The encounter with Lila had torn a jagged hole through the wall Bella had spent years constructing. Her silence, her carefully measured distance, the professional armor she wore like second skin all of it had crumbled in the space of one breathless moment.
After Jason’s stunned question, the silence had been thunderous.
Bella had barely managed to gather Lila into her arms, murmuring a rushed excuse about a mix-up with childcare, and fled the office with her heart pounding like a war drum. Behind her, Jason stood frozen, blueprints forgotten, his expression carved from stone and disbelief.
The next morning, Reed International was a different world.
The air crackled with something unspoken. Whispers died down when Bella entered the hallway. Eyes flickered curiously, nervously, then away. Word had clearly not spread but something had shifted. She felt it in her bones. And she didn’t have to wait long.
Jason called her in the moment she arrived.
His voice over the intercom was clipped. Cold. The door to his office closed behind her with the finality of a prison cell.
“Bella,” he said just her first name. No “Ms. Quinn.” No pretense.
The sound of it, rough and restrained, made her stomach twist.
She stood tall. “Jason.”
He didn’t sit. He circled around the desk slowly, hands in his pockets, his jaw taut. “We need to talk. About yesterday.”
Her grip tightened on the strap of her bag, knuckles whitening. “Jason, Lila is my daughter. That’s all there is to say.”
“That’s all there is to say?” he echoed, his voice rising as he stepped forward. “You expect me to believe a child with my eyes, my hair, who appeared in this building days after you—that’s all there is to say?”
She stood her ground, but her pulse thundered in her ears.
Jason’s eyes burned into hers, daring her to lie. “How old is she?”
Bella’s lips parted, her defenses trembling. “She’s five.”
A storm moved across his face. Silent. Violent.
“Five,” he repeated, as if tasting the word. “You left… five years ago.”
She saw the moment it clicked. The devastation. The betrayal. The rage.
“You were pregnant,” he whispered. “And you didn’t tell me.”
“Because you were with her!” Bella shot back, voice cracking like glass. “I walked in and saw you with Veronica. What was I supposed to think?”
Jason stepped closer, his expression unreadable. “You should’ve talked to me.”
“You were holding her like she was everything,” she hissed, years of pain flooding back. “You broke me, Jason. I ran because I had no one else.”
“And now you show up with my daughter, like none of it matters?” His voice was dangerously quiet. “You stole five years from me.”
She flinched, but her chin lifted defiantly. “Don’t you dare. I gave up everything to raise her alone. You don’t get to play the victim.”
He turned away abruptly, pressing his hands against the edge of his desk. His breathing was rough, labored. “Why now? Why here?”
“I didn’t know this was your company,” she said, her voice breaking. “I was hired through a design firm. No names. No client ID. I thought… it was a fresh start.”
Jason looked back at her. His eyes didn’t hold anger anymore. Just a hollow ache. “This isn’t over.”
He sat down and picked up a pen. “Now get me the finalized layout by Friday. We’re behind schedule.”
Dismissed. Just like that.
Later that afternoon, Bella sat at her desk, trying to focus. Her sketches were a blur. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for a ruler. Her heart hadn’t stopped pounding since morning.
Then came the email.
From: Veronica Pierce
Subject: Urgent Consultation Request – Legacy ProjectThe message was formal, even polite. But Bella recognized the venom beneath the words.
Attached was a convoluted, outdated floor plan of a derelict Reed acquisition from years ago. It was irrelevant to current operations an obvious ploy to derail her. Veronica hadn’t wasted a second.
Bella stared at the screen for a long time before quietly deleting the email. If Veronica wanted a war, she'd picked the wrong woman.
Later, Ryan Cole stood in her doorway.
His frame filled the space, relaxed as always, but there was something softer in his expression today. “Rough morning?”
Bella gave a hollow laugh. “That obvious?”
Ryan stepped inside, his voice lower now. “I just wanted to say… don’t let Jason’s anger fool you. He’s confused. Hurt. And he’s been living in hell for years.”
She glanced up, brows raised. “Funny. I always thought he moved on just fine with Veronica.”
Ryan’s eyes sharpened. “Are you sure about that?”
Bella’s breath caught.
“What?”
“Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?” His gaze was steady. “Things… aren’t always what they seem, Bella.”
Before she could ask more, his phone buzzed. He gave her a tight nod. “We’ll talk later.”
The door clicked shut behind him, and Bella sat there stunned. Doubt slithered into her chest like smoke.
Could she have been wrong?
Later that night, her apartment was quiet. Lila was fast asleep, her tiny snores a steady rhythm through the baby monitor.
Bella sat on the couch, staring at an old photograph. It was faded now, but the memory was sharp. Her and Jason—laughing, carefree, impossibly young. Back when everything felt invincible.
Then came the image burned into her mind: Jason in his office, Veronica leaning close, a whisper, a touch. Her world had shattered in a single frame.
But now… Ryan’s words haunted her.
Was it possible that what she had seen wasn’t what it looked like?
Had she been running from a ghost?
She closed her eyes, the photograph trembling in her hands.
The past wasn’t just behind her anymore.
It was rising up alive, relentless, demanding answers.
And the only way forward… was to face it.
The silence in Jason’s office was suffocating, broken only by the crackle of Mark Jenkins’s voice over the secure communication line, each word slicing through the tension like a blade.“First vehicle has breached the outer perimeter,” Jenkins reported, voice steady but clipped. “Three armed operatives exiting. Moving towards the east gate.”Jason and Bella stood motionless, eyes fixed on the surveillance feeds. Onscreen, figures in black moved with alarming precision calculated steps, fluid maneuvers. These weren’t amateurs. They were professionals. Silas Thorne’s merciless signature was unmistakable.“Our team is engaging,” Jenkins continued. “Non-lethal force authorized. But if they resist, neutralize the threat.”A silent flash burst across one of the monitors, followed by a dull thud then another. Bella gasped, clutching Jason’s arm so tightly her nails dug into the fabric of his suit. Her fear was palpable. Jason remained stoic, his expression carved in granite, but tension radi
The night before the predicted snatch-and-grab attempt on Lila was a blur of frantic activity and white-knuckle tension. Bella and Jason worked tirelessly, side-by-side, their personal feelings momentarily eclipsed by the all-consuming threat. Mark Jenkins and his highly trained security team were already deployed at the fortified estate with Bella playing with Lila who was not aware of all that was going on and Jason in one the safe house far from the penthouse where they were initially , establishing multiple layers of defense."We've set up infrared tripwires, motion sensors, and silent alarms," Jenkins reported to Jason via secure video link, his voice calm amidst the impending chaos. "Every approach is covered. We have snipers positioned. Any unauthorized vehicle entering the two-mile radius will be flagged immediately. And we have a rapid response unit on standby."Bella, watching the monitors, felt a sliver of hope, mixed with overwhelming fear. This wasn't just a corporate bat
Dean’s frantic call confirmed their worst fears.George Reed wasn’t just playing a long game of sabotage, he was making a direct move. His cryptic promise of a "special surprise" in that Estate had been decoded: it was a snatch-and-grab. And it was happening within the next 24 to 48 hours.Jason didn’t blink. He ended the call, face hard as granite, and immediately dialed Mark Jenkins.“Mark, Dean just confirmed it. George is going after Lila. In Boston. It’s imminent. I need a full security status right now. Every available resource goes to the estate. No exceptions.”On the other end, Jenkins responded with his usual calm, but this time there was an edge in his voice. “Understood, Mr. Reed. We’re already on elevated alert. The estate is fortified thermal, motion, facial-recognition surveillance. We've doubled the night team since last week.”“Not enough,” Jason snapped. “Not with Silas Thorne involved.”Jenkins hesitated. “You’re right. Thorne’s system is built for infiltration. It’
The air in George Reed’s penthouse felt heavy. Not just because of the cigar smoke floating near the crystal chandelier, or the aged whiskey in cut-glass tumblers but because of the thick tension hiding behind every smile. It was the kind of atmosphere where words weren’t just spoken. They were weapons.Dean Carter adjusted his tie as he stepped into the dining room. The dining room was all gold trim and high ceilings, like something from a royal palace, but colder like the man who ruled it.George Reed sat at the head of the long, dark mahogany table. His suit was perfectly pressed, though he looked thinner than Dean remembered. Bones pushed under skin like a warning. But his eyes were sharp, and gleaming like it hadn’t aged a day. They watched everything.“Ah, Dean,” George said, his voice rough like gravel but still commanding. “I was beginning to think you’d gotten cold feet.”Olivia, seated beside George, giggled in a high, sweet voice that grated on Dean’s nerves, he could hardl
Dean Carter sat hunched in one of the leather chairs in Jason Reed’s office, his usually composed face pale, eyes sunken with the weight of revelation. Across from him, Bella’s fingers trembled slightly as she queued up the final piece of the damning presentation. Silence cloaked the room like a storm cloud ready to break.First came the audio grainy but unmistakable. George Reed’s deep voice slithered through the speakers, casually discussing contingency plans with Silas Thorne. "If Bella becomes unmanageable… eliminate the distraction. Silence her. Permanently." Then Veronica Pierce’s voice: polished, cruel, offering cold, calculated suggestions about framing Bella with financial threats and personal ruin.Dean’s eyes widened in horror.Next, Jason laid out the forensic accounting documents, a web of shell companies tracing back to George’s private holdings. The illicit transfers. The strategic leak to investors to devalue Reed International stock. Every line, every transaction, a b
Dean Carter’s distraught outburst, still echoing from his confrontation with George Reed, sent a ripple of tension through the room. Bella and Jason exchanged a grim look, this wasn’t just about lies anymore. It was about people they trusted being turned against them one by one.Jason’s voice was low, almost dangerous as he took a step closer to Dean. “He told you that?” he asked tightly. “That Bella is a distraction? That Lila is a burden?”Dean shifted uncomfortably under Jason’s gaze, his shoulders hunched. “He said you were both reckless. That you were losing control. And Bella… that she brought scandal and instability. He implied the little girl would jeopardize everything you built.”Bella inhaled sharply, as if struck. Dean’s words weren’t malicious, but hearing Lila referred to that way tore through her. Still, she steadied herself, reminding herself that Dean was a pawn in a much larger, more dangerous game.“Dean,” she said gently, but firmly, “George Reed paid my mother to