Alan panicked when she rejected the pendant. He thought she hadn’t forgiven him yet. "I wrong you and Isabella. But please come with me. I want to make it up to you."
"It’s not possible." Selena turned aside. "We both moved on in our lives. I got married and so did you. You have a son from your marriage with Hailey. We can’t get back together."
Alan realized she was hesitating because of his marriage with Hailey.
"Hailey and I were more like friends than a husband and wife," he explained. "She knew from the start that I only loved one woman and that was you. Our marriage was just to support each other. Hailey’s first husband died, leaving behind a five-year-old son. Being a single mother was tough for her. She needed support and so did I. We decided to marry for the sake of our children."
Selena turned around, gaping in shock. "Philip is...not blood-related to you."
Alan nodded "We aren’t blood related. But he is my son." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Hailey was diagnosed with blood cancer before our marriage. She knew she didn’t have much time. She wanted to secure Philip’s future."
He held her hands yet again, his gaze pleading. "If you are thinking Philip won’t accept you, you are wrong. He has been helping me around to bring you and Isabella back to me. He wants to see me happy. Please Selena – we both suffered a lot. Let’s not torture ourselves. Come with me and complete my life."
Selena was still reeling from the revelation. She wasn’t sure how Bella would react. "I..."
"Don’t hesitate," he urged. "Give me a chance. I swear I won’t let you down again."
"What about Bella?" Selena asked shakily. "I can’t go against her will."
"I see." Alan nodded understandingly. "Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her. If necessary, I will go to my knees and ask her forgiveness. She is my daughter. She won’t stay angry with me for long. Besides, I got you on my side." He grinned and gently squeezed her hands.
Selena’s heart was in disarray with emotions, but she couldn’t stop her lips from curling. After so many years, she dared to dream again – a dream of living a peaceful life with the man she once loved wholeheartedly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the other hand, Bella called Tristan and urged him to take her home.
Tristan arrived in no time, and Bella slipped into the car.
"What is the hurry for?" he asked, looking anxiously at her in the rearview mirror.
"I just got my mother’s call," Bella recounted. "She seemed disturbed. I don’t know I have a bad feeling."
"Don’t be concerned, ma’am. She will be fine." Tristan ignited the engine and drove off.
Bella’s phone buzzed inside her bag. She thought her mother was calling her again. As she checked the phone, she saw Zack’s number. Her face contorted with a grimace.
The last thing she wanted was to speak with him. She ignored the call and silenced it before putting it back into her bag.
"Who is it? Why aren’t you picking up?" Tristan asked, curious and skeptical.
"It’s nothing – a spam call." Bella turned her gaze to the outside, trying to calm her racing mind.
On the other end, Zack grew concerned as the call went unanswered. "Why is she not picking up the phone?" he muttered and dialed her number again. The ring went on. "Come on, Bella. Pick up the phone."
But the call didn’t connect this time either. "Shit..." He ignited the engine and drove straight to Limeart Fashion House.
When he reached there, he learned that Bella had left early. "Left already," he mumbled thoughtfully. "I need to check if she reached home safely.
He dashed out of the office building and hopped into the car, driving away.
At the hospital...
Claudia finally woke up. "Gina," she murmured.
"Hey, there." Keith took her hand in his. "You are awake." A smile appeared on his troubled face. He pressed his lips on the back of her hand. "You have been sleeping for two hours. I was scared."
Claudia’s eyes locked on him. "Where is Gina?" she asked. "I want to see her."
Keith’s smile faltered. "You are hurt. You need rest."
"I am fine." Claudia swallowed. "I just want to see her. Please, Keith."
"She hurt you," he grumbled, "and she needs to be punished. I’ve grounded her for two days. She is not allowed to get out of the house."
"Don’t be ridiculous, Keith," she hissed. "Gina didn’t hurt me intentionally. She did that out of rage. If you punish her, she will be more upset with us. Don’t do that. Call her and ask her to come here. I want to talk to her."
Keith hesitated but relented in the end. "Okay, I’ll call her. But if she humiliates you again, I won’t forgive her. I’ll send her abroad."
"Keith..." She clasped his hands. "We made this mess because of our children’s future. But everything is crumbling. Theodore won’t stop. He’ll destroy us." She inhaled sharply, her pulse rate quickening. "We need to get out of here before it’s too late. Do something to bring Frank out of jail."
"It’s not that easy to defeat us," Keith grumbled, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes. "Theodore will give in to our demands. He will bring Frank out of jail and give us everything he owns. The property, the business – everything will be ours."
The confidence in his eyes left Claudia speechless momentarily. She realized he already had a plan. "What are you planning to do?" she asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
"I’ve already carried out the plan," he smirked. "Soon, Bella will be under our grasp. And Theodore will have no choice but to give in to our demands."
"Are you – are you planning to kidnap Bella?" Claudia asked, her eyes widening in surprise. A wave of unease hit her. "What if the plan backfired? We’ll lose everything and end up in jail. It’s too risky. Abort the plan."
"No," Keith grunted out through his gritted teeth. "The plan has already started. It can’t be aborted."
"But Theodore will..."
"Theodore will do anything to save his beloved wife," Keith interjected, cutting her short. "If he tried to act smart, he would lose her. Bella is his strength and his weakness. If anything happens to her, he will lose his courage. And that’s our moment to finish him. Once he is gone, everything will be ours."
His confidence radiated from his posture.
Claudia had a bad feeling, but there was nothing she could do to stop him. She could only pray his plan would work.
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