The days melted into a delicate routine, forced proximity, stolen glances, and conversations that always tiptoed around the truth. Jason had become relentless, making sure Bella stayed close, under the guise of professional necessity. Every blueprint, every late-night revision session in the glass-walled executive suite was a battlefield one where neither swords nor shields were visible, but wounds ran deep.
Bella buried herself in work, refusing to give Jason the satisfaction of seeing her flinch. She cloaked herself in professionalism, her clipped replies and cool tone a barrier she hoped he couldn’t breach. But he was watching. Always watching. As if trying to read between her movements, decode her silences, and uncover the story behind her eyes.
Then, one late evening, Jason slid a report across the table without a word. Bella glanced at the highlighted numbers.
“Security enhancements?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Supposedly,” Jason replied, voice calm but tight. “But the cost breakdown is vague, and the supplier doesn’t exist. Did you approve this?”
Bella scanned the document. “Absolutely not. This wasn’t part of the original plan.” Her eyes narrowed. “That’s Veronica’s team’s addition, isn’t it?”
Jason nodded once. “It has your digital signature.”
The breath caught in Bella’s throat. “That’s not possible.”
“Apparently it is.” He leaned back, studying her. “Someone’s trying to make it look like you’re mishandling funds.”
A cold dread settled over her shoulders like a shroud. Veronica wasn’t just playing games anymore she was laying traps.
The next day, the trap sprang tighter.
Veronica, smiling with syrupy sweetness, handed Bella a last-minute assignment. “Mr. Reed wants you to personally inspect the Upstate property. It’s urgent.”
Bella stared at the printed order, her heart sinking. The property was remote and long-forgotten. No one had mentioned a revival. “Are you sure he—?”
“He insisted,” Veronica said, her smile sharp. “Today.”
Just as Bella reached the lobby, suitcase in hand, Ryan Cole intercepted her.
“Where are you headed?” he asked, concern evident.
“Apparently Jason wants me to evaluate a condemned site in the middle of nowhere.”
Ryan’s expression darkened. “Jason didn’t authorize that. Bella, that’s Veronica. She’s trying to isolate you. And she’s been whispering to Jason... about your exit from Reed International five years ago.”
Bella stiffened. “What exactly is she saying?”
“That you tampered with financial records before you left. That you used your role to move money.”
Bella’s voice trembled with anger. “That’s a lie. I left with nothing but my dignity.”
“I believe you,” Ryan said gently. “But Jason’s already asking questions. She’s leading him somewhere dangerous.”
As she rode the train north, Bella’s thoughts tangled with memories and fears. Veronica was circling like a vulture, Jason was chasing ghosts, and the truth was too fragile to bear exposure without unraveling everything.
That week, the most unexpected thing happened.
Jason showed up at Lila’s school.
He claimed it was a routine check on the firm’s new security installations. But Bella wasn’t fooled.
Lila spotted him instantly. “Hey! You’re the man from Mommy’s office!”
Jason chuckled, kneeling before her. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
Lila pointed at a class display screen flashing parents’ pictures. “Are you Daddy’s friend?”
Jason froze.
The air felt thinner.
Then, he smiled, just a little. “Something like that.”
When he reached to gently tuck a curl behind Lila’s ear, Bella’s breath hitched. The way his fingers trembled, the awe in his eyes told a story words never could. He didn’t know he was looking at his daughter. But some part of him felt it.
That night, back in her apartment, Bella sat on the floor beside Lila’s bed, watching her daughter sleep. The weight of it all bore down on her—Jason’s nearness, Veronica’s schemes, the five years of silence thick between them. Her phone buzzed.
It was Dean.
“Just wanted to hear your voice,” he said, warmth lacing every syllable. “I miss seeing you around here. Are you okay?”
Bella hesitated. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m caught in a storm.”
“You don’t have to stay,” he said. “Come back. To Boston. To us. To something safe.”
Safe.
That word echoed like a bell tolling across her chest.
Dean was steady, gentle, everything Jason wasn’t. But Jason was the father of her child. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget the way he looked at Lila not with suspicion, but something achingly close to love.
And then her phone vibrated again.
An anonymous message.
“You don’t know the real reason Jason broke things off with Veronica. Dig deeper. Start with the night you left.”
Bella’s blood ran cold. She stared at the screen, heart racing.
Someone wanted her to uncover the truth.
And suddenly, she wasn’t just caught in a battle between love and lies she was standing at the edge of a deeper, darker web.
The game of proximity had just become a game of survival.
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