"Just this!" Franklin grumbled. The fact that his mother had interrupted him for what seemed like a trivial task made his annoyance bubble over. "You could have asked my assistant for it. Why did you have to ruin my night?" He let out a derisive snort, rolling his eyes.
"I can’t trust anyone else but you," Claudia snapped back sharply. "Don’t forget who we’re dealing with here. It’s Theodore. He is smarter than his father and fooling him won’t be easy. If we make one wrong move, we’ll be exposed, and all our hard work will go to waste."
"Alright, alright... I get it," Franklin replied grimly, his tone begrudging. "I’ll look into it and let you know."
Before Claudia could respond, the call abruptly cut off. "Franklin!" she hissed in frustration, grinding her teeth. "When will he start taking things seriously?"
The news of Bella resigning from Willow’s fashion house and returning to her hometown hit Zack like a tidal wave of confusion. He stared at his assistant, trying to wrap his head around it. Bella had been so eager to work with Willow, so driven by her passion. What could have possibly made her leave everything behind so suddenly?
"Do you know the reason?" Zack asked, disbelief clouding his expression.
"It’s unclear," the assistant said with a shrug. "Some of the staff are speculating that there were issues between Bella and Willow, but no one knows for sure."
Zack had a feeling that there was more to this story. Bella wouldn’t have just left like that, abandoning her career, her dream. If she didn’t want to work with Willow anymore, she could have worked for him—he would’ve gladly taken her on. Or at the very least, she could’ve found something better. But she abandoned everything and left. Maybe it was because of recent rumors about Theodore’s growing closeness with Gina Willis.
Zack felt a pang of concern mixed with a growing curiosity. He had to know.
"Okay, you can go now," Zack said, waving his assistant off absentmindedly as his expression shifted into a contemplative frown. He decided to go see her and talk to Bella clearly. Maybe he could finally get a chance to confess his feelings for her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mason entered the presidential suite and immediately noticed Philip absorbed in a file, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Sir," he greeted with a respectful nod.
Without looking up, Philip asked, "Any update, Mason." His tone was cold.
"Yes," Mason replied, stepping forward and placing a folder on the polished table. "I’ve gathered all the information about Miss Isabella Dawn."
Philip’s eyes flickered upward briefly before he set the file in his hands aside, picking up the folder Mason had delivered. As he opened it, Mason continued, providing the background in a steady, professional tone.
"Miss Isabella, known as Bella, is the only daughter of Selena. Her stepfather was a notorious drunkard who lost everything in gambling. He racked up millions in debt to various moneylenders. Bella and her mother worked tirelessly to repay those debts, but things took a turn for the worse when Selena was diagnosed with liver failure."
Philip’s frown deepened as he absorbed the details. A wave of regret washed over him—if only they had known earlier, Selena and Bella wouldn’t have had to suffer so much. But it was relieving that Lionel was dead now.
As he flipped through the pages, something caught his eye that made him pause. His expression shifted from concern to disbelief when he saw the marriage registration report.
"She married Theodore Reid!" Philip exclaimed with surprise. "But isn’t he the one being rumored to be involved with another woman recently? Is he cheating on her?"
Mason shrugged noncommittally. "It’s possible. There is not much information available about their marriage. They’ve kept it secret, which suggests Mr. Reid doesn’t want it publicized. However, he has done a lot to help Bella—clearing her debts and paying for her mother’s treatments. He also arranged the organ transplant for Selena."
Philip slammed the folder shut with a loud thud, his jaw clenched in anger. "This doesn’t give him the right to cheat on his wife," he growled. His piercing gaze flicked up toward Mason. "Keep an eye on him. I want to know if he is making life difficult for Bella."
Mason nodded curtly. "The car is ready, sir. All arrangements have been made. You can leave whenever you’re ready."
Philip’s expression hardened into one of steely determination. He was ready to meet with Selena, prepared for whatever truths or confrontations awaited him. Rising from his chair, he straightened his suit, his mind set on the visit ahead.
The next day...
Philip came to the address his father had given him and found the same bakery he had mentioned earlier.
Philip stood frozen at the entrance of the bakery, his heart pounding in his chest as the reality of the moment hit him like a tidal wave. "Fuck! It’s still here," he muttered under his breath, stunned.
The quaint little shop, with its outdated decor and the lingering scent of nostalgia, seemed untouched by time, as though it had been preserved in a bubble from the 90s, still waiting for someone dear to come. Unfortunately, the Waltons had never bothered to come and check on Selena, believing that she had died a long time ago.
Philip felt as if his legs were suddenly heavy as he stepped into the bakery, pushing the door open. The bell overhead jingled and the aroma of freshly baked bread and cookies filled his nostrils.
His gaze locked onto the woman behind the counter, with gray and gold-streaked hair. Philip could see the undeniable resemblance to Rose. It was unmistakable—this was Selena, Rose’s biological mother, very much alive. The shock gripped him, twisting his gut.
What an irony it was!
For decades, his father had believed her to be dead, had grieved her, and had moved on. Alan had been living in regret and sorrow for over twenty years, thinking she had been lost forever. And yet, here she was—alive, breathing, and carrying on as though nothing had ever happened.
His legs felt like lead as he stepped farther into the shop, his body unwilling but propelled by the weight of the truth. How could they have never known? How had no one bothered to search for her, to confirm if the information of her death was true?
Selena grinned at him. "Welcome, sir." She showed him the menu board mounting on the wall. "You can select whatever you want to eat. If you’d like to have it packed, we can also do that."
Philip cleared his throat, struggling to stay calm. "I, uh... I’d like to try some cookies and take a few pastries with me," he managed to say.
"Sure," Selena replied, her smile never fading. "Please have a seat. I’ll bring you some freshly baked cookies with a cup of coffee."
Philip nodded and took a corner table. He watched Selena busy brewing coffee and then dialed his father’s number.
The line connected on the first ring "Hello? Where are you?" His father’s anxious voice filled his ears. "Did you find Selena?"
Philip’s eyes flickered toward the counter. "Yes," he said softly. "She is right in front of me... brewing coffee."
"She is alive!" Alan suddenly squealed. "Selena is not dead." But then he fell quiet. "How foolish I was. I never verified that information. I thought she was dead... I never searched for her. She must hate me."
Alan paused for another moment. "Philip, how is she? Is she okay? Is she happy in her life?" His voice cracked slightly.
"She looks just fine," Philip said as he watched Selena interact with a customer. "She seems happy in her life. I don’t think she needs us."
After a moment of silence, he broke it with resolve. "In the past, I made a mistake by not looking for her. But I don’t want to make that mistake again. You need to talk to her and find out how she is doing. You might learn more about Rose’s twin sister."
"I..."
The bell jingled before Philip could say the next word, and his gaze moved to the entrance. His heart jumped to his mouth when he saw Bella walking in. For a fleeting second, her presence disoriented him—her striking resemblance to Rose made his mind falter. Though he knew full well it was Bella standing there, he couldn’t stop imagining Rose had come to life.
"Bella!" Selena called out with concern as she quickly moved from behind the counter. "Didn’t you say you had a headache? Why did you come here?"
"I am feeling better now. I was just bored sitting at home." Bella pouted. "So I thought I’d come to help you out for a while."
"I’m managing fine here. There aren’t many customers today," she reassured her, gesturing toward the quiet bakery. "Why don’t you sit down and work on your designs instead?
A fond smile crept across Bella’s face as she considered her mother’s suggestion. "You’re right," Bella agreed softly. "I’ll grab my sketchbook and settle in."
Philip remained seated, watching the exchange between Selena and Bella. He had come here with a mission. And yet, seeing the mother and daughter like this—so at ease, so unaware of the storm that was about to come—made his heart weigh heavy with hesitation.
On the other end of the line, Alan’s emotions were in turmoil as he heard Selena’s voice after so many years. He longed to rush to her, to beg for forgiveness for abandoning her, to explain the years of misunderstanding and distance.
"Philip, is she... is she Selena? Who was calling her ’Mamma’? Is that... my daughter, Rose’s sister?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Philip barely had a moment to respond before Bella’s gaze found him, freezing him in place. His heart skipped a beat, his grip on the phone tightening unconsciously.
"You!" Bella immediately recognized him, but she was surprised to see him there.
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