theodore fell silent for a moment, feeling the weight of his decision pressing on his chest. "I’ll make it up to her later," he said quietly, though the promise felt as fragile as his heart. "Just prepare the divorce agreement."
Skyler hesitated but nodded. He could see the torment in Theodore’s eyes, but he knew there was no point arguing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A week had passed since their last argument, and Theodore hadn’t come home once during those days. Bella was left in a state of uncertainty, heartbroken and desperate for answers. Each evening, she prepared dinner in the hope that he’d walk through the door, but the hours ticked by with no sign of him.
He had not even attempted to contact her. Not wanting to push him away further, Bella had not reached out to him either. She even avoided going to Bridget’s place, clinging to the belief that Theodore would return any day.
Her patience snapped. Determined to find him, she decided to go to the mansion and confront him. Just as she grabbed her purse, her phone rang, startling her from her thoughts. It was Bridget.
Bella answered the call instantly. "Hello?"
"Did you check the recent news on social media?" Bridget asked, her tone anxious.
"No... I haven’t," Bella replied, confusion knitting her brows. "Why? What’s going on?"
Bridget hesitated for a moment before speaking, as if she were unsure how to break the news. "Theodore was spotted with Gina this afternoon... at a restaurant. They were holding hands. Like a couple."
Bella’s heart stopped. "What?"
"And when the paparazzi asked if they were together, Gina confirmed it," Bridget added, sounding more frantic now. "She said they were getting married soon. Bella, is it true? Are you divorcing Theodore?"
Bella’s heart plummeted into the bottomless abyss. She couldn’t process what she was hearing, her ears buzzing.
’How could this be possible?’ she mumbled to herself in a daze. ’He hates Gina.’
It didn’t make sense. Theodore with Gina? How? Why? Her chest tightened as if an invisible force was squeezing the air from her lungs.
Bella was the one who had asked him for a divorce out of frustration and agony. But he had dismissed her. Why had Gina claimed they were getting married soon? Was it true? Had he decided to divorce her? Was this why he had stayed away all week?
Her thoughts spiraled out of control, and she barely heard Bridget’s voice on the other end of the line.
"Bella? Bella, are you still there?" Bridget’s voice pulled her back to reality.
"I’ll call you later."
With trembling hands, she hung up the phone and immediately opened her social media. She needed to see it for herself.
As she scrolled through the latest headlines, there it was—the image of Theodore and Gina, side by side, holding hands like they were already a couple. The caption beneath the photo sent a fresh wave of nausea through her: "Wedding bells soon for Theodore and Gina?"
Comments poured in beneath the pictures, filled with excitement and speculation about their impending marriage. People seemed enthralled by the idea of them together.
Bella stared at the screen, her heart shattering into pieces, as the betrayal slowly sank in. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing—the man she loved, the man she had built a life with, now seemingly discarding everything they had shared.
How could he let these misunderstandings destroy them?
"No, this is not true," she sniveled. "I need to talk to him."
Without wasting a second, Bella rushed out the door, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. She needed answers, and she was going to get them.
Meanwhile, Theodore’s phone buzzed with updates. Bella was on her way to the mansion. His heart skipped a beat, dread creeping into his veins.
He understood Bella might be upset after seeing the news circulating everywhere. He had expected her call, but instead, she had gone to the mansion.
Panic surged in him as he thought she would have a clash with Malcolm, which could be detrimental to his grandfather.
Theodore couldn’t let that happen. He shot out of his office, grabbing his keys. His mind raced as he bolted toward his car, desperate to stop Bella before things spiraled out of control.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
