It didn’t take long for Claudia to slip into a deep sleep. Gina lifted her head slightly to check if she was truly asleep.
"Aunt!" she called out softly. "Can you hear me?"
Silence. Not a sound or movement from Claudia.
To make sure Claudia was really asleep, Gina pinched her arm. There was no reaction, no muscle twitch, nothing.
A wave of renewed excitement hit Gina as she clambered down the bed and hurried into the closet. Her heart raced as she rummaged through drawers, pulling out clothes, sifting through personal items, but found nothing of interest. Her eyes darted around the room and landed on the safe in the corner.
She approached it, staring at the buttons as her mind raced. "What could the password be?" she muttered under her breath.
Her first instinct was to try Claudia’s birth date. She punched it in, but the safe refused to open. Gina gritted her teeth in frustration. ’Maybe her wedding anniversary?’ But that, too, was incorrect.
Her mind whirled, scanning for other possibilities. ’Could it be Franklin’s birthday?’ She entered the numbers with shaky fingers, but again, the safe remained locked.
"Ugh, what is the password?" she groaned in frustration.
Her mind went blank at this point. Were her efforts going to be wasted? But she wouldn’t accept defeat. Desperate, she even tried entering Theodore’s and his father’s birthdates, but nothing worked.
With every failed attempt, her confidence eroded. But she refused to give up, her stubborn determination pushing her to try one last time.
"This is the last time," she muttered with exasperation, fingers hovering over the keypad. Without thinking, she entered her own birth date.
The safe clicked open, much to her surprise. "What the—" Gina gasped, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth, afraid that Claudia would wake up. She stood frozen for a moment, staring in disbelief at the now-open safe. ’Why would Claudia use my birthday as the password?’ The thought rattled her.
However, she didn’t have time to think about all this. She needed to finish the search as quickly as possible. With a sense of urgency, she pulled open the safe. Inside, she found a few stacks of cash, several gold bars, and some jewelry boxes. But there was no hidden phone, no camera, no USB drive—nothing that could contain the footage against Theodore.
She exhaled a deep sigh in disappointment. "Where is it if it is not here?" she wondered in a daze. "Could it be with Franklin?" She immediately dismissed the thought. "No, Claudia wouldn’t trust him with something this important. It has to be hidden in a more secure place—somewhere only she knows. I need to follow her."
Carefully, she replaced everything in the safe and closed it with a quiet click, making sure everything appeared untouched. With equal caution, she slipped out of the closet and back into the bed beside Claudia, her movements slow and deliberate. Claudia was still fast asleep, completely unaware of what had just happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Theodore returned home, it was almost midnight. He looked at the phone, recalling Bella’s call earlier that day. Because of Steward’s presence, he couldn’t talk to her properly, and he knew she might be upset. He wanted to call her, but it was already late.
’She might be sleeping!’ he thought, seemingly hesitant, his finger hovering on her number. But the longing to hear her voice was too strong to ignore. Unable to resist the urge, he dialed her number.
To his surprise, the call connected after just two rings.
"Hello?" Bella’s eager voice rang in his ear.
A smile tugged at Theodore’s lips. "You’re still awake?" He couldn’t hide the joy her voice brought him.
"I wasn’t," Bella responded quickly. "I wanted to call you, but..."
Before she could finish, Theodore cut her off. "I’m so sorry, Bella. I couldn’t talk earlier. I was caught up with work." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
All the tension and doubt that had plagued Bella throughout the day melted away with his words. She let out a sigh of relief, the heaviness in her chest easing. "I shouldn’t have disturbed you at work. But I was so excited, I couldn’t control myself."
"Excited, huh?" Theodore raised his eyebrows, curious. "What is it that you are so excited about?"
"I got an offer from a renowned fashion house," Bella revealed, her tone alight with joy. "I’m going to sign the contract with them."
Theodore’s grin widened, genuine pride flooding his chest. "That’s amazing, Bella! Congratulations! I knew from the start that you were destined for big things. You’re so talented." His voice brimmed with admiration. "Tell me—what do you want? A new car, jewelry, a house? Name it, and it’s yours."
Bella paused, her heart swelling with emotion. "I don’t want any of that. All I want is you." Her voice wavered slightly as she continued. "I’ll be in the city tomorrow. Can we meet? Please?"
Hearing her pleading tone, Theodore felt a sharp pang in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to see her, to hold her and ease the longing in both of their hearts, but the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Claudia might have been still keeping an eye on him.
"It’s too risky," he muttered, frustration and regret weighing down his words. "One slip-up and everything I’ve worked for could fall apart. Please, love, just bear with me for a few more days. I promise I’ll fix all of this soon."
Bella could hear the sorrow in his voice, and as much as it hurt her to be kept apart, she understood. She couldn’t force him to meet her, not if it jeopardized his entire plan to expose Claudia. But the ache of longing inside her refused to fade.
"I get it," she finally said, though reluctant. "I’ll wait... until you come to take me home."
"It’ll happen soon," he promised. After a moment of pause, he started saying, his tone turning serious. "Listen, Bella, there may be some things happening in the next few days—things that could upset you. I need you to trust me, no matter what. Whatever you hear or see, don’t take it seriously. Have faith in me, okay?"
Bella couldn’t understand what he was trying to say, panic gripping her heart. "What are you going to do?"
"You will know. But remember always that I love you."
"Theodore, you’re scaring me," Bella said, her desperation growing. "What are you planning to do?"
"Don’t be afraid. I won’t do anything I’ll regret," he reassured her. "It’s all part of the plan. As long as you’re by my side, I can face anything. I need your trust now more than ever."
"I trust you," she said resolutely, reminding herself never to lose trust in him again. "And I am always with you. Just don’t get hurt."
"I’ll take care of myself, I promise," Theodore replied softly. "And good luck with your contract tomorrow. Whether you want it or not, I’m sending you a gift."
A small smile touched Bella’s lips despite the tension in her heart. "Thank you. You don’t have to... but I’ll look forward to it."
"We may not be able to see each other for the time being, but I’ll call you whenever I find the right moment," Theodore promised.
"I’ll wait for your call."
"Now, get some sleep," he encouraged gently. "Tomorrow is a big day for you."
Bella nodded and said, "Good night," reluctantly.
Her chest was heavier than before as she ended the call. All she could do now was wait—wait for his next call, wait for him to come to take her home, and hope that everything would resolve soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"These are absolutely unique," the red-haired woman exclaimed, unable to hide her admiration as she flipped through Bella’s design sketches. "Bella, you’ve truly impressed me. This is going to be a hit. You’ll be able to showcase these designs at the upcoming fashion show." Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she studied each one.
"Really?" Bella exclaimed, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.
The woman nodded enthusiastically, her smile growing even wider. "Yes, absolutely. It’s a big event. Several designers are participating – some of them are well-known in the industry. This is a huge opportunity for you to put your talent on display."
"Thank you, thank you so much Kate." Bella’s heart was filled with gratitude, a wave of excitement rushing through her.
Kate beamed as she handed Bella a set of documents. "Now, let’s make it official. Here’s the contract."
Bella carefully reviewed the contract. It was a five-year commitment, meaning she would be working exclusively with Limeart Fashion House for that duration.
She paused for a moment, considering her options. Right now, she didn’t have a job, and the Limeart Fashion House would be a good start for her career. Besides, the pay was high. With hope and confidence brimming inside her, Bella signed the documents.
"That’s fantastic," Kate said, collecting the signed papers with a satisfied smile. "You’re officially a designer at Limeart Fashion House now. You can start as soon as tomorrow."
"Sure." After thanking Kate one last time, she left the office with a newfound sense of purpose and anticipation.
As soon as Bella left, Kate reached for her phone with a knowing smile and dialed a number. As the call connected, her smile widened even more. "Hello, Mr. Walton. She signed the contract."
On the other end of the line, Philip grinned with satisfaction. "That’s good to hear. She is your responsibility now. Make sure everything goes smoothly she doesn’t face any issues at work."
"You can count on me," Kate reassured him. "I’ll take care of her."
Philip relaxed his posture as he ended the call. Limeart Fashion House was Rose’s dream project. Rose had founded the company to build her own clothing brand. But tragedy struck soon after, and she passed away before she could fully realize her vision. Philip had taken it upon himself to see her dream flourish, working tirelessly to make Limeart a recognized and respected name in the fashion world.
When he learned Bella was a talented designer, he was overjoyed and contacted Kate to offer her a collaboration to work with them. It was just the beginning. Philip had already planned to hand Bella over the entire fashion house.
"Rose will be happy that her twin sister will be taking care of the business she started," he mumbled.
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