CHAPTER 3

Bella's POV

The pounding music faded as I turned off the engine, silence settling over the parking lot like dust. I stared at the fashion house I once called mine, its grand facade now dimmed, stripped of the soul I built into every brick.

There was a time this place pulsed with life. Clients in polished cars lined up in the mornings, fabric bolts stacked like gold, laughter spilled from the many creative rooms. But now? One glance told the story. Empty lot. Ghosted halls. Dreams decaying in fluorescent silence.

I stepped out, heels echoing against cold tile. The first floor looked like a skeleton, it was nothing like I remembered it, only a few machines hummed in protest. Almost two-third of the employee population is gone. Workers moved like shadows, barely glancing up. One look and I could tell that they are probably owed by the company, their face said it all. That zeal to be creatively invested in the work was gone.

Few greeted me, no one recognized me. I’d become a stranger in my own creation.

Gripping the strap of my bag tighter, I approached one and offered a smile. “I’m here to see your CEO.”

The woman paused, shrugged slightly, and gestured toward the staircase. No assistant. No secretary. Just a shell of a legacy. My throat tightened as tears begged to fall, but I blinked them away. I didn’t return for grief, I came for reckoning.

Charles had ruined my dream. And now I was here to hand him a new one, built on a lie and wrapped in seduction.

I came to a halt in front of the office I am very much familiar with, the word CEO written at the entrance was all I lived for before.

I took a deep breath trying so hard to stabilize my mood and only knocked after I was sure that I had it under control.

" come in, the door is open." he answered from inside after the second knock.

He stood to greet me, nervous energy cloaked in forced charm. “Welcome, ma’am. Please, have a seat.”

He looked deranged making me wonder which was worst, the company or him. The old scares were still visible on his face, he must have been really through hell. I wondered how far the man I robbed went in order to get the truth which doesn't have out of his mouth. It must have been a trying period for both parties, one desperate for answers about his lost assets and the other completely clueless on what was happening.

I heard and read the press, Charles had to inflate the company to buy back his life which was hanging in a thread in the hands of the business tycoon I stole from. He couldn't provide me so he paid, he paid and it cost my baby. But I still preferred it this way to him owning everything I built, this way none of us got at the end.

I slid into the leather chair, crossed one leg over the other, and removed my sunglasses slowly—watching his reaction. Nothing. Not even a twitch of recognition. Five years of shared nights and whispered promises, and all it took was a new face for him to forget me? Perfect. Not like I expected much from him but still a little disappointment pinched my heart, I would have recognized Charles even if changed everything about him including his voice, that's just how much I know this man.

We made small talk, his voice overly eager, mine velvet-coated with disinterest. Then I handed him the contract I had carefully prepared for this, thin and glossy like bait. He scanned the pages, eyebrows folding in confusion halfway through.

I leaned forward, with a whisper I confirmed his curiosity. “Your designs aren’t the only thing I admire. I’ll be staying in the country for eight months, and I’d hate to spend them alone. Keep me company, and I’ll rebuild this place to its former glory and give you back all that which you lost.”

His fingers trembled slightly on the paper. His eyes light in lust and greed.

“If you’re uncomfortable, it’s okay,” I added sweetly while maintaining eye contact and slowing reaching for the contract. “I’ll find another firm”

“No!” he blurted, snatching it back with a jittery smile. “Not uncomfortable at all. It’s... a privilege. An honor, really.” he stammered with a nervous smile.

I smiled, slow and deliberate.

“Just one thing,” I said. “Do you have a woman in your life? I don’t seduce taken men. It’s not my style.”

He paused, sweat gathering at his collar. “No. I mean... I was married. We divorced last year.” he explained.

Liar. But I let the venom simmer beneath my smile.

“Looks like you really loved her, must have hurt,” I murmured.

He nodded with practiced sorrow.

“Well then,” I said, rising with composure. “Let’s see how loyal you are this time.” I offered him a handshake which he took with a smile. He hurriedly signed the two contracts, gave me one and kept the other.

He followed me out like a man chasing salvation. I was offering him hope. But underneath it, I was handing him a ticking bomb.

Outside the building I saw Kelly, pregnant and heavily sweating, she had a lunch box in a bag. It's probably for Charles. I nearly lost it here while looking at her bouncing baby bump, I would never get to experience this, motherhood but here are the same people that stripped me of it happily experiencing it to the fullest.

One glance at a pregnant Kelly nearby and I watched my past begin to devour itself. The vile was literally seeping through my system, my breaths were becoming laboured and I could only grab the only thing closest to me. I grabbed him by his tie and gave him a brief deep kiss before jumping into my car to zoom off.

A wicked smile spread through my face proudly as I watch them arguing behind me.

Charles never even saw the teeth in my smile.