Bella grinned widely, her gaze locking on her laptop screen. She had just received a collaboration offer from a big brand, one she had only dreamed of being able to work with. But now, that dream seemed to come to reality.
Her fingers slightly trembled as she typed her reply to the brand’s email. After hitting the send button, a squeal of pure delight escaped her lips. This was an opportunity she had been waiting for. Partnering with such a well-known company could change everything for her career.
Her heart raced with excitement. She couldn’t wait to tell Theodore about this breakthrough. With bubbling excitement, Bella reached into the drawer for the phone he had given her. Just as she was about to make a call, her other phone rang, interrupting her.
The screen lit up with an unknown number. Curious, she answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Am I speaking with Miss Dawn?" A clear, professional female voice came through the line.
"Yes, speaking."
"Hello, Miss Dawn. I am calling from Limeart Fashion House."
Bella’s lips stretched from ear to ear. She had just accepted their collaboration offer, and now they were calling her immediately. Her excitement was bubbling over.
"We received your email just now. We’re very impressed with your designs and would love to work with you," the voice on the other end continued smoothly.
"Yes, this is such a fantastic opportunity," Bella gushed, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
"We’d like to invite you to our studio tomorrow at nine sharp. Please bring along some sample work. If all goes well, we can sign the contract right away."
"I’ll be there for sure," Bella responded eagerly.
"Wonderful. We look forward to meeting you. Have a great day."
As the call ended, Bella’s heart swelled with excitement and hope. Her happiness knew no bounds. She felt like she could jump for joy. Without a second thought, she dialed Theodore’s private number, eager to share the moment with him.
The call connected after a long ring.
"Hello..." Theodore’s voice came through, but it was low, almost secretive.
"Theodore, I have amazing news!" she said with enthusiasm. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
"Hmm." Only a short, indifferent hum came from him. The excitement she had hoped for didn’t come. Bella’s smile wavered for a brief moment, but her joy remained intact. She didn’t consider what might be happening on his end—she just wanted him to hear her news, to share her triumph.
"I got a collaboration offer from a renowned fashion house," she continued with pride and energy. "I’m going to sign the contract tomorrow! If you’re free, maybe we can meet somewhere?"
"I’m busy right now. Talk to you later," Theodore said, his tone flat and cold. Before she could respond, the call ended abruptly.
Theodore put the phone down and glanced at Officer Steward sitting across from him with a smug look on his face.
"Why did you end the call so quickly?" Steward asked, a sly smile creeping across his face. "I wouldn’t have minded if you’d taken a little more time speaking with your secret lover—or should I say, not so secret anymore? You’re quite openly dating Miss Gina Willis now."
He shrugged dramatically, feigning a sorrowful expression. "It’s a shame about your wife, though. She almost lost her life saving you, and yet here you are... cheating on her."
Theodore clenched his fists beneath the table. His jaw tightened as he stared at Steward, doing his best to suppress his anger. "Are you here to pry into my personal life? If so, I don’t have time for your nonsense."
Steward’s eyes gleamed with amusement, completely unbothered by Theodore’s growing irritation. "Oh, I know you’re a busy man. But you see, you’re under my suspicion. Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to put up with me, and you will answer my questions."
"I’m not a criminal, and I have nothing to do with O’Neil’s disappearance," Theodore barked, the frustration spilling over. "I’ve told you this over and over again. Instead of wasting your time interrogating me, you should be out there finding him. He might have left the country by now, and you are wasting your and my time here."
"Don’t try to tell me how to do my job." Steward’s face twisted into a sneer, his expression darkening with sudden anger. "I know exactly what I’m doing. And don’t think for a second that you’re off my radar. To me, you’re still the prime suspect. And I won’t stop until I find O’Neil—whether he’s dead or alive."
He pushed himself up on his feet. "I’ll come again." With that warning, he turned and walked out of the office.
Theodore’s nostrils flared as he glared at Steward’s retreating figure. This officer had become an unbearable thorn in his side, showing up at his office or even his home whenever he pleased.
If this kept up, things would spiral out of control. Claudia would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to use Steward’s harassment against him. She could twist it all and manipulate the situation to force him into doing whatever she wanted—something Theodore couldn’t afford to let happen.
"I have to do something to stop him from coming after me," Theodore muttered under his breath. Whatever it took, he would find a way to put an end to Steward’s relentless pursuit—before it was too late.
Unaware of what trouble he was in, Bella’s smile vanished altogether as the call ended abruptly, a pang of disappointment hitting her, leaving her heart heavy. She had expected Theodore to share in her excitement, to shout with joy, maybe even insist on meeting to celebrate, but what she received was his cold, detached response.
Was he not happy with her success? Did he change his mind?
Suspicion began to creep in, mixing painfully with the disappointment. A dull ache formed in her chest, and before she could stop them, tears welled up in her eyes.
It had been more than a week since she had last seen him. During these days, they didn’t talk either. She had wanted to reach out countless times, but she held herself back, convincing herself that she didn’t want to interfere with his plan to expose Claudia. She wanted to support him, not become a distraction. But today, the excitement had been too much to contain and she had called him.
His coldness crushed her.
’Is he ignoring me? Had he grown closer to Gina during this time?’ The name alone sent a jolt of insecurity through her. She didn’t want to believe it, but his distant behavior left her wondering.
Bella wiped away her tears and straightened her back, determination filling the void left by her doubts. She had to find out what was happening. She made up her mind to meet with Willow. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be her.
At Theodore’s office...
Skyler entered Theodore’s office, his face set in a grim expression. "What did he say this time?" he asked, irritation evident in his tone.
"Nothing new," Theodore muttered. "He won’t stop suspecting me. This situation is getting more dangerous than I anticipated. With Claudia holding evidence against me, I’m in a vulnerable position. One slip-up and I’ll be behind bars. If that happens, she won’t waste a second taking control of everything."
He sighed, his voice softening. "It’s not the business or the properties I’m worried about. It’s Grandpa... and Bella."
He tightened his fists, helplessness twisting his gut. "I’ve made a mistake. I wish I could turn the clock and go back in time."
"Relax, you can’t lose your head now," Skyler tried to soothe him. "Anxious minds make mistakes. We need to stay ahead of this." He pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the desk. "I’ve been thinking... there is a way to divert his attention from you."
Theodore squinted at him, curious as to what plan he had on his mind.
Skyler’s tone dropped into a conspiratory murmur. "Remember how Lionel was found dead in police custody?"
Theodore narrowed his eyes, recalling the incident. "Yeah. The cops said it was suicide."
"Right." Skyler nodded. "But it wasn’t. It was murder."
"What the fuck?" The revelation caught Theodore off guard.
"And Franklin was behind it," Skyler continued with certainty.
"Franklin?" Theodore was even more astounded. "What reason would he have to kill Lionel? What grudge did he hold?"
"Franklin paid Lionel to kidnap Bella and extort money from you," Skyler explained. "But when Lionel botched the plan, Franklin panicked. He was afraid Lionel would expose him, so he conspired with a corrupt officer and had Lionel killed, making it look like a suicide."
"I see!" Theodore’s eyes flickered with realization. But his curiosity deepened. "How did you uncover all of this?"
"We’ve been tailing Franklin’s assistant and driver for a few days now," he explained. "The assistant is too loyal to him. Franklin is able to maintain his position in the company because of his assistance. But the driver? He’s greedy, and more importantly, he is desperately in need of money. It didn’t take much to loosen his tongue. A stack of bills, and he gave up everything."
He pushed his phone toward him and played the recording of the driver’s confession.
Theodore’s lips curled slightly in satisfaction. With this evidence, they could easily put Franklin behind bars. But his thoughts immediately shifted back to the bigger problem—Officer Steward and the growing suspicion surrounding O’Neil’s disappearance.
"But how are you suggesting to link this matter with O’Neil?" Theodore asked anxiously.
"O’Neil owed Franklin a substantial amount of money. A few days before the incident, they had a heated argument at a bar. I’ve got the footage to prove it. We can steer Steward’s attention toward that fight—it’ll keep him busy chasing that connection instead of you."
Theodore frowned, his mind racing ahead to the potential fallout. "That could make Claudia desperate. If she feels like she is losing control, she could hand over the evidence she has against me to the police."
"She won’t," Skyler responded with calm certainty. "If she really intended to, she would have already done it. She is holding it over your head, using it for leverage. You still have power over her."
Theodore raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "And how do you suggest I hold on to that power?"
"She always wanted to marry Gina to you," Skyler explained. "Her closeness to Willis is always suspicious. If you announce your engagement with Gina, she will never think of handing over the evidence to the cops. Prepare for the engagement, and I’ll handle the rest."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
