The morning light filtered softly through the curtains as Willow stirred from sleep, her body still tingling from the wild night she had shared with Philip. She smiled to herself, savoring the fleeting warmth of the moment.
Her gaze shifted to the man beside her, sleeping peacefully. She didn’t know if they would meet again. Her hand gently brushed his jaw as she looked at him longingly. She thought about capturing this moment.
Reaching for her phone, she unlocked the screen, intending to take a selfie with him. A headline caught her attention, bold and alarming: "Theodore to Marry His Childhood Sweetheart, Gina Willis!"
"What the hell?" she muttered under her breath, her heart racing as she sat up straight. She quickly tapped on the link, scanning through photos of Theodore and Gina.
Confusion gripped her. Theodore and Gina? Since when? Thoughts spun in her head. What about Bella? Had something happened to her? A surge of panic rose in her chest.
Willow tossed her phone aside and scrambled out of bed, her hands moving frantically as she pulled on her clothes. Once got dressed, she dashed out the door while Philip was still asleep.
Willow stormed out of the hotel room, her fingers trembling as she dialed Theodore’s number, her heart thumping with worry and anxiety. When the call connected, she asked hastily, "Theo, what the hell is going on? What’s this crap all over social media about you and Gina? And why haven’t you shut it down?"
She hurled questions at him relentlessly, furious. But on the other end, there was only silence. It made her blood boil even more.
"Theo! Why aren’t you saying anything? Talk to me!" she demanded.
"Grandpa had a heart attack," Theodore said with a sigh.
Willow froze in place, the whirlwind of confusion and anger replaced by a sinking feeling of dread.
"A heart attack?" she echoed, her jaw falling apart. Her concern shifted from Bella to Malcolm. "How is he now?" Even though she didn’t like her father or grandfather for letting her mother down, she was still worried about the old man.
"He is stable, but he could go downhill if he is stressed," Theodore replied.
Willow’s expression hardened at his words. "Then this news is only going to make him more anxious. Why aren’t you doing anything to stop it?"
"Because Bella is somehow responsible for his heart attack," Theodore shot back, frustration lacing his tone. "Grandpa wants me to divorce her."
"What did you just say?" Willow barked, fury igniting within her. The sympathy she had felt for Malcolm faded rapidly. "What’s wrong with him? He didn’t support my mom when she needed him, and now – he wants to break your marriage. This is ridiculous!"
Her mouth twisted in rage. "Theo, you can’t do this to Bella," she warned vehemently. "If you hurt her, I swear I’ll not forgive you ever."
"Things are more complicated than you can imagine, Willow," Theodore said dejectedly. "I can’t explain everything over the phone. I’ll fill you in when you get back."
"I’m coming back," Willow asserted fiercely, determination fueling her resolve. "And I want answers—everything."
With that, she hung up, a storm of emotions brewing inside her.
Inside the presidential suite...
When Philip woke up, he couldn’t find Willow. The other side of the bed was empty and cold.
"Where is she?" he muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and scanning the room for any sign of her. As he pushed the blanket aside to rise, something caught his eye—the glaring red stain on the bedsheet.
Philip’s lips curled into a smile. "This woman left without a word," he chuckled, the memory of their passionate night flooding back.
He had envisioned sharing breakfast with her, perhaps even asking her to be his girlfriend. But instead, she had slipped away.
"Where will you run off to, Miss Willow?" he mused, a playful determination igniting in his chest. "I’ll find you."
Ring-Ring-Ring...
The sharp, insistent ringing of his phone, pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced at the screen and saw the butler’s name flash on the screen.
"Hello?" Philip instantly answered the call as he wondered why the butler was calling so early.
"I’ve sent you a photo of a pendant, sir," the butler replied, his tone formal yet tinged with urgency. "It’s the family heirloom that your father once gave to someone he loved. However, the pendant was auctioned a month ago and has now come back to us. Mr. Walton is quite disturbed."
A frown creased Philip’s brow as he absorbed this information. "Alright, I’ll check."
Ending the call, he checked the photo the butler had sent. His eyes narrowed as he examined the image of the striking green sapphire pendant. Something about it felt familiar. He recalled seeing the same pendant adorning his grandmother’s neck in an old photograph.
"So it’s true that this is a family heirloom," Philip murmured, his mind racing with questions.
He had always known of the unfulfilled love story of his father, who had abandoned his girlfriend because of the elder’s pressure. But that woman had died a long time ago during childbirth. Why was the pendant resurfacing now?
He was confused and intrigued to find out what happened to that woman, Rose’s biological mother.
Without delaying further, he dialed his father’s number. The call was connected instantly as if his father had been waiting for his call.
"Philip, did you check the photo?" Alan Walton asked anxiously.
"Yes, I checked it," Philip replied, his frown deepening. "Where did you get it?"
"A friend of mine purchased it at an auction," Alan explained seriously. "Our family name is engraved on the pendant, which alarmed him, prompting him to reach out to me. It’s the same pendant I gave to Selena as a token of my love. But...I want you to go there and find everything about her."
"Dad...she is already dead," Philip reminded him.
"No, I don’t think so." Alan expressed his doubts. "I have a feeling that she is still alive. Back then, my father was so desperate; he threatened to take his own life if I didn’t break up with Selena. Then came the accident—I wronged her in so many ways. I need to know if she is still out there."
Philip understood his father’s emotions. "I get it," he said resolutely. "I’ll find out everything and let you know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the hospital...
Bella slowly regained consciousness, blinking against the harsh fluorescent lights above her. A dull ache throbbed in her head, and she winced as she stirred. Confusion clouded her mind as she tried to piece together how she had ended up in the hospital.
"You are awake." Bridget’s soft voice filled her ears.
Bella turned her gaze toward her friend. Memories began to flood back. She remembered going to the mansion and arguing with Claudia and Theodore.
"Why am I here?" she asked, anxiety creeping in as she struggled to recall the moments that had led to this.
"You fainted because of the low blood sugar," Bridget replied.
"Fainted?" Bella blinked in a daze, recalling passing out at the mansion. ’Who brought me to the hospital? Theodore?’ she wondered in her mind.
"The doctor said you haven’t eaten anything in days," Bridget continued. "Why, Bella? I know things are tough right now, but you can’t hurt yourself."
Bella was more curious to know about Theodore rather than paying attention to Bridget’s words.
But Bella barely registered her words, her focus solely on Theodore. "Where is he?" she pressed urgently. "Did he go to see the doctor?"
Bridget’s expression turned grim. "Theodore is not here," she said sullenly. "His secretary called me to inform me about your health condition. I’ve been with you since last night."
Bella couldn’t believe it. How could he leave her like this? "No, this can’t be true..." she shook her head, panic rising. "He must be outside. I need to find him."
She sat up, trying to get out of bed.
"Bella, stop!" Bridget exclaimed, gently but firmly holding her back. "He is not here. You need to wake up. He doesn’t care about you anymore."
"No!" Bella’s voice cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks. "He loves me! He can’t abandon me. It’s a misunderstanding—he thinks I’m cheating! I’ll explain everything to him. He will understand!"
"Bella!" Bridget shook her gently, grasping her shoulders with urgency as if trying to pull her back from the brink of despair. "He has moved on already. If he truly cared, he wouldn’t have left you alone here in the hospital."
Bella’s face fell as the realization sank in.
"He wasn’t here when I arrived last night," Bridget added. "You were alone."
Bella’s heart shattered into pieces. She had trusted him implicitly, but now it felt as if he had tossed her aside like a discarded object. It was like the same that had happened in the past with her mother.
Her biological father had also abandoned her mother. These wealthy and powerful people showed no regard for the feelings of others.
Her insides churned with indignation, her fists clenching as she struggled to suppress her rage.
Anger boiled within her, a fierce indignation rising to combat the hurt. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides as she struggled to contain her rage. "I’ll make him pay," she vowed. "I won’t let him live happily with Gina. He’ll regret this."
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