Franklin sauntered into Theodore’s office as if he owned the place, his posture relaxed, and his trademark smirk plastered across his face. Without waiting for an invitation, he dropped into a chair, leaning back casually. "Hey, bro," he began with mock concern. "I heard you kicked Bella out of your life. Is that true?"
Theodore’s eyes shot up, a cold glare locking onto Franklin. His muscles tensed, every instinct urging him to wipe the smug grin off Franklin’s face, but he swallowed the anger rising in his throat. "I don’t have time for gossip, Franklin. Why don’t you go find your little group of party friends and leave me alone?"
Franklin chuckled, unfazed. "Oh, trust me, I’d love to. But you know how my dear mother is—constantly nagging me to focus on work. So, here I am, being the good son, offering to help."
"I don’t need your help," Theodore hissed through clenched teeth. "If you’ve got nothing better to do, get out."
For a brief moment, Franklin’s smile faltered, his eyes narrowing as a flicker of irritation crossed his face. But just as quickly, he regained his cocky composure.
"I heard Bella resigned. Went back to her hometown." He watched Theodore closely, searching for any reaction.
Theodore said nothing. He continued checking the file.
"She was close to Willow, wasn’t she?" Franklin continued. "I always thought she’d become a designer like her. But it looks like she gave up on that dream. What’s your take?"
Theodore’s patience snapped. He slammed the file shut; his jaw clenched. "I don’t care," he growled. "I don’t want to know what’s going on in her life. We’re done. I divorced her."
Franklin was momentarily thrown off by Theodore’s cold reaction. He had fully expected Theodore to defend Bella or at least react emotionally to her name, but the indifference in his tone indicated that he had already gotten over with her.
But he wasn’t ready to believe Theodore had moved on so quickly. Suspicion flickered in his mind. Could this be just an act?
"Really?" Franklin narrowed his eyes, studying his expression with skepticism. "You divorced her already? That seems... quick."
"Do you have a problem?" Theodore shot him a sharp look, clearly irritated. "If you have nothing to do, leave right away. I don’t have time to entertain your nonsense."
But Franklin wasn’t one to give up so easily. He leaned forward, undeterred by the tension. "I’m just curious," he shrugged. "You were all about Bella not too long ago. Everyone could see how you felt about her. I thought you’d finally decided to settle down and spend your life with her. And now, suddenly, you’re divorced? Seems a bit hasty, don’t you think?"
Theodore’s jaw clenched at Franklin’s insinuation, but he didn’t bite. He remained silent for a moment, his gaze dropping back to the file on his desk.
Theodore knew what Franklin was doing. It was all part of Claudia’s plan. He was well aware that Claudia wouldn’t believe that he had truly severed ties with Bella, so she had sent Franklin to sniff out the truth. But Theodore was prepared too.
While he would keep them busy checking on him, his loyal men, Skyler and Hugo, would gather evidence against them.
"Yes, I really liked her," Theodore confessed. "I thought Bella was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. But that all changed when I realized she wasn’t who I thought she was."
Franklin’s interest was piqued, though he tried to hide it behind a neutral expression.
"She cheated on me," Theodore continued flatly. "And worse, she was responsible for Grandpa’s heart attack. Do you really think I could stay with someone who almost killed him? How could I even consider keeping her in my life after that? Every moment she stayed, she brought more stress to me. I had to cut her out—completely."
Franklin’s eyebrows rose as he absorbed his words.
Theodore didn’t stop. He needed to keep pushing this narrative, to feed Franklin the lies that would make it back to Claudia.
"It was hard," he added. "But Bella’s presence was dangerous for Grandpa’s health. For Grandpa’s sake, I had to end it as quickly as possible."
Franklin found his explanation plausible, and his doubts began to wane. He knew how much that old man mattered to Theodore. He was now sure that Theodore and Bella were done for good. Now Gina’s path to Theodore was clear. Her long-awaited dream to marry Theodore was finally going to be fulfilled.
Just as he was thinking about her, the door opened, and Gina walked in with a grin plastered on her face. But her smile froze, and her steps faltered as she noticed Franklin.
"What are you doing here?" Gina asked, seemingly surprised.
Franklin was equally surprised, not because of Gina’s presence but because of Theodore’s calm expression. Theodore had never liked anyone entering his office without knocking.
Franklin hadn’t forgotten the deadly glare Theodore had cast on him while he had entered a while ago without his permission. But the same man hadn’t shown a bit of irritation toward Gina as if it was the most normal thing for him.
This befuddled him.
"I work in this company," Franklin countered. "So, it’s not unusual for me to be here."
"Really?" Gina scoffed, brushing off his response. I thought all you did was party," she quipped, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Everyone knows it’s because of my Theodore that this company is where it is today." As she spoke, she leaned in closer to Theodore, her arm resting on his shoulder.
Franklin was even more taken aback to see Theodore smiling at Gina instead of pushing her away. His jaw fell apart.
Theodore, the man who had always been cold and distant toward Gina, was now smiling at her—actually smiling.
Franklin couldn’t wrap his head around it. It was as though Theodore had transformed into someone completely unrecognizable. The man who had once despised Gina was now indulging her flirtatiousness with a warmth that Franklin had never seen before.
It didn’t feel real.
"Theo, can we go out for dinner tonight?" Gina asked in a sugary, coquettish tone. "My friends want to talk to you."
"I can go with you," Theodore said, his voice gentle and loving, which only added to Franklin’s astonishment. "But I have a condition."
"What is it?" Gina asked innocently.
"We’ll have dinner in private—just the two of us," Theodore murmured, his voice carrying an intimate tone that made Gina blush with excitement.
"Alright, I’ll turn my friends down," she whispered.
"Wait for a while. Let me finish this, and we’ll go out together."
Gina nodded, excitement bubbling within her.
Franklin’s eyes widened in disbelief. Had Theodore just... flirted with Gina? He couldn’t believe it. His gaze darted between the two, trying to make sense of this strange new dynamic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that day...
Theodore had barely said a word since they had left the office. His eyes were fixed on the plate in front of him as he absentmindedly poked at his steak with the fork. His mind seemed elsewhere, a dark cloud hanging over him.
Gina, sitting across from him, watched with growing concern and confusion. Theodore’s silence was suffocating. This wasn’t the attentive, affectionate Theodore from earlier in the office.
She wondered what had happened to him all of a sudden.
"Theo, are you not feeling well?"
His reply was cold, grim. "I’m fine."
His cold tone added to her restlessness. Gina had a feeling that he was avoiding her. The dinner that she had been so excited for suddenly felt like a strained, uncomfortable affair.
A gnawing suspicion began to eat away at Gina. Was he still thinking about Bella? Had he changed his mind and decided to take her back? The doubts swirling in her mind unsettled her.
Finally, unable to restrain herself any longer, she blurted out, "Is it because of Bella?"
Theodore’s head snapped up at Gina’s question, only to meet her doubtful eyes. He saw the jealousy simmering beneath her gaze. This was getting wrong. He couldn’t let her doubts grow, not now.
His expression hardened, and his voice took on a sharp edge. "Why did you bring her up?" he snapped, pretending to be genuinely irritated. "I told you not to mention her in front of me. I don’t want to hear her name."
All her suspicion melted away in an instant, replaced by guilt and regret. "I am sorry," she apologized instantly. "I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought maybe she was the reason you seemed so distant."
She wanted to know if Bella had caused further problems for him, but she couldn’t gather the courage to ask that question. Instead, she said, "You’ve been so quiet since we got here. I was just worried. What’s really bothering you?"
Theodore exhaled dramatically as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. "Yes, I’m disturbed," he admitted. "But it’s not something you can help me with, Gina. No one can."
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